[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 172 (Thursday, November 19, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING SIMON HUGHES

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 19, 2009

  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, recently the Texas record for the 
largest gator killed on state property was broken by 110 pounds. The 
new state record stands at 800 pounds and 12-foot-6-inches. The 
remarkable thing is that the shooter, Simon Hughes, had only a year of 
experience under his belt. Even more remarkable was that the shooter is 
a five year old from Goodrich Texas, near Lake Livingston.
  Simon Hughes is the son of Scott Hughes a sixth generation rancher 
also from East Texas. Mr. Scott Hughes was reasonably worried that 
something ``real big was out there'' and driving smaller gators into 
his stock ponds. He then obtained a state permit to kill the alligators 
populating his 5,000 acre ranch near the Lake. Mr. Hughes also took his 
son, a mere first grader, along for a hunt seeing as he already had 
been taught gun safety since he was ``big enough to walk and stand in a 
deer blind.'' When the gator came upon Simon, he screamed ``holy 
moly,'' and shot the beast that was twenty times his size with his new 
junior-sized .410-gauge shotgun.
  Madam Speaker, in true cowboy fashion Simon wants the world to know 
that he was never afraid for a second. Texas commends Simon for his 
bravery and outstanding accuracy at such a young age.

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