Do you fear snakes!

[Edd]

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

My brother had a friend in Stilwell that would have skinned and gutted that thing before it quit rattling.

 

[bsekf]

Ten rattles and a button, that's a pretty nice snake! And great picture! Have a real good friend I hunted with in LA, lower Alabama. He was a herpetologist and kept most all local snakes to show his students. He had a Indigo and released Indigo's at the Forestry Center. Now that's a pretty snake. Used to ask him how many diamond backs we stepped over while Quail hunting, his reply "you don't want to know". Never had a dog bit or a close encounter in 25 years. Did kill several around our house in the woods. Ran over one with the brush hog, never saw him till the next trip around. The brush hog pretty well skinned him, never did see the head. We had all 3 pit vipers, but few coral snakes.

 

[servant403]

In one of the first group of kids I met in Florida one was missing his pinkie and ring finger on his right hand. And it was also somewhat dysfunctional. That was from a eastern diamondback bite. Kind of doubt I would stop a car to move a snake off the road. I might even speed up.

 

[Mark W]

I’ll never understand the irrational fear of snakes that some people have. Growing up, mother and younger brother were so afraid of them that they wouldn’t even look at on TV because they would have nightmares that night….lol.

I have pets, so I will kill a venomous snake around the house if it can’t be safely relocated. Non venomous ones are welcome, but the cats will usually end up killing them anyway.

 

[21PHX]

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

Butch, did that snake star in an episode of Landman?

 

[M-61]

Vietnam was an eve opener in many ways.
Could have been called “An introduction to snakes of the world “!
I did learn that most all salt water snakes are poisonous. Was also told the brighter the color the more poisonous the snake.

 

[True Grit]

I don't fear snakes at all, I just kill the poisonous ones. To me it's not worth the risk, my dogs and kids mean more to me than a stinking rattlesnake.

 

[GotRDid]

 

[ELR LVR]

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!

Dang, asking about importing a snake under the radar is as bad as making a threat against the Queen!

 

[ELR LVR]

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.

Watching them strike a mouse and seeing it's last minute is a very humbling thing to watch.
I caught a very tiny newborn rattler once while flyfishing a creek
had not even a button
I had handled rattlers before but man this little thing was no bigger than an earthworm and it could turn its head around more than a 180 hairpin turn and I just had the hardest time keeping right behind its head due to its tiny size as it kept getting even a millimeter of stretch and kept trying to whip around to bite.
Knowing their inability to control venom release, I said "Screw it!", and admitted failure on extended handling time with that one.
-------------------------
You got skills!
-------------------------
As an aside, where I used to work as a welder out in the sticks was a....., hardly even a town
was about a 15ft x 15ft little general store, 1 town hall where the drunken barn dances were held
and 1 Garage repair shop.
Funny the owner of the general store, when we would walk in after a hot days work and buy a 6 pack
Would just right after paying....casually slide a bottle opener across the counter for ya.
The garage had a bathtub full of at least 10-20 full grown rattlers living in it with just a framed screen covering the top
It was cool to see that many in a pit right in the garage next to their roller toolbox
I imagine it was to keep them darn city slickers away.
Country living is a different way of life.

 

[Webster]

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

I think they are protected in TX.

 

[LHSmith]

You guys are lucky to still have your hearing. I discovered recently while tagging along with some fellow seasoned citizen friends who get their jollies locating rattlesnakes along forest roads and picking them up with a snake hook (?) just to aggravate them. Well, I never heard any of them rattle -even as close as 8' away- until I re-played the video I shot from my cell phone and turned the volume all the way up. Some of us won't get a warning. As a result I have retired from Spring Gobbler hunting.

 

[nettle]

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?

Ever get bit by an Assassin Bug? Spiders, hornets, and wasps are just rookies!.

 

[Deadmeat1899]

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

I worked in NW Queensland and several other areas in Australia. I can tell you from actual experience that catching an Inland Taipan is a rush that one will soon not forget. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Only problem is the "Gun Laws Suck"!!

 

[jpjulian]

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?

At least once that I can think of. A suspected brown recluse bit my sister and put her in the hospital many years ago. Came out of a bale of hay. But, you do you. I'll do me.

 

[20PPC]

Returning home from a match in Orangeburg SC I moved this guy off the road before he got hit.
I a firm believer they do far more good than are given credit for.

 

[20PPC]

Up until a couple years ago I used to breed carpet pythons, I actually made really good money selling them.

 

[nettle]

Hopefully none got released to the wild.

 

[ELR LVR]

At least once that I can think of. A suspected brown recluse bit my sister and put her in the hospital many years ago. Came out of a bale of hay. But, you do you. I'll do me.

Ok well thats a rational fear there
At one point I simply realized I never actually have gotten bit by one
so have an irrational fear based more on emotion
but we dont have brown recluses here
----even our Black widows, pretty much run from ya as soon as the light turns on

 

[qldreloader]

I worked in NW Queensland and several other areas in Australia. I can tell you from actual experience that catching an Inland Taipan is a rush that one will soon not forget. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Only problem is the "Gun Laws Suck"!!

The Inland Taipan aka Small Scale Fierce Snake is considered the most venomous reptile in the world. Luckily it lives in largely uninhabited areas and hence there have been no recorded deaths.