Gator hunting season in Texas starts with man catching 13-footer
Shane Lee said he found the massive alligator in the water near Tarkington where he normally goes duck hunting.
Texas man catches 13-foot alligator
A man in Texas caught a 13-foot alligator as the state's gator hunting season started.
TARKINGTON, Texas – Alligator hunting season in Texas started out with a bang as a man caught one that was more than 13 feet long.
Bluebonnet News reported that Shane Lee was hunting for alligator Tuesday on a deer lease near Tarkington along with his nephew and a friend. That was when they came across the massive reptile in the water he usually uses for duck hunting.
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"We are out there in that water all the time duck hunting, and we never knew that alligator was even in there," Lee told Bluebonnet News. "We didn’t know there was one that big in there. We had never seen him before."
Lee said they used a dead raccoon as bait, and they came back later to find the tree their pole was anchored to was shaking.
"I pulled the line up and saw that it was a big alligator," Lee told Bluebonnet News.
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![13-foot alligator caught in Texas]()
Image 1 of 4Shane Lee and his nephew stand next to a 13-foot alligator they caught near Tarkington, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2022. (Shane Lee)
![13-foot alligator caught in Texas]()
Image 2 of 4A 13-foot alligator caught near Tarkington, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2022, is seen in this photo. (Shane Lee)
![13-foot alligator caught in Texas]()
Image 3 of 4Shane Lee stands next to the 13-foot alligator he caught near Tarkington, Texas, on Sept. 13, 2022. (Shane Lee)
![13-foot alligator caught in Texas]()
Image 4 of 4A 13-foot alligator caught near Tarkington, Texas, is shown in this photo. (Shane Lee)
According to Lee, the gator measured about 13 feet, 4 inches long and was estimated to be between 65 and 75 years old.
Lee told Bluebonnet News this was his first time catching a gator.
The fall alligator hunting season in Texas runs from Sept. 10 to Sept. 30.