I remember camping and fishing at a lake in south Mississippi where the park manager warned us (being from upstate MS) about the gators in the lake, there were only 7 in a 90 acre lake. The largest was reported as being a tad under 19 ft., I saw a photo he was as long as a Chevy Caprice, but he warned us to be wary of the female with a nest on the back side of the lake. The big boy was named Oscar, I ask where he slept and was told "wherever he wants."

Too many folks make the mistake of feeding the gators, which makes them think everyone has a snack for them. I stopped at a boat ramp just off Alligator Alley west of Ft. Lauderdale and had a gator slide up right under where I was standing on the bank.