HORATIO, Ark. - A fifth-grade teacher at Horatio Elementary caught a 12-foot alligator recently during Arkansas' brief alligator season.
This was the second year that Liz Bowman received an alligator permit.
"I grew up hunting with my dad but this is only the second year I've been alligator hunting," she said. "It was exciting but kind of scary also because it was a really big alligator," she said.
The hunt is the last two weekends of September.
"I was one of about 100 Arkansas hunters to receive a 2019 Gator Permit. This was my second time to receive a gator permit. In last year's hunt, I tagged a 7.5-foot male gator. However, this year I was able to tag a monster 12 footer. I came upon this one and was close enough to harpoon it," Bowman said.
Bowman is a fifth-grade social studies teacher who enjoys hunting and being outdoors in her spare time.
"My permit was for Zone 1 Little River WMA, which starts below Millwood Spillway on Little River and ends where the river connects to Red River. My permit allowed to tag one gator no smaller than 4 feet long. The hunt begins 30 minutes after sunset and ends 30 minutes before sunrise," she said.
Permit holders are allowed three helpers that have an Arkansas hunting license. However, the permit holder has to be the one to harpoon the gator with a hand harpoon and discharge it with a shotgun once it is has been harpooned. The helpers are able to help before and after the permit holder is successful at their duties.
Bowman's helpers were her husband Clay Bowman of Horatio, her cousin Chad Tucker of Mineral Springs, and her cousin Nathan Gaddis of Three Rivers, Texas.
Gaddis was able to help by purchasing a three-day, out-of-state resident Arkansas hunting license.
"I was fortunate enough to fulfill my tag with a large 12-foot male gator. The gator was taken about midway from the spillway and Fulton in Little River County," Bowman said.
Bowman was excited to share the news with her students on Monday.
"I just love seeing their eyes light up when they hear that their teacher is a gator hunter. It is such a reward because they see that you can do just about anything you set your mind to with hard work and dedication," she said.
She plans to mount the head as a trophy and cook the meat.
"I actually cooked gator meat for my students last year and they loved it," she said.
(This story will be updated).