Minnesota man discovers 3-foot alligator while hunting for deer near East Bethel pond

ZIMMERMAN, Minn. — A Minnesota man made an unusual discovery while hunting for deer in East Bethel – a 3-foot alligator.

>> Read more trending news

According to WCCO and KARE, the incident occurred Saturday as Cory Klocek, of Zimmerman, went hunting for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.

“As I’m walking around a pond, tracking my deer, I look down to see a 3-foot alligator 10 feet in front of me,” he wrote in a Facebook post.

Klocek, stunned, contacted a game warden with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, who said he could shoot the reptile because it is considered an invasive species, the news outlets reported. He said he then shot the alligator and brought it home.

“That’s not something you should see in Minnesota ever,” Klocek told KARE. “I traveled the world a lot with the military. I’ve never been to a place where I’ve seen an alligator in real life, so it was even more of a shock, in November in Minnesota, to find an alligator swimming in a pond.”

A DNR spokesperson told the outlet that a few alligators have been spotted in Minnesota in recent years.

Klocek, who also harvested a 10-point buck during his outing, believes “someone had [the gator] as a pet and released it when it got too big,” according to his Facebook post.

“Either way, only in 2020 can you go out to sit for deer gun season opener in Minnesota and shoot an alligator,” he wrote. “I’m still at a loss of words.”

Read more here or here.

Cox Media Group