I know this is going to be a long, first post, but it just might save someone else from making the same mistake, so here it is.
I wrote it in manner to submit to a magazine, but decided to post it anywhere it should be read.
My daughter Tori and I headed to Southwind Clays and Quail in Quitman, GA for opening weekend of deer season. Tori’s twin sister Toni had killed a nice buck the previous year and Tori was looking forward to evening the score.
The owner of Southwind and lifelong friend, John Peek had recently put a 16' ladder stand against a big oak tree in a newly cleared area and had a good feeling about it, so I decided to put Tori in it Saturday morning.
John had not installed the shooting rail on the ladder, so he gave it to me to install that morning before Tori climbed up.
Tori and I get to the stand about 6:15 Saturday morning. She is getting her things out of the truck while I head up to install the shooting rail.
I shined my flashlight up at the stand and can see through the mesh seat that a snake is relaxing in her stand. I decide to climb up quickly and shoo the oak snake out of the seat before Tori sees it. About half way up, I'm thinking, "Man that's a fat oak snake. If I didn't know better, I would swear it's a rattle snake." If I were a little smarter, I would have probably taken a long stick with me, but I guess I have to learn things the hard way.
As soon as my head comes over the foot rest even with the seat, the snake draws it’s head back in a striking pose and I hear that blood chilling rattle..... My face is less than 2 ft. from the snake.
I don't really remember all the details that immediately followed, except that my feet left the rungs, my hands held on and I slid down to the first brace on the handrail before falling to the ground. I hit the ground running/crawling backwards as fast as a fat man can, believing that the snake has surely slipped and will land on my chest any second. Tori comes running over trying to figure out why I fell out of a ladder stand and, I tell her to get my 22 pistol out of the truck.
I quickly shoot six holes in the seat of John’s new ladder stand. The last shot appears to hit the snake, as he pulls back, rattles louder and writhes around a little bit. I tried to no avail shake it out of the stand, but John has done a great job of making sure the stand is sturdy and the snake doesn't budge.
Tori decides that she will hunt somewhere else. Daylight is approaching, so I decide to take her to another stand and come back at daylight to get the snake.
After thoroughly checking Tori's new stand, I go back to the clubhouse, tell John my story and wait for daylight. I get back to the stand and there is no snake to be found, not even any blood; just a brand new ladder stand with holes in seat.
John was hosting a Cystic Fibrosis fundraising Sporting Clay’s tournament and as the story gets around, everyone comes by to hear me tell it again. I can tell by the strange looks, that my story was not being believed. (Heck, by the afternoon, I no longer believed it myself.) I finally convinced myself, it had to have been an oak snake shaking his tail against leaves to emulate a rattle snake and I fell for it; 16’ to be exact.
Sunday morning, Tori is getting ready to go sit in another stand and she suggests that we go back to the original stand first, just to see if the snake is there again.
We pull up, get out and shine the light up and there he is. This time, I have snake shot in my pistol. I climb half way up the stand. He sticks his head over the edge of the seat and I shot him. He slowly slid over the edge and fell.
It was a 3’ long canebrake rattlesnake, with 8 rattles and a button. 16 feet above the ground in a ladder stand......
I never knew they could climb like that. I'll never climb in a tree stand without making sure it is a snake free zone for the rest of my life.
Thank God, I didn't just drop Tori off and head to my stand.....
Gives me the chills just thinking about it……
Rusty Gordon
A zoomed in I phone pic of the snake in the stand.
[/URL][/IMG]
Immediately after he fell from the stand.
On the tailgate, minus the head.
I wrote it in manner to submit to a magazine, but decided to post it anywhere it should be read.
My daughter Tori and I headed to Southwind Clays and Quail in Quitman, GA for opening weekend of deer season. Tori’s twin sister Toni had killed a nice buck the previous year and Tori was looking forward to evening the score.
The owner of Southwind and lifelong friend, John Peek had recently put a 16' ladder stand against a big oak tree in a newly cleared area and had a good feeling about it, so I decided to put Tori in it Saturday morning.
John had not installed the shooting rail on the ladder, so he gave it to me to install that morning before Tori climbed up.
Tori and I get to the stand about 6:15 Saturday morning. She is getting her things out of the truck while I head up to install the shooting rail.
I shined my flashlight up at the stand and can see through the mesh seat that a snake is relaxing in her stand. I decide to climb up quickly and shoo the oak snake out of the seat before Tori sees it. About half way up, I'm thinking, "Man that's a fat oak snake. If I didn't know better, I would swear it's a rattle snake." If I were a little smarter, I would have probably taken a long stick with me, but I guess I have to learn things the hard way.
As soon as my head comes over the foot rest even with the seat, the snake draws it’s head back in a striking pose and I hear that blood chilling rattle..... My face is less than 2 ft. from the snake.
I don't really remember all the details that immediately followed, except that my feet left the rungs, my hands held on and I slid down to the first brace on the handrail before falling to the ground. I hit the ground running/crawling backwards as fast as a fat man can, believing that the snake has surely slipped and will land on my chest any second. Tori comes running over trying to figure out why I fell out of a ladder stand and, I tell her to get my 22 pistol out of the truck.
I quickly shoot six holes in the seat of John’s new ladder stand. The last shot appears to hit the snake, as he pulls back, rattles louder and writhes around a little bit. I tried to no avail shake it out of the stand, but John has done a great job of making sure the stand is sturdy and the snake doesn't budge.
Tori decides that she will hunt somewhere else. Daylight is approaching, so I decide to take her to another stand and come back at daylight to get the snake.
After thoroughly checking Tori's new stand, I go back to the clubhouse, tell John my story and wait for daylight. I get back to the stand and there is no snake to be found, not even any blood; just a brand new ladder stand with holes in seat.
John was hosting a Cystic Fibrosis fundraising Sporting Clay’s tournament and as the story gets around, everyone comes by to hear me tell it again. I can tell by the strange looks, that my story was not being believed. (Heck, by the afternoon, I no longer believed it myself.) I finally convinced myself, it had to have been an oak snake shaking his tail against leaves to emulate a rattle snake and I fell for it; 16’ to be exact.
Sunday morning, Tori is getting ready to go sit in another stand and she suggests that we go back to the original stand first, just to see if the snake is there again.
We pull up, get out and shine the light up and there he is. This time, I have snake shot in my pistol. I climb half way up the stand. He sticks his head over the edge of the seat and I shot him. He slowly slid over the edge and fell.
It was a 3’ long canebrake rattlesnake, with 8 rattles and a button. 16 feet above the ground in a ladder stand......
I never knew they could climb like that. I'll never climb in a tree stand without making sure it is a snake free zone for the rest of my life.
Thank God, I didn't just drop Tori off and head to my stand.....
Gives me the chills just thinking about it……
Rusty Gordon
A zoomed in I phone pic of the snake in the stand.
[/URL][/IMG]
Immediately after he fell from the stand.
On the tailgate, minus the head.
whoa!
