Florida's public alligator hunt is underway, and the nighttime pursuit of trophy-sized specimens in the muggy marshlands is challenging and often unproductive.

But Arianne Prevost of Satellite Beach was in the right place at the right time, and with the right people on Tuesday night during her first-ever gator hunt, as she used a crossbow to bag an 11-footer weighing perhaps 450 pounds.

Her company during the Central Florida adventure included Peter Deeks and Robert Rohmann, who run Native Sons Outfitters. Deeks said in an interview that they'd previously scouted the St. Johns River marshlands and, while camouflaged, had staked out an area where they figured the big reptile would swim by.

At about 9 p.m., Prevost placed two perfect shots from 10 to 15 feet and dispatched the alligator with a broadhead shot at close range.

Deeks said they assumed, based on the size of the gator's head, it would measure 14 feet. But he still labeled the prize a trophy.

Prevost, who is dating Rohmann, said she will harvest the meat and have the head mounted.

An archery hunter with two years experience, Prevost told Florida Today: "I can't seem to kill a deer, but I can kill an 11-foot alligator."

-- Pete Thomas

Photo: Arianne Prevost poses with 11-foot alligator she bagged with a crossbow during Florida's public alligator hunt. Credit: Peter Deeks