By: Associated Press

FITLER, Miss. (AP) -- Four boaters knew there was a huge alligator in the wetlands where they had hunting permits. The gator gave them a scare, violently rocking their boat -- but the hunters wound up with a Mississippi record, bagging the 697.5-pounder.                        
Immediately after being hooked, the alligator reportedly sat on the bottom. And when it came up for air, it surfaced right under the boat.                        

Jim Reed of Greenville told The Clarion-Ledger that depending on who’s talking, the gator either rocked or nearly sank the boat. It took two hours to subdue the gator and another 2.5 hours to wrestle it to shore and lash its head to the boat trailer.                        

Reed, Tom Grant of Cleveland; Kenny Winter of Greenville and Michael Robbers of Palos Verdes, Calif., broke the state’s old alligator record by 7 pounds.