Mr Snake met Mr Shovel

[InlineDieselFan]

CajunRider,

yet another reason I do not miss the South. I was at Ft Benning GA for two years, as the low ranking instructor in my group I had the displeasure of going through the swamp obstactle course before the recruits. If I or one of the other instructors got bit no biggie, if Joe recruit got bit we were all in lots of trouble. All we had was a machete and or a stick, I wanted a shotgun, but they (the officers) thought we might hurt ourselves or others. Heck we were teaching kids how to shoot machine guns, mortars, and throw hand grenades.

steve

 

[Phred]

I try not to kill them unless they are in the house. Kill all the snakes and you will end up with mice like never before.

But I understand the concern. Knee deep in grass or weeds is not a nice place to be in the south during summer time if you are woried about snakes.
I have a set of snake chaps that I use when I need to spend a lot of time in the tall grass. cabelas carries them.
I bought them the second time I almost stepped on a snake. Turned out to be a king snake, but it will make you think about "what if that was a rattle snake or copper head". /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Westonium]

When I was a wee lad in the later 1970s, I was in a nature program sponsored by the Indianapolis Childrens museum. At the museum they had posted claims that there were no poisonous snakes in Indiana. Anyone that spent any time out in the woods and creeks knew that was pure fertilizer. They took us out to a gold-fish farm and I maanged to bag a water moccasin. I caught it in a big net, and a counselor bagged it.

I'd rallied some of the kids to help me do it. We caught it before anyone could tell us otherwise.

The museum did not change their stance on the poisonous snake issue - I was most upset by the misinformation at the time.

When I was in boyscouts, I encountered a timber rattler, and a few copperheads/water moccasins.

I'm not afraid of snakes... except snakes that can chase me down. Being in the water and having a water moccasin chase you down a creek with steep banks as a kid is no fun.

We tons of fake water moccasins too - water snakes with similar looks except lacking the head shape.

 

[DaMadman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( When I was a wee lad in the later 1970s, I was in a nature program sponsored by the Indianapolis Childrens museum. At the museum they had posted claims that there were no poisonous snakes in Indiana. Anyone that spent any time out in the woods and creeks knew that was pure fertilizer. They took us out to a gold-fish farm and I maanged to bag a water moccasin. I caught it in a big net, and a counselor bagged it.

I'd rallied some of the kids to help me do it. We caught it before anyone could tell us otherwise.

The museum did not change their stance on the poisonous snake issue - I was most upset by the misinformation at the time.

When I was in boyscouts, I encountered a timber rattler, and a few copperheads/water moccasins.

I'm not afraid of snakes... except snakes that can chase me down. Being in the water and having a water moccasin chase you down a creek with steep banks as a kid is no fun.

We tons of fake water moccasins too - water snakes with similar looks except lacking the head shape.

)</font>

The DNR for the State of MD says there are not poisonous water snakes in MD, which is a crock also. I have killed moccosins in MD but the DNR says we don't have them and even accused my Dad or someone on his job of bringing a dead one in from out of state

 

[LMTC]

I've never seen a moccasin in OH, but plenty of rattlers and copperheads. Have seen moccasins in southern KY, and know from experience they will pursue you on land as well as water. Nasty snake. Northern water snakes are non-venomous, but meaner than a demon, will chase and bite until dead or otherwise forcibly stopped. Many a person running from one of them has been convinced it was a moccasin.
Caught my first copperhead in Versailles (IN) state park. It was just a babe, perhaps 12" long...and the **** thing still bit me.