by Jim Overman

Picture this: It is night. Snakes in the black water and in the trees, wasp nests everywhere, and a large gator that you cannot see at the end of your line.

The 2003 Georgia alligator season was a much-anticipated event in the life of ten year old Keenan Adams. The excitement began with the first rumors that an alligator season might take shape in 2003 for southern Georgia. This could be the opportunity for the young Adams boy to hunt the most storied animal of his childhood, “Big John.” Keenan is young but by no means a novice hunter. Currently he is the youngest person to harvest the World Slam of turkey hunting by taking all six species of turkeys found in the world. He also has taken many trophy deer, multiple limits of ducks and dove, and many small game animals. Nevertheless, Big John has occupied his dreams for as long as he can remember.

To fully understand the lure of Big John you must know his history. Roy and Buddy Adams, Keenan’s father and uncle, first noticed him during the summer of 1976. He was in the 75-acre Bateau Pond located on the Adams Brothers’ farm in Decatur County, Georgia. This pond is filled with large cypress trees and surrounded by an additional 125 acres of swamp, a pristine alligator habitat. This gator was an above-average bull who stayed in a particular area of the pond. Through the years, he managed to keep other gators away from his spot and became somewhat accustomed to the human visitors fishing in the pond. Big John became quite bold, and he would often lie floating and sunning in plain view. By the time Keenan was born in 1992, Big John was a local legend.

Disappointment came for Keenan with the official publication of the rules for alligator hunting. To hunt alligators, one had to obtain a draw permit. In the interest of public safety, the regulations allowed no one under the age of 12 to participate in the alligator hunt. Others could go along provided they purchased an alligator license and were hunting with a permit holder. Realizing that he could not hunt, Keenan and his father discussed the situation. They decided they would offer some of their friends the opportunity to hunt Big John if they were drawn for a permit.

Keenan and Roy called several people, including Keenan’s soccer coach, Hal Clement. Hal was the only one out of the group of 10 to 15 friends who applied that received a permit. Hal was excited, but he was not an experienced gator hunter, so he consulted with Steve Wooten. Steve had hunted gators in another state, and they decided to hunt together. As the season approached, Keenan watched Big John with anticipation, knowing that although he would not go on the hunt, in a few weeks he might actually get to touch and measure this mythical creature.

Hal visited the pond with Keenan serving as the tour guide, describing where the gator lived and how to identify this legend. Hal described the method that he and Steve planned on using to capture Big John. Keenan listened intently, wondering what Steve and Hal were going to do once this mammoth gator was harpooned or hooked. When the season opened, the hunt was on, and Big John was right where they expected him to be. As he was accustomed to boats, he allowed Steve and Hal to approach within harpoon range.

With a tremendous splash, the harpoon glanced off of Big John and he swam away at a slow and steady pace. Again, the hunters approached; again the harpoon missed the mark. “Okay, the third time must be the charm,” thought Steve, but it was not to be. The harpoon glanced off again, and this time Big John had enough. He disappeared under the black water of Bateau Pond into the safety of the cypress trees.

They spent the next few nights with a sharpened harpoon, but no opportunities presented themselves as Big John remained just out of range. Keenan despaired, thinking Big John might not be captured. Steve and Hal decided to try a different approach. They obtained a large shark hook and strong cord and planned on “fishing” for Big John. Once again, excitement mounted in the Adams household.

The next night the plan worked perfectly…almost. Big John was easy to locate, and he took the hook baited with chicken quarters immediately. The fight was on for the hunters turned fishermen. The gigantic gator pulled the now seemingly small boat around the pond for 30 to 40 minutes, slamming the boat into trees and through brush. Big John thrashed as the hunters approached in the boat. Then, with one massive lunge, he disappeared. The hunters slowly retrieved the line, expecting each second that Big John would appear, exhausted, and could be harpooned. As they approached the end of the line, they realized what had happened and disappointment settled over the hunters. Big John had literally straightened the nine-inch hook and swum away.

The hunting party spent the next few days obtaining a new and stronger shark hook and revising their strategy. They decided to consult Keenan about the location of other gators on the farm and discussed the possibility of leaving Big John in peace. Keenan told them that there were more gators in the other parts of the lake and that they had been nicknamed “Little John” or “Big John’s Grandsons.” The hunters listened to Keenan explain how to approach the area, and they decided to hunt on Saturday night. With only two days left in the season, their plan was to harvest any legal gator.

The plan went well, as a fairly large gator took the bait around midnight. This was a respectable gator, but he was not as large as Big John. The fight lasted several minutes until the gator made his way to the trees and wrapped the cord in the thick brush near the base of a large cypress tree. The hunters attempted to harpoon the gator, but it was difficult to get to him. They decided the safest approach would be to come back the next morning when they would have sufficient light to work. They loosened the cord so the gator could get to the surface to breath, hoping that he might not fight too hard against the rope.

Returning the next morning with harpoon and saws in hand, the hunters managed to cut away branches and capture the gator. They attached two snares and towed the large gator to shore. As the gator approached the bank, he began to fight again. He wanted no part of coming ashore. The tug of war continued for a few more minutes until they could position the gator for a safe dispatch with a handgun.

Keenan and his father were present as they tied the large gator to a truck and pulled him on shore to be loaded for transportation. They took the alligator to a large walk-in cooler for storage and official measurement. They contacted local Wildlife Officer, John Kirkus, to measure Little John. The scales available were not sufficient to weigh Little John, but his official length was 11 feet, 6.5 inches. He was the largest gator taken in Georgia’s first gator hunt.

Keenan and his father have continued visit to the pond, and of course Big John is still there showing no ill effects from the first gator season. Keenan remains excited about the possibilities of hunting Big John and, based on this hunt, Keenan had better do his math and physics homework to determine how to catch and land Big John if he wants a record alligator to go with his other outdoor achievements. In the meantime, Keenan is happy to have a picture with Little John and to dream of Big John. The question remains to be answered: Just how big is Big John?