COCOA BEACH, FLA. — Jim Wolfe traveled solo eight miles into the Florida swamp.

When he returned, he had company:a 200-pound alligator he'd harvested with a hook and a powerful stick.

Wolfe, born and raised in Butler County, has hunted his entire life including deer, small game and even wild hog.

But his Oct. 2 kill was his first gator.

"Ijust went for it,"said Wolfe, 50, who has lived in Florida since 1985.

Wolfe got a license to hunt alligators from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and spent some significant time trolling St. John's River to familiarize himself with the territory and to look for alligator hangouts.

"Iwas alarmed,"said Wolfe's mother, Janet Wolfe of Center Township. "It really scared me. You know how it is when you are a mother. But he just laughed at me."

Seven times since the beginning of alligator season in mid-August, Wolfe went alligator hunting with friends.

You must hunt them in the dark, and you can spot them like deer.

"Their eyes shine red," Wolfe said. "They glow back at you."

But alligators are shy and you have to use stealth, so Wolfe and crew came often came home empty handed.

Then, Wolfe returned to the river alone.

He said he was not scared of the creatures that can grow up to 1,000 pounds.

"Iwasn't swimming with them,"he said.

When Wolfe spotted the alligator of his choosing, he cast out a "snatch hook," which, just like the name implies, hooks the prey without bait befor you try to snatch it in.

Once you get them on the line, you fight them until they tire, then smack them with a "bang stick,"which is a stick with a built-in bullet. It is a type of underwater firearm often used against sharks.

Since he was alone and it was heavy, Wolfe said he had some trouble getting his gator into his jon boat.

But he got it home and packed it with 35 bags of ice.

Wolfe's harvest was a large male:9-foot, 3 inches long.

That's larger than an average male gator in Florida, but not quite a trophy, which is considered 10 feet or longer.

Still, Wolfe is tanning the hide so it can be mounted and displayed. He's saving the teeth and claws for jewelry and the skull for display. He is having the meat processed.

"Ibutchered it right in my kitchen," said Wolfe, a bachelor. "It has a mild seafood flavor."

Wolfe's mother said she would be delighted if she got a piece of jewelry from his harvest, but she'll take a pass on the gator meat.

"I told him he doesn't need to send any of that to Butler,"she said.