The only time I would ever kill is snake is maybe if a copperhead is in my backyard. I have a grandson that plays back there and I am not taking a chance. I love having the black snakes and king snakes in my backyard. King snakes usually mean no poisonous snakes. In NC we have all of the poisonous snake. I have had a rattler between my boots once in October while bowhunting. Thank God it was chilly and he was moving slow. I think the snake that really gets a bad rep is the water mocassin- they are fairly laid back snakes and i have never seen an aggressive one. Water snakes are mean as heck and I could never tame one when i was young.

I agree. Kept a bunch of snakes when I was a kid. Most became docile to handling rather quickly and didn't mind being picked up after the first few times of being handled. But water snakes were always wild for the first five minutes of handling no matter how many times you handled them.

When I got my first drivers license and the wonderful freedom of the road I would make regular trips to a nearby swampy area to collect snakes and sell them to a local "snake farm". They had a visitor's area that they charged admission to, but also bought snakes to feed to other snakes and/or sell to collectors, labs, schools, etc. The funny thing was, they bought long skinny snakes like Garters, Ribbons and Runners by the pound, and short or fat and heavy snakes like Cottonmouths by the foot.

By accident, we discovered a very effective way to trap water snakes and Cottonmouths. One of my friends had a water snake enter a fish basket made from chicken wire and swallow a small bluegill. With the bump from the fish in it's belly, the snake could not get back out through the wire mesh. After seeing that, we made a bunch of little chicken wire tubes about a two feet long and six inches in diameter, with the ends closed flat and tied with string. Put a small bluegill in the basket, leave it overnight along the shoreline in a few inches of water, and collect your snake the next day.

Yeah, I was thinkin' about those chicken flavor comments always received whilst typing.

We have plenty of black and orange ones around here we call red bellies. Some act territorial and they won't back down from a fight.
I always enjoyed their challenge.

I kill poisonous snakes in the yard more for the protection of my four dogs and two sons. One son still doesnt grasp the concept that snakes and spiders are bad and not to be played with so have to keep a keen eye on him. Other snakes I don't bother but my male Dachshund Harley has killed a few including a 6 ft King snake and just last week a black racer that was on the back porch. What can I say he seems to like the taste of them.

Speaking of Habu's my father while in Okinawa was bitten by one taking the trash out one day. We where still here in the 90's in base housing but command had to call back and let my mother know. Scary event but turned out fine.

Glad you didn't get bitten or anything, now is the time they are out in the day and on the move so be careful fellas. Also so are the alligator snapping turtles, had two in the yard within this past week so that should also be fun times if you come across a big one.

My favorite snake story was when I was fishing Santee Cooper river in SC. The water snakes hung back in the swampy areas in the spanish moss. I had a buddy that made belt buckles from them. We had a 50 qt cooler slam packed with them. The ones on bottom were slow moving due too a little ice we put in it. The ones on top were feisty as ever. Well we get pulled over by a game warden that had to of been Barney Fifes brother. He was writing us a ticket for a defective pfd. He had his boot from his boot on top of the cooler so he could hold the boats together. Lo and behold he kicks it open so he could check what fish we had caught. Those snakes were piling over onto his boat fast as lightning. He went nuts and me and my fishing buddy could not quit laughing.

Ed...

I'm not scared of snakes, never have been. I used to hunt Timber Rattlers back before the PF&BC placed them under protected status and enacted a season, permit, possession limit, etc.

BUT... if I get a spider on me, I can out scream a choir of girls!!

BPS

I'm exactly the same way. My baritone voice immediately becomes a high tenor that would rival that of any Opera house "fat lady" on the planet when confronted with them 8 legged devils! I send the wife into a room to kill the spiders! Yet I've had pet Boas and Pythons before she and I got married (not now because my feelings on spiders are her feelings on snakes). It's kinda funny how a 6'5" 250+ "manly man" can be reduced to a quivering little "girly man" by such a small creature aint it!

That doesn't work for me, my Mrs. is just as scared as I am! We usually argue over who has to go for the fly swatter! :biggrin:

Oddly enough, my Mother was deathly afraid of snakes so you would think I would have acquired that mindset. Neither she or my Dad were afraid of spiders and I saw my Mom swat a good many of em' dead with her bare hand if they got in the house. Otherwise she just left them alone.

A good friend of mine was bitten on the back by a Recluse (fiddleback) spider several months ago. A half dozen Dr. visits and a pile of $$$ on treatment and he's healing up pretty good now. I hate ALL arachnids!!

BPS