Mississippi hunters smashed back-to-back records on the opening weekend of the state's 10-day alligator season by bagging some of the biggest critters on the books.
Within hours of the August 30 opener, one hunting party caught the state's longest and heaviest female gator at 10 feet and 295.3 pounds (134 kg), according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks.
A second record was broken shortly after midnight on September 1, when a different group of hunters nabbed the state's heaviest male alligator at 723.5 pounds (328 kg).
That distinction lasted about an hour, until another party captured one weighing 727 pounds (330 kg), and measuring 13 feet (3.96 m.)
Larger alligators have been trapped in Florida, weighing up to 1,000 pounds (454 kg), and one last year measured 14-feet.
This is Mississippi's ninth annual alligator season in a sport with growing popularity, said the state's alligator program coordinator Ricky Flynt.
Mississippi does a lottery for alligator hunting licenses. More than 7,100 people applied this year and the state gave out just 920 permits. Also, the state requires hunters attend a mandatory alligator hunting safety course
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