All things Snake - Boots to Bites

[rekees4300]

"Jamie Coots died Saturday evening after refusing to be treated, Middleborough police said."

Reality show snake-handling preacher dies -- of snakebite - CNN.com

 

[Larro Darro]

"Jamie Coots died Saturday evening after refusing to be treated, Middleborough police said."

Reality show snake-handling preacher dies -- of snakebite - CNN.com

My Daddy's Uncle Charley ran a general store/tourist trap. He kept a couple of rattlers in a glassed in cage. One of the local preachers was having a tent revival, and trying to make a name for himself. He ask to borrow one of the snakes. Uncle Charley warned the man they were mean from people tapping on the glass all the time, but the man offered him five dollars to rent the snake. This was in the early 40's when that was a lot of money. So the snake went with the preacher. You can guess what happened. The man was bit and died. The people at the revival killed the snake, then the Sheriff came out and killed the other one.

Larro

 

[LJH]

"Jamie Coots died Saturday evening after refusing to be treated, Middleborough police said."

Reality show snake-handling preacher dies -- of snakebite - CNN.com

Darwin Award.

Sorry if that offends anyone, JMHO.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Odd. Was reading about the copperhead and apparently it's prone to doing something call "dry bites" (bites with little or no venom injected) when briefly disturbed. Article also mentioned that all pit vipers in North America can give a dry bite. (Just don't bet on it.) Obviously if you mess with one for a while, he's going to get really worked up and try to give you a mega dose if he can sink his teeth into you.

 

[sfloggie]

We have 112 acres near the Dismal Swamp on the NW River. We have some of what appears to be everything. I wear 18" Red Head snake boots that are waterproof. I have worn them for four years with nothing placed on them, except a brush. They have been in deep water, mud and snow with no leaks. They are quite warm, but not too warm.
I carry a 357 long barrel pistol for the bear and a Tarus Judge for snakes. I see them, but have not been bothered as yet. A guy working with me was in the swamp cutting a tree, turned and then turned back and a water moccasin was on the stump. As he moved they started coming out of the water all around him so I heard him shutting. We ran down and met him as he was running out!
I never reach for what I drop and never lean near anything above my knees. I look at trees as I go through branches as I saw one snake hanging from a branch. I shake out anything that I did not bring from the house to ensure a snake or spider is not in it.
That is about it.

 

[Looking4new]

On the lake that I boat on (Lake Simcoe), a buddy of mine was swimming near an island (Snake Island), he told me about a water moccasin that swam by him and gave him no attention at all. Just kept on swimming. Buddy NEVER went near that island again.

 

[Egbert]

It's interesting to hear the stories, and also interesting that no one has reported a personal venomous snake bite. That's good - for lots of reasons. I hear the anti-venom cost many thousands per dose and treatment can be many doses. I wonder how insurance feels about that?!?

 

[dmccarty]

My Daddy's Uncle Charley ran a general store/tourist trap. He kept a couple of rattlers in a glassed in cage. One of the local preachers was having a tent revival, and trying to make a name for himself. He ask to borrow one of the snakes. Uncle Charley warned the man they were mean from people tapping on the glass all the time, but the man offered him five dollars to rent the snake. This was in the early 40's when that was a lot of money. So the snake went with the preacher. You can guess what happened. The man was bit and died. The people at the revival killed the snake, then the Sheriff came out and killed the other one.

Larro

My dad's family grew up in FLA when the state was mostly wild country. My dad and his siblings lived outside hunting, fishing and swimming doing stuff that is now not possible for kids to do. One of the things he and his brothers did was collect snakes. :shocked::laughing: They kept them in 55 gallon drums they had somehow found. They had all kinds of snakes, poisonous and non. Someone knew what the boys were doing and called the law and a deputy paid a visit. The deputy took all of the poisonous snakes which were a Copperhead and Rattlesnake. I don't think they had a Cotton Mouth.

On our place, I have killed one big Copper Head. The snake was crossing the road heading towards the house so it had to go. I was going to whack it with a 2x4 but then realized that I could just run it over with the truck. <DUH> :laughing: My dad killed another big one with a cane knife and the wifey has dispatched two baby Copper heads around the house. My daughter saw one when putting the chickens up one evening. Not sure how the heck she saw that snake but thankfully she did. We have quite a few Black Snakes and I leave them alone. There is one that is 6-7 feet long. I have found its old skin a couple of times and seen it once. Pretty snake but it is BIG.

I do not wear snake boots or chaps but I do watch the ground. One year, I was walking a tractor trail and I heard a rattle a couple of feet from me! :shocked: I immediately stopped moving and the rattling was from a BLACK snake. That danged thing was banging its tail against the leave litter and sound like a rattle snake!

The vast majority of Copper Head bites are not fatal just painful. The last death caused by a Copper Head bite in my county was a VFF running to a snake bite call. He wrecked his car and died.

Later,
Dan

 

[LJH]

Yup, our gopher snakes will whap their tails on stuff & coil up pretending to be rattlers too. The sound isn't spot on but definitely gets your attention. Once you can clearly see it's a gopher snake it's pretty amusing, but a real adrenaline check for a few seconds.

 

[FTG-05]

With spring fast approaching, warmer weather will bring out the critters - snakes included. I thought this might be a good time to have a little Q&A to see if we could share experience(s) and perhaps learn something to help keep us all safe.

I know my property in northeastern Oklahoma, as for poisonous varieties, has Copperhead and Water Moccasin, although I've seen relatively few. I suspect there are Rattle Snakes but I've not had that pleasure. I wear 14" snake boots whenever I know I'll be in tall grass or in the wooded areas. I recently picked up an inexpensive 18.5" 20ga to keep handy in the field.

I'd like to hear: What do you wear for protection? What wisdom can you share from maintaining your property. equipment & barns? Have you done anything to try and reduce snake problems in your yard? Have you been bitten (even more than once?) and, if so, by what and what was your treatment and recovery? Have your boots or chaps been "tested?" Do you have a favorite firearm/caliber that you carry for snakes? And, there must be much more that I don't even know to ask.

Please chime in and educate this city boy turned country

Well, I'd say the first thing you need to know is that you don't have any poisonous snakes in your area - at all.

Venomous snakes, yea, you prolly got those.