ATLANTA (AP) - The deadline for Georgia's alligator hunt is approaching.
Sporting enthusiasts have until July 31 to apply for a permit to hunt the famed reptiles.
The state's assistant game chief, John Bowers, said alligator season is one of the most popular permit hunts in Georgia.
Thousands of people apply annually for the opportunity. The season runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 7.
The state has nine alligator zones. Each of the top five animals hunted in each zone were 11 feet or longer. Wildlife officials say the heaviest alligator weighed 860 pounds and was taken in Quitman County.
[ Peanut Trull of Leslie caught a 12-foot-long gator that weighed 650 pounds last September on Lake Blackshear. ]
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This huge gator was caught in Lake Blackshear last September
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