Trophy hunter is attacked by the alligator he was trying to kill

A trophy hunter was savagely attacked by an enormous 11-foot alligator that he had been attempting to kill, Fox35 reports.

The horrific incident occurred on August 1, during a night hunt at a swamp in Three Forks County near the hunter's home in Palm Bay, Florida.

Justin Perchalski, the hunter in question, was with three others on a legal hunt when he reached down to pick up the line the creature was hooked on.

Find out from Justin's brother Ryan exactly what happened. This sounds horrific:

And that's when the gator emerged from the water and almost ripped off Justin's right hand in an attempt to pull him out of the boat.

The 30-year-old's brother told Fox 35 that the reptile's bite was so powerful that it turned his brother’s bones "to mush", adding: "I don’t think he’ll be doing alligator hunting much anymore."

Credit: 1552

Ryan Perchalski also told Fox35:

"Justin reached over the side of the boat to pull on the line, to bring the gator up, when the gator came out of the water, grabbing his right hand. The alligator made it about a turn-and-a-half with his hand in his mouth before he let go, which is kind of crazy, because typically they don’t let go.

Had it not been for his three friends - who managed to prevent the alligator from pulling Justin out of the boat - he would have been dead.

This is the terrifying moment a couple had their romantic evening swim ruined by a wild crocodile:

Following his brush with death, Justin was rushed to the Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he underwent major surgery. He has since lost a radial bone in his forearm, and may never fully regain use of the affected limb, Perchalski reveals:

"One of his radial bones in his forearm is gone. It’s just a freak accident. You do it long enough, something like this is bound to happen."

Considering the incident occurred during a hunt, Fish and Wildlife Commission officials have deemed the predator not a nuisance, and so will not attempt to trap it.

If you thought that was scary, this is the moment one family woke up to find a giant alligator in their swimming pool: