Georgetown County, South Carolina – When a video of a large alligator passing through a McDonald’s drive-thru surfaced on social media, jaws dropped across the Lowcountry.
The pair who created that viral moment say it’s more than just a trophy story; it’s a family tradition.
Brittany and Matt Livingston became the buzz of South Carolina after video emerged of a 12-foot gator hanging out the rear of their bright red pickup truck.
“We had a lot of eyes on us,” she stated. “People waved and gave thumbs up…” Even the McDonald’s employees came outside to watch it.
But this was not roadkill. It was the culmination of years of patience and planning.
Livingston has been applying for a South Carolina alligator hunting tag through the lottery system for the previous five years. This year, her name was ultimately selected in Unit 4, which includes the Pee Dee.
“You gain preference points each year,” she told me. “This year I finally had enough.”
The Department of Natural Resources is dedicated to keeping alligator populations healthy and sustainable.
“The goal is not to eliminate alligators,” Jay Butfiloski, the state’s former alligator program coordinator, explained. “It’s to allow some harvest, which helps manage the population and reduce nuisance issues.”
The Livingstons found the hunt to be a crazy journey.
After hours of wrestling the big reptile, a final shot was fired just after 3 a.m., securing the catch. Brittany Livingston has earned a new nickname: “Gator Girl.”
And she accomplished it all while on maternity leave.
“Not something most people do on maternity leave,” she told me. “But yeah.”
The family dubbed their 12-foot, 597-pound gator “Chomp Norris.” They intend to weave a full-body rug out of it and stock their freezer with gator sausage and snack sticks.
“I think it tastes like chicken,” she quipped.
Following the hunt, the Livingstons took their gator to Cordray’s, a Lowcountry family business that has been processing wildlife for generations. Workers processed the alligator into meat and preserved it for exhibition.
“We wouldn’t hunt anything if we weren’t going to eat it,” Matt Livingston remarked. “We respect the wildlife just as much, and we want it to still be here for our kids.”
Their children were on the boat that night, witnessing their parents grapple with what they now refer to as a “modern-day dinosaur.”
“I’m sure they’ll never forget it,” Matt Livingston added. “I can’t imagine them going to school and telling their friends they helped catch a dinosaur.”
From the Santee River to social media, and from the tailgate to taxidermy, Brittany “Gator Girl” Livingston’s story captures the untamed spirit of South Carolina, where family, joy, and a love of the outdoors run deep.
“To see it in the back of the truck, to know it was ours, it was exhilarating,” she told me. “This is my alligator.”
This year’s South Carolina alligator hunting season ran from the second Saturday in September to the second Saturday in October. Only 438 alligators were harvested statewide.
