Rattle snake tips.

Alabama

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Feb 18, 2013
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Sweet Home Alabama
I don't really have a fear of them at all, just a healthy respect. I used to pick up non-venomous snakes when I was younger (and dumber). I picked up some kind of snake and it started secreting some kind of milky substance that smelled awful. I washed my hands literally about 50 times before it wore off. My dog bit it and his mouth started foaming like he had a few alka seltzers in his mouth. That almost taught me not to mess with them but about a year later I picked up what I thought was a light brown chicken/rat snake. Come to find out it was a copperhead. I was holding it by the back of the head luckily when my brother walked up. He asked me what the hell I was doing with a copperhead. I freaked out, threw it down and sure enough when I pried the mouth open with a stick, there were 2 nice big fangs dripping with venom! Needless to say I don't pick up snakes anymore unless I'm 100% sure of the species and it's non-venomous and doesn't secrete some stinky stuff.
 

Alabama

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Feb 18, 2013
1,395
191
Sweet Home Alabama
Things to do or not to do when in snake country: definitely helpful. I was talking about all the stories probably aren't helping his fear of snakes.

But then again the best way to deal with a fear is to immerse yourself in it. Face it head on!

Good thread MM!
 

Hilltop

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Feb 25, 2014
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Eastern Nebraska
If you ever lived in any of the Gulf Coast states, you have a lot of snake stories. I was squirrel hunting one time, and saw too big fox squirrels cutting cones in a tall cypress tree. I eased around where I could get a shot and killed the first one. The second one retreated to the back side of the tree. While trying to keep my eye on him, I was reaching down to pick up his fallen partner, but he was not where he fell. I looked down, and a big cottonmouth was trying to make a meal out of my squirrel. If anyone ever tells you that you cannot shoot a snake in the head with a .22 rifle offhand, while airborne, it is simply not true.
I lived outside of Beaumont Texas for a while.... way too many creepy crawly things than I care to remember. Snakes everywhere, spiders were so plentiful you got de-sesitized, and anthing else you can imagine crawling. For a Wyoming kid, it was a shock to say the least. I'm with dearhunter... don't like them a bit.
 

Dearhunter3450

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Feb 13, 2014
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Upstate New York
Things to do or not to do when in snake country: definitely helpful. I was talking about all the stories probably aren't helping his fear of snakes.

But then again the best way to deal with a fear is to immerse yourself in it. Face it head on!

Good thread MM!
Last time I tried to face my fears was at a local outdoor show. I was there doing a bird dog demo and the booth I had was near a conservation group had snakes for kids to handle. After a few hours of watching little kids handle snakes I figured I can do this. I walked over and asked a girl that looked to be about twelve that was holding a corn snake to but its tail in my hand. The tail hit my hand, I started to shake and retreated almost knocking over a group of kids. I considered it a victory since I did not scream lol! No more facing my fear!
 

packmule

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Jun 21, 2011
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TX
Majority of our hunting shows/expos have rattlesnake pits. You can't help but go back there and take a look.