The record had been set just one hour before by Beth Trammell

Sep 3, 2013 12:39 GMT  ·  By

Dustin Bockman of Vicksburg, Mississippi, is pictured above holding his record-breaking alligator catch in Mississippi.

According to the Hattiesburg American, the man caught a 727-pound (330-kg) gator three days after the state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks declared gator season open.

That same day, another team caught a 723.5-pound (328-kg) gator, setting a record for catching the heaviest male in the state. Fox News reported that Beth Trammell led her team to the massive catch.

Bockman also had two partners, who helped him bring the beast to shore. It measures 13 feet 4.5 inches (4 meters) and the team struggled for four and a half hours to catch it.

"He broke all the lines we could put in him. Finally put a snare on him and got him up high enough and put a shot on him. All in all probably took us four and a half hours to catch him from the first time we saw him," Bockman describes.