BRANDON, Miss.- Alligator season is in full swing after starting this weekend and there’s already a new state record for heaviest male alligator.
Ricky Flynt, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks’ Alligator Program coordinator, confirmed on Saturday that a new state record for heaviest male alligator had been set.
The record-breaking 756-pound gator was captured from the Mississippi River in the Southwest Zone by Robert Mahaffey of Brandon.
Flynt said the gator was 13 feet, 1 ¾ inches long with a tail circumference of 45 ½ inches and a belly girth of 67 ¼ inches.
Last year, three record breaking alligators weighing over 700 pounds were caught. The previous record, 741.5 pounds, was taken from the Southwest Zone during the 2013 season by Lee Turner of Madison, Mississippi.
Mississippi’s statewide alligator hunting season on public waterways began Friday, Aug. 29 at noon. There’s still plenty of time for more records to be broken for this gator season. The hunting activities last ten days going until Sep. 8 at noon.
Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Parks says they will be posting live updates this year with the latest info about big catches at http://www.mdwfp.com/
