Overview
- A 71-year-old North Fort Myers man says an alligator grabbed his right leg at the edge of a canal and dragged him into the water before he forced it to release him by gouging one eye and jabbing the other with his fishing pole.
- He used his bulldog for leverage to get back to his feet, his wife cleaned his wounds, and family members took him to Cape Coral Hospital where he received staples and stitches for deep bite wounds on both sides of his right leg.
- McMicken credits prior legal alligator-hunting experience for his response and says targeting the gator’s eyes is what drove it off, a tactic he described in multiple interviews.
- He is recovering at home, has begun physical therapy, and says he will keep fishing but be more cautious at the water’s edge.
- Reporting varies on the exact date of the encounter and none of the articles cite wildlife authorities or confirm any action taken against the specific alligator, with coverage placing the story in the wider context of rare but serious recent gator attacks in Florida.