re: Any baws ever had to take out a gator or other large predator coming for you?

Had a 9 footer try to get my 13 y/o son about 5 years ago. Wade fishing middle of the river. Look up to see it making a bee line for him as he was swimming across a deep hole toward me. I was shocked at how fast it was swimming. I never realized they could swim so fast. Started screaming for him to swim to me and I ran to put myself between the gator and him. Despite all my commotion, yelling, splashing, throwing rocks, that gator was locked onto him. It didn't even see me until I came between my son and him and it was about10 feet away. Even after it stopped it wouldn't leave. I had no phone, no gun, not even a knife and we were stuck knee deep in the middle of the river standing on a submerged sand bar. We threw rocks until it eventually backed off, but it wouldn't leave. We tried to wade up and down the river to try to find a way out that wouldn't require swimming and that demon just shadowed our movement. We were finally able to drive it off with rocks to the opposite bank and we made a mad dash swimming for the opposite shore. When we hit the bank and climbed up it the gator popped up right where we had came out. The adrenalin rush left me and the enormity of it hit. I was so wrecked I couldn't even stand up. I sat at the top of the bluff with my legs quivering and feeling like noodles. I had grown up my whole life a river-rat and everything changed that day. I don't go near the water without a phone and a pistol. My kids don't swim in the river unless it's less than knee deep on them and I can see the bottom for hundreds of yards in each direction. We very seldom even go to the river any more and it runs along my property just behind my house.

I came eye to eye with a brown recluse once. I figured Id go left around it but its eyes darted to the exact spot where I was going to step. I then decided to step on it but hesitated in case it grabbed my foot and flipped me over. If he got me to the ground Id be in big trouble.

Thinking quick, I poured half of my coffee on him, then before he could recover, I stomped on him.

It was a close one.