James Grayson McMicken, a 71-year-old former alligator hunter, fought off a 10-foot alligator that dragged him into a canal near his home in Florida. He survived by jabbing the reptile in the eye with his fishing pole and sticking his thumb in its other eye.
Attack Details
McMicken was fishing alone at night in a canal behind his house when the alligator lunged from the water, grabbed his leg, and pulled him in. He recalled, “I’ve always heard that if you’ve got no other choice, get them eyes, and that’s what got him off of me.” He repeatedly jabbed the alligator’s eye with his fishing pole while also using his thumb on the other eye until the animal released him and swam away.
Escape and Rescue
After freeing himself, McMicken used his bulldog to help him stand. “I’d have never made it crawling this far, so I called my dog over. She stood there and let me get up on her back to where I could get stood up,” he told local media. He then crawled to his house but collapsed from exhaustion. He was rushed to the hospital, where he received stitches and staples for deep bite wounds. He noted that nurses were amazed by his story: “All the nurses on the floor had to come by and go, ‘Wow, you did what?’”
Recovery and Aftermath
McMicken is now recovering at home and undergoing physical therapy. He hopes to return to fishing soon but will be more cautious near the water at night. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is still attempting to trap the alligator involved in the attack.
