Importance of snakes to hikers safety

Hey Md, posted it before, but here's an Alabama copperhead. It was about 30" long. I talk a little trash to him about getting "kilt":D
I had beaten on the ground behind him, next to him, and then right by his head with a trekking pole, but he wouldn't move until I walked up to him, then wouldn't keep moving unless I went with him, so I had to walk him off the trail.
[youtube]-zWLgSzp6QE[/youtube]
 
Owen, that copper is sweet. It has much better contrast than most of the ones around here. It looks like it acted perfectly, just as it should. Great vid, thanks for posting!
 
I've heard that ingrained primate fear theory presented in a few nature shows, And I'm iclined to agree.. I fact not to diverge, But I was watching a show on mythology..and one of the historians was discussing the origins of dragon myths across numerous cultures..and one of the widely accepted theories is that cultures invented similar ideas of a dragons i there mythology because of ingrained primate fear, as the standard concept of a dragon is made up of the scariest attributes of key primate predators..
the body of a snake, the wings and talons of a bird of prey. claws and teeth of a Big cat.. Now I don;t know if I follow that whole line of logic, But it is food for thought, given where this topic seems to be going.
 
Md 25v said:
Thats in interesting point. I volunteered for Frisky's Primate Sanctuary for five years while I was in school and noticed that all the monkeys and apes were terribly afraid of snakes. Even the ones that were captively born and had never seen a snake. All it would take was a snake to come on the TV and they would flip out like nobody's business. I wonder if there is something "programmed" in all primates instinct that says snake=danger? Its an interesting concept and one I have thought about quite a few times.
Click to expand...
I definately think so. In Christianity, Satan is portrayed as a snake. In Norse mythology serpents were demons that destroyed villages and snatched people. St Patrick is known for banishing all the snakes from Ireland. I'm sure you can find plenty of other historical examples of snakes portraying the ultimate bad guy.

Snakes break all the rules-they don't have arms or legs but are still very mobile on land and in water. The whole slithering motion tends to freak us out, it seems completely unnatural but for snakes it's such a controlled, everyday thing. Not to mention they are quiet and don't stand above the ground-they're hard to detect in any sort of brush. I think these factors, the 'unknowns' about them are what make us fear them so much.
 
RR I'm disappointed. I would have expected more from you.:D
Everyone knows that dragons come from Disney/Pixar.
Sorry, couldn't help myself
 
Interesting read. I never thought of snakes in that way. Like many animals they are dangerous but also important to our existance. Nice job.
 
excellent post! i'm a snake guy myself and at one time had as many as 13 but i'm now down to a black/white banded ca kingsnake. i use her all the time for show and tell with my friends...knowledge dispels fear.
 
Hell yeah, Im pro snake. :thumbup: I do poke them with a stick occasionally, sometimes let them bite the sole of my boot. Copperheads I leave alone. They are pretty. Rattlesnakes, never seen one . but Im constantly on the lookout .
 
So you're saying drunk people trying to pick up venomous snakes is the reason for most bites? I surely hope this doesn't surprise anyone.

I'm always amazed at the things people will do. I learned years ago what snakes in my area were venomous, and give them a wide berth. I've seen to many knarled hands to poke at things that poke back.

While what you say about snakes is certainly true, its also true of any predator that preys on pests. Spiders, bats, dragonflys and a bunch of others perform the same service, just on different pests.
 
Md 25V
I've had Lyme disease twice. It is a hazard of working outdoors. I know a lot of people think Lyme disease comes from ticks but it does NOT. Lyme disease, Spotted Fever, Barbesia, Ehrlichiosis, and a few others that are commonly carried by ticks all start in rodents like mice
Click to expand...

well, its the tick that bites, and is the vector for Lyme. No question that rodents are part of the cycle. I don't keep an eye out for mice in the woods though, but I do watch for ticks.
My Son just got over a nasty bout of Rocky Mt Spotted Fever.

Snakes have a place in the outdoors we all love. I don't recall any of us as saying they were into gratuitous violence and mayhem when it comes to snakes.
Still, if one gets too close, or startles me, despite my being vigilant, then it probably is going to suffer for it.
Folks can talk about legitimate vs illegitimate strikes all day, but bit is bit, ya know?
In Florida, I am going to keep wearing those snake boots. ;)
 
"Importance of snakes to hikers safety"

An interesting way to word it I guess.

Let's not get to comfy around bears, cougars or snakes. They can ruin your day whether you seek them out or stumble upon one.

Thanks for the interesting reading.
 
Different strokes and all.

Good info the OP presented , I think a lot of it falls into common sense territory as far as killing snakes for the hell of it is concerned - That said , we went camping in a very out of the way spot some 45 minutes past Bass Lake over the 4th , great spot , kids had a blast ! However anything even remotely dangerous that would have slithered into camp would have had a brisk meeting with Mr. Shovel.

That's the way life goes.

Tostig
 
Mannlicher said:
Md 25V

well, its the tick that bites, and is the vector for Lyme. No question that rodents are part of the cycle. I don't keep an eye out for mice in the woods though, but I do watch for ticks.

I don't recall any of us as saying they were into gratuitous violence and mayhem when it comes to snakes.
Still, if one gets too close, or startles me, despite my being vigilant, then it probably is going to suffer for it.
Folks can talk about legitimate vs illegitimate strikes all day, but bit is bit, ya know?
Click to expand...

A tick bite can be harmless if there are less disease carrying mice. I understand that you only look out for ticks and not mice but the reality is that with a reduction in the mouse population the ticks are far less dangerous because fewer of the ones that bite you will be able to get you sick.

If you don't recall a lot of people saying that they kill any venomous snake they come across then your not reading many of the snake threads.

You say "bit is bit" but if a person is screwing with an animal without reason then they are kinda asking for it. Snakes don't bite without a reason. I would venture to say that I have more experience with tracking and handling venomous snakes than most of the people that would be reading this. The idea that a good venomous snake is a dead venomous snake is getting under my skin and that's why I made this thread. I have seen many forumites demonize snakes out of their own fears and prejudices but no one ever considers what the reduction in the snakes population has on the people that like to be out in the bush. I bet there are many times more people on this forum that have had Lyme Disease, Spotted Fever, etc... than have been bit by a venomous snake they didn't see. Some of them are the same people that post about killing every snake they see. I figured that A little education as to why killing all those snakes might get more of us sick might give the forum some food for thought.
 
:thumbup:

i've got a few snakes. coworkers and even strangers, when they find out about 'em, seem to have to tell me about the last snake they killed. like i want to hear about it. even though folks seem to know most snakes are harmless, and actually benefitial, they have to kill them.

i work at lowe's, and spend a bit of time in the garden depts.
i get customers looking for snake repellent, and get to explain to them that snake-away is only proven on rattlesnakes, and some garter snakes. so one group of venomous is repelled... then i go on to explain the best way to get rid of snakes in the yard is to remove as much potential rodent habitat as possible. moving wood piles, junk piles, etc. away from the house, keeping the yard mowed... but that's too much work.

rattlers are fairly docile, slow to anger, they tend to warn you long before they strike. (that's why a crotalus horridus is on the gadsden flag.)
that rattler coiled up in your 10' space would have gone off into the bush, more than likely, PR.
 
A fear of snakes is a sure sign of an inexperienced outdoors man, at least in the southwest.

The idea that one will want to crawl into your sleeping bag with you seems to be popular.
 
Md 25v said:
I've had Lyme disease twice. It is a hazard of working outdoors.
Click to expand...

Nearly everyone I know got it. I have picked up at least 12 ticks this summer alone. I live in CT and the name Lyme comes from a town not too far away. Lyme seems to live in rodents and then transferred via ticks. I got bit again over in NY a few weeks ago on the AT and even had one on my shirt after a 3 hour hike today in my own town. A guy can't even hike after work anymore without fear of ticks. It's getting worse. :(

IMG_1213.jpg


I don't kill rat snakes.

100_8185.jpg


And the same for copperheads + rattlers though don't run into them all that often. Nature is no joke and until I don't have to piss in the woods like everything else I am not above it. Rodent eating snakes are working for me so killing them isn’t all that smart. Come to think of it unless I am hunting/fishing there isn't much reason to harm anything outside of game.
 
I learned to watch where I walk at an early age. I've come across quite a few snakes just walking around my property or Aunt's ranch; mostly rattlers, occasionally King snakes, and the odd copperhead or various "rat" snakes.

Only once have I not paid attention and stepped on one. Early last spring I pulled up next to the house after work. There was a HUGE catapillar going up the rock wall near my truck. I stepped out and walked towards the back door of the house, all the while looking at the catapillar. At one step, there was a rubbery feeling and an odd squeeky noise. I stopped and looked back, I had just stepped on a nearly 4' rattler. It just lay there on the gravel path, hardly a care in the world (I think the squeek was a forced, high pressure fart). I was surprised he wasn't pissed off, it had to hurt. Certainly don't want to deprive the gene pool of a laid back rattler, so I got a bucket, ushered him in, and relocated him to a brush pile at the back of the property. It's something I'll routinely do, much to the chagrin of my wife.

My favorite snakes are King Snakes. I'll see them sunning themselves on the roads more than any other. If I can, I'll always stop and chase them off. When I do that, they have a terrible habit of going, very quickly, towards the truck. 3 times now, I have had them get to the truck faster than me. The first time, my door was open and it whipped inside and under my seat before I could stop it. It was so far into the workings that I could not get it out. I had to leave the truck door open overnight so he could leave at his leisure. The other 2 times (once in my wife's jeep) they got up into the frame rails. Ended up driving home to let them slither out on their own. My wife was absolutely mortified, and truly pissed at me, with the one in her jeep. She sat in the back because she was sure it would come in through the air vents on the drive home. It's now one of her favorite stories. I've learned to stop further away.

Anyway, good post. I'm a firm believer in live and let live. I used to really hate the "rattlesnake roundups". Haven't heard of one in years, so maybe there is some progress.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top