Came very, very close to losing my son to a gator today.

[NCHillbilly]

Glad it turned out good, that could have went very bad. At least that's one thing I don't have to worry about up here. I haven't been around enough gators to know how to judge them or how they behave.

 

[Mark K]

My sentiments EXACTLY. All I can add is, if I'm in gator county, I always carry a pistol if messing around in the water. If I'm in a decent size boat with no intention of swimming, I'll have my little youth model 3" chamber 870 stoked with 3" number 2 buckshot. 18 pellets. I had to kill one at Chickasawhatchee one time about 10 years ago. Some of my buds were hog hunting- it was way to hot for me and a friends son. We found a massive fish kill. The scaled fish were dead and floating. Only the cat's were alive and we were scooping them out with a dip net by the hundreds. Half to three quarters of a pound. Dang gator run at me until he got about 5 yards from me. Then he starts hissing. I figured he was going to charge me, so I shot it one time, right at the bridge of the nose, between the eyes. He didn't move. Soon as I stopped shaking, I was thinking about taking the tail. Then I thought about how much money it would cost me if I got caught.

It was self defense. I would have never shot him had he not charged me. I was really scared.

Glad your situation worked out. I'd carry in gator county if I were you. Especially with kids. Just my 2 cents.

Wonder if that’s the same gator I had an encounter with. It did the exact same thing. I just backed out keeping an eye on it and found another route to take. This one was fairly grown too. And it would have been about that time frame as well.

 

[Nicodemus]

I hear you. There was very little water. What was there was pooled up. All the fish except cat's were dead. This guy came running from the woods, not water. It was scary. Me and the kid were on a wood bridge. I know they close fast. Bad as I hate it was him or me and the 12 y/o kid. I wasn't out to kill a gator. We had seen a BUNCH of them around. Then it just happened. If I'd had a place to go, I would have. The truck was 20 yards away. I knew we couldn't out run the gator that far.

Sounds like you were at Flat Hole Bridge on Chickasawhatchee Creek, or along the Kiokee Creek stretch.

Chickasawhatchee WMA is part of my stomping grounds. since the early 1970`s.

 

[oochee hunter]

I live on the river above where you were fishing. Can tell you first hand there are some doosies in the oconee. See them quite often in my pond.

 

[Big7]

Sounds like you were at Flat Hole Bridge on Chickasawhatchee Creek, or along the Kiokee Creek stretch.

Chickasawhatchee WMA is part of my stomping grounds. since the early 1970`s.

I'm not sure of the name of the river. I'd remember if I had satellite screen shot or a good topo map. I'm thinking where I had to shoot that gator was more like a creek. I want to go back there- just not in the summer. Seen some really good deer & hog sign. Is that river you were talking about, the same river that runs through your place?

 

[Tom W.]

I used to fish amongst them a lot in Lake Eufaula. The smaller ones would try to catch my buzzbaits. One day my buddy and I were on his bass boat fishing in the Witches ditch. I was on the very back of the boat next to the motor throwing a spinnerbait. There was a small limb that was hung up under the motor and the tip part was out and making splashes. I looked and all of a sudden there was a big gator coming up behind the boat pretty quick. He caught up with the boat, opened his mouth and rolled a bit, determined to bite that stick. I saw that the inside of the gator's mouth looked the same color as a dirty tee shirt. Two steps and I was at the bow of the boat crowding the trolling motor.
I still think that if I hadn't moved when I did I would have been gone....


I'm glad that you and your boys are safe. I suspect that you will be a bit jumpy for quite a while......

 

[Thunder Head]

First off, im glad yall are ok.

All predators have a general sense of what size prey they can take on. A small child is on every large predators list of can do. Dosent mean they will. But if they see an opening there liable to go for it. Better keep the little ones close and be watchful when your in there territory.

 

[Nicodemus]

I'm not sure of the name of the river. I'd remember if I had satellite screen shot or a good topo map. I'm thinking where I had to shoot that gator was more like a creek. I want to go back there- just not in the summer. Seen some really good deer & hog sign. Is that river you were talking about, the same river that runs through your place?

The 4 waterways in Chickasawhatchee are Keel Creek, Spring Creek, Chickasawhatchee, and Kiokee Creeks. I`m between Kinchafoonee and Muckalee Creeks, with the Flint River about 8 miles or so to the east.

 

[Big7]

The 4 waterways in Chickasawhatchee are Keel Creek, Spring Creek, Chickasawhatchee, and Kiokee Creeks. I`m between Kinchafoonee and Muckalee Creeks, with the Flint River about 8 miles or so to the east.

Thanks. Now that I have some parameters, I'll see. I might just get me good map. Hard fitting the sat. maps on a phone screen. I don't have a line to hook up my computer to. I'm not that far from the publc library. They have good computers. Thanks for the info..

 

[Nicodemus]

Thanks. Now that I have some parameters, I'll see. I might just get me good map. Hard fitting the sat. maps on a phone screen. I don't have a line to hook up my computer to. I'm not that far from the publc library. They have good computers. Thanks for the info..

No problem. The area shows up well on google earth.

 

[Swamprat]

Glad you are all safe...can't even imagine that scenario if I had my kids with me...by myself not an huge deal but in my 53 years of stomping around Florida swamps whether working or playing you never know how a gator will act.

 

[bigbonner]

I am from Kentucky , I have never seen the swamps and after reading this story I am glad we have no alligator's.
Plenty of Wildcats and occasionally a bigfoot

 

[elfiii]

My skin is crawling after reading that. Y'all were lucky the good Lord was looking out after you.

 

[SemperFiDawg]

My skin is crawling after reading that. Y'all were lucky the good Lord was looking out after you.

It was by God's grace, and that alone which saved us. Of that I have NO doubt. I've been keeping a close eye out and have not seen it again. It's just behind my house so I can and do go down there every evening. Nothing.

 

[SemperFiDawg]

Update. Went down to the river yesterday evening just before sunset and just watched. I hear voices echoing down the river. As they get closer I can see it’s a lady and her 2 sons who appear to be 7- 8 years old floating down on Dollar General
Floats. They are coming right through where me and my sons had our run-in. I hailed the lady from the bank, appraise her of what happened and offered to help them out. They wisely chose to come out.......QUICKLY. My sons and I helped them up to our house and they called for someone to pick them up. They said they had already seen 2 gators but had paid them no mind. My son said to me, “What kind of people float down a river in dollar floats at dusk with kids?” I told him I had spent many a evening and even night swimming in the river. Gators are just something most people don’t worry about, but this one has me concerned he’s gonna get someone or a child given the number of people floating down the river and his behavior.

 

[Nicodemus]

Has anybody along that stretch of river been feeding gators that you know of? It sure sounds like it.

 

[Mark K]

A gator is like a snake, one day you may be able to pet him and the next day you’d be his dinner. He might have just been hangry that day.

 

[SemperFiDawg]

Has anybody along that stretch of river been feeding gators that you know of? It sure sounds like it.

Nic. The Warden suggested the same, but IMHO it's highly doubtful. There are only a few of us who have land that even has river access on the land itself. Of us, all of the others are very old and debilitated to the point of being physically unable to get to their land on the river, with the exception of one. I know him. He's not gonna do that, or allow it to happen on his property. So in short, No. The trapper told me that due to the low water levels, the gator's food supply was down, they were very hungry, and that the last few he had to euthanize had only rocks in their stomach. I didn't know gators ate rocks, but the guy struck me as a man who knew his business. He was realistic, sincere, and very informative, so I took him at his word. It made sense to me. If you think about it, with low water levels, there is less area to feed, less prey, less cover for the gators, and it concentrates the gators into a condensed area all competing for what food IS avail. That's just how I reasoned it. All I really know is that a gator that is big enough to take down a grown man tried to get my kid. As a guy who literally lives in the water, or on the water, almost as much as a gator,(and that is no exaggeration) along with my kids, it concerns me as I can't feel safe as long as it's around. Wouldn't bother me a bit if it was 5 miles up or down stream. We would be swimming and fishing today, but that's not the case. Also concerning is the fact that many others are unaware of the danger and are continuing to float down.

 

[Mark K]

You do realize that’s probably not the only gator in the river. What I’ve seen is they generally move on after a food source is depleted. And I thought low water would make their food supply even more available provide they’re eating aquatic prey. I even find gator tracks on plantations as they move from one hole to the next.

 

[SemperFiDawg]

You do realize that’s probably not the only gator in the river.

Never crossed my mind.

And I thought low water would make their food supply even more available provide they’re eating aquatic prey.

Really???? Go on....