A few years ago I purchased a pair of snake gaiters specifically for the warmer Texas trips......... Those and leather boots and I think I will be OK visiting DD1's place. LOL
Yeah, there's a market for rattler meat and I guess probably for moccasins. Evidently the quotas are by region. Ours is up into Oklahoma but no idea how big each area encompasses.
I was talking to a transplant from somewhere up North who asked about rattlesnake danger. I told him that I don't worry about them and had never actually been bitten. He responded that once you skinned out a native Texan, most of the remains would be pretty indigestible.
It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.
Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
If that snake were _not_ a rat snake I would be surprised. Greatly so. Does look spot on to be a rat snake. Love them around here. Only been bitten once by a 9 footer black rat snake and that was all my doing as I just couldn't get the picture I wanted and kept re-positioning it and eventually STRIKE! I simply walked over to the river, put my arm in the water so the snake's head went under and a few seconds later it released on its own so I didn't tear myself up prying it off.
If that snake were _not_ a rat snake I would be surprised. Greatly so. Does look spot on to be a rat snake. Love them around here. Only been bitten once by a 9 footer black rat snake and that was all my doing as I just couldn't get the picture I wanted and kept re-positioning it and eventually STRIKE! I simply walked over to the river, put my arm in the water so the snake's head went under and a few seconds later it released on its own so I didn't tear myself up prying it off.
When that happens to me I just clinch my fingers and make a fist and the increased pressure just pops the snake right off. Have to be careful doing that though, as sometimes they fly off like an arrow....
"Forget pounds and ounces, I'm figuring displacement!"
If we accept that: MBG(+)FGSF(=)HBG(F1) And we surmise that: BG(>)HBG(F1) while GSF(<)HBG(F1) Would it hold true that: HBG(F1)(+)AM500(x)q.d.(=)1.5lbGRWT? PB answer: It depends.
I was on a corporate hunting lease in Okla with a group of friends quail hunting a few yrs back. That evening we all set around the campfire when a couple of the guys were showing off the rattlesnakes they had caught that day. These two guys had bought the newest snake leggings(chaps) and wanted to test them out as we sat by the fire. So, dropping two nice sized rattlers on the ground, the guys started to do things to make the snakes bite their covered legs, like stomping the ground in front of these snakes. Will, one bit and when it did the fangs got caught up in the chaps. The guy went to dancing and hollering, trying to get the rattler to release, and the rest of us took off like the quail covey's we had seen earlier in the day. It was funny at the time, how it all happened. I wonder, if through Natural Selection or evolution if these two are still with us today.
Last edited by TGW1; 05/23/1706:16 AM.
Do not judge me by the politicians in my City, State or Federal Government.
Had I seen a snake that size here on my place, there would have been too many pieces for me to pose with it as you are. Maybe with a bucket, but definitely not just holding it with two hands!
Had I seen a snake that size here on my place, there would have been too many pieces for me to pose with it as you are. Maybe with a bucket, but definitely not just holding it with two hands!
Nah, a snake like that is gobblin up rats, mice, frogs, and birds. Good addition to the land. She was actually quite pissed at me for stopping her progress and struck repeatedly until I held her for about 30 minutes, then she calmed down. She'll grow a bit more in length but quite a bit more in girth. What always amazes me is how strong snakes are given their size.
My landscaper found a six foot rat snake in my flowerbed. I called a local snake guy and he said the same thing wbuffetjr. He said "leave them alone....they are all over residences in Dallas/Fort Worth but mostly people don't see them". Needless to say when I go out at night and climb thru some flowerbed bushes to turn my water hose on I now make some noise and have a flashlight. I know they aren't poisonous, but if one of them had bit me at night I would have had to change my Depends!
My landscaper found a six foot rat snake in my flowerbed. I called a local snake guy and he said the same thing wbuffetjr. He said "leave them alone....they are all over residences in Dallas/Fort Worth but mostly people don't see them". Needless to say when I go out at night and climb thru some flowerbed bushes to turn my water hose on I now make some noise and have a flashlight. I know they aren't poisonous, but if one of them had bit me at night I would have had to change my Depends!
Hahaha, I hear you Zep!
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My landscaper found a six foot rat snake in my flowerbed. I called a local snake guy and he said the same thing wbuffetjr. He said "leave them alone....they are all over residences in Dallas/Fort Worth but mostly people don't see them". Needless to say when I go out at night and climb thru some flowerbed bushes to turn my water hose on I now make some noise and have a flashlight. I know they aren't poisonous, but if one of them had bit me at night I would have had to change my Depends!
I walked down and around the pond the other day making a few casts and noticed a black diamond water snake with its jaw unhinged and an 8" BC halfway down it's throat. The snake saw me and spit the BC in a heartbeat. It makes me wonder how any fish (alive)could get into a situation to be swallowed head first.
Dave, I was surprised too, with the fins and all. It was up against the bank when I saw it. I thought I might be quick enough to squat down and grab the snake and pull it up on the bank by the tail and kill it, but he was quicker than I would have ever imagined.
I have 3 emails from my wife today in ALL CAPS that SHE NEEDS A SNAKE TRAP NOW!!!!! Apparently our newly laid down bark mulch and our many rock walls have all sprouted snakes this year. Not many in the last years but it seems every time she goes in the landscaping or bushes she sees another (harmless) garter snake.
I try to catch and relocate for her but can't keep ahead of them. We can't take down the rocks in the retaining wall.
Any worthwhile traps that would catch them? How about the advertised sticky traps?
I see snake repellent online which is basically granules or powdered sulfur with some cinnamon and clove oil. but that is supposed to be a barrier on the perimeter of your yard to keep them OUT but what if they are already all holed up in your yard!
I see snake repellent online which is basically granules or powdered sulfur with some cinnamon and clove oil. but that is supposed to be a barrier on the perimeter of your yard to keep them OUT but what if they are already all holed up in your yard!
What to do?
I'm guessing it will just keep them in... My last place my neighbor had a rock retaining wall the one with the caps on top. He would get copperheads in there a lot. We had them pretty bad in that area. Not a good thing with the kids liking to crawl around the walls. As far as sticky traps I assume once they are stuck they are stuck and no relocating expect to the trash. I am not familiar with snake traps. They don't need much of a hole to get in or out. My wife put some bird netting around our strawberries this year and then found a large black snake tangled up. She was braver than I thought and cut if free while I was at work. good luck Dave