Taylor Douglas and his friends might be in need of some good alligator recipes after hauling in a nearly 13-foot gator weighing almost 525 pounds.

Alligator hunting season in coastal Alabama began at sunset Aug. 12.

Those fortunate enough to have had their names drawn in the lottery run by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources dropped $250 for an alligator harvest permit which allows them to hunt gators between now and sunrise on Sept. 4.

As one of just 50 people to receive permits to hunt gators in the Coastal Management Area, Douglas and crew wasted no time hauling in their catch (there’s a limit of one per permitted hunter).

Douglas and his team caught the gator in Mobile Bay south of Interstate 10, he told WKRG.

“For how big he was he really did not put up much of a fight,” Douglas told the TV station. “It took us roughly one hour from the time he was hooked until the time he was dispatched. The biggest struggle was trying to get his body in the boat. Three Game Wardens were on a boat next to us and got to watch the entire fight.”

The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division recorded the gator at 12 feet, 9 inches long and weighing 524 pounds. Douglas’ team has the early lead for largest gator this season.

While Douglas’ gator is a nice one, it’s a long way from the state record gator of 15 feet, 9 inches which weighed 1,011.15 pounds taken by Mandy Stokes of Thomaston and her crew. It’s not only the Alabama state record, but a world record as certified by Safari Club International.