HPIguy vs the Snake

[HPIguy]

So, I'm getting ready to head out to meet a buddy of mine for a ride today, and walk outside to wheel the bike out of the garage. I then remember, I left the key inside, so I wheel around and there's a snake right above my front door. There was a little shock as I'm not used to seeing one above the front door of the house, but whatever, I'm a country boy, we'll take care of this crap and go ride. Looked like a black snake to me, so I go get the broom with intentions to sweep him off the house and let him go. He had his buried in a birds nest above my outside light, eating the babies I found about a week ago no doubt. I give him a smack with the broom and he pulls his head up and I think "that doesn't look like a black snake's head to me". Meh, whatever, I'm a country boy, I got this. So I smack him with the broom again (he was twisted up in the satellite cable, preventing me from just sweeping him down come to find out), and that's when I hear the tell-tale rattle. OH CRAP, it's a timber rattler!

He was obviously there when I walked out the door, right at face level too. That would have really screwed up my day good I tell ya, just happy it was cold here last night and he was movin' awful slow.

Pic of the beastie

 

[Rolex]

Is it dead yet?

 

[slowngreen]

Oh ick, I have goose bumps from here. I try to like all creatures but snakes don't count.

 

[HPIguy]

Black snakes have free reign here, they kill all kinds of annoying critters, including rattlers and copperheads. I only kill poisonous snakes actually, didn't get to kill this one though. The pics were taken before I started swatting at him, and before he wrapped around the satellite cable preventing me from getting him down. I was tempted to try a .22 with rat shot, but with my luck it would have broken one of the double pain windows, so I didn't try it.

 

[hamz9561]

I don't like messing with poisonous snakes. They can ruin your day. Most others I don't mind. I had a girlfriend a while back that had a ball python that absolutely loved me. If that snake knew I was there it would escape its tank and make its way over to me.

 

[bgbdwlf2500]

I don't think it could have had much of a strike in that position but I could be wrong...

 

[hamz9561]

But it's like the Realtors' motto: Location, location, location.....

 

[nikko508]

Hell no!!!! I would have called the national guard, fbi, cia, local police. I HATE SNAKES.......

 

[hamz9561]

Well, now we know what to get you for your birthday, Nikko....

 

[nikko508]

I dont think so, wana see me run like a girl, get me a snake.

 

[HPIguy]

Well, I hate to admit this, but I fell I must. A fried who's involved with the local wildlife, asked me, did he actually rattle, or just vibrate (buzz) his tail, which would have vibrated against the siding sounding like a rattle. I had to think long and hard about that one, but, at the end of the day it was the latter. Turns out it was a rat snake, and they will buzz their tail as a defense mechanism. But, better safe than sorry, I wasn't aware of this.

 

[nikko508]

I hope you KILLED it either way...

 

[Rolex]

I hope you KILLED it either way...

Yeah, I hope you killed it till it was dead.

 

[hamz9561]

Rat snakes are good. They lots of rodents. I hate field mice. Rat snakes love them.

 

[godale03]

I heard a rat snake do that last summer as I tried to pick it up to show the kids. It sounds an awful lot like a rattle snake. Then it bit me....good thing it wasn't a rattlesnake!

 

[ChasCS]

Snake bit

That scene, would frighten most people.

Yeah, thanks to Adam and Eve, these slithering creatures have had a bad name!

We used to play a childish game called Snake Bite, where the skin on the players wrist was rubbed raw...

Having snakes for pets was a passion, and I had been bitten good several times by my larger python.
When my two babies got too big to handle comfortably, I happily donated them to the Edmonton Story Land Valley Zoo. Where they live in comfortable captivity to this day.

Some Boa's have incredibly unique colorful scales after a recent shed.
Feathers of a bird and scales are equivalent...

Chas

 

[nikko508]

Snakes and the word pet should NEVER be used together, EVER. If you need a snake as a pet, i strongly urge you to find a girl, get a six pack of beer and see what kind of fun things you can come up with... Snakes belong in my cross hairs not in a tank in my room, petting and caressing it calling it baby...... And that my friends is all i have..

 

[Rolex]

I second it. Motion is approved.

 

[HPIguy]

LOL As stated earlier in the thread, I'm OK with snakes that aren't posinous. Like hamz, I prefer the snakes to rodents and other nuisance critters that they help eliminate. I'd rather they crawl around and hunt down mice / field rats (I live next to a farm, and I know all too well how big field rats get) than me. Rats are disgusting, filthy creatures that wiped out 1/3 the population or Europe alone during the black plague. Snakes are pretty clean in comparison.

 

[hamz9561]

As long as you don't fool around with poisonous ones like Cleopatra and make an asp of yourself.