2021 Snake Spotting

[Sasquatch]

Our legless neighbors are out in force thanks to the warm weather!

Yesterday my wifey and I took a walk around our neighborhood lake, and we saw six water snakes (ID'd as diamondback watersnakes) - including one that I've run into numerous times. I've named that particular snake "Willy the Watersnake" - Willy is always in the same spot when I see him. He scared the shit out of me the first time I encountered him, because he was curled up under some leaves, 3 feet away from me. He stirred, I looked down and saw just a glimpse of dark brown / black bands and of course my brain screams "Cottonmouth cobra coral rattler mamba" - so I jump back, Willy says "Oh shit a startled human" and jumped into the lake to get away.

Now I know where he lives, I look for him and say hello. He's about 3-3.5 feet long and fat, a well fed water snake.

Later that afternoon my wife and I ran to HEB. We got home and there was a "stick" or so I thought laying across the driveway. Then the stick moved. Turned out to be a big rat snake - at first I was thinking a BIG diamondback water snake, because of the similar banding. I got video and a close up - and got it ID'd as a rat snake. I knew right off that it was non-venomous from the pattern + head shape.

 

[Sasquatch]

 

[Sasquatch]

 

[Hoji]

Good ID’s all the way around!

 

[baboon]

The South African I knew had a big rubber snake they liked to test peoples reactions to. It was common for them to drape it around in the outhouse. It got put away when the green mamba was spotted in the outhouse.

 

[Axxe55]

In East Texas, a lot of people call rat snakes a chicken snake because they liked to hang around chicken coops. They might eat an egg or two, but they kept the rats and mice out of the chicken coops.

 

[baboon]

I remember 2 things I was told in Africa. Careful those thing will kill you. If you get bit find some shade, no reason to die hot!

 

[Axxe55]

I remember 2 things I was told in Africa. Careful those thing will kill you. If you get bit find some shade, no reason to die hot!

You will probably have a few rat snakes and water snakes in your new area too Baboon. Lots of them in East Texas.

 

[baboon]

You will probably have a few rat snakes and water snakes in your new area too Baboon. Lots of them in East Texas.

Years ago we took a road trip to Hush Fest @ the Longview Gun Club. I didn’t want to drive so the Village Idiot was recruited as driver because he had a new truck. After picking me up it was off to Lake Conroe to pick up Charlie.

The Village Idiot had on flip flops, sweat pants and a Hawaiian shirt. The plan was to spend the night at Ralph’s in Palestine then going on the next morning.

When we get to Ralph’s he wasn’t home,but showed up shortly after. Ralph had a pair of cowboy boots on to which I asked him about. He said that the snakes were out and had killed a bunch.

In no time I had the MP5K out and running. The Village Idiot decided that he would pick up the brass. Not only did the brass end up in the patch of poison oak, but it was where Ralph said he killed a few snakes.

I have seen and killed most of the snakes that I have encountered in Palestine simply because I have spent more time outdoors there.

 

[skfullgun]

I hate snakes. I REALLY hate snakes in trees!

 

[Wolfwood]

Going Down the river at night, hearing splashes around, se a couple splashes. We think the trees are dropping acorns or something. Light up the tree tops, just in time to see a snake drop into the river. Notice half the "sticks" in the water are kindof squiggly.

 

[cygunner]

When we lived on the shore of Kentucky Lake, cat would catch snakes and bring them to its mother (my wife) for inspection and praise. Wife was terrified, then she subscribed me to an outdoor publication and received a free field guide as a premium. Then she was chasing the snakes and telling them to "hold still so I can identify you". She saved the day once as a big cottonmouth was trying to get in with my pointers in their kennel. With a shovel and a pitchfork from the horse barn she attacked, stymied and impaled ol' no shoulders and flung him to a watery turtle-filled grave.

 

[Haystack]

We've only got four kinds of poisonous snakes. The rest are good. I've caught many non-nonvenomous snakes by hand and will turn them loose away from the house. But the great syndicated columnist Lewis Grizzard (loved his column) said that there is only one kind of snake. The dreaded copper headed water rattler.

 

[Axxe55]

Here in the East Texas swamps, we got some the deadliest and hugest snakes a body has ever seen. And they be mean rascals too! The will chase you from the swamp, all the way back to the house.

Everyone carries at least a 10 gauge shotgun, because anything less, just pisses them off if you shoot at them. Sometimes for fun, and to stur them up, we will snipe them mean snakes from about 300 yards out and watch them scatter for the water! One night, me and my best friend and cousin Jimmy Oliver killed at least 300 of them mean snakes out by the catfish pond behind Uncle Gordy and Hannah's house one evening. Later one the next day, we skinned all them snakes and had a huge family snake fry. Musta been at least 100 of our kin out there and we swear Uncle Gordy and Uncle Rufus got into the moonshine that evening! But we had a fine old time back then.

 

[Sam Colt]

I suspect my youngest dog got into one this evening. Punctures on the bridge of her nose and she’s hella swollen in the jowls and neck. Probably a copperhead. We don’t see many rattlers here.

She’s not seizing or bleeding. Suspect she’ll be fine in a day or two.

 

[mongoose]

I suspect my youngest dog got into one this evening. Punctures on the bridge of her nose and she’s hella swollen in the jowls and neck. Probably a copperhead. We don’t see many rattlers here.

She’s not seizing or bleeding. Suspect she’ll be fine in a day or two.

Keep a close eye on her. My MILs wiener dog was bitten by a copperhead. Took her to the Vet and after staying overnight for treatment she was sent home. Two days later she lapsed in to a coma and passed.

 

[satx78247]

We've only got four kinds of poisonous snakes. The rest are good. I've caught many non-nonvenomous snakes by hand and will turn them loose away from the house. But the great syndicated columnist Lewis Grizzard (loved his column) said that there is only one kind of snake. The dreaded copper headed water rattler.

Haystack,

Actually we have FIVE poisonous snakes TX though one is rather UNCOMMON.

Rattler, Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Coral snake & the "new kid on the block", the TEXAS LYRE snake that came up from Mexico/Latin America.
(The Lyre, btw, is a PROTECTED species.)

yours, satx

 

[mongoose]

My wife called me one day and there was a very aggressive snake in our front flower bed. As we do not have rattlers where I live I told her it most likely just a very scared Bull snake. I told her to look at it’s eyes and tell me if they had round or slit pupils. She informed me she was not going to get close enough to discern the difference ( thank you very much .....are you crazy?). She is not afraid of snakes and generally just sweeps them along with a broom. I got home to find a very aggressive Bull snake mimicking a Rattler.

 

[satx78247]

My wife called me one day and there was a very aggressive snake in our front flower bed. As we do not have rattlers where I live I told her it most likely just a very scared Bull snake. I told her to look at it’s eyes and tell me if they had round or slit pupils. She informed me she was not going to get close enough to discern the difference ( thank you very much .....are you crazy?). She is not afraid of snakes and generally just sweeps them along with a broom. I got home to find a very aggressive Bull snake mimicking a Rattler.

Mongoose,

Speaking of BIG Bull-snakes, you've got to see the MONSTER that we have as a display at the nature center in Boerne. = HUGE & he BITES.

yours, satx

 

[Texasjack]

Was on a deer lease that half the guys were from one family (father, sons, son-in-law). At one time the father worked at a compressor station in Louisiana and the sons loved to go duck hunting. They set out in the swamp early one morning in their john boat. Along the way, a water moccasin dropped out of a tree and landed in the middle of the boat. The son in the back yelled and the son in the front turned around and then said, "I'll get him!" The son in the back started to yell, "No!", but it was too late; the son in the front raised up and fired his shotgun at the snake. The snake wasn't killed and quickly slithered out into the water. The hole in the boat began shooting up water like a fountain, as the son in the back steadily cursed at his brother. They then had to wade back where they started through the snake infested waters dragging their mostly sunk boat.