Snakes

[mcb]

I've been reading through the threads and come across a few comments about snakes while detecting. My hubby also warns me. Anyway, I hate snakes! I've seen a few rattlers while hiking in a large park near us over the years. We were also climbing away from the trail and down near the creek, maybe that's why. Aside from reading about the snakes in our area and their habits id like any advice on how to avoid them. Also if I am to come in contact with one, what would you suggest? When I say come in contact I mean a situation where its right up on me.

I feel a little ridiculous with this post but I can't shake my fear.

 

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[WVPapaw]

It's very unlikely a small copperhead could put the bite on you while sprinting down the road at high speed.

That is about what we figured. Still, it wasn't a good feeling being on the road. We could have gone though a field next to the road but that is probably where the snakes were coming from.

 

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[WVPapaw]

My friends son got bit by a baby copperhead in n.c he said it felt like his foot was on fire he was wearing flipfloops at the time but they did not give him anti venom just keep him in hostipal couple of days him foot got so big his mom told me she thought his skin would split i saw one this past nov. that was in the creek i was panning in it was about 45 an cloudy that day an the water was to cold to pan without gloves i let him go with a warning not to let anybody else in my spot but never saw him again ha ha

So much for my theory that snakes don't come out at temps 50 or less. Darn........

 

[mercury1]

I would guess that to be a garter snake or a milk snake, because of it long slender tail. A copper head would have more of a shorter, stubbier tail. Rattlers also have a shorter stubbier tail and of course rattles. Although I have seen them w/o rattles

Yes, looks like a garter snake being eaten. I've also seen big garter snakes eat little garter snakes. Hey, what happened to Jimmie?

 

[rickv14623]

Looks like she is banned again. DK if she asked to be this time and will try to come back.

 

[mercury1]

Looks like she is banned again. DK if she asked to be this time and will try to come back.

I just wondered what she said to get banned. Didn't consider that she banned herself but ya, she had the stalker thing going on.

 

[relish]

Snakes usually go in the same direction that you are going.....that is away from you....closet I've come was at my grandfather's farm in upstate NY many years ago.....a diamond head rattler slithered along my left side as I headed to the outhouse!

 

[MinnesotaStateUniversity]

I just wondered what she said to get banned. Didn't consider that she banned herself but ya, she had the stalker thing going on.

She changed her IP. She's back on under a new name.

 

[mercury1]

She changed her IP. She's back on under a new name.

K thanks.

 

[WVPapaw]

I promised yesterday not to tell anymore snake stories but I have one more that is pretty creepy. When I was a teenager, I went groundhog hunting every afternoon during the summer months. One day a friend went with me and we walked further than I normally did while hunting the fields along this back road. This day it got dark and we were still nearly 2 miles from home. Suddenly, something rolled under my foot on the road. I had some wooden matches and lit one to see that the road was covered with these little snakes. When the car passed we lit another match and held it out to see. We stepped in bare spots between the snakes. There were so many we panicked. I would hold a match against the box and flip it with my finger so that it would fly out in the air and light up the road so we could see where to step without contacting a snake. We did this for about 50 yards but ran out of matches and then started running as hard as we could. We just knew that any minute a big momma snake was going to nail one of us. The road was covered with snakes for at least 100 yards. The next day I drove my dad's car to the area to check it out. There were hundreds of little copperheads (at least thats what they looked like to me) smashed on the road by car tires for a distance of 100 or so yards. There is no way one momma snake gave birth to all those babies. There must have been a big hatch by a bunch of mommas. Anybody else ever see anything like this?

A hawk flew in front of my truck the other day with a live snake dangling from its mouth. The snake was squirming to get free but the hawk was clamped down on it. Most snakes look like copperheads or rattlesnakes to me, but my wife agreed that it was a reddish brown color.pattern like a copperhead.

 

[WVPapaw]

Poisonous snake story #1 - was walking out the door, down the sidewalk, a very very small copperhead which I didn't see struck the back of my shoe. It did not live happily ever after.
Poisonous snake story #2 - Went out to Las Vegas and went to the Valley of Fire, it's a very nice park. Where I was it was very flat, and few rocks, no brush and snow white sand. I was walking rather quickly and my mind said STOP! Two feet in front of me was a mostly buried sidewinder coiled and buried in the sand. I backed up 3 feet. (Snake was about 18' long", best guess.) Then I got out my camera and got some great pics, moved way around it, leaned back in and got some more pics of squiggly then walked very SLOWLY back to the car.
Poisonous snake story #3 - You know you have copperheads when you go out to the garden and smell fresh cucumbers, but you didn't plant any.
Poisonous snake story #4 - You know you have copperheads at the local quarry when you smell cucumbers. Watch where you are!
Poisonous snake story #5 - in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, there is a trail to the "bat cave" and Hollywood sign. On the trail is a sign "Beware of Rattlesnakes" . Gotta love LA.

Snake Tragedy: Once upon a time I had a garden. There was this garter snake that liked the garden. I am not afraid of garter snakes. I knew it was there, but the little bugger would climb up the plants and jump out when I got close. After about the 10th time, I dispatched it. I still do not like the resolution, but heart attacks are no fun either. And the problem is we also have copperheads, so no chances with unknowns.

Snake insanity: Saw a gorgeous house snake in the road a couple years ago, pulled the car up along side, rolled down the window and told the snake it was very pretty and should get out of the road.

Snake rescue: A baby snake of some sort got in the basement 10 years ago. I found out when my 12 year old daughter (near midnight), says to the cat - "Comet, what have you got?". Well then I hear "Comet's got a SNAKE.!) nothing will get you out of bed quicker. Had two state troopers help find and get the bugger back outside (safely).

Snake rescue: Another small house snake got trapped near the basement door. Caught it in a box, took it on a car ride to the local wildlife people, they played with it awhile and we let it go. Another house snake

Rescued from snake: When I was 16 my friend and I went mineral collecting, nature viewing, etc. just below the Conowingo Dam. Jack looks down and screams "A hognose snake", and lunges under this huge bolder. He planted his feet and pulled and pulled, but the snake got away. Thank God.

Killer snake from hell: Actually, was in Virginia near Saylor's creek metal detecting, not hell. I look down and about 6 feet away is a gorgeous hognose snake. I told my 12 year old to "watch this". We got closer and he coiled and shook his little tail. Oh, was he fearsome. I took a very small stick and gently touched the snake. He did this great performance playing "dead snake". Of course, we left him alone. Found some nice CW bullets that day.

Snake attitude problem: I decided one day to take down the 15' above ground swimming pool. There was a pretty large garder snake. I yelled "get out of the way or die". It left.

Snake attitude problem #2: My two daughters were outside and saw a humongous garter snake. It unfortunately (for the toad) caught the toad who lived under out steps. So the kids wanted to catch the snake. What the heck, what's the worse can happen, peroxide So I said ok. (Mom is just a little nuts.) So I rigged up a pole with a loop on the other end made of speaker wire and told them to go ahead and catch the snake. They really tried. This snake was HUGE. I was watching from the door. The two cats were helping them. So they poke at the snake. The snake does not like it, so it dropped the toad and turned on the kids. So up the stairs into the house comes the cats first, then the oldest, then the youngest, then this stupid snake is chasing them within 5 feet of the DOOR after climbing the steps! Jeez! But then it saw ME and I was not running. So the snake turns and heads back down the steps with 1) both cats and then in order 2) both kids after it. It got away, but Jennie Toad died.

Death to snakie #1 - My daughter was sent home from the flea market we were doing to get some potted water plants out of our small manmade pond to sell. So she gets back in about an hour and is frankly madder 'n hell. She had 3 plants, not the 10 I asked for. i had told her not to put her hand in the pond, but to use a rake and pull them to the side, then get them out. She did this. However a very aggressive northern water snake had problems with this and attacked her. it missed. My 22 did not miss the next day.

Death to snakie #2 - I was IN the garden pond harvesting water plants to sell. I was on one side of the pond. I was wearing knee high rubber boots but using bare hands to pull up the plants. I hear a "sploosh" from the other side of the pond about 10 feet away. BTW- frogs "plop" Snakes ""sploosh". A few seconds later I feel a "bump bump" on the rear of the boot. I look around and there's squiggly running (swimming) away. This is when I found out it's not really all that hard to walk on water. The 22 took care of this one too.

And the piece de la resistance - Once upon a time ago, almost, no actually in another life, almost, I was squirrel hunting at my mother in law's. I was down in the "glade" as we call it. There were some old mine shafts nearby so had to walk carefully. I sensed something wasn't quite right. I look down and there is this here snake running between my legs from the rear to the front. I waited until it got about 8 feet away and shot it with a 12 gauge. BTW= that's too close, as some of the pellets zoomed back past my head as they hit some rocks. I couldn't find the snake. So I backed up 10 more feet and put two more #2 12 gauge loads into the area where the snake had been. Not being totally satisifed I reloaded and put two more rounds into the general area. That's not overkill, is it? I never found even a PIECE of that snake.

All stories are real and not embellished.

Smokey, you have way too many snakes at your place.

 

[WVPapaw]

When golfing at Walt Disney World in Florida we came upon a fellow going through the Palmettos with a pistol. He stopped for a break and had a sack with 4 or 5 snakes in it. His JOB was to go and kill the snakes next to the fairways that could endanger a golfer looking for a wayward shot.

He offered this advice if looking for a ball in the woods. Always carry a long metal club and wave it in front of you as you are searching. If you surprise a snake they will instinctively strike the moving club head and that should give you time to get out of his area. The snakes in his bag all were shot in the head. When I complimented him for his accuracy he said the snakes did most of the work. Just shoot close to his head and they will strike out at the incoming bullet!

If I ever came upon a coiled snake I would immediately swing the coil near it so it would strike the coil and give me a chance to get out of Dodge!

On a different golf trip I got the chances to check out the theory. My buddies shot ended up in a large fairway bunker (again at Disney). About 25 feet in front of him was a 4 foot rattler sunning himself on the lip of the trap. I told him to just go hit his ball the snake would not bother him. He refused and wanted to drop another ball in the fairway (without penalty of course). I informed him that the rules of golf do not permit that without loss of the hole. Eventually I offered to get the snake out of the trap so he could hit his ball. I took my 15' ball retriever and waived it at the snake and it coiled and struck the end of it 3 different times before it finally slithered out of the trap. Then I told my friend to hit his ball. He was so shook that he took a 9 on the hole (he was a 5 handicap for 18). Up one!

Very interesting encounters.