Boy, 8, catches 11-foot alligator in Lake Wales, family says

Boy's first gator kill sets family's record

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Eight-year-old Grayson Chandley was raised in a family of gator hunters. They run the Grape Hammock Fish Camp in Lake Wales. 

This last hunting season, Grayson told a WFLA reporter that he caught an alligator that was 11-feet, 3-inches long. His first kill set a family record. 

According to the report, he was with his dad, brother and a family friend on an airboat when the alligator was caught on his baited hook. They worked as a team to pull the gator in. 

The family's Chandley Guide Service takes tourists on alligator hunts. Florida is among the eight states in the country that distribute hunting licenses for alligator hunting programs. The license isn't required to participated. The season ended Nov. 1. 

The family shared the photos on social media Oct. 29. 


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The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.