YOUNGSVILLE, La. &8212; When Glenn Capdepon was pulling his third alligator of the 2006 season, he knew he had a big one on his line. But he didn&8217;t know he had one for the record books.

At 9 feet 4 inches and 11 feet 5 inches, Capdepon&8217;s first two alligators were considered awfully big, but at 12 feet 6 inches, his third alligator was the largest he had ever hooked into.

It wasn&8217;t until the alligator had been pulled ashore, that Capdepon and his cousin, Douglas Hutchinson, noticed a notch in the tail scutes and a web tag in one of the hind feet, which meant the alligator was a &8220;farm retrap&8221; and was one of the 40,000 to 50,000 alligators annually released into the wild for study by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Capdepon knew by the size of the alligator that this one was a record-breaker. A few years prior, he harvested the largest ever farm retrap alligator at 10 feet 6 inches, but the following year, that record was broken. Capdepon said he has harvested at least one farm retrap each of the past six years and reports those harvests along with his others to the LDWF.

According to LDWF alligator biologist Ruth Elsey, the data provided by alligator hunters such as Capdepon are a valuable resource to the department. Information gathered from the farm retrap alligators provides the department with information such as how old the alligator is, how far it traveled during it&8217;s lifetime and much more.

Considering that Capdepon&8217;s alligator was released in 1993, it was a little surprising to learn that the alligator had only traveled less than 10 miles from where it had been released.

While the distance the alligator traveled was of intrest to

state biologists, Capdepon said that he was more excited about the alligator&8217;s size and age.

&8220;We were kind of tickled about this being a 14-year-old alligator,&8221; Capdepon said.

He might have been tickled after the fact, but he said the actual process of harvesting the alligator was a bit unnerving.

&8220;We had seen him a week before, but didn&8217;t know he was this big until we got him to the boat,&8221; he said. &8220;The simple reason you get scared of them is that you don&8217;t get to see them. They are right there at your feet and that part is pretty scary.&8221;

The fight lasted for 15 minutes before the alligator was subdued and brought to shore.

Once ashore, Capdepon solicited the help of friends to help him load it up in his truck.

&8220;It took about six of us to get the darn thing up in the truck,&8221; he said.

Capdepon said he never weighed the alligator, but by his estimation it was in the 500 to 600 pound range.

Afterwards, he took the alligator to his father&8217;s machine shop, where it was hoisted up by crane and he and his friends took pictures.

Later that night, the alligator was sold in Winnsboro, where it fetched $45 per foot.