Call Mike Montei's monster 13-foot-long alligator catch a case of beginner's luck.
After all, it was the first time he ever went on a gator hunt.
"My number one priority was not to go out and harvest the biggest gator on the block. My priority was to go out and have fun on the water with my daughter and nephew," Montei told WCSC. "I had entered the state lottery (for alligator hunting) for a few years, and this year I was finally selected. So we decided to go gator hunting."
Montei and his group hooked the 604-pound behemoth within 30 minutes of going out on the water on Sept. 18.
The gator was taken to a processing facility to turn the catch into steaks, sausages and jerky.
"I'm a big believer in being a steward of what you have," Montei said. "To catch it and let it go to waste would be the worst thing you could do."
About 100 miles away, another gator more than 13 feet long was caught Sept. 30 along the Waccamaw River.
"After about two hours, he tired out and surfaced enough to get a harpoon in him and shortly after the harpoon we were able to get a good shot on him," Landon McDowell told Myrtle Beach Online.
The gator first weighed out to 655 pounds, but the entire gator was not able to be lifted off the ground. It was re-weighed and came in at 816 pounds, according to Myrtle Beach Online.
"I've decided that I'm going to get the head mounted because I don't know if I'll ever get an opportunity to shoot one this size," McDowell told Myrtle Beach Online.
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