NARRATOR: Dawn breaks on day 10 of alligator season,

and swampers are going the distance

in pursuit of big bulls.

Over in Bayou Benoit, with over 140 tags to fill,

70-year-old swamper Daniel Edgar heads out on a solo hunt.

NARRATOR: His partner, Big T, suffered an injury,

sidelining him for the day.

DANIEL EDGAR: Being 70 years old,

the most dangerous thing that I do is fishing alligators alone.

But when I was young, I came across some things that really

scared me, and my father just simply said,

just in a few words, don't be afraid of anything.

So from that day on, I tried to act like I was real brave.

[laughs] But the truth is that if you're alone in a swamp,

it's a bit nerve-racking.

Looks like we got one.

[music playing]

[water bubbling]

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

[grunting]

[splashing]

[inaudible]

[splashing]

Come here, big boy.

[water bubbling]

Hello, big boy.

[gunshot]

[music playing]

Got him.

[grunting]

Come on.

Time for the winch.

This is an 11 plus footer, 500 pounds.

I'm 70 years old.

And to get him in a boat, I'm going to have to use my winch.

There's no other way.

He's real heavy.

Oh my god.

I didn't need that today.

I started trying to get him in the boat and broke the winch.

There are no hardware stores.

When you're in a swamp and you have a challenge before you,

you're going to have to fix it.

I hope this winch holds it.

So got a ratchet strap in the boat,

we're going to try a ratchet strap to fix this winch.

That alligator weighs 600 pounds, I'm sure, 700 pounds.

I took the ratchet strap, hooked it up,

and pulled that boom back enough to where

I thought it would hold.

Let's see what happens here.

[winch creaking]

Really stressing that winch.

[music playing]

That one was a little hard to get in, I'm not lying.

Doing this is a lot harder without T. And I miss him.

I wish he was here with me.

He's a good friend, a good buddy.

Can't wait to tell him about this story.

I might drink a beer before I tell him the story.

The alligator might be 14 feet by the time I tell it to him.

NARRATOR: Back at St. Mary's, after

a difficult but successful day of hunting alone,

Daniel Edgar unloads his haul of giant gators.

It's a family affair, with his son Joey there to help out.

Keep coming.

He's big.

That's a big alligator, Dad.

Daddy's expectations are high of himself,

and he's always pushing, and he ain't never gonna stop, as long

as he's got life in his body.

And I'm proud of him.

DANIEL EDGAR: I was feeling pretty good.

You know, caught a couple of nice alligators,

and Joey was real proud of me.

How you made it without T, Dad?

I load him with that winch.

[inaudible] pull him in the boat by myself.

Those moments are the ones in life

when you share those with your children that are the best.

Those are the moments that stay with you.

If I can do what you do at your age, psh.

They bad, but I'm just as bad as they are.

[laughter]