Tyler Emfinger of Bentonia and Trey Davis of Flora used pliers to land this 13-foot, 2-inch alligator weighing 617 pounds.
A massive alligator weighing 617 pounds and measuring 13 feet, 2 inches gave a pair of Mississippi hunters the slip two nights in a row. Facing the same possible outcome the third night, the hunters turned to something odd for help — pliers.
"We saw lots of smaller gators and one that's about 12 feet," said Tyler Emfinger of Bentonia. "I'd been chasing him three days straight, so we weren't trying to catch anything but him.
"We had hooked him two days in a row. He went under logs and pulled off. It was very frustrating."
On Sept. 2, the alligator wasn't where Emfinger and hunting partner Trey Davis of Flora expected to find him. He'd been spotted in the same general area of Dump Lake the previous nights, but it appeared he'd grown tired of the hunters and relocated. So, the hunters moved along, too.
"We went east to the other end of the lake," Emfinger said. "It's hard to get into.
"There's a lot of weeds and grass. The high water had killed a lot of the lily pads, so there's some open areas. Once you break through it, it opens up."
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That's where the big alligator was. Emfinger cast at him, but missed and his hook became tangled in weeds. The alligator submerged.
Emfinger's light was turned off, but it was a moonlit night and he soon saw a wake on the water's surface. Seeing where the alligator was going, the two moved the boat to get ahead of him.
"As soon as he turned sideways I cast and hooked him," Emfinger said. "He went under.
"He just slowly pulled us along and then he took off. He went under some logs again and laid down. I could see bubbles coming up, so I knew where he was."
Emfinger was in an all too familiar predicament. He was on one side of the logs and the alligator on the other. He also couldn't slide his rod under the logs and grab it on the other side.
"If there's room under the log you can run the rod under it to the other side," Davis said. "There's so many logs in that lake, it's common to deal with that. There was no clearance to get the rod under it."
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The two moved so they could grab the line on the opposite side of the log. Davis then wrapped the line around the handles of Channellock pliers and secured it. They cut the line between the pliers and the rod, tied the ends of the line together using an Alberto knot and the fight resumed.
It wasn't the first time the hunters had resorted to the trick. Davis also had tags for alligators and the two found themselves in a similar situation the previous night.
"I'd shot a 10-foot, 5-inch the night before," Davis said. "He did the same thing.
"He went under a log. Tyler said, 'Grab something to wrap the line around.' That was the only thing we could find to wrap the line around to keep it tight. That's when we learned that. We did it two nights in a row and we were two for two on that. It was a huge gamble, but it paid off."
Emfinger got his gator, but now he had another problem — it was bigger than he thought and bigger than his boat could handle.
"He was way bigger, way bigger," Emfinger said. "I knew he was the biggest one I've ever killed.
"We couldn't get him in our boat. I have a 14-foot, V-bottom Jon boat."
Fortunately, Emfinger had a friend who was also hunting and was in a bigger boat. It almost wasn't enough, either.
"It took four of us to get him in the boat," Emfinger said. "It was a 19-foot boat and it took on about a foot of water.
"We had three people on one side and the gator and the back corner went under. I thought we were about to sink it. We had to bilge it out."
So, with a little luck, the help of friends and a pair of pliers, Emfinger finally landed his biggest alligator to date.
"It was a miracle in the making," Emfinger said. "That's for sure."
Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
This buck was munching on what I can only assume is that squirrels stash because the rodent would dash left to right trying to stop the burglary.
She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Christopher and Katie Reid of Columbia, SC, and their kids Caleb (12) and Safi (5), her daughter and son-in-law Erica Reid Gerdes and Fuzzy Gerdes of Chicago, IL, and her sister Linda Antoine of Vicksburg, MS. Tricia was preceded in death by her husband David in 2007 and her parents George and Juanita Bane.
Tricia loved her family, friends, classic rock, Jason Momoa, and all animals--especially cats. Called Mama Reid by many, she and David provided a safe space in their home for many friends of Christopher and Erica in Vicksburg. in the 80s and 90s. They were especially known for their New Year's bonfires and for taking their kids to see live music.
During the last week of her life, Tricia made many new friends and ate many delicious meals. She was excited about the future.
Christopher and Erica take comfort in that their parents are now reunited and are likely making each other laugh, which was their favorite activity in life.
A memorial will be held at a later date.
Donations can be made in Tricia's memory to the following organizations:
Humane Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals - https://humanesc.org/
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness - https://nami.org/Home
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.dunbarfuneralhomedevine.com for the Reid family.
It occurred while the area was experiencing torrential rain.
Sheriff's Department units and Lt. Lee Harvey of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks arrived on the scene.
The bear cub was recovered by Harvey and transported to a wildlife rehabilitation expert. Sheriff Martin Pac said the injuries did not appear to be life-threatening.
In the 2022 Legislative Season, House Bill 1035 was passed, establishing a velvet buck season in Mississippi. To participate in this season, hunters must obtain a special Velvet Season Permit. These permits will be available to purchase on August 1, 2022, at anywhere you can purchase a hunting and fishing license.
Here’s what you need to know to be ready to hunt this September:
When: September 16-18, 2022
Where: Private Lands Only
What: Only legal bucks for the respective Deer Management Unit may be harvested. Find your Deer Management Unit here.
With: Archery Only – Longbows, recurves, compound bows, and crossbows. There is no minimum or maximum draw weight. There is no minimum length arrow. Fixed or mechanical broadheads may be used.
Price: Unless exempt or have a lifetime license, all hunters must possess a valid Velvet Season Permit. The cost of the permit for residents is $10.00. For non-residents, this permit is included in your $50.00 deer permit.
Additional Rules to note:
The driver stopped and returned to find the bear Cub, who it appears did not survive the hit. MDWFP was contacted along with Warren County Sheriff’s deputies.
Before officials could arrive, the driver alerted them the bear had survived the impact and was coming out of it.
Lee Harvey with MDWFP took control of the scene and established a safe perimeter from the cub. It was unclear if the mother was still in the area or if the injured cub would lash out. Several people were asked to move from the area.
The Vicksburg Daily News will update on the condition of the cub as more information becomes available.
I took this picture of this FAT raccoon eating through my bedroom window next door. My neighbor feeds him. I had heard about the raccoon, but this was the first time I had seen it.
My Granddaughter, Sonya Michelle Gordy, turns 38 years old today! She is the oldest of six granddaughters, and I'm proud to say that she has served in the U. S. Navy. She went to boot camp at Great Lakes, IL, and was stationed at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA. She had signed up for 6 years and planned to be a linguist but became ill and was honorably medically discharged. She attended MS State University at Starkville and the University of Southern MS at Hattiesburg. She's planning to return to Southern MS to further her education. Sonya is fluent in French, German, Spanish, and Chinese Mandarin. While living in her hometown of Vicksburg, Sonya took the Hunters Education Course and had planned to hunt with me until she moved away to Magee, MS. I would take her to the deer camp and practice shooting my .22 rifle, and she was very good at hitting the bull's eye. Sonya has also performed on stage at the Vicksburg Little Theater and took acting lessons in college. I wish her a very Happy Birthday, and may she have many more returns of the day! I love and miss you so much! Have a Blessed Birthday, and I look forward to seeing you soon. Gran-Gran
Sharing a beautiful picture of the sunset recently that Layne Logue took while on the mighty Mississippi River canoeing. He is the owner of Quapaw Canoe Company - Vicksburg Outpost. Layne also has a Facebook page with pictures of his tours on the river. If you get a chance to take a trip in a canoe on the river, it will be an experience of a lifetime.
From my Facebook friend, Marion Ray James:
SEEING TGIF SPOTS! Finally glimpsed our farm's first set of 2022 twins on this overcast Friday, June 10th morning. And talk about active! One fawn was hungry and wouldn't let go of mama's teats; the other kept busy exploring its surroundings and running in ever-widening circles while keeping an eye on its piggish sibling and patient mother. Sure wish I could bottle and share some of that super-charged fawn energy with family and friends.
