From The Mississippi Press:

Growing up in Wade, Jack Hamilton always did his best to steer clear of alligators.

"I always tried to keep away from them," he said. "I was afraid of them, like most kids are."

These days, the tables have turned. Hamilton, of Moss Point, was one of a team of alligator hunters who landed a state-record 13-foot, 6-1/2-inch gator on the Pascagoula River near Bluff Creek on Saturday. The six-man crew spent almost an hour trying to land the gator, which weighed a whopping 633 pounds.