WATCH: Monster Gator Finally Falls After Four Years

A nearly 14-foot alligator that dodged hunters for four straight years finally met its match on a dark lake in South Carolina.

Story Snapshot

Hunters pulled an 844-pound, 14-foot alligator nicknamed Snaggletooth from Lake Moultrie on September 28.
The catch is now South Carolina’s second-largest confirmed alligator harvest on record.
Guides Cole Poplin and William Ard of Renegade Bowfishing led the hunt with tag holder Chris Webb and his father, Craig.
The group had chased this specific gator for four years before finally landing it near 11 p.m.

A Four-Year Chase Ends In The Dark

Cole Poplin and William Ard, guides with Renegade Bowfishing, had their sights on this particular alligator for years. The reptile, known for its jagged teeth, earned the nickname Snaggletooth long before it ever ended up on a boat. On the night of September 28, the elusive animal finally surfaced in Lake Moultrie, Berkeley County, right into the path of the crew that had been waiting for it.

The capture happened around 11 p.m., according to The Post and Courier, which first reported the details of the hunt. Poplin and Ard worked alongside clients Chris Webb, who held the official hunting tag, and Webb’s father, Craig. Landing an animal this size at night, in open water, takes coordinated effort and no small amount of nerve from everyone in the boat.

The Numbers That Made It A Record

Once hunters got Snaggletooth to shore, the scale told the real story. The alligator weighed 844 pounds and stretched close to 14 feet long, some reports pegging it at 13 feet, 8 inches. That combination of length and weight instantly placed it among the heaviest alligators ever documented in the state, trailing only one other confirmed harvest in South Carolina’s history.

News outlets across the country picked up the story within days, each repeating the same core details: the weight, the length, the nickname, and the four-year wait. People magazine called it the state’s second-largest confirmed harvest, citing the same Post and Courier reporting that broke the news locally. The consistency across reports reflects how tightly sourced this story has stayed from the start.

Why South Carolina’s Gator Hunts Draw This Much Attention

South Carolina’s alligator season is not a free-for-all. Hunters enter a lottery for a limited number of tags, and demand keeps climbing. A record 12,243 hunters applied for the 2025 lottery, competing for just 1,400 available permits, with 467 alligators ultimately harvested that season, the highest total since at least 2013. Snaggletooth’s capture landed right in the middle of that surge of interest.

The state treats this as managed wildlife conservation, not casual hunting. Alligator populations in South Carolina have grown strong enough that the Department of Natural Resources launched a public hunting season back in 2008, after decades of protection following a near-collapse of the species. Successful hunters must file a harvest report within 24 hours and submit full paperwork within five business days, keeping the program accountable and the population data current.

What A Catch Like This Says About The Lowcountry

Alligators this size do not happen by accident. They take decades to grow and even longer to outsmart the hunters tracking them. Snaggletooth’s size suggests an animal that survived multiple hunting seasons, likely avoiding capture through sheer instinct and the deep, murky cover that Lake Moultrie provides to its oldest residents.

For Poplin and his crew, the catch closes a chapter four years in the making. For South Carolina’s wildlife managers, it is another data point in a hunting program built on patience, permits, and respect for an animal that has outlasted most predators in its ecosystem. Snaggletooth now holds its place in the record books, a reminder of just how much wild country still exists within reach of modern Charleston.

GIANT GATOR: 844-Pound Alligator Dubbed “Snaggletooth” Captured In South Carolina
Cole Poplin With Renegade Bowfishing LLC Joined F&F First This Morning To Tell Us How He Caught “Snaggletooth” pic.twitter.com/S690HC4Eza

— Fox & Friends First (@FoxFriendsFirst) October 6, 2026

The story also underscores how quickly a single confirmed catch can ripple through national media when the details are this vivid. A record-breaking weight, a four-year hunt, and a name like Snaggletooth are the kind of elements that turn a local wildlife report into a nationwide talking point almost overnight.