844-Pound Alligator Caught in SC Lake After 4-Year Hunt

A massive alligator, nicknamed 'Snaggletooth,' has been captured in Lake Moultrie, South Carolina, after a four-year pursuit by hunters. The 844-pound, 14-foot reptile was pulled from the lake on Sept. 28 by a team of four experienced hunters.

The successful hunt occurred during South Carolina’s alligator hunting season, which runs from Sept. 12 to Oct. 10. The team, which included Cole Poplin and William Ard of Renegade Bowfishing, along with clients Chris Webb and his father Craig Webb, secured the gator around 11 p.m. ET on Sept. 28.

Cole Poplin, who runs the fishing charter company, said he had been tracking 'Snaggletooth' for approximately four years. "I’ve hunted this gator a lot over the last three or four years," Poplin told reporters. "Four years later, we have a magical night, and he just happened to slip up and make a mistake, and we made it count."

The capture presented challenges due to the alligator’s size. Poplin recounted that the group missed opportunities to catch the gator twice before succeeding. He explained that it took three men to lift the alligator from the bottom of the lake.

While 'Snaggletooth' is a significant catch, it does not hold the state record. A 1,025-pound, 13-foot alligator caught in 2010, also from Lake Moultrie, holds that distinction. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources did not independently verify 'Snaggletooth's' measurements.