Cocoa football star hunts 12 foot gator

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Josh Padrick says he's having a great summer. Between football practices he helps on gator hunts with his family's business called Central Florida Trophy Hunts.

Padrick's latest hunt is a 12 foot six inch gator!

He told Fox 35's Kelly Joyce, "It feels like you're hooked to the bottom or a building. There's no way to describe it other than being the biggest fish you've ever caught in your life."

It was no easy task getting the monster out of the water, even for this Cocoa High Football Center.

He said, "Man, that's a work out in itself. That alligator was about 500 pounds and between me and my dad and the clients, they had to get in and help us out with that. It was a challenge."

The customer who shot the gator is from Ohio. In addition to getting meat to eat, he has big plans for the gator.
Padrick says, "This alligator will be sent to a taxidermist, it will be full body mounted, it's gonna look exactly like it would if it was standing on the bank looking at one of us."

As for Padrick, he says this is actually his second largest gator. The other one was 12 feet, 9 inches.
He will not reveal where they hunted the gator, saying, "It's a secret!"