Little brother and the snake

[2LaneCruzer]

Well, this is certainly related to rural living...Someone mentioned, in the Burn Barrel thread, about an individual who thew an M80 into the vent on a porta-potty...and it reminded me of this story I wrote a few years back. The incident occurred on or about the year 1955. I know I probably posted it previously, but I thought some of you might get a kick out of it.

LANNY AND THE SNAKE

Back in the olden days, my Dad was the supervisor of a sand pit that
shipped sand by rail all over the Southwest, and our house was on the same
property. It was so sandy, that nothing would grow except maybe a few sand
burrs. Out little "house beyond the house" was close by, and surrounded by
ankle deep sand. We also were blessed with an abundance of rattle snakes,
which tended to hang out in the outbuildings. We found quite a few that
didn't quite make it across the RR tracks that serviced the sand pit. My
younger brother, who was deathly afraid of snakes, had the experience of
entering the facility, shutting the door, only to find a hog nosed snake
behind the door. Having had this experience, he was always on the alert, and
very, very cautious.

One morning before school, I saw him enter the privy. After he shut the
door, I sneaked up behind, waited until he got settled and all was quiet,
and then I made a "snake hissing sound" as loudly as I could. He yelled at
the top of his voice: " AWWWWWWWWWW", I heard the door bang open and he came
running, best he could, in the ankle deep sand with his jeans down around
his ankles. Of course I laughed my butt off, but he wasn't amused. When he
turned around all red faced, he made some remark akin to "I'll get you for
that you SOB, if it's the last thing I do". I still think it was funny. He
never got over his fear of snakes, and dispatched quite a few in his
lifetime. He died a couple years ago and I really miss the little ****.

At his funeral, I met his boss and some of the folks he worked for (this
company recovered explosives from old ordinance). They told me that when he
went into the field, he always took his shootin' iron and shot every snake
he saw. His boss asked me why he was so afraid of snakes...

 

[Fxfymn413]

The best snake scare story I ever heard is Donald Davis's "Irrational Fears". Donald is a NC story teller who spins a lot of very funny tales and this one is a classic about a snake that he finds and puts in his mother's car to take home only to have the snake escape while his mother is driving. Unfortunately it is not available for free, but is well worth spending a couple of bucks on to listen to.

 

[jjeff]

I had a snake fall out of the hood 6" from my head when I was checking the oil on my old dump truck. I always hated snakes and sold the truck shortly after that.

 

[oosik]

When I was much younger I would catch snakes and temporarily keep them in a mesh cage. I was about 6 or 7 at this time. These were all bull snakes and all sizes. My father and mother came out one day to admire my collection.

My father looked, exclaimed and pointed - "Oh, look - that big one is a rattle snake". That was DEFINITELY the end of my snake catching career. My mother made absolute sure of that. No matter that it was really just a big bull snake - my mother would have no more of it. The shattered beginning of my career as a biologist.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I have a cousin, who lives near Okeene Oklahoma, the home of one of the first rattle snake hunts. He actually did capture a rattle snake, which in turn bit him on the thumb. It happened to be a dry bite, but it qualified him as a member of the Order of the White Fang...an exclusive organization that consists of those who have suffered a rattlesnake bite.

 

[oosik]

I don't think I would want to be a member of the Order of the White Fang. I've personally witnessed what can result from a rattle snake bite. It ain't pretty ........ flesh and muscle become necrotic, turn black and slough off.

 

[RandyT]

I have a cousin, who lives near Okeene Oklahoma, the home of one of the first rattle snake hunts. He actually did capture a rattle snake, which in turn bit him on the thumb. It happened to be a dry bite, but it qualified him as a member of the Order of the White Fang...an exclusive organization that consists of those who have suffered a rattlesnake bite.

I was stationed with a guy that tried to catch a small copperhead. He missed the snake didn't. Sent him to the hospital for treatment. Got out of the hospital a few days later and found another small copperhead. And tried to catch it., Needless to say he missed the snake didn't. So basically got bit by copperheads twice in under a week.

 

[Cougsfan]

I have a cousin, who lives near Okeene Oklahoma, the home of one of the first rattle snake hunts. He actually did capture a rattle snake, which in turn bit him on the thumb. It happened to be a dry bite, but it qualified him as a member of the Order of the White Fang...an exclusive organization that consists of those who have suffered a rattlesnake bite.

I know of a Boy Scout Master who was holding a baby rattlesnake from just behind the snakes head between his index finger and thumb. He was showing it to his troops. The baby snake managed to turn enough to barely put his fang into the guy's thumb. His hand swelled up to the size of a football!
I was an EMT in our small town at the time. That very same day there was another rattlesnake bite that I responded to. Those were the only snake bites in my several year career as an EMT. I knew both of the bite-ee's well.

 

[LouNY]

I've had a few startling episodes with snakes, to start off with I don't like snakes, if I see one several feet away I can deal with them with no issues.
Once when out in Idaho while shoveling out an irrigation ditch on a steep bank with a round pointed shovel tossing the dirt up on the high side I tossed a shovel full up on a rattler, he buzzed, I jumped and the shovel did a good job dicing the snake up.
Out hunting one day and climbing up a rock ledge all of a sudden I could smell a disgusting smell looked down in a good sized crack in the ledge and it was full of a mass of copper heads. Came back a couple of days latter and eradicated them.
A few times over the years keeping a plow truck just for plowing and sanding in the winter, they were parked all summer long. Tried all the different methods of keeping the mice out, dryer sheets, peppermint oils all the common ideas including decon and such. It seemed like every two or three years when I would get the trucks started for the first time in the fall a garter snake or two would come slithering out. One year plowing for the first time with the heater working and the windows down for fresh air, plowing away back and forth and all of a sudden about a 2 foot long snake wrapped around and climbing up my leg, never did figure out just how I got out of the truck that morning without crashing it.

 

[JethroB]

Snake encounter- how to really learn how fast you can run ,,,, backwards.

 

[Jstpssng]

I’m not a fan of snakes either, but keep telling myself they are part of a plan. Last spring I was out looking over my lumber pile and found 7 snake skins in it. Two of the skins still were occupied.

 

[kenmbz]

I like having mice catchers and bug eaters, like the little one below from earlier in the week.
But copperheads have scared me a few times. Wakes you right up.
Luckily we don't see too many here.

Like the brother story- memories like that are a lifetime of telling and tell about family and friendship.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I've had a few startling episodes with snakes, to start off with I don't like snakes, if I see one several feet away I can deal with them with no issues.
Once when out in Idaho while shoveling out an irrigation ditch on a steep bank with a round pointed shovel tossing the dirt up on the high side I tossed a shovel full up on a rattler, he buzzed, I jumped and the shovel did a good job dicing the snake up.
Out hunting one day and climbing up a rock ledge all of a sudden I could smell a disgusting smell looked down in a good sized crack in the ledge and it was full of a mass of copper heads. Came back a couple of days latter and eradicated them.
A few times over the years keeping a plow truck just for plowing and sanding in the winter, they were parked all summer long. Tried all the different methods of keeping the mice out, dryer sheets, peppermint oils all the common ideas including decon and such. It seemed like every two or three years when I would get the trucks started for the first time in the fall a garter snake or two would come slithering out. One year plowing for the first time with the heater working and the windows down for fresh air, plowing away back and forth and all of a sudden about a 2 foot long snake wrapped around and climbing up my leg, never did figure out just how I got out of the truck that morning without crashing it.

I'm glad you mentioned the smell; most folks don't know that copperheads can give off a nauseating musk...not unlike an old out house in the sun.

I once went to a snake handler lecture/demonstration on rattlesnakes. He told the story of one of his older, larger snakes that he used for his demos...he said it was like an old tame dog...until one day, it bit him on the hand. In a reverse quirk of fate, the snake died a couple days later. Turns out, upon autopsy, it was sick, which apparently caused its aberrant behavior...and its death.

The pictures of his hand were awful; it swelled so much the skin began to split, and they had to cut the skin to allow it to swell.

 

[reb]

Back in the dark ages, when I was in my mid teens, I went with some friends to hunt grouse. I found a small garter snake, which I carried home in a tobacco can. I kept it in a jar in my closet. It got out and I told my brother to not say anything because I figured we would find it. When I was gone, my uncle, who was terrified of snakes, came visiting. My dad told my brother to show my uncle "the thing Gene brought home." My brother was forced to admit it had gotten out. My uncle immediately left. My mother was waiting for me when I got home and I had to find and get rid of the snake.