Love in bloom...

[smallfoot]

The first pic is the little one. These are Yellow Rat Snakes for those of you not familiar. They keep the rodent population down some. These two are here all the time and they can't keep up! The little one just climbs right up the walls around here and I estimate she is about 4 feet long. The biggun up on the balcony is close to 6 feet long. Has scars about mid length where Buddy caught him in the front yard. I got him to release and put the snake outside the fenced yard. He lives and still hangs and is welcome here. There are multiple pix of the big guy but only some parts show in each pic. He was wrapped around the corner and body parts could be seen from several different angles and positions.

 

[bruno]

Just looking at those pictures makes my skin crawl.

 

[lowbudget50]

Just looking at those pictures makes my skin crawl.

X2, not much of a snake person.

 

[Skip]

Nice pics. Those snakes are good neighbors. Much better than rats. I grew up in rattle snake country. they are nice enough to let you know if you are making them nervous. Same snakes in the South are not as polite, from what I understand.

 

[smallfoot]

Nothin personal but the poison ones die. The others, I get along with.

 

[Tripper]

Nice pics. Those snakes are good neighbors. Much better than rats. I grew up in rattle snake country. they are nice enough to let you know if you are making them nervous. Same snakes in the South are not as polite, from what I understand.

Nothin personal but the poison ones die. The others, I get along with.

Texas is definitely snake country. We have rat snakes, which I leave alone & copperheads which I dispatch (killed one just a couple days ago hiding in my tomatoes)! But about 75 miles north of here they have rattle snakes, copperheads, coral snakes, scorpions & tarantulas. When I lived above Austin in Bee Cave there was a huge den of over 1,000 rattlers up in the hills. And don't believe the old wives tale that a rattler won't chase you... they will!!! I never ran so fast in all my life when one charged me!

Still... coming outside on your porch & seeing a snake of any kind will get your heart going I'm sure!!!

BoB

 

[26Troadster]

Nice pics. Those snakes are good neighbors. Much better than rats. I grew up in rattle snake country. they are nice enough to let you know if you are making them nervous. Same snakes in the South are not as polite, from what I understand.

rattle snakes in south texas rattle after they bite, they have learned if they rattle to warn something the hogs will eat them. the snakes without fangs can have a nasty bite as well, it can get infected.

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Alice Cooper has nothing on me.


DISCLAIMER: I was "shamed" into handling and posing for the photo. I don't like snakes at all!

.

 

[Old Iron]

The neighbor was bush hogging my field today and seen 5 copperheads and killed three.
We leave all the non-poisonous alone so they will keep the rodent population somewhat in check.

 

[Bamamav]

Oh He!! no! Only good snake is a dead one!
I kill'em all that I see! About all we have are copperheads and water moccasins around here, and they don't announce their presence like a rattler, they bite first, so I show them no mercy.

True confession: I did let a garter snake go across the yard the other day. They are harmless as far as I know.

A sort side story: When I was hauling regional, I had several loads of pipe I pulled out to Texas. We were told before we went out there, not to get out of the truck in the morning without looking where we stepped, rattlers were everywhere. The things would crawl up in and on the machinery at night to stay warm, they had this Mexican dude whose job every morning was to get the snakes off the dozers and loaders. Imagine that job! His cahoonies were bigger than mine! He'd take a stick and pick them up and flip them into the brush. No way I'd ever do that! I wanted to shoot every one I saw! Snakes, not Mexicans, lol!

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

I wanted to shoot every one I saw! Snakes, not Mexicans, lol!

That's funny! [cl

.

 

[Skip]

Oh He!! no! Only good snake is a dead one!
I kill'em all that I see! About all we have are copperheads and water moccasins around here, and they don't announce their presence like a rattler, they bite first, so I show them no mercy.

True confession: I did let a garter snake go across the yard the other day. They are harmless as far as I know.

A sort side story: When I was hauling regional, I had several loads of pipe I pulled out to Texas. We were told before we went out there, not to get out of the truck in the morning without looking where we stepped, rattlers were everywhere. The things would crawl up in and on the machinery at night to stay warm, they had this Mexican dude whose job every morning was to get the snakes off the dozers and loaders. Imagine that job! His cahoonies were bigger than mine! He'd take a stick and pick them up and flip them into the brush. No way I'd ever do that! I wanted to shoot every one I saw! Snakes, not Mexicans, lol!

Glad you clarified that, Bama.

 

[BlueNorther]

Sorry! but the only good snake is a dead snake!

 

[bob w]

Fortunately we northern boys don't have to contend with too any snakes.

 

[Tripper]

Funny... thought of this thread this morning! Opened my front door & there was 3-4 footer just like this one laying across the threshold! Guess it was attracted to the A/C comin' under the door. Got a broom & started shooing it away & it starting striking the broom! I got it off the porch & it finally found it's way on down the line!

Now if someone will just post about finding a big ol bag of money!

BoB

 

[smallfoot]

Be my luck if the big bag of money had a big ol snake in it too...

 

[bruno]

If I opened my front door and saw a snake on my door step I'd have to change my shorts.

 

[Tripper]

If I opened my front door and saw a snake on my door step I'd have to change my shorts.

I've killed 3 or 4 small copperheads crawling across my front porch in the last year... I never go out bare footed! After a while you sorta get used to it but when I killed a nice sized copperhead last week it really got my heart goin'!!!

BoB

BoB

 

[smallfoot]

Funny about the front door deal! I have a light at the front door. It attracts bugs which hit it and go to the floor of the porch...which attracts frogs...they feed well....which attracts snakes...and so on...until I step out and start the whole process over again. Walked out one cool morning to nearly step on a big Diamondback Rattlesnake. He was cozied up to the wall because there was a fire going in the fireplace that day.
We have several that are poisonous. The Diamondback which is our large rattlesnake, the Pigmy, which is usually only 18-20 inches long, while we have copperheads in Florida, they don't generally appear this far south in the state. We have the nastiest water moccasins called Cottonmouths. They are pretty aggressive. And we have Coral snakes. Their poison attacks the central nervous system and is probably the most poisonous but they have to bite and chew to get poison to you. They don't have fangs. Our most dangerous ones are the Pigmy rattlesnakes. They are so small you miss alot of them. They have a mottled skin and blend in well with all kinds of natural stuff here. They have rattles but they are so small you can't hear them rattle...
Probably tThe first year here after building the house out here in the boonies was my record year for snake kills. 6 big Diamondbacks, 22 Pigmys, 8 big Cottonmouths (all in one afternoon).