ARKANSAS, USA — A woman in Arkansas and her unofficial Alligator wrangling team are celebrating after they made a huge catch last Friday night!
Melissa Phillips and her crew beat her personal best gator hunting record by two inches when they caught the massive 12-foot 2-inch long alligator in a private lake near a river.
Phillips credits that she couldn't have done it without her alligator hunting team which included her husband Heath Phillips who is always willing to go on crazy adventures, and her sister, Shannon Vickers Gerth who has always been willing to help.
"There's never a dull moment in the Phillips household. I'm hoping the boys will tell their kids and grandkids about us one day," Melissa explained.
She also added that they made a great team and she couldn't have had as successful as a hunt without the extra muscles.
According to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, alligator hunting season in the state consists of just two weekends a year in September.
The dates for the season are:
- Sept. 15-18, 2023
- Sept. 22-25, 2023
Night hunting is allowed from 30 minutes after sunset on the first day of the season until 30 minutes before sunrise on the last day
During the 2023 alligator hunting season, hunters across the state beat the record for most legally harvested alligators with a total of 202. The old record was 174 gators harvested back in 2020.
For more information on Alligator hunting in Arkansas, please click here.
