Texas Great-Grandmother Shoots Alligator She Claims Ate Her Horse

Judy Cochran, a great-grandmother and mayor of a small town in Texas, finally got her gator.

Three years ago, her miniature horse disappeared and she was certain an alligator had eaten the animal, which was about the same size as a Labrador retriever. 

On Sunday evening, she got her revenge with a single shot to the head of a 12-foot, 580-pound gator at her ranch on the Trinity River.

She and her family had been looking for this particular varmint ever since the horse disappeared. But the mayor of Livingston, population 5,200, wants folks to know she legally hunted the gator.

In Polk County, hunting season for alligators runs only 20 days a year, beginning on Sept. 10. A permit and tags are required, and the reptile must first be caught by a hook before it can be killed.

Her family even took video of the gator's demise to document it was killed in accordance with hunting law.

She plans to make boots from the gator's stomach hide, stuff the head and harvest the meat.

The lesson from this tale, according to Cochran, is "Don't mess with Nana!"

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