Woman bags 1,025-pound alligator in SC lake

[September 20, 2010]  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A Massachusetts woman has a remarkable souvenir from South Carolina. Maryellen Mara-Christian bagged a 13 1/2-foot, 1,025-pound alligator in Lake Moultrie. Mara-Christian said Friday that she is an experienced hunter, but this was her first gator.

The 48-year-old former bank marketing officer from Fitchburg, Mass., was hunting Wednesday with her husband, who is a firefighter and a part-time hunting guide. It took about two hours to secure the gator before they could shoot it.

The .22-caliber gun they used wasn't powerful enough to put the animal down, so Mara-Christian used a knife to sever the alligator's spinal cord.

Meat processor Steve Drummond said the gator had so much fat that only about 40 pounds was usable meat. He will stuff the animal for Mara-Christian to display.

[Associated Press]

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