Five-year-old Texas boy kills 800-pound alligator

Five-year-old, first grade student Simon Hughes of Goodrich, Texas may have just won a special place in the heart of every die-hard National Rifle Association member.

Trudging through the woods with his father and a family friend on an east Texas hunt, the trio came upon an 800-pound, 12 and 1/2 foot long alligator, according to The Houston Chronicle.

With one shot from his junior-sized .410-gauge shotgun, the boy felled the beast.

"The reptile, whose size is at a state record level, is now at the taxidermist waiting to be mounted," the Chronicle reported. "Simon's family, meanwhile, is fielding calls from CNN and Good Morning America to feature his exploits."

For Simon, marksmanship and firearm safety is no unusual subject. His father, who owns a 5,000 acre ranch, has been teaching him how to shoot for nearly a year, according to MyFox Houston.

"Everything on the ranch will either bite you or stick you," he told the news channel.

"By the time of the alligator hunt, Simon could shoot clay pigeons," added KHOU Channel 11. "Polk County Sheriff Kenneth Hammack, a former Texas Ranger, has been bird hunting with Simon and said he shoots pretty good for his age."

Now Simon's new trophy will be mounted on the family's wall, and his father told the Associated Press that they plan to attach its feet at the base of the boy's dresser.

The head alone, noted The Los Angeles Times, weighs 104-pounds.

"It was pretty much simple!" Simon said.

This video was published to YouTube by the Associated Press on Oct. 2, 2009.

Photo thumbnail credit: Houston Chronicle.