Near-record gator caught by Mississippi hunters on opening day

VICKSBURG, MS. – After over an hour long fight, a team of Mississippi alligator hunters took down a massive 800-pound gator on the Yazoo River near Vicksburg this weekend on opening day of the hunting season, almost breaking the current record.

“We fought him for at least an hour before we knew how big he was,” said Megan Sasser to the Clarion Ledger. “We knew he was big, but we didn’t know how truly big he was. It was kind of one of those once in a lifetime deals.”

“I think when we saw his head, everybody’s jaw dropped,” Sasser said. “That’s when it sank in, ‘Y’all, we’ve got a monster.'”

They transported the massive creature to Red Antler Processing in Yazoo City, where it measured an impressive 14 feet in length and weighed 801.5 pounds, just shy of the current record gator caught in 2023 of 802.5 lbs and 14′ 3″ long.

The hunting party consisted of Megan Sasser, Marty and Lauren Sasser from Terry, Justin Pettway from Pelahatchie, Connie Flanagin, and Brandi Robinson from Enterprise, has been hunting together for a decade.