Snakes

[/pine]

Where I grew up about 15 miles from here the lake had a variety of frogs. I always liked the small spring peepers.
We now live between two ponds about 1/4 mile North and South, frogs but no peepers.
We were at a large lake a few miles from here years ago and one area had hundreds of tiny ones so we took a bunch home in a cup, I let them loose at one neighbors pond here.
I saw him a few weeks later...he says "you guys sleep ok?". I said sure we do...he says "well we can't sleep a wink ever since these damned spring peepers showed up!".
I never told him how they got there, and now they're in both ponds!

When "city folks" visit and ask what the heck is that (peepers)...I tell them it's "The Langoliers"...

 

[bunyip]

We know the snakes are active when the night time noise levels drop dramatically over a week or so.

 

[txdon]

We have timber rattlers here also but they are a threatened species in Texas.

 

[s219]

I have seen a lot of black snakes around here recently, which are eastern rat snakes. Most times when I see one of those guys, they are so busy they don't pay attention to me, and I am glad to see them as they control all sorts of rodents and deter the copperheads. However, when startled a rat snake will distort its head into a triangular shape and act aggressive, even hissing, and it can make an ID somewhat difficult. We also have water moccasins that can have a dark coloring, so from a distance when I see a dark snake with a triangular head acting aggressive I go for my shotgun just in case. My eyesight isn't what it used to be now that I am getting old, but usually I can make an ID from a safe distance.

The only snake I have shot in recent years was a copperhead last year. I'd just as soon leave them along, but with a small child and dog running around, copperheads are not welcome. The year before, we saw a giant copperhead out the window, but by the time I got out there with my shotgun, it was long gone. My neighbor shot several water moccasins last year, but I haven't seen any on my property.

Also saw a garter snake or ribbon snake earlier this spring, as well as a couple green snakes, and this juvenile rat snake that had beautiful spotted markings:



That guy was peeking out from the top of my barn door one morning, and I gave him time to crawl down before opening up for the day.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Don't think I have ever lived anywhere in Oklahoma that didn't have snakes of some kind. When growing up and in high school, we lived next to a sand dredge, of which my father was the Superintendent. The train used to run over rattlers at night and cut them in two. They would get in our outbuildings and storm cellar; with my Dad's old Model 12, they didn't last long. Lots of others there also, like the hog nosed snake.

Where we live now, on an acreage, next to a creek, we used to see an occasional copperhead and our little Boston Terrier, Mr. Muggs, tangled with one but survived. I keep the place trimmed and mowed, so I rarely see any snake of any kind any more, although I did see a three foot black rat snake a week or so ago.

If they are poisonous, or pretend to be poisonous, they are in violation of my acreage ordinances, and summary execution is the order of the day if I can find my hoe.

 

[CajunRider]

I normally leave the snakes alone. However when they show up where they don't belong then 1)They will be killed if they are chicken snake or venomous or look venomous (if I can't tell the difference, it is not my concern) 2)Catch and release if they are not venomous.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

My apologies if I have posted this here before, but thought it was funny enough to post again.


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...

 

[cqaigy2]

Grew up in Omak, WA. Rattle snakes were common there. Been over here in Amber going on 37 years and only seen two rattlers. They were together at a location about eleven miles south of here - Hole in the Ground.

I have one very uncommon snake here on the property. Rubber boa. About two feet long - shiney metallic OD green - EXTREMELY slow moving. Twice in the last three years -stopped mowing to move the little snake. His name is Rupert.

I've only seen a couple Rubber boa's, both were up in the hills between Wenatchee, up by mission ridge. Rattle snakes were pretty common down in the basin.

 

[dmccarty]

We have black/racer snakes and one big huge black rat snake that I have seen. Only seen a few copperheads and all but one of those met a quick end. Given the woods we live in, I expected more poisonous snake but I have not really seen that many. Far more black snakes than anything else for which I am grateful. One black snake ate three eggs one day. I carried him off into the woods.

I was walking in the woods one day, along a trail, when I heard a loud RATTLE RATTLE RATTLE. :shocked: Now, it was likely not THAT loud but it sound earth shattering to me. :laughing::laughing::laughing: I stopped in mid step and my hand moved to my pistol without thinking. I thought it was a rattle snake but it was a coiled up black snake tried to sound like rattle snake. :thumbdown::shocked::laughing::laughing::laughing: He was flicking the end of his tail on some leaves the little scat. Scat is about what I did in my pant. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

Me and Mr. No Legs had a chat about proper manners, rudeness and not scaring other creatures of the forest. This most have worked because he never did that to me again.

Later,
Dan

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have seen a lot of black snakes around here recently, which are eastern rat snakes. Most times when I see one of those guys, they are so busy they don't pay attention to me, and I am glad to see them as they control all sorts of rodents and deter the copperheads. However, when startled a rat snake will distort its head into a triangular shape and act aggressive, even hissing, and it can make an ID somewhat difficult. We also have water moccasins that can have a dark coloring, so from a distance when I see a dark snake with a triangular head acting aggressive I go for my shotgun just in case. My eyesight isn't what it used to be now that I am getting old, but usually I can make an ID from a safe distance.

The only snake I have shot in recent years was a copperhead last year. I'd just as soon leave them along, but with a small child and dog running around, copperheads are not welcome. The year before, we saw a giant copperhead out the window, but by the time I got out there with my shotgun, it was long gone. My neighbor shot several water moccasins last year, but I haven't seen any on my property.

Also saw a garter snake or ribbon snake earlier this spring, as well as a couple green snakes, and this juvenile rat snake that had beautiful spotted markings:

View attachment 555515

That guy was peeking out from the top of my barn door one morning, and I gave him time to crawl down before opening up for the day.

I caught one of those on a glue trap for mice. Didn't have a clue till someone on TBN identified him. It took some doing and copious amounts of cooking oil to get him off the glue trap. He wasn't too happy with the oil, but he was able to crawl off into the flower bed. Havent seen him since though.
I kill all the copperhead snakes I find even though Ark. law says no snake is to be killed. I just cant take the chance of getting bitten by any venomous snake.
I have seen a rattlesnake in years anywhere I have lived. They were plentiful as a kid in northern La. where I grew. up