By Justin Fedich | The Selma Times-Journal

Craig Gamble from Pebble Hill wasted no time catching an alligator upriver at Roland Cooper State Park in Camden Thursday evening.

On the first night of hunting season, Gamble, his son-in-law J.T. Dailey and friend Michael Montee killed a 483-pound gator.

“Once we got the snare on him and had him secured to the boat, I used a handheld spear to finish him off,” Gamble said.

The alligator killed on Thursday night was Dailey’s ninth gator he has helped catch and kill. Since Dailey lives on the river, he said he’s been tracking the alligator Gamble killed since April.

“Anytime I’m on the water, I’m always looking for them and keeping mental notes of where I see big alligators,” Dailey said.

Gamble said there is no feeling quite like reeling in a big alligator. He’s been alligator hunting since alligator hunting season opened in his area, but the one he caught on Thursday night was the longest alligator he’s ever caught.

“When you hook up with a big gator and you’re trying to harvest him and get him into the boat, it is a rush. It’s an adrenaline rush. It’s very exciting,” Gamble said.

While Gamble enjoys the process of catching a 12-foot alligator, he said he’s glad it only took one night this season.

“Once you do it and you’re involved with the taking of a big gator, it’s pretty addictive,” Gamble said. “It’s tiring and hard work. You do it two or three nights in a row, you give out.”

Gamble plans to mount the head of the gator he caught and eat part of the tail.

He already has one alligator head mounted, so he has to think of a new location to put his new alligator head.

“My wife said we didn’t need another alligator head in the man cave,” Gamble said.

While Gamble was successful in catching an alligator on the first night, others will still need another night to try to reel in an alligator.

Mark Woodson went on his first ever alligator hunt Thursday night after getting his first tag this year.

After one night on the river, Woodson quickly realized that finding alligators is much easier than moving them from the water to the boat.

Woodson and his hunting buddies tussled with a 10-foot alligator for a few hours before realizing it would take more than one night to reel him in.

“He got off, but we’re pretty confident we know where he’s at,” Woodson said.

Woodson was out until 4 a.m. the first night and planned to be out that late Friday night into Saturday morning if that’s what it took to catch his first alligator.

Alligator hunting season in the west central zone only lasts this weekend and next weekend.

Those who were lucky enough to receive a hunting tag can only hunt from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.