Discover The 7 Largest Alligators Ever Found in Georgia

Georgia doesn’t have an alligator problem. The population is carefully controlled by the Department of Natural Resources. Limited tags are handed out every year to help keep the population steady, and hunters often struggle to get a tag that lets them go hunting. There, they all fight to beat the record for the largest American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) ever found in Georgia.

Georgia might not be the state you think of when you think of large alligators. The TV show Swamp People has pretty clearly shown that if you want a monster gator, you need to look around Florida or Louisiana. But that doesn’t mean Georgia only has mini-monsters. there are still plenty of gators that measure over 12 feet.

If you want to see exactly what Georgia has to offer in terms of these reptiles, you’re in luck with this article. Keep reading below to find out what the largest gators ever found in Georgia were.

How Big Can Alligators Get?

Theoretically, there’s not much of a limit to how large alligators get. Alligators continue to grow their whole lives. This means that they will grow every year until they die. The larger an alligator is when it is found, the older it likely is. With gators reaching at least sixty years in the wild and even longer in captivity, it’s possible gators can grow pretty dang big!

As alligators grow older, they do slow down in growth, so there may be a capping point where an alligator no longer grows, but scientists haven’t yet found that point. On average, alligators grow at a rate of 2 inches to 12 inches a year.

Some gators grow slower than others. The colder the location, the slower an alligator grows. That’s why, the further south you go, the larger gators tend to be on average, even gators that are the same age. Louisiana and Florida are known for having the largest gators throughout the US.

The largest gator ever recorded measured 19 feet and 2 inches. As for weight, the largest on record was 1,043 pounds. Though this is rare, as it means an alligator has to live a long time without being killed or hunted, it is possible.

Sex also plays a factor in growth rates. Male alligators tend to grow faster than females, so they tend to be the bigger ones. Since alligator genders are determined by the temperature when they are in their eggs, you’ll get a series of small female gators or a series of larger male gators that hatch and grow about the same size at the same time. This leads to good hunting seasons and bad hunting seasons based on the majority gender of the gators born.

What’s the Average Size an Alligator Gets?

Since it’s rare for alligators to get up to 1,000 pounds, you may be wondering what the average size an alligator can get. On average, American alligators reach somewhere between 8 and 12 feet long. They may also weigh between 400 and 800 pounds on average.

In Georgia, they tend to be a little smaller. You can expect somewhere around 12 feet to be a standard average. They weigh between 400 and 600 pounds. The further north in Georgia you go, the smaller the gators tend to be. This is because there are colder seasons, which slow alligator growth.

Why Are Most of the Largest Gators Found in Georgia the Ones Killed?

Wildlife biologists do need the sizes of gators to get accurate information for studies and reports. However, for the most part, these sizes are estimations. Or, they use the sizes from the hunts to provide their averages.

These sizes aren’t ever officially recorded, and they aren’t boasted about online like with hunted gators. This means that a lot of time, the sizes scientists are reporting aren’t considered.

Another reason why most of the largest gators are ones caught during hunts is because hunters take the time to search for the bigger ones. When you only get so many tags a year, you aren’t going to waste them on small alligators.

Instead, you’re going to sit and wait for the chance to catch a big one. By focusing only on large individuals, hunters get the chance to achieve fame by breaking the previous record. It’s also more fun to brag about a big catch than a small one. And of course, you can get more money the more alligator meat you sell (or save money if you decide to eat everything you catch).

Largest Alligators Ever Found in Georgia

While Georgia isn’t known for having the biggest gators, that doesn’t mean they’re all tiny. Some of the largest alligators ever found in Georgia are still impressive reptiles worth admiring. Plus, if you decide to give gator hunting a try, knowing some of the records can give you a good idea of what your target should be.

1. Derrick Snelson — 14 Feet, 1.75 Inches Long

On September 1st, 2019, the largest alligator to date was caught in Georgia. This is likely not only the largest alligator caught but ever found. Derrick Snelson and his 14-year-old daughter were out with their tag, looking for an alligator to catch.

It took a whopping six hours to get the alligator hooked, shot, and hauled up into the boat. After he caught it, Derrick took the alligator to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to get an accurate and official measurement.

The department came back with the measurements, saying that the alligator ended up measuring 14 feet and 1.75 inches. Weight-wise, the alligator was 705 pounds. These measurements mean that the gator wasn’t only the longest alligator ever caught in Georgia to date, but also the heaviest. Scientists estimate that the gator must have been close to 70 years old to reach the size and weight it did.

Interestingly, this was only the second time that Derrick Snelson had ever gone hunting for an alligator, and the first time his daughter had joined. They’d hired a hunting team, called Lethal Guide Service, to help them find an alligator to catch. The company did a pretty good job, considering that they managed to find a record-breaker!

2. Jim Overman — Almost 13 Feet, 10.75 Inches Long

Jim Overman, Daniel White, Alex Harrell, and Gary Braswell held the title for the years leading up to the 2019 alligator catch.

It was a unique situation that led to the catching of the second-largest gator on record. Jim Overman had been trying for a Zone 2 pass for alligators for years. It took him five years to get the pass he wanted for Zone 2.

In Georgia, Zone 2 is the area best known for finding large gators. Most of the largest gators throughout Georgia’s history have been from this zone.

Once he finally got the pass, he didn’t want to squander the opportunity. He ended up contacting his friend, Gary Braswell about his plans. Meanwhile, Alex Harrell and Daniel White were out searching for ducks.

They came across the large alligator. Since they didn’t have tags, they started searching for someone who did. They ended up calling Braswell, who ended up calling Overman. Together, the group of four began the search for the gator.

A biologist with the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division, John Denton, said that his best guess was that the gator was probably close to 50 or 60. If it was nearing the end of its life, it might not have reacted as much as another alligator would.

They caught the alligator on September 25, 2013. It ended up measuring 13 feet and 10.75 inches. Its weight was a pretty hefty 620 pounds. The hunters found the gator in Lake Seminole.

3. Randy Hand — 13 Feet, 9 Inches Long

Just before Jim Overman caught his gator, Randy Hand’s gator stood at the top of the leaderboard. Randy’s gator measured 13 feet, 9 inches. This means that Overman managed to beat the record by 1.75 inches. Randy had held the record for a little over three years. He caught his gator on September 19, 2010.

An interesting fact is although Randy’s gator was about 1.75 inches shorter than Overman’s, It was 72 pounds heavier. Randy’s gator weighed 692 pounds, compared to Overman’s 620. Unfortunately for Randy, length tends to be the bigger determining factor as recent meals and water inhaled by the gator during the fight can change the weight quite dramatically.

Randy Hand was quite ecstatic to catch and set the new gator record that year. His brother, Melvin Hand, had passed away shortly before the season. Melvin had always talked about catching an alligator, but never went out and did it. Randy went out that year to do what his brother never had the chance to do.

Not only did he get to catch a gator for his brother, but Randy also got to beat the record. Randy ended up enjoying the sport and now regularly participates in alligator season. Keep track of his name, he pops up again on this list later.

4. Shane Wilson — 13 Feet, 6 Inches Long

Before Randy went on to carry out his brother’s legacy, Shane Wilson held the record.

Wilson almost missed his opportunity to get one of the largest gators ever found in Georgia. The area he was looking at was full of shy alligators who were quick to hide when the light fell on them. Shane Wilson and his friends decided that enough was enough and were heading back to the boat ramp.

That’s when Shane saw a shape in the water and decided to take a chance. Everyone else thought it was merely a log until the harpoon hit. Then, the alligator was quick to react, and everyone saw that it wasn’t any old gator that Shane had hit.

It took over four hours to fight the gator. Instead of fighting back, Shane’s alligator decided to sink to the bottom and wait it out. When they managed to drag him to the top, he decided to finally put up a fight, almost capsizing the boat before running into the weeds.

After those four hours, they managed to kill the gator and drag it up into the boat. Then, they went and got it weighed and measured before taking a much-needed rest.

So how large was this gator? The records state it was 13 feet and 6 inches. It weighed 685 pounds.

5. Randy Hand — 13 Feet, 4 Inches

Remember Randy Hand in third place above? He’d caught the largest gator on record in 2010. But after that, he didn’t stop participating in the yearly gator hunts. He ended up getting his family involved after that and joining in every year he could.

In 2018, he caught another large gator. While this one didn’t break his previous record, or the new record set by Jim Overman in 2013 for the largest alligators ever found in Georgia, it was still pretty hefty. The gator measured 13 feet, 4 inches.

For the eight years previously, he continued to hunt at Lake Seminole. The average size of the gators he caught was 12 feet, 8 inches. In 2018, he kept the tradition going. This time, it was his wife, Michelle, who had the tag. He brought her, his oldest brother JR, and his dad Willie.

They were just moving around the lake, searching for signs of a gator. When they thought they found one in the distance, they dropped a hook and ended up getting a bite.

The alligator was strong and put up quite a fight. It dragged the boat around the river for quite a while. At some point, the family realized water was starting to fill the boat. They maneuvered the boat to land and found holes where the alligator had bitten through the metal.

Despite the fight and the damage to the boat, they managed to catch the alligator. It ended up weighing 680 pounds.

6. Brent Howze — 13 Feet, 4 Inches

This gator story is a bit different from the others on this list. Instead of a hunter finding this gator during hunting season, Georgia’s Department of Wildlife received a call about this one. A farmer was working on their land near Lake Blackshear when they saw a gator. It was resting in an irrigation ditch.

Wildlife biologist Brent Howze came to investigate. A lot of the time, these reports of gators are exaggerated, but that wasn’t the case this time. This gator was a whopping 13 feet and 4 inches. It had been in the same place for a week.

The gator was, unfortunately, in pretty poor condition. There were signs of serious injuries. Based on the behavior and the wounds found on the gator, the Department of Natural Resources decided the best option was to euthanize it.

The fact that the gator didn’t seem keen on moving also played a role in their decision. While gators can rest in any body of water, they’re not usually happy staying in one spot for a long time. Especially a beast this big.

Gators don’t live long enough to get the size of this one unless they avoid people. The gator sitting in the drainage ditch didn’t show signs of wanting to avoid people or moving, which is a sign that it was near the end.

In addition to measuring the length, the biologist also took a circumference measurement. This large alligator measured 57 inches in circumference around the chest. They didn’t do an official weighing but based on the length and size, they estimated the gator had to be between 700 and 750 pounds.

7. Craig Prewett — 13 Feet, 2 Inches

Technically, the gator hunted down by Craig and Neil Prewett could have been third place on this list. It measured 13 feet and 2 inches when first pulled out of the lake. However, Craig said that it had been a rushed measurement and likely not very accurate.

Later, while a taxidermist skinned the gator, he measured it again. This time, the measurement was at 13 feet, 9.5 inches. Unfortunately, because the gator was skinned, and the measurement was only half an inch off from Randy Hand’s gator’s measurements, the measurement wasn’t accepted by local gator biologist Greg Waters.

This means the measurement was never officially reported, and that Craig and Neil Prewett did not get to be listed officially for their gator’s size. If the size had been accurate, they would have been listed as one of the largest alligators ever found in Georgia at the time of catching the beast.

Even without the length measurement, the gator did get noticed for its weight. The taxidermist, Ray Knight, said that according to his scales, the alligator weighed 860 pounds. Even if their scale wasn’t an official one, and there was some error, there was no denying it was a hefty gator.

They caught the alligator in Lake Eufaula. The lake is on the border of Georgia and Alabama. Due to the location in the lake and the fact that they had a Georgia tag, their catch counts as a Georgia catch, and not an Alabama one.

Table of The Largest Alligators Ever Found in Georgia