Why You SHould Be Careful Around Water

At the end of March we were at the lake with my wife's sister and her husband. The brother-in-law was gone to get something and I was inside the house while the women were fishing on the boat house. I heard yelling and assumed they had caught a catfish and needed me to unhook it. I ran down to the boat house and they pointed to the "6 foot" long snake that swan up to the bank 30 feet from the boat house and climbed out onto the land. It was not 6 feet, but it was a big ass water moccasin, and I ran full speed back inside for my 12 gauge. I grabbed the Ithaca Model 66 single shot and three 000 shells. I had the girls stand back, and took careful aim. The first shot caught it in the lower third of it's gut and blew it apart pretty good. It still was moving on the upper half and was trying to get to the water, even though the shot would be fatal. I fired a second shot, hit it again, but not close enough to the head to kill it. I finished it off with a shovel. It measured 57 inches, which is quite big. I have read that the record is about 75 inches. A dead snake is a good snake.