Do you fear snakes!

[DShortt]

Don't like snakes. If I can't identify it and it's near the house, I'll kill it. If I know it's not poisonous, I'll let it alone unless it insists on being a problem. Then it's gone, too.
Still remember a picture of my Grandfather's brother with a black snake caught in the hen house. Nearly 100 years ago now. He was 6'1", had the snake impaled on a hay fork 3' higher than his head. About 3' of snake on one side, the tail end had about 4' on the ground. So roughly 12' of black snake.

Egg production increased significantly after it's removal, so I was told.

 

[ogre1911]

Anything crawling between my legs is going to get flung across the room at supersonic speed.

Or get a beer and a shot bought for her………..

 

[Deadmeat1899]

Aren't they all poisonous?

The ones in Washington are !!

 

[ELR LVR]

Now SPiders, thats a different story
Ugly, hairy, long dangly legs
And 8 Legs?
Why they need 8
it's just weird man
---------------------------
But they say to face your fears right
So to face my fear of spiders
I got a big "ol tarantula and kept it in the house
fed it, praying mantises
Never held the thing
-------------------------------
Kept it in a tararium on the kitchen counter
Every time I walked by it and forgot I had it..... I jumped
But after having that in the house for awhile
I gotta say, any house spider no longer bothers me
Now I'm like,meh whatever

 

[Sandstorm]

Heck fellows..I raised a Python from a baby to 6 and half foot or therebouts when I sold him.
Folks pay big bucks for the big uns...lol...... Used to feed him live rats.
Snakes aint nothing to worry about...just stay clear of the ones that can hurt ya.

 

[Downeast]

I don't like venomous snakes around my house and yard. Copperheads, rattlesnakes, and cottonmouths are our only venomous species. The coral snake is so rare here that it is not even worth mentioning. All of the other species are harmless.
I had a long time friend who used to hunt our property for deer and turkey. I told him if he was going to kill something he had better eat it. I also told him that the wife and I really like our kingsnakes and be sure not to kill them or any other nonvenomous snake. Sure enough, one fall he came back to the house bragging about killing this big snake with "a chain pattern" around its body...a King. My wife went nuts and told him he was banned from our land. I agreed. He was one of those guys that thought of himself as an "outdoorsman". Yea, right. He couldn't identify more than three trees, very few birds, and no snakes or amphibians or anything else. I am still surprised at the lack of knowledge of "country folks" vs "city folks" when it comes to wildlife and the outdoors. You would think that a kid growing up in the boonies would know every living thing on his farm or ranch. But most can't get past "red bird", "brown bird" or "pine tree", vs "other trees". Really odd that your average suburbanite knows more about wildlife and conservation than the average country bumpkin. Snakes, like everything else, are just part of nature.

 

[Will Henry]

I am not bothered by snakes but poisonous ones are rare in this country. When we are traveling through the southern states, I am more cautious but not afraid. Sharon has gotten some good rattlesnake pics when we have been visiting in Florida.
My grandfather was definitely very concerned, if not actually afraid. Dad claimed that Grandpa was once startled by a rattlesnake, a few feet to the side of a trail. Dad said, at the sound, Grandpa levitated about three feet. He drew and put a half dozen shots from his 38 Super into the snake before he hit the ground. I suggested he might be exaggerating a little. He said it might have only been two and a half feet. WH

 

[jpjulian]

I do not like snakes, any snakes. I do not like spiders, any and all spiders. Spiders die on sight. Snakes I generally leave alone. My choice to not get too close. Took the garbage out one night to the dumpster and saw a black snake 6+ feet long. About wet my pants.

 

[precision1]

Naw been wading through chest deep waters since a kid and bowhunting through heavy brush.

I do rake back ground good since since I'm a avid turkey hunter since I seen copperhead around guys nut sack after he sat down with between his legs.lol

I keep snake chaps in my truck

 

[qldreloader]

I live in Queensland Australia. If I feared snakes I would never go outside. You just learn to be careful.

 

[ELR LVR]

I do not like snakes, any snakes. I do not like spiders, any and all spiders. Spiders die on sight. Snakes I generally leave alone. My choice to not get too close. Took the garbage out one night to the dumpster and saw a black snake 6+ feet long. About wet my pants.

Here's the thing
I don't think in terms of fear
I think in terms of rationality, think through a problem
How many times have you actually.........................................................................................ever got bit by a spider?

 

[MQ1]

Another Wyman photo.

Spring has arrived with the leafing of bull mesquites, a telling sign that winter is indeed gone, and rattlers emerging from their winters respite.
This big fellow, pushing 5 feet in length, was out patrolling for a rat when discovered by my brother. Rick called and informed me he had a big one if I wanted photos, and of course I did.
The husky fellow didn’t like Sylinda and my presence but had no choice but to allow me the honor to document such a fine specimen.
Unlike many, I don’t have a problem with snakes, regardless of the species. From early childhood and being raised in “snake” country, Rick and I were always warned to “watch for snakes,” when we went outdoors, which was all the time, and we rarely ever saw one. I do believe we walked right by many lying hidden in the grass and weeds but they allowed us to pass on by. Thus, in a show of gratitude, I allow them to “pass on by.”
This fellow never tried to strike as I lay at ground level, only rattling enough to let me know I was nearing its comfort zone.
After the photo session we walked away, leaving the serpent to fulfill its duty of consuming rats and mice, two creatures I sure don’t have much use for! LOL!!!
Wishing all a productive week!!
Photo created with a Canon 5D SR and Canon 70-200mm f2.8L at ISO 200 and hand held. And get a load of this. The image file was a huge 307mb when processed as a tif!!!
That is the file size when scanning a 2 1/4 x 2 1/4 chrome from my Hasselblad! Totally amazing!!
View attachment 1652714

Fast enought to catch the tongue, slow enough to see the rattle! Awesome!

MQ1

 

[NZ_Fclass]

Living in one of the few snake free countries... they are not even allowed here in captivity. My daughter, who has a side hustle breeding reptiles, enquired about importing one as a pet and got a visit from 2 guys in suits!

 

[1shot]

As I age, I'm a live and let live kinda guy. They leave me alone, I'll leave them alone.

 

[old_heli_logger]

I don't like snakes, never have. My first instinct is to kill them

 

[gpoldblue]

Some years ago a 5 year boy died from being bitten by a grass snake. The parents couldn't get the snake off the boy's finger....took the boy with the snake still chewing on the boy's finger to the ER. The attendants in ER had a difficult time getting the snake off the finger. while the snake was still injecting digestive enzyme toxins into the finger........the boy died 2 days later...................................ALL snakes are toxic....just give 'em a chance.
Guess you know how I feel about snakes. Good luck and stay safe.

 

[coldboreshot]

Nope. Used to catch baby rattlers when I was a kid and kept them in a terrarium until they got too big to have and took back out to the everglades to release. Loves watching them eat mice.

 

[Turkeytider]

Drover, my biggest fear is electricity. My brother always said that even changing batteries in a flashlight I would call the reactor at Comanche Peak to shut down while I was changing the batteries.

Me too! That stuff kills people that know what they’re doing! Sometimes I think it’s alive! Snakes not so much. I respect them and just leave them be. The only exception to that would have to be a rattlesnake , but only because we live in a neighborhood with a number of young children.

 

[BobT]

I ain’t a skeerd!

When I was a pup I had pet snakes, a western diamondback about 4’ long, a Mojave rattler about the same size, 4 sidewinders between 15 and probably 26” and an Arizona coral snake of 20” or so. I kept them in terrariums in my living room. The 2 big snakes were very docile and easy to handle, the others were all pretty aggressive and you had to be extremely careful. My nickname was Snake. I got a lot of enjoyment from them, they are very interesting creatures. When my landlord found out about them he wigged out and called the police, they came and took them away when I was at work and killed them all. I still harbor ill feelings for all involved and that was 45 years ago. Snakes are wonderful animals and they have a place in nature. The venomous varieties don’t need to be around people but they also have their niche. I too will stop and move most of them out of harm’s way if I see them on the roads. I keep a snake hook in my truck bed, it’s got a long handle though, I’m not as quick as I used to be!

Great picture!

 

[CaptainMal]

Always wear snake boots while hunting in Georgia along with a pistol using snake shot. Have had multiple encounters with snakes there. Here in Florida only killed one coral, one cottonmouth and one rattler in 25 years. In Georgia I have an encounter at least once a year and often more.

Don't fear the snakes I see. It's the ones I don't see that concern me. This is how you deal with them.