Oh dear....snakes?
 

So, me and some buddies went out Sunday for a last scout of our hunting land and to fine tune our bows getting ready for the big day (Our opener in AL is this coming Saturday). Lo and behold, on the edge of a field we hear a very distinct rattling sound about 2 feet from my one of my friend's foot to see a huge diamondback. We managed to kill it with nothing but sticks and a pocket knife, but I am a little freaked out now. I've never bowhunted Alabama this early in the season, with the weather so warm. This guy was friggin huge, about 6 1/2 feet long with a head that was almost 4 inches wide. He could've eaten gatorade bottles for breakfast and you wouldn't have known it by the size of his girth.

What I'm getting at is do any of you guys take an precautions against snakes when you bowhunt? My boots are only 10" and I am sure they are not snake-proof. Oh, and that is the 3rd diamondback of that size we have taken this year from the same 517 acre farm.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

Well I have a question...Why did you kill it? I just never understood why people kill snakes, for the sake of killing snakes. Even poisoness snakes. They are there to serve a role in the environment. I'm not a snake lover but when I see one I slowly move away and let them go on their way. If you're not going to eat it then leave it be. Just my 2 cents.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

Well, to actually answer the mans question without the "don't kill snakes" commentary.

I know when I hunt down south, I use snake boots. A snake bite is a bad scene. All I can remember is my great grandmother that had all kinds of speech issues and nervous issues from a copperhead bite in the 50's.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

I guess the same could be said for Coyotes and Bobcats

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

Might kinda feel stupid if you let that snake go and then it ends up biting you later in the season. Kinda like that old story of an old man bringing in a snake from the cold and un freezing it and helping it back to life.... then it bites and kills him and tells him he is dumb cause he knew he was a snake in the first place. With that said - I do not take any precautions but I do take a snake bite kit with me to the lease.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

A good snake is a dead one!

Why do you kill them?Well, if they are in the yard, I don't want it biting my kids, so I kill it.

And actually in some states it's illegal to kill snakes. In MO it is.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

Those rattle snakes are just too dangerous to let alone. Kill everyone you see especially if you are hunting the area. I use snake boots until the cold has set in. In the South it is mandatory to wear snake boots in my opinion.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

Yeah, that rattle snake was letting him know it was there to avoid a confrontation by rattling its tailand by doing so it gets killed. Doesn't seem that the rattle snake is the dangerous one here. :eek:

I have lived in and hunted all over the South and the only timeI was in danger of being bitten by a venomous snake was when I was messing with them. Snakes DO NOT go out of their way to attack you. Not even cotton mouths.All you have to do is walk around them and leave them alone.

I have literally pulled the car over on the side of a road to pick uprattle snakes and copper headsand placethem backin the woods so a car wouldn't hit it. My wife didn't like it too much but oh well. ;)


Oh, and to answer the question I do not wear any kind of protective boots when hunting. Now if i were on a logging crew or something where I was disturbing their habitat and getting them ticked off I would wear chapps. IMO most snake boots aren't tall enough to do much good. A 6 foot rattel snake coiled up ready to strike is alreadyclose toknee high and will usually strike upward.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

I've hunted in the South all my life and I have never worn any kind of snake boots. If I feel that the area is "snakey", I will grab a stick and hit the grass/bushes in front of me as I walk. Most snakes will leave the area when they feel you coming.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

yeah i dont see the point either. its only protecting itself. dont kill what doesnt need to be killed

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

man, all this don't kill snakes talk is nonsense. i do wear snakeboots in GA depending on what area i'm hunting, and the time of year. last year i killed a 5 ft timber rattler about three feet from my ten year old sister. for all you "don't kill the snakes guys" timber rattlers don't usually rattle, as this one did not. don't tell me their not dangerous. they are out of control on our property and need to be dealt with. you can't just think about yourself in this situation. you may have the know how and brains to steer clear of these things, but think about someone else in the woods.....perhaps someones ten year old sister.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

Killing snakes for no reason seems a waste and a disrepect to the woods we hunt in. Your chances are alot better to fall out of your tree than getting snake bit. Its sorta like killing birds of prey cause they might get a rabbit or two. I am surprized it is even legal. Not listed in my game book as something you can kill.
Odd how terrified people are of snakes. Walking around them is quicker and easier. We live in such danger free strerile woods a little danger adds to the excitement. Did you eat him? that could be a justification.

I guess killing them illegally is called poaching.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

Thats why we wear safety gear in the tree stand. Cant expect a little kid to wear snake boots any time they go out to play. Snakes out in the woods might leave them... snakes by the house defenitely have to go.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

I talked to an old forrester one time and asked him if he was scared of snakes. He said no, only ground hornet nests. :D

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

Kill em all. I will be happier. Chris, don't let em get to ya. Alot of Holier than you people on this forum.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

I'm not "Holier" believe me but I think it is the responsibility of all woodsman to take care of the woods. That includes poisoness snakes. Again, that is my opinion. Here in Northern Missouri we don't have to worry as much about poisoness snakes so I have a different opinion. I think the the "only good snake is a dead snake" theory is about as uneducated a statement as they come.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

If you want to kill a snake and it's legal fine. If you kill them illegally than it's NO different than the guy who shoots a hawk I would bet a heck of a lot more people are killed by bees though.
Never beenbitten by a snake put iv'e stepped thru a ground hornets nest and that willget you running.
I looked at the thread and saw no one even slightly holy. Just folks voicing their opinions.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

If possible to go around then do that but in most cases, you dont see the snake and walk up on it and by then its too late because any movement might make it strike. I found this article online and thought, "How would you feel about snakes if this was your loved one?"

http://www.kpho.com/news/14300378/detail.html

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

Exactly, after you seen what can happen to a family member, it changes your outlook. I have seen an uncle with his leg looking like a ripe watermelon getting ready to bust, and him explaining it was like fire going thru his vains. I seen a great grandmother that couldn't talk correctly, and had limited use of her arm being bit by a copperhead in her basement. I bet if one of these folks 5 year old got bitten, I bet they would have a different viewpoint.

I can understand peoples veiwpoint living north of Ky, Va, as its an extreme rarity, and they don't understand.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

I have no problem at all in putting down a poisonous snake myself. I killed a timber rattler, called a canebreak in SC, that was going underneath my wife's car and I just happened to catch the end of it while walking to get the mail. It wouldn't have been 15 minutes that her and my son would have walked by with two hopping, jumping dogs. I could have allowed it to leave without issue, but two problems were presented. It was under the car they had to walk by and if I'd let it go we'd have no idea where it went. I'm not taking chances with my family, if they're poisonous they've got to go. We did catch a ratsnake in the house not too long ago, he got tossed out in the front yard by the tail. I have no problems with non-venomous, but it they're poisonous they're getting the business end of the shotgun.

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

i cant even believe this is a discussion....

RE: Oh dear....snakes?
 

Oh my...I think I need to clear this one up a little bit.

1. We do kill all poisonous snakes we find at this particular property because it is a family farm and every day of warm weather there will usually be some kids and young women with the horses. They take the horses out and ride them, and we were on our four-wheelers on one of the paths they usually take on horses and this snake was laying almost in the middle of the path on the edge of a field.

2. He struck at one of the four wheeler's tires after we had seen him and dismounted, but left the four-wheeler running. Needless to say, the dismounting of the four-wheeler next to the snake was a quick one lol. He was very agressive, and he actually had plenty of chances to leave the scene. Hell, we just watched him for about 10 minutes, and when we tried to get closer to the four-wheelers he would rattle. We threw stuff at him trying to get him to leave, and he wouldn't. Don't forget, I said we were unarmed. We weren't planning on killing it when we found it, but it was very aggressive.