Snake vs 410 *beware PETA*

[manganos]

I thought I had a good reason. The pond was behind me and the snake was between me and the house. Plus this bugger was pretty aggresive. I used to try to "transplant" the snakes to another part of the property but I have given up. Let the other land owners make homes for the snakes. I have my German Shep and Minature Pinscher to take care of any rodent problems in the barns /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[bellweather]

"The pond was behind me and the snake was between me and the house."

so I guess you was cornered...but somehow you managed to get to the barn and your 410, then come back to face the monster.

PS - I like your former policy of transplanting the critters.

 

[rccoyote]

I just have to weigh in here. Snakes are not to be taken lightly! Not here in Texas. If you have small children and you make a habit of being touchy feely with the serpents, you are asking for trouble! Young children can not always differentiate between Non poisonous and poisonous. If they see you capturing and relocating snakes, no matter how careful you are and how many times you tell the child that only Daddy or Momma does this, you can bet your bottom dollar that the child will have less fear because they see their role models handling them. In Texas we have several non poisonous snakes that very closely resemble poisonous ones. I AM NOT TAKING A CHANCE WITH MY CHILDREN TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT BEING A SNAKE HUGGER!! I see a snake and I kill it. Period. The kids develope the sense that snakes are not to be messed with. When they are older you can start teaching them ecology and how to be one with mother nature and all that other feel good stuff. I say good job on blasting the snake...no matter if you did have to detour to the barn before confronting it. I'm off my soap box now. rccoyote

 

[19th_VA]

I don't consider myself a snake hugger but I would point out that few people in the United States die from snakebites--far more get struck by lightning and more yet die from bee stings. Most snakes aren't poisonous and the poisonous ones we do have in the U.S., fortunately, are not all that poisonous, with the exception of a few coral snake and rattlesnake species.

 

[rccoyote]

Jonathan...Just so happens that the poisonous ones are pretty prolific here in Texas. Yes you are correct about you statistics on deaths in the U.S. due to snakebite. Where you are missing the mark, is with SNAKEBITES. It hapens my friend. And yes, we have very good antivenom serum. My question is...Why take the chance on having to make use of the serum? Just kill the snakes and instill a healthy respect for serpents with your young children. I would much rather kill the snake and avoid any neccessary hospital visits and serum shots. rccoyote

 

[manganos]

Yep! I'm glad I had the chance to get to the snake before my 3 year old son or 18 month old daughter did! Even the non venomous snakes are dangerous. Snakes carry around a lot of bacteria and even a simple bite can cause big trouble. My wife works in the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit) at the hospital and had come home to tell it all. I'd rather see a dead snake, poisonious or not, then a dead or injuried child or pet.

 

[19th_VA]

I guess what they say about everything being bigger in Texas is true!

 

[soarkrebel]

Lets all kiss a snake and show him love!!!!

I love to kiss them with a load of #6 shot! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Some apperently have never seen someone bitten by a snake
my grandmother came close to the grave several years ago from one of those "not so poisoness snakes" a copperhead!

Just the other day i had a black racer that seemed to like my flowerbeds in my front door area. i hunted that sucker for two days , he was fast and smart , but he made his fatal mistake when he stuck his head up out of a shrub. (seriously)he climbed up the shrub and was looking at me when i shot him with my son's.410 . well he won't scare my kids or my wife.

And those poisoness ones . i was going to check a deer feeder a couple of weekends ago on my atv. i went through a mudhole and as i was i looked down to see a cottonmouth striking my tires. i got out of the hole and stopped and that sucker was crawling towards the atv. cotton mouths will do that. well i am sorry to report he is still alive cause i didnt have gun but maybe we will meet again! and i will be armed!

now the only snake i won't kill is a king snake cause it kills rattlesnakes. so there is one good live snake , a king snake!

 

[bellweather]

Snakes are like bees. leave them alone and they won't bother you. They mostly go about their business unseen. Once in awhile we cross paths with them and it's really no big deal to avoid a situation where you might actually get bit. I think it's ok to teach your kids to respect and to avoid certain animals. I like guns and shooting, but I don't believe in shooting snakes. It just doesn't make sense to me.

 

[butzkeg]

Snakes are also animals. Not an animal on this planet more important than a human. Period. If you feel any kind of danger/threat from an animal, remove the problem however you see fit. Personally, most snakes I've encountered have gone by the wayside via hockey sticks.

If I ever let a potentially dangerous animal continue to roam around my property, I'd check myself into a mental institution. My family is far more important than taking the risk of letting the darned thing go.

I suppose they don't even have to be dangerous either. Animals that try to eat from my garden, which I use to feed my family, usually don't come back for seconds.