South Carolina Alligator Hunter Catches 2nd Largest Gator In Palmetto State History And It’s Longer Than A Jeep Wrangler

Alligator hunting season in South Carolina is nearly over. This year it runs from September 12 through October 10. And this year that month-long window was enough for one alligator hunting guide to capture the second-largest alligator ever harvested in the state of South Carolina.

Captain Cole Poplin and William Art of Renegde Bowfishing specialize in bowfishing trips and guided alligator hunting trips throughout South Carolina and North Florida. They have 20+ years of experience hunting and fishing in South Carolina and when you think about that chunk of time, and how long it took them to track down this alligator and capture it, the commitment is mind-blowing.

While on a guided alligator hunting trip in Lake Moultrie on September 28th, the massive lake just north of Charleston, they pulled a 14-foot, 844-pound alligator nicknamed ‘Snaggletooth’ out of the lake. It took them four years to track this alligator and capture it, which amounts to around 20% of the time they’ve been hunting in South Carolina!

South Carolina Alligator Hunting Season Produces 2nd Largest Gator In State History: 844-Pounds, 14-Feet

Check out this absolute unit that had been named ‘Snaggletooth’ by everyone who caught wind of the gator’s existence.

According to Cole Poplin’s Instagram post, when they captured the alligator and it was freshly dispatched the gator measured 14 feet long. He says they measured it three times and four people checked the length.

Flash forward hours later after the deceased catch was iced down and transported, and the body had stiffened from rigor mortis, it measured 13 feet, 8 inches. I’m inclined to believe the captain on this one. What reason does he have to lie while also sharing all of the details after it was iced down and measured?

An ‘Absolute Freak of a Dinosaur’

Capt. Cole Poplin of Renegade Bowfishing hopped on camera to speak with NewsNation about his record-setting South Carolina alligator that is longer than a Jeep Wrangler (13.9 feet). Also, this is nt just one of the largest alligators captured in South Carolina, it is one of the biggest in the U.S. captured by hunters.

Poplin said this successful South Carolina alligator hunt had “been a long time coming,” adding that they’d chased this gator for years and he nicknamed it ‘Snaggletooth’ to help keep track of the gator. Over the years, Cole Poplin said he had “laid eyes on” Snaggletooth probably 6 or 7 times.

He says that despite being one of the largest alligators on record, “even a giant that big, they’re hard to come by even if you know here it’s at.” Alligators are masters of stealth and can easily disappear below the water’s surface for 30 minutes at a time or up to hours in extreme conditions.

As first reported by the Post & Courier, once they got the gator, he says it took three people just to raise the animal off the bottom so they could begin tying it up and getting it back to shore. This was a truly collaborative effort hauling in the second-largest alligator ever hunted in South Carolina. If you aren’t familiar with the region’s geography, here is Lake Moultrie in relation to Charleston, South Carolina:

How’d he get the name Snaggletooth?

Alligators have between 74-80 teeth in their mouth at any given time, 40 up top and 40 on the bottom. They are constantly losing and regrowing new teeth throughout their lives.

A 14′ alligator would need to be at least 25 years old but could easily be upwards of 60 years old. That is a LOT OF TEETH in one lifetime.

As for the nickname ‘Snaggletooth,’ Poplin told NewsNation the alligator’s front lip “was busted” so the gator’s front four teeth were always showing, giving him the appearance of a snaggletooth. He says they see “a bunch of big gators” but rarely if ever are they actually identifiable in the way Snaggletooth was wit the busted lip and exposed front teeth.

As for how Snaggletooth compares to the largest alligator ever hunted in South Carolina, that honor goes to a 1,025-pound alligator caught from Lake Moultrie back in 2010.

In terms of alligator population, South Carolina is home to an estimated 100,000 alligators which comes in fifth place behind Georgia (200,000), Texas (400,000-500,000), Florida (1.3 million), and Louisiana (2-3 million). As a native Floridian, I find it hard to believe that Louisiana could have 2x the alligators we have here in Florida and I say this as someone who has spent extensive time in Louisiana. In terms of land size, Florida is 24% larger than Louisiana at 65,758 square miles versus 52,378 square miles. How can the bayou really pack in that many more gators with less space???