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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[Gelmac]

Bring a ferret!

Good advise ! unless your country/state has any laws that ban/restrict keeping them. I have seen many of these fellas back in the country, they are known for killing chickens and sucking eggs by pinching a small hole in the Egg and slurping the contents of it !

 

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[Johnny Hall]

red touch yellow kill a fellow , red touch black let him go back is what i heard on corals and go by , im blessed to be on our local sheriff's call program where they call and check on handicapped and disabled and elderly and lady dispatcher just told me we lost two in county to snake bites in last two days (north florida) so be careful where you put hands and kneel down at

 

[kayakpat]

that one show on texas rattlers said they hear the rattlers and catch them but they are finding more and more rattlers that don't rattle and he thought that the rattling snakes get caught so they don't get the chance to breed as much as the non rattlers because more slip by unnoticed and breed. I don't know, it was his opinion

 

[bobw53]

that one show on texas rattlers said they hear the rattlers and catch them but they are finding more and more rattlers that don't rattle and he thought that the rattling snakes get caught so they don't get the chance to breed as much as the non rattlers because more slip by unnoticed and breed. I don't know, it was his opinion

My Dad saw the same thing on the Discovery Channel (or some documentary) quite a few years ago... They were up the road
a bit where I used to live.. Walking through the desert, and No Rattles... Just as many snakes as there were 30 years ago once
they started looking, they are just quieter now...

I wonder if way out in the middle of nowhere if that holds true, or only areas where snakes have been "rounded up", or areas
near civilization where a lot of snakes have been killed.

 

[Duckwalk]

This was in my daughters school yesterday. (she's 5). She was putting her blanket in her cubby after nap, saw it by her cubby, and like it was nothing walked to the teacher and said "mrs Kristen, there's a cool snake in the hallway!" pretty sure it's a banded water snake. Not poisonous.

 

[SierraMadre]

I'm sure saber tooth tigers kept a lot of undesirable varmints under control too. I'm still glad they're extinct

 

[AlienAmerican]

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.

You ran away from an overgrown garter snake. I would also....if I were a gold fish.

 

[bfloyd4445]

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.

That's great. I love to watch them and rattlesnakes are not aggressive. I was sitting on a rock also in one of the American river canyons one day in the shade and noticed movement by my foot and it was a rattlesnake. I froze! The snake just paused, looked around flicking his tounge and slowly moved off in to the bushes. Whew!! You must be careful not to step on one cause they love to stretch out on sunny spots along trails and sun. Thank you for not harming them. They eat rats and other vermin so are good to have around. Was that black snake a black racer? I've had them try and nail me when I have bothered them as well as kingsnakes which eat rattlers.

 

[smokeythecat]

Water snakes are MEAN! One at m house once went way out of its way to go across a small pond and attack my daughter once. Good thing she moved quickly and it struck short. This one was a northern water snake.

 

[bfloyd4445]

I like your cat. I'll bet Smoky rules?<smile>....wonder where you live. Out west along the pacific coast we don't really have any water snakes that i know of mostly garter snakes in sloughs rivers and lakes. But I did have one that looked like a black racer go after me and a king snake. but I was a kid and was messing with them so i deserved it. what color and size was the water snake that went after your daughter? Are you sure she wasn't doing a kid thing and messing with the snake?

 

[bfloyd4445]

You ran away from an overgrown garter snake. I would also....if I were a gold fish.

them big nasty garter snakes love to chomp down on frogs lizards gold fish.
What i found with snakes it that if you hold them properly they at first are up tight but they soon relax and mellow out. Always wondered if that wasn't caused by our body warmth?

 

[Mad Machinist]

them big nasty garter snakes love to chomp down on frogs lizards gold fish.
What i found with snakes it that if you hold them properly they at first are up tight but they soon relax and mellow out. Always wondered if that wasn't caused by our body warmth?

When most people hold them or pick them up, they tend to have a "death grip" around the snake just behind it's head. Let someone grab you around the "neck" with a death grip and see what happens. hold them just tight enough to secure them, but not so tight that you are "choking" them and they tend to be quite calm.

 

[Roland58]

Found this little critter in my shop the other day. It had knocked a lot of stuff off of shelves and I was stumped as to how all the items were strewn around my shop. In the process of putting things back, I noticed something on top of my bandsaw. As I went to pick it up, it moved.......I didn't have my glasses on. Everyone asks me what kind of snake it was and all I can say is BIG! I'm 6'2", so, gauge it from there.....I figure, at least, 7'.

 

[fowledup]

Found this little critter in my shop the other day. It had knocked a lot of stuff off of shelves and I was stumped as to how all the items were strewn around my shop. In the process of putting things back, I noticed something on top of my bandsaw. As I went to pick it up, it moved.......I didn't have my glasses on. Everyone asks me what kind of snake it was and all I can say is BIG! I'm 6'2", so, gauge it from there.....I figure, at least, 7'.

View attachment 1168344

Holy cow, that's right up there with clowns in the ugh uh, now way not gonna do it department for me!

 

[bobw53]

When most people hold them or pick them up, they tend to have a "death grip" around the snake just behind it's head. Let someone grab you around the "neck" with a death grip and see what happens. hold them just tight enough to secure them, but not so tight that you are "choking" them and they tend to be quite calm.

you can pick it up... I've never had the opportunity to hold or pick up a snake, and its not the snakes fault, I'm usually running like Usain Bolt in the opposite direction, and screaming
like an 8 year old girl at a New Kids on The Block concert....

I just dated myself with the New Kids on The Block reference.... So I'm old and fat... I'd win an olympic gold medal if they put a snake on the
starting line.

 

[Mad Machinist]

Found this little critter in my shop the other day. It had knocked a lot of stuff off of shelves and I was stumped as to how all the items were strewn around my shop. In the process of putting things back, I noticed something on top of my bandsaw. As I went to pick it up, it moved.......I didn't have my glasses on. Everyone asks me what kind of snake it was and all I can say is BIG! I'm 6'2", so, gauge it from there.....I figure, at least, 7'.

View attachment 1168344

Please tell me you didn't kill that corn snake. They are harmless, nonvenomous, and hell on rats and mice. They are typically fairly docile and good to have around.

 

[Mad Machinist]

you can pick it up... I've never had the opportunity to hold or pick up a snake, and its not the snakes fault, I'm usually running like Usain Bolt in the opposite direction, and screaming
like an 8 year old girl at a New Kids on The Block concert....

I just dated myself with the New Kids on The Block reference.... So I'm old and fat... I'd win an olympic gold medal if they put a snake on the
starting line.

bob,

I'm sorry, brother, but this had me laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. Most snakes will do their best to get away form you if you give them the chance. Most times I just leave them go on their merry way. The only time I handle them is if the yare someone's pet or they are either presenting a danger to others or are in danger themselves. like in the middle of the road. I've removed many a rattlesnake from the road here. They have a purpose and I hate seeing them killed needlessly.

 

[bfloyd4445]

When most people hold them or pick them up, they tend to have a "death grip" around the snake just behind it's head. Let someone grab you around the "neck" with a death grip and see what happens. hold them just tight enough to secure them, but not so tight that you are "choking" them and they tend to be quite calm.

You are 100% correct.
Environmental science huh? my undergraduate degree was in electrical engineering and graduate degree was in environmental studies. Worked for EPA for 24 years after my hospital building and atomic power plant period.
Worked mostly in research, auditing and compliance enforcement.

 

[SierraMadre]

I usually carry a .22 pistol loaded with ratshot.

 

[lockster99]

I was metal detecting my back pasture the other day and almost stepped on this guy. Pretty sure it was a cotton mouth. Nasty guys. Looks like a common water snake but is not the same. Venomous and bad tempered. Let him go on his way, but probably should have "dispatched " him as he probably ended up at a neighbors.

Bottom pic is either a "chicken" snake or "rat" snake I believe. Scared the dickens out of a fellow hunter I was with a while back.