Santee hunter kills 12-foot, 9-inch gator

Big gator weighed 769 pounds

Cole Poplin of Moncks Corner, SC was hunting the Santee Cooper lakes the opening night of South Carolina’s 2026 gator hunting season when he killed a 769-pound alligator that measured 12 feet, 9 inches long. 

Poplin was hunting with his longtime friend William Ard, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more skillful or experienced duo when it comes to putting these beasts in the boat. Poplin runs Renegade Bowfishing, and he and Ard spend plenty of time on the water shooting fish for fun and in tournaments. But during the Palmetto State’s month-long gator hunting season, that’s where they devote their time, guiding clients who’ve drawn a tag through the lottery system to filling those tags, and what many consider to be the most exciting style of hunting available in the Carolinas.

But on this trip, their time was devoted to filling Poplin’s tag, and he had his mind set on a certain gator they’ve been keeping tabs on for quite some time while bowfishing. But on this trip, they didn’t spot that gator, and when they came across this one, Poplin was more than happy to harvest it.

“This isn’t even the one that I had really been thinking about, but it’s not often you’ll get the chance at a gator of this caliber,” he said. “That is what we call a certified giant.”

Hard work, but fun too

While most gator harvests involve a combination of multiple snatch hooks, harpoons, buoys and even more in some cases, this one was surprisingly straightforward.

“William and I both had a snatch hook in him, and we eased him up to the surface,” he said. “Sometimes when you do that, you have just a second or two before it turns to pure chaos and you have to get a harpoon with a buoy in the gator, then proceed from there. But we thought we’d take a chance to end it quickly, and luckily we were able to finish him off right there.”

Gator hunting, without a doubt, is hard work, and can be dangerous. But Poplin said it’s nice for he and Ard to remind themselves how much fun it is too, and he said they do it in honor of some heroes from their past.

“We might be working out there, but we’re still just a couple of kids having a good time, making our childhood heroes TK and Mike proud,” he said.

Poplin and Ard stay booked pretty solid throughout gator season, but he said they do have cancellations on occasion, and they guide for bowfishing trips as well. They also guide in Florida during the Sunshine State’s 11-week season. To book a trip with Renegade Bowfishing, visit their website at renegadebowfishing.com, and follow them on Facebook to see all the action they produce throughout the year.