Y’all watch your step

[Hillbilly stalker]

When a fellow reaches a certain age that he starts needing reading glasses, you will find you will start missing little things. Especially right at dusk or dawn. I’ve noticed my hearing has slipped since having Covid, my ears ring constantly. I can’t hear deer walking as far away as I could several years ago. Those little things sure add up and a copperhead had the best camo in the woods in my opinion. You gotta keep your head in the game around here when your tromping around in the woods.

 

[NCHillbilly]

That might be the deal where you live….but it ain’t like that around here. They are thick. It takes a fool to walk around in the woods here ,before it gets real cold, and not wear snake boots. I’m not exactly a greenhorn myself. I been in the woods my whole life. I’m in the woods more than most 2 or 3 men put together. I see, hear, smell and recognize a lot a things most people walk on by. I’ve never been close to getting hit by a falling limb or tree, but I’ve nearly gotten too close or struck at several times. So that’s a real danger. Add the fact that I hunt squirrel dogs and coon dogs and they have to wade thru them too. I’m not scared of snakes in any way, I have a very healthy respect for them. But I promise you if one strikes me tomorrow, it won’t be one that I gave a pass to last week. It’s just part of the game here. Boots are cheap, helicopters rides and anti venom are outrageous. We have a gold mine in our county, they are always blasting, running big earth movers, drilling and what not. Some folks believe that keeps them stirred up around here.

I don't just hunt and walk here. I do it there, too. I've been all over the southeast running the woods. I own land not far from you in SC. That also has pygmies and cottonmouths. And I ran coon hounds, bear hounds, and beagles for nearly 40 years. I guess I'm just not a snake worrier. I figure driving to work and back every day is by far the most dangerous thing I'll ever do, as far as chances of getting killed.

 

[Nicodemus]

Here ya go. I stepped all around this pair of big ones. It had been in the 20`s that morning. Warmed up just enough for them to come out and sun in the middle of the afternoon. One of em showed fight while the other one tried to get away. This was about 41 years ago.

 

[Gaswamp]

That might be the deal where you live….but it ain’t like that around here. They are thick. It takes a fool to walk around in the woods here ,before it gets real cold, and not wear snake boots. I’m not exactly a greenhorn myself. I been in the woods my whole life. I’m in the woods more than most 2 or 3 men put together. I see, hear, smell and recognize a lot a things most people walk on by. I’ve never been close to getting hit by a falling limb or tree, but I’ve nearly gotten too close or struck at several times. So that’s a real danger. Add the fact that I hunt squirrel dogs and coon dogs and they have to wade thru them too. I’m not scared of snakes in any way, I have a very healthy respect for them. But I promise you if one strikes me tomorrow, it won’t be one that I gave a pass to last week. It’s just part of the game here. Boots are cheap, helicopters rides and anti venom are outrageous. We have a gold mine in our county, they are always blasting, running big earth movers, drilling and what not. Some folks believe that keeps them stirred up around here.

I can think of a lot more foolish things done in people's lifes than walking around the woods without snake boots

 

[redneck_billcollector]

I have always found canebrakes to be rather passive. I have kept a couple for pets over the years. I am one of those strange people that has never, not once, intentionally killed a snake, to include venomous ones. You can get a canebrake used to being handled in just a day or two and they are as gentle as a kingsnake once that happens, there is a reason they are a favorite of snake handling churches.

 

[Toliver]

I have always found canebrakes to be rather passive. I have kept a couple for pets over the years. I am one of those strange people that has never, not once, intentionally killed a snake, to include venomous ones. You can get a canebrake used to being handled in just a day or two and they are as gentle as a kingsnake once that happens, there is a reason they are a favorite of snake handling churches.

Careful comparing them to king snakes. Two of the most grumpy snakes I ever handled were kings. And to date the only type that ever drew blood when it bit me.

 

[The Original Rooster]

I have a healthy respect for snakes and wear boots or chaps, but on a day to day basis in the woods, I worry more about ticks than snakes.

 

[Nicodemus]

Careful comparing them to king snakes. Two of the most grumpy snakes I ever handled were kings. And to date the only type that ever drew blood when it bit me.

That gentleman you quoted has a whole heap of experience with snakes. Especially all the kinds we have here in Southwest Georgia.

 

[Toliver]

That gentleman you quoted has a whole heap of experience with snakes. Especially all the kinds we have here in Southwest Georgia.

Not arguing... just making jokes about the comparison based on the blood letting I got from one. Apparently it was in a really bad mood.

 

[Nicodemus]

Not arguing... just making jokes about the comparison based on the blood letting I got from one. Apparently it was in a really bad mood.

I understand. One of the nastiest bites I ever got was from a neonate king snake that I had carried in my shirt pocket for close to an hour. I reached in there to dig it out and it ate me alive.

 

[Toliver]

I understand. One of the nastiest bites I ever got was from a neonate king snake that I had carried in my shirt pocket for close to an hour. I reached in there to dig it out and it ate me alive.

That was my second grumpiest. An Eastern king I found walking to the stand one frosty morning. It was just curled up like a little snakecical. I picked it up and put it in an outer pocket that was still exposed to the frigid air. But by the time I came out of the woods, as it so often does here in Georgia, the temperature had gone from upper 20s to mid 60s. I pulled him out of my pocket and layed him on the hood of the truck. Had I filmed it, it could have been an episode of "When Animals Attack". I guess he wasn't very appreciative of me warming him up.

My dad wasn't very appreciative when he found out I had been riding with him with a snake in my pocket either. He was meaner than a snake right about then.

 

[redneck_billcollector]

Careful comparing them to king snakes. Two of the most grumpy snakes I ever handled were kings. And to date the only type that ever drew blood when it bit me.

Interesting, King snakes have always been real friendly with me. I do not recall one ever even striking at me or acting aggressive in any way. Black Racers on the other hand, well, they do have an attitude, I have lost a good bit of blood to them over the decades of handling snakes. Maybe snakes have an ability to sense in people those who only want to move them out of the road or something.........I do not recall one even acting scared or trying to really flee too hard. Kings, hognose and all the little snakes like ringnecks, Dekay's brown or worm snakes are the only nonvenomous ones that have never tried to bite me at one time or other. Ironically the worst bite I ever had from a nonvenomous snake was a Garter snake that literally swallowed my thumb before I got to somewhere I could hold it under water until it finally "threw up" my thumb once it wanted a breath of air.

Moccasins can be blowhards, but hard to get to strike at times too. Ben Kirkland (Chehaw Knapper) and I have a story about a timber cruise on Dixie Plantation back around 1980 when between him and myself we must have caught a couple of dozen cottonmouths in one day just messing with all the people on the cruise who were scared of snakes. I have been snake bit by a cottonmouth, was largely a dry bite though and it was my fault, I literally dang near squished it with my hand not knowing it was where I grabbed to pull myself out of a gully on a cruise one time.

 

[Toliver]

Sounds like you and I are similar in nature.... catch snakes and mess with people who fear them. All in good natured fun of course.

The first whooping from my mama that I can remember was because I caught a snake and brought it home. I was about 4 or 5. I didn't even know she was scared of snakes up until then. It was just a ring neck.

 

[Gaswamp]

I have always found canebrakes to be rather passive. I have kept a couple for pets over the years. I am one of those strange people that has never, not once, intentionally killed a snake, to include venomous ones. You can get a canebrake used to being handled in just a day or two and they are as gentle as a kingsnake once that happens, there is a reason they are a favorite of snake handling churches

sometimes its cool to be strange people. Never killed any snake before

 

[NCHillbilly]

Interesting, King snakes have always been real friendly with me. I do not recall one ever even striking at me or acting aggressive in any way. Black Racers on the other hand, well, they do have an attitude, I have lost a good bit of blood to them over the decades of handling snakes. Maybe snakes have an ability to sense in people those who only want to move them out of the road or something.........I do not recall one even acting scared or trying to really flee too hard. Kings, hognose and all the little snakes like ringnecks, Dekay's brown or worm snakes are the only nonvenomous ones that have never tried to bite me at one time or other. Ironically the worst bite I ever had from a nonvenomous snake was a Garter snake that literally swallowed my thumb before I got to somewhere I could hold it under water until it finally "threw up" my thumb once it wanted a breath of air.

Moccasins can be blowhards, but hard to get to strike at times too. Ben Kirkland (Chehaw Knapper) and I have a story about a timber cruise on Dixie Plantation back around 1980 when between him and myself we must have caught a couple of dozen cottonmouths in one day just messing with all the people on the cruise who were scared of snakes. I have been snake bit by a cottonmouth, was largely a dry bite though and it was my fault, I literally dang near squished it with my hand not knowing it was where I grabbed to pull myself out of a gully on a cruise one time.

I've never had a king snake try to bite me when I picked it up, but I've got ate up and blooded by black rat snakes a time or two. Water snakes are the debbil. They will bite you in a heartbeat.
And, like you said, I've always found timber rattlers to be very laid-back, non-aggressive snakes. Never encountered one that was testy without me messing with it first. They usually just try to crawl off.

 

[Nicodemus]

Every snake on this continent, venomous and nonvenomous, are like kittens compared to the little bitty dusky pygmy rattler. Those spastic rascals don`t take no sass at all.

 

[redneck_billcollector]

Every snake on this continent, venomous and nonvenomous, are like kittens compared to the little bitty dusky pygmy rattler. Those spastic rascals don`t take no sass at all.

Ground rattlers have a Napoleonic complex. They are always mad......

 

[redneck_billcollector]

I understand. One of the nastiest bites I ever got was from a neonate king snake that I had carried in my shirt pocket for close to an hour. I reached in there to dig it out and it ate me alive.

It probably figured it had been captured by some SOWEGA swamp dwelling, Skunk Ape thinking you was gonna eat it or something.....

 

[NCHillbilly]

Every snake on this continent, venomous and nonvenomous, are like kittens compared to the little bitty dusky pygmy rattler. Those spastic rascals don`t take no sass at all.

I've got pygmies on my SC place, haven't seen but one yet. He was definitely a testy lil feller. Purty, too.

 

[RedFoxx]

I've got pygmies on my SC place, haven't seen but one yet. He was definitely a testy lil feller. Purty, too.View attachment 1266533

man...that is one pretty snake...all the rattlers are beautiful to me!! but i still kill em.. lol