Cautionary Tail

[jayco]

The recent warm(actually hot)weather of mid-June has brought out all the summer critters. For me, the most noticeable of these are snakes.Here on the farm,we've seen several blacksnakes and watersnakes.Seeing them doesn't bother me so much,but their appearance serves as a remender to watch out for the poisonous snake varieties we also have; rattlesnakes and coppperheads.The rattlesnakes are actually pretty rare here,but the copperheads are quite common. One hot summer day about two years ago,I was rummaging through the scrap pile behind my shop;looking for a piece of 1 in. pipe I needed for a project.By the way,there's a lot of rusty stuff,coal,weeds, and what-have-you back there It's a mess! After some looking,I finally located the piece of pipe I needed. I started to reach for it,when out of the corner of my eye I saw something MOVE! Less than two feet away from the pipe lay a copperhead! Fortunately, I didn't finish that reach,because they can strike two feet when they want to.He was just lying there under some rusty rod and pipe. This was the first time I ever saw one in the scrap pile. Copperheads are notorious for their ability to blend into their environment.They are all but invisable in dry, brown leaves on the forest floor.Their dull,mottled markings of light and dark brown on their backs makes for perfect camoflage.In short, the also look just like rusty iron!They're not very large snakes;most are 30 inches or less in length. But they are quite poisonous! A bite from one of these snakes can be a serious medical matter.
Years ago, my aunt was bitten on the hand while picking strawberries.Within minutes, she had went into shock and had to be rushed to the hospital.She was given anti-venom, but still had to stay in the hospital for nearly two weeks.She was not quite well for several months. Now 81,she recalls the incident as The sickest I ever was in my life.
So if you live in snake country(a lot of us do),be careful around those piles of rocks,old boards,old logs,junk yards,etc.Snakes like to hide under stuff and often give no warning of their presence. Be CAREFUL!
Incidentally,the snake I saw quickly disapeared under the scrap pile.I haven't seen him since. He's probably still there....somewhere! James Flannery

[Dave Shepard]

I don't like snakes. Seldom see anything other than garters around here, but there are rattlers and black snakes as well.


Dave

[ApprenticeMan]

My brother almost stepped on a poison snake, cannot remember the name of it though. It had one little oak leaf on top of it, all coiled up, I told him "WATCH IT !!!!" and stopped him, one more step and, well I don't want to think about what might have happened.

[Joseff]

Copperheads often give off a strong musky scent that smells a lot like cucumbers. Some of them also have very bright shiny heads, like a new penny, thus the name.
Joseff

[jayco]

I had my latest snake adventure just this morning. I did a little forging early this morning, but it got hot here early in the day.
So, I decided to pick blackberries instead.

I climbed the high hill to where the berries were and began filling my bucket.
I was picking berries and daydreaming of cobblers and such things, when I happened to look down and saw a rather large copperhead glide silently into the heart of the blackberry bushes.

Evidently, he had been within a foot of where I was standing. Lucky for me he was not in the mood for biting.

At first I kinda thought this was a "bad luck day", but no, this was a "GOOD LUCK DAY!"

James

[JAFO]

We have a lot of whats called pygmy rattlers around here. About 6-8 inches long the xxxx things look just like pine or rotting bark. I've had two run ins with them in the last 8 months.
I actually had one strike the toe of my shoe and have one fang hang up in the leather. Fortunately it didn't penetrate. But I did have to pull the xxxx thing off my shoe. The second time I reached to move a downed pine limb and had one actually strike my thumb nail and skid off. Scared the xxxx out of me. While not life threatening, they can cause the loss of a finger or toe or a fairly decent portion of soft tissue.
Xxxx, if its poisonous and crawls, we probably have it in northern Florida.

[Bentiron1946]

We have a lot of different species of rattlesnake out here but so far I have not had a serious situation. I bought a snake tong several years ago to remove from the property. I hate to kill them considering the amount of rodents they eat but the thought of them striking the old (me) or the young bothers me. This year so far my neighbor has had two Mohave, three Western Diamond and one Black Tail rattlers and he lets none survive. I do worry about the dogs condensing the cost of anti-venom, to save a dog it costs around $1,200 so if one of mine gets bit it is goodbye.

[ironrosefarms]

Normally in my parts poisonous snakes are kind of a mystical creature that they say exists but are seldom seen. This year has been very different. I think the heavy rains and flooding have sent all kinds of varmints to find new homes. So far this year on our 18 acres I have seen 3 copper heads at different times. I killed 2 with a shovel and the third escaped or maybe I escaped??? I am a bit concerned about not only my kids but my dogs and our livestock as well. The scout camp I was at earlier this summer has both copper heads and timber rattlers, per the US forest service personnel I spoke with they said their observations had been that snake populations seem to be on the rise.

So this is a very timely and good heed to using common sense and keeping alert!

[ThomasPowers]

Well I see a large king snake around my yard about once a year and the neighbor's dog has a reputation for killing rattlers. He's between me and the arroyo which would be their best vector to my area. I tend to chase off the road runner though as all the lizards do a good job of cutting down on insects.

Now on the roads around here we see some pretty big rattlers; usually flat and with the rattles removed before I get there...5' long and *fat* not uncommon.

I'm wary around my scrap pile though.

[Golden_eagle]

I have seen copperheads, and Cottonmouths here... I rarely see the Copperheads but have shot two and dropped an Axe on one of the three cottonmouths that i have crossed paths with,