Snakes

~Alan~ said:

Nice one, do they call you "Indiana" ?

Click to expand...

…...thanks, but it's not me, it's the forum member who posted "I like snakes..."

Northern Banded Water Snake

Yes, I found this banded water snake while detecting the Wisconsin River. The fellow was actually swimming around in the swimming area around some kids so I caught him and released him away from the swimmers. Not before I snapped a couple of pics though. I love snakes!

GabbityGabby said:

Yes, I found this banded water snake while detecting the Wisconsin River. The fellow was actually swimming around in the swimming area around some kids so I caught him and released him away from the swimmers. Not before I snapped a couple of pics though. I love snakes!

Click to expand...

I take it that it's not venomous ?

We have them all in Georgia:

Copperhead
Pigmy Rattlesnake
Timber Rattlesnake
Cottonmouth (water moccasin)
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Eastern Coral Snake

But in north Atlanta it is mostly the copperheads (in my experience). I mostly see non-poisonous snakes often in the spring and summer when hunting. I just leave them alone. The danger is not seeing a copperhead and bungling in on the snake, reaching down without looking or stepping on one. I stay out of places with lots of brush in the spring and summer because you cannot see a copperhead and hard to hunt in that brush anyway.

I just watch the non-poisonous snakes and let them go on their way. If they don't wish to leave I just nudge them with the coil. If I am unsure of a snake's identity, I move on and hunt elsewhere.

As a teenagers we used to hunt and catch non-poisonous snakes and keep them in a cage for a few days to show off to friends and release them.

Hognose snakes are the funniest snakes. Touch them and they turn over and play dead until the perceive the treat is gone. King snakes are cool and often very gentle if you don't move your hand in front of their face. All water snakes have a nasty disposition and are best avoided. Black racers are also aggressive and mean tempered and big ones have big bites.

Have been bitten about a dozen times as a kid. Really does not hurt much at all but bleeds quickly. Should always get a tetanus shot after a non-poisonous snake bite. But I usually was up on my tetanus shots so never really got any for non-poisonous snake bites.

Have handled one rattlesnake as a teen, but that was stupid. Fortunately all was ok.

~Alan~ said:

I take it that it's not venomous ?

Click to expand...

No, they are not venomous. Most Wisconsin snakes aren't. I think only two species are.

I have wandered the outdoors in a number of states for about 70 years. In all those years I have run across very few snakes Mostly blacksnakes. A couple cotton Mouth moccasins
One timber rattler and a couple copper heads. I was servicing a game feeder. Set a bag of corn down by a tree Lowered the feeder and got it ready for the corn Went to pick up the bag and in lass than a foot of the bag a copper head was laying there minding his own business. It had not moved or coiled so I carefully pulled the bag away. filled the feeder and went home.

yupper

Not a monster but came out of a hole I was digging on a local island. never hit a snake your way on my yearly visit though!

~Alan~ said:

It's not a problem here in the UK, but I wonder if anyone has encountered
a snake when out detecting in the countryside ?

Click to expand...

Shot many Diamondbacks in Texas.

Used a .22, shot them in the head.

Skinned them and made hat bands from the hides.

leslie(nova scotia) said:

Not a monster but came out of a hole I was digging on a local island. never hit a snake your way on my yearly visit though!

Click to expand...

Is that a ringneck snake of some sort?

-- Tom