How to deal with snakes

[Texas Ranger]

Hence, the beer.

[semologger]

One good 12 gauge buck shot is all i can say i would be shoting at that pile of snakes. Like Indiana jones said. I hate snakes. I ran over a copperhead yesterday , forwards and backwards. 

[Dave Shepard]

I ran over a copperhead yesterday , forwards and backwards. 

 

TR, I'd say that pile of snakes would make for awful efficient scattergunning.


Dave

[WildDog]

That pit of snakes reminds me of an old Western movie, where I think Clint Eastwood hid a saddle bag of loot in a pit of Rattlers can't recall the name could of been the "The Good The Bad and The Ugly".

We live on the creek and Venomous snakes are common around our farm, they're starting to hibbernate now. My next door neighbour was bitten on the foot 3mths back by a Rough Scaled Snake, it was dark and flooding he went out to move the generator in bare feet and was hit on a vein. The Neurotoxic venom knocked his kiddney's about and his blood thinned dramatically, ten times that of someone on wolferine, the venom really wasted his muscles and he was touch and go for 3 weeks. Young Mark's a horse breaker and has youth and fittness on his side which got him through, he now has a healthy respect for snakes (we call em "Joe Blakes") down here.

Last year I got home to see our Jack Russell having a go at a Red Bellied Black snake, Nicky grabbed the dog, I caught the snake and couldn't see any marks made by the dog, I said, "I think we got to her in time" then Nicky said, "There's a bit of red between her toes, sure enough she'd been bitten, I got a pressure bandage on straight away and to the vets inside 1hr, we nearly lost her that night but she came home 2 days and $500 :(later........Hasn't stopped her chasing them but.

[Warren]

My first instinct when I saw that pile of 'em was a stick of dynamite.  But then I remembered the You Tube video of the whale and decided the dynamite might not be such a good idea.  Raining cats and dogs is one thing.  Raining rattle snakes just doesn't seem  like such a good idea...

 

[semologger]

We went down the river today seen 2 water moccasoins. One didnt make it bro in law got him with a 9mm. It was wrapped around railing on the dock. The other swam right next to friends 6 year old boy. That boy was walking on water getting out. Took him a while to get back in the water. Wont be the last on we will see.

[Woodchuck53]

I agree with Warren, surprise me and we'll see do it twice thogh they are toast. I have started putting the common ones in the shop and mill to help stem the rats. They logged out a section behind the place and I can't seem to catch up to the mice and rats. On a positive note when I told the family that I was putting snakes in the buildings tools stopped  being (borrowed) while I was at work. HEH HEH. CV

[Lanier_Lurker]

WildDog, I grew up in Southwest Georgia in an area riddled with rattlesnakes and cottonmouths.  I also used to catch them and transport them to some big holding pens they had at one of the plantations in the area.  Once or twice a year, some fella from the Ross Allen Reptile Institute down in Silver Springs, Florida would stop in and purchase them.  Bringing $2.50/ft, and me being a college kid in constant need of cash, who was I to pass that up.    I once caught over $50 worth of snakes in a single day while riding between peanut fields working as a crop scout.

So, while I have a healthy respect for our native venomous snakes, I don't panic if I happen to get near one or see one.

But that would change over night if I were ever to move to Australia.  You folks have snakes down there that give me nightmares.  Certain species are as agile as our rat snakes, as fast as our racers, as wily and as large as our king snakes, and much more venomous than our coral snakes. 

You would not see me attempting to catch or handle any venomous Australian snake.  I'll stick with the slow moving and fairly predictable American pit vipers.

[submarinesailor]

Their spiders are pretty ugly too.

Bruce

[WildDog]

Lanier_Lurker what did the reptile institute want with the snakes, was it venom for antivenene? Sounds like a dangerous way to make some cash.

I'm sure glad they don't offer money for wild caught venomous snakes here or my son would be out chasing them....anything for a buck.

We were aerial baiting yesterday at work with a bunch of farmers, we had about 2 hrs down time with the helicopter and most of that time was spent talking snakes, everyone had a story or 10 to share. I'll repeat a couple of mine.

One afternoon I was riding through a sheep camp on dusk when my horse shied, i noticed a Tiger snake flat on the ground, to get a good hit with a stock whip on a snake it's no good while he's flat you need his head raised, with the horse carrying on he raised his head, when the whip went out it wrapped around the snake but hooked on, as my arm came back in the reverse motion the 3ft snake came with it and landed acrossthe pomel of my saddle then fortunatley fell to the ground, these are one of our most dangerous. With most of our nasty types you can grab their tail and they can't climb their own body but the Tiger can requiring the handler to keep flicking him down or rotating his tail, these guys have heaps of venom and large fangs.

My worst experience was totally my own fault and came about from showing off. I was courting my wife, when she was working as a Jillaroo out west, we were swimming in a dam when I noticed a King Brown on the bank heading down a  crack in the dried mud, I grabbed it's tail and went to crack its head off like a stock whip, when i brought the snake/whip down it cracked up high between my legs with a loud smack and stung like hell on my wet leg, there was bood mixing with the water and running down my leg, I panicked wondering how you put a tornaque on your groin she calmed me down and worked out the blood was from the snakes partially severed head. I learn't my lesson, now days I let snakes be unless they're around the house and then I usually relocate them.

[Lanier_Lurker]

Lanier_Lurker what did the reptile institute want with the snakes, was it venom for antivenene? Sounds like a dangerous way to make some cash.

Yes, they had an antivenin program.  They also supplied snakes to zoos and other facilities.

Here is some info on Ross Allen.  http://www.lostparks.com/rossal.html

[Jeff]

Updated to a youtube video.

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Por Fa VOR.  That little feller wasn't even venomous. 

 I have been catching the Fer De lance's and Coral's, here. I use them. Secret project. 

[WH_Conley]

Good one Jeff.

[clww]

Good grief, this is an old thread I'd never seen before.

[sandhills]

Much to manys dismay here I've stopped and picked up bull snakes to bring back to the farm, just drop them down the first rat hole I can find, better than a cat I say  .  By the way we don't have any poisonous ones around here (that I've seen), you have to get a little farther west.

[mesquite buckeye]

We have a deal. They don't bite me. I don't kill them. So far, the truce is holding.

[Chuck White]

Up here, we mostly have Garter snakes and Milk snakes.

However there is a little tan colored snake here with a bright shiny copper-colored belly that no one likes.

I don't ever remember killing a snake in my life, except once while dove hunting in South Dakota I happened to spot a 12-14 inch Prairrie Rattler and he was introduced to my 870!

[Fla._Deadheader]

Wife came into the house about 20 minutes ago, and said "Papi, possibly is a snake in the chicken house". I grab the flashlight (it's dark in there at this time of day) and change to my outside shoes, and go to the chicken house. Where is it I asked? It's right under that shelf, on the floor. She had reached under there looking for newborn chicks, and actually touched it.

I got down on one knee, and shot the light under there. There was a Terciopelo-Fer de Lance, that measured 47" long, after our fight was over. There was no way to drag it out, so, I gently but firmly tried to ease it out from under the shelf. Problem is, the coop is built low, because I have no need to go in there and the wife is short. The Fer de Lance is also known as the "Velvet Snake", because the skin feels like velvet. It's NOT slick like other snakes.

Anyway, I am stepping lightly and easing the thing out and she is NOT pleased. Tail is shaking like a Rattler, but, they have no rattles. Now, she starts striking at me, and, I'm doing the high step in low quarters. I'm trying to get it where I can cut it with the Machete, but, she gets closer and closer. Last strike ended up being 8" away from my leg.  Finally I saw my chance and bashed the Machete into the snake right behind the ears. Perfect shot, and head rolls away.

Now, I check my drawers. No strong odor, so, I proceed to scoop up the head on the blade of the Machete, and carry it out into the open. The fangs measured just under ¾" long, each.  Then I went back for the body. It had a bulge in it, and, that is why I didn't get bit. She was digesting a chick. Didn't tell the wife about that.

Anyway, thew skin is now in the brine jug, eventually to be encased in Acrylic resin and made into Pen Blanks. The skin is really beautiful, AFTER removing the needles. She also had 7 swelled egg sacks inside her. SO, that's 8 Fer de Lance, less to worry about.

[pappy19]

Bull snake vs squirrel.

http://www.grandviewoutdoors.com/predator-hunting/articlecontent/6/2013/5195/video-bull-snake-and-squirrel-fight-on-the-back-patio