Is he nuts? Man lures four metre alligator.

“IT was the trophy win of a lifetime”. They were the words of a US man after he captured his first alligator — which was over four metres long.

gator30/11/14

NOT many people would purposely lure a 4-metre alligator towards them.

But one man did just that and it paid off.

Clark Woodsby, 34, from Florida had a big wrestling match with a 326 kilogram gator on the weekend in a private phosphate pit.

“We called him in with an electronic call. This gator heard it from across the lake, and it came bee-lining right toward me”, he said

Trophy ... The four-metre gator nearly breaks the record for longest in Florida. Picture: Clark Woodsby

Woodsby called the giant gator: ‘A monster.’ Picture: Clark Woodsby

“When it got within about 20 yards, we turned the call off. I shot it with a crossbow right in the shoulder”, he told WTSP.

“It was a monster,’’ said Mr Woodsby

Mr Woodsby was hunting with a licensed trapper, Glen Grizzaffe, who owns an alligator processing business.

“The landowner had called Glen to take care of this nuisance gator,’’ Mr Woodsby said.

“It is by far the biggest gator I’ve ever gotten,’’ Mr Woodsby said. “This was the trophy hunt of a lifetime for me.’’

Mr Woodsby, a restaurant operating manager, plans on getting a full body mount for his gator, and said it will be displayed in the next restaurant his company opens.

Catch of the day ... Florida man with his first alligator catch. Picture: Clark Woodsby

Mr Grizzaffe, who specialises in trophy gator hunts, estimated that Mr Woodsby’s gator was at least 60 or 70 years old.

“A lot of its teeth were missing or rotten, but it didn’t slow him down,’’ Mr Woodsby said. ”He was the big boy in that pond.’’

When they finally subdued the gator, Mr Woodsby finished the hunt with two close-up gun shots. Mr Grizzaffe said licensed trappers and their licensed agents can legally use pistols on private wetlands.

The Florida record for gators length 4.3 metres while the heaviest is 473 kilograms.