A group of hunters have shared their joy after managing to kill a huge 14ft alligator that had dragged their boat around for two hours.
Travis Bearden, his father Gary, brother Cody and friend Tommy Kelley all have permits to hunt the powerful beasts and went out onto the waters in Arkansas this week to track one down.
But when they spotted the red eyes of their prey lurking in Lake Merrisach on Wednesday (30 September), things didn't go quite according to plan.
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After evading their aim twice, the group eventually managed to hit the animal with a harpoon, but Travis said the gator kept on moving, at some pace.
He told 5News: "I chucked the spear at it. Then I realised it was a very large gator. It pulled our boat like we had the motor running."
The group then spent the next two hours trying to wrangle with the deadly predator.
Travis went on: "We weren't real sure how big he was when we spotted him, and to our surprise after we harpooned it, it ended up being a giant.
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"It [dragged] the boat around for almost 2 hours before I was able to get a clean shot on it. Having my dad and my brother there made it that much more special.
"I just sat back and listened to my dad tell stranger after stranger the story. I think he might be more excited than I am."
The gator was so big that after managing to get it to the shore, the group had to use forklift trucks to get it in the air so that they could take some photographs alongside it.
In some clips, the men can be seen riding on top of the animal or stood beside it with its head in the air.
Speaking about the astonishing catch, Trey Reid, of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, said it was the largest one gator caught in the state's history.
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He said: "It might be the largest taken in Arkansas, even back to the 19th century."
However, despite their joy, some critics have blasted the group for taking the impressive creature's life.
Writing on social media, one person said: "What was the point of killing such a beautiful creature? He wasn't harming anyone and there's absolutely no point in killing him."
Arkansas began issuing permits 12 years ago, allowing people to hunt alligator. Those who hold permits are allowed to kill one alligator on public land during one of eight nights in September.
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