SNAKES

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

I know this isn't "Animal Planet Net" but I'm excited to share my first rattle snake experience! On Saturday my girlfriend and i decided to hit the Euchre Bar trail on the North Fork of the American River. Not sure on the milage of the trail but you go up and down over 1700' in mosquito infested forest...it was rough. But it was all worth it, right when we got back to the top of the trail i see a rattle snake sitting there sunbathing. I grabbed a stick (just in case) and got within 5 feet of the guy and managed to snap some photos before he was on his way. He paused for a moment and coiled as he left just to make sure that I wasn't up to any funny business and even rattled at me (which i caught on video!) On Sunday I headed to mineral bar and ran into a black water snake. He was lingering in an area that i was trying to prospect so i gently nudged him along and he turned away and started off, I guess i wasn't happy enough with his departing speed so i gave his tail end one more nudge which was a VERY BAD IDEA He turned around with the quickness and charged toward me stopping about a 3 feet from my legs and holding his ground. LOL i had to leave the area because of this snake. Guess it was my fault for provoking him so I bounced so nobody had to be bit or killed. I spent the rest of the day prospecting and looking over my shoulder for that angry serpent. Very exciting weekend.

 

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[bfloyd4445]

What a thrill, Bears we have and I have been very close to them, which was stupid, Lions are not here , makes you wonder how it is going to work out over the years with more and more people. Bear attacks are up, but beautiful animals to see.

bears and feral dogs are the only animals besides man I fear in the woods. Bears have poor eyesight, can hit 45mpg on a run and are incredibly powerful. I clocked one in my jeep one time at 45mpg, he wet for about a 1/2 mile at this speed before he found the trail he wanted and left the road. I wasn't on hs tail as i didn't want to push him so he may have been able to run faster if he wished. They are not dangerous provided they know your around so it pays to make a bit of noise when hiking in the woods. I've had lots of very close encounters with bears with never any kind of threat even when cubs were involved, they are so so cute and totally unafraid as well as very curious about new creatures they see like you and me. That lack of fear and curiosity is what makes bears dangerous cause when mom discovers her babies a few feet away from you she tends to get a bit upset. My advice is to carry two large size cans of bear spray and if you see cubs with no mom immediately make noise to alert her to the fact you are there while getting a can of spray ready

 

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[SierraMadre]

Don't see those big Indigo snakes anymore. Years ago I saw them as long as 10'. Huge things. Maybe they wouldn't hurt you but they would make you hurt yourself trying to get away from it. Friend of mine said he last saw one about 12 years ago and tried to catch it. Even though he had both hands holding it's head, it managed to pull away from him

 

[SierraMadre]

Plenty of copperheads and cottonmouths. Also coach whips and chicken snakes

 

[SierraMadre]

Was in the back yard when the wife kicked on the clothes dryer. Out of the dryer vent came a 3' coachwhip. Just happened to have the 12 gauge loaded with 7 1/2s.

 

[Clay Diggins]

Why would you kill a coachwhip snake?

 

[Roland58]

bears and feral dogs are the only animals besides man I fear in the woods. Bears have poor eyesight, can hit 45mpg on a run and are incredibly powerful. I clocked one in my jeep one time at 45mpg, he wet for about a 1/2 mile at this speed before he found the trail he wanted and left the road. I wasn't on hs tail as i didn't want to push him so he may have been able to run faster if he wished. They are not dangerous provided they know your around so it pays to make a bit of noise when hiking in the woods. I've had lots of very close encounters with bears with never any kind of threat even when cubs were involved, they are so so cute and totally unafraid as well as very curious about new creatures they see like you and me. That lack of fear and curiosity is what makes bears dangerous cause when mom discovers her babies a few feet away from you she tends to get a bit upset. My advice is to carry two large size cans of bear spray and if you see cubs with no mom immediately make noise to alert her to the fact you are there while getting a can of spray ready

Your speedometer may be a little proud or you had an Olympic bear in training. According to what I could find on the net, bears have a typical top speed between 35 and 40. Not much difference and, no doubt, a LOT faster than this old man could run! Does that bear spray really work? Is it like pepper spray? I think I would want some spray ether to put the bear to sleep and get away before it wakes up!!

 

[DizzyDigger]

Your speedometer may be a little proud or you had an Olympic bear in training. According to what I could find on the net, bears have a typical top speed between 35 and 40. Not much difference and, no doubt, a LOT faster than this old man could run! Does that bear spray really work? Is it like pepper spray? I think I would want some spray ether to put the bear to sleep and get away before it wakes up!!

Running from a bear or cougar is probably the fastest way to get yourself dead...

Buddy of mine used to carry a .22 when we were in bear country. Asked him one day
why he didn't carry a larger caliber, as that .22 sure ain't gonna stop a bear. He said
"I don't have to stop the bear...I'll just shoot you in the leg..... then haul ass!"

When you run from a predator such as a cougar or bear, the critter immediately
goes into "pursuit and kill" mode when their intended prey starts to run away.

Running = Bad Idea

Bear spray does work...most of the time, but make sure you get
the kind with an extended range. Bears are sprinters, and can
cover distance in a hurry.

This time of year your head best be on a swivel when in bear country,
and not just looking for big bears, but little cubs too. You see cubs, and
no mama near by, then amscrae out of there asap. If mama is nearby
and sees you, then immediately start moving in a neutral direction..away from
the cubs and her as well.

Best defense is to stand your ground, and let that critter know that
you are most definitely not on the supper menu.

Can't teach you how to travel in bear country on the interwebz, but the
best way to avoid any confrontations is to A) make enough noise that
the bear knows way ahead of time that you're coming through, and B)
if you do get into an encounter then do whatever you need to in order
to make yourself look big and mean, and when the critter goes away in
one direction, you go the other.

 

[Tnmountains]

Here is one I jumped off my tractor to move the other day. He was close to 6 feet. King snake. He eats the timber rattlers and copperheads. Hope he stays around. Not sure if I shared this?

 

[bzbadger]

Problem for the snakes is we tend to shoot/hack first then see what kind it is. Like TNmountains king snake it's a good one to have around. I leave all black snakes and king snakes alone but copperheads etc get a blast from the gauge also the water snakes because they are destructive. Water snakes eat all the frogs u in the area which as you know frogs keep the bug population down even from birth the tadpoles eat the mosquito larvae so by killing off the water snakes im helping myself out I believe plus those suckers have an attitude problem. Had one bite me on my boot so many times like a machine gun just pop pop pop and wouldnt stop.

 

[SierraMadre]

Don't like snakes, not even the "good" ones. If they're around the house they get killed. Cockroaches probably have some ecological value too but I don't like them either and kill them when I get a chance.

 

[SierraMadre]

Why would you kill a coachwhip snake?

Because it was a snake

 

[et1955]

Bear's, snakes, cougars, bobcats, peacocks and spotted owl's but this scares me the most.

 

[Duckwalk]

Bear's, snakes, cougars, bobcats, peacocks and spotted owl's but this scares me the most. View attachment 1184990

boy oh boy do i have a hornet's nest story....

It was a few years ago in november. We had a cold night and i was out checking the heat pump to make sure it was working properly. in the clear skies moonlight, i saw a big hornets nest on a tree no bigger around than a handle of a screw driver. i went to the tree, gave it a good shake and ran just in case. Nothing, no buzzing, no flying, just me looking like a moron at 11:30 at night in the cold. i went and got a saw to cut the tree down so i could burn the nest and was checking as i was sawing to make sure nothing was going to surprise me. As i finished my last motion i thought to myself "hey, why burn this when i can give it to my mom to put on display in her 1st grade classroom." so i left it outside just in case and went on to bed. The next day i got up for work and put it in my car to take to her after work. everything was just fine! Got to work and went on till lunch. went to hop in the car to go get a cheese burger when a swarm of hornets flew out of the car. DOZENS of them.... My dumb@$$ parked the car in the sun and when it warmed up inside the car, so did the hornets. after letting them simmer down for a bit i carefully went and picked the nest up by the branch it was still attached to and took it over to the dumpster across the parking lot (our neighbor in the strip where i work) and threw it out. left my car open for the rest of the day just in case. Stupid mistake on my part but sure as hell learned a lesson.

 

[bobw53]

I posted this over in the journal section, but figured it should also go in the snake thread.

Cooking dinner last night and I heard yipping and crying out back.. Ran out and Molly is limping up the stairs..
I thought she just got poked by a Yucca or something... Then she got a little lethargic, and then she
started to swell a little. Only one puncture, you can see the blood spot in the pic, and most of
that swelling happened just before we got to the clinic.. Got her there in under an hour.

Sad Molly

I just called down there, she's doing fine, they just took her out back for a potty break, swelling has gone
way down.. Anti-venom, pain meds and antibiotics. I'll pick her up in a few hours and take her over to
my regular vet when she opens.

I've lived on this property for 6 years, and my better half has lived here her whole life... Every dog they ever
had has been bit... But she said they hadn't seen a rattler here in a dozen years or so... Until today..

They said its been a tough year for snake bites at the emergency clinic. 3rd one this week, and they had 7
last weekend alone.

Time to clear cut the backyard and go get some snake shot. I'm thinking Molly needs a nice snake skin collar...

Learned something else today also.. Apparently getting bit on an extremity is worse than getting bit on your body.
Something to do with the swelling and allowing the venom to spread out and dilute.

Molly should be fine, they don't lose many of them, and the ones they do, its usually because the owner waits to get
them treatment. Poor dog. That dog can take some serious pain, but she was crying...

Here's a pic of Happy Molly.

 

[Limitool]

I live on a ridge top in Middle TN. in a very rural area in the woods. My wife and I have rescued dogs for over 20 years now. I bet we've had 18-20 since 94'. Every dog we've had has been bitten once by a copperhead or rattler. Once is the key word. They seem to always get it right in the face because there "checking out" the critter. Only took one small dog to vet for help. It made it fine. The others all just lie on the deck with their heads all swollen up like a basketball and within 24-30 hrs. there back to life again.

 

[maurice19]

limittool,

You just blew my image of my great grandfather.

Over 60 years ago, when I still lived in Missouri, he was the local snake doctor.

When a dog got bit, usually by a copperhead, people would come to him and he would tie a piece of rawhide onto a small tree and say a piece from the bible I believe.

As you said, the swelling would go down in a few hours.

A lot of folks believed in his powers, which could only be passed on to another if that person truly believed.

Maurice

 

[bobw53]

I live on a ridge top in Middle TN. in a very rural area in the woods. My wife and I have rescued dogs for over 20 years now. I bet we've had 18-20 since 94'. Every dog we've had has been bitten once by a copperhead or rattler. Once is the key word. They seem to always get it right in the face because there "checking out" the critter. Only took one small dog to vet for help. It made it fine. The others all just lie on the deck with their heads all swollen up like a basketball and within 24-30 hrs. there back to life again.

I just didn't have it in me to let her sit there and swell up... I know dogs are a lot more resistant than humans are, but we still took her in... She was hurting, and she's pretty good at taking
pain... She's at the vet for the day, they are just flushing her out with IV's and giving her all kinds of attention. Also on occasion, the venom can really screw up their kidney's, so we'll go
back and check that out in a couple of months.

 

[2cmorau]

never really had a problem with snakes, more concern for my Lab
but on another note, they do a good side
Second Yosemite tourist diagnosed with plague - SFGate

 

[Limitool]

I just didn't have it in me to let her sit there and swell up... I know dogs are a lot more resistant than humans are, but we still took her in... She was hurting, and she's pretty good at taking
pain... She's at the vet for the day, they are just flushing her out with IV's and giving her all kinds of attention. Also on occasion, the venom can really screw up their kidney's, so we'll go
back and check that out in a couple of months.

I don't blame ya at all buddy.... Hope she's doing a lot better. We spend A LOT OF MONEY on all these dogs and a snake bite here just doesn't hit the radar. Copperhead and rattlers here rarely kill a human when bite or a large animal. But us humans are going to have a real bad time for awhile. I can't tell ya why dogs can rebound quickly but they do....? My large old boxers head was so swollen one morning when I walked out on deck to leave for work one morning. He was just lying by the slider door and just looked at me.... we "talked" for a minute and when I got home that evening he'd moved about 15 ft. by the water and was in a good mood. Next morning he was running all over again.

God know we wouldn't be... or I wouldn't. Wish ya the best guy... Brad