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While not pathologically afraid of snakes (I just felt better when they weren't around!), I would actively avoid them.
Then I had 2 boys.
One morning, they call me outside to show me something "really cool." The oldest is holding something behind his back, both of them grinning like Cheshire cats, and he produces a grass snake, holds it inches from my face. While my first instict would have been to scream and run, I quickly realized that that was exactly the reaction they were looking for, and I would be a target for these gags for the rest of my life. After I recoiled from the surprise, I went into my plan to destroy their fun, attempted to appear calm, commented on what a pretty little snake it was, then actually reached my hand out and took it from the boy, let it coil around my fingers, cooed some more, then calmly handed it back to the boy. They looked at me stunned, and walked off disappointed.[^]
Then I walked back into the house alone, and freaked out.[xx(]
quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
I have never been afraid of snakes,......caught many an eastern diamondback by hand.
Learn the differences between venomous and non-venomous, and the actions of the dangerous ones.
Catch some small rat snakes, water snakes, or king snakes, and simply handle them for awhile before you release them.
The fear will disappear![8D]
I got the crap scared out of me as a kid by a water moccasin. By age 13 I was determined that I would fear nothing on the planet. I did just like Marc outlined (except I didn't catch rattlesnakes by hand, that's just nuts!). It worked for me.
You must remember, I was 16 to 18 years old when I did this. The large ones,i.e. over 4 feet or so,......I used a stick to pin the head. Guess I didn't go into enough detail. The largest I ever caught was just short of 8 feet long.
I certainly would not advise anyone to do this BTW. If you are fast enough, and you get the rattler in a strike mode,........you simply use your weak hand to make it concentrate on. Keep in mind, as a pit viper, it is largely seeing your head, as it is reptile thermal vision. When you feel ready, or if it strikes, you grab it by the neck with your strong hand. Kind of like a "redneck" snake charmer. Yes,.....a dangerous game. I WAS hit by a pygmy rattler once, and it called for a trip to the ER needless to say.
I would not even consider doing this again at my age now.
Take the other advice, minus the above![;)]
"Beam me up Scotty, there's no intelligent life down here." - William Shatner
They scare the poo right out of me, but once the initial scare is over it isnt so bad. Desensitation just expect to see one and when you do investigate it and see how they are just as afraid.
As a woman, I can tell you what worked for me...And yes I was afraid of snakes....
When I moved to florida, I knew I would eventually encounter a snake or two of the poisonous variety, so I boned up on the subject....learned to tell the diff, at least as much as possible from reading and seeing pics...
Then one day I encountered a woman at the flea market who had a snake wrapped around her neck....not a small snake by any means...I made up my mind right then and there to handle it...I asked her if I could, explained why and she was so helpful and very knowledgeable on the subject that it didnt take very long for me to feel very comfortable, all the while the snake was around my shoulders...
They are not slimy, but actually very dry, very smooth and very soft to the touch....
Face your fears, find out as much as possible about the snakes in your area and at first chance, handle one or two...it does make the world of difference in how you view them...
quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
I have never been afraid of snakes,......caught many an eastern diamondback by hand.
Learn the differences between venomous and non-venomous, and the actions of the dangerous ones.
Catch some small rat snakes, water snakes, or king snakes, and simply handle them for awhile before you release them.
The fear will disappear![8D]
I got the crap scared out of me as a kid by a water moccasin. By age 13 I was determined that I would fear nothing on the planet. I did just like Marc outlined (except I didn't catch rattlesnakes by hand, that's just nuts!). It worked for me.
You must remember, I was 16 to 18 years old when I did this. The large ones,i.e. over 4 feet or so,......I used a stick to pin the head. Guess I didn't go into enough detail. The largest I ever caught was just short of 8 feet long.
I certainly would not advise anyone to do this BTW. If you are fast enough, and you get the rattler in a strike mode,........you simply use your weak hand to make it concentrate on. Keep in mind, as a pit viper, it is largely seeing your head, as it is reptile thermal vision. When you feel ready, or if it strikes, you grab it by the neck with your strong hand. Kind of like a "redneck" snake charmer. Yes,.....a dangerous game. I WAS hit by a pygmy rattler once, and it called for a trip to the ER needless to say.
I would not even consider doing this again at my age now.
Take the other advice, minus the above![;)]
Just remember the words "Young and Dumb"
Caught a couple of Rattlers myself, never got bit that was pure luck.
Mt closest was in NC at Camp Lejuene. Walking a trail caught some movement to my left. Sort of Leapt/ran fom the Movement. Cotton Mouth landed in my footprint. I hate them things.
My parents raised, among other animals, black-hooded rats. When we had an overage of them, my parents would make arrangements with the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago for us to go feed the snakes.
I think I must have been around 7 or 8 at the time and thought it was neat (for the snakes, not the rats). Will say that those rats KNEW they were in trouble when they were in the snake cage.
Moved a "Plain Bellied Water Snake" (real name) off the front porch yesterday. I didn't want the wife's cat to discover it. It was about three feet long, and hunting the hundreds of little frogs that have hatched this week.
First, learn to ID all the snakes that are native to your area. Don't look at just one picture of them, there are color and markings variations.
Second, just sit and observe the next one you see. You can learn to fear them less if you are familiar with them.
The only snake that bothers me much are the Yellow Copper Heads that we have around here. I love the looks of them and all but those things will just reach out and take a bite out of you without warning. The darker colored brown ones are not as aggressive.
I like the Timber and Eastern Diamond Back Rattlers for takes a lot to get them angry enough to strike. Stepped on a few while out and have yet to have one strike.
quote:Originally posted by LesWVa
The only snake that bothers me much are the Yellow Copper Heads that we have around here. I love the looks of them and all but those things will just reach out and take a bite out of you without warning.
as a add on too my first post, i have faught as many as five guys at one time and the red-eyed-rage worked for me. the observation style is more helpful when the threat is more distant like mental games or a case of the hebbe jeebbees.
don't know what to tell you....guess learn their habits and ect.
have had the crap scared out of me with rattle snakes here. one time come out of the house just after sunup unchained my dog turned took couple steps to pickup....still half asleep and heard the buzzing sound they make looked down was a foot or so away from coiled up pizzed off ready to strike rattler......that'll wake you up real quick!! steped back a step grabbed what was closest to me and whacked it...pry a fence post....another time i was walking to a rock pile that had some old wood posts on it that i needed to use to make a new gate post...well i had a four foot rattle slither way that way between my feet...that snake was as scared as it was. i did snap one behind it head with a vice grip once ....was haying and seen one go under a windrow stopped only thing i had was the vice grip..its head was just sticking out from under windrow....stepped on it and very quickly snapped the vice grips on it.....that was another one near 4 ft long....why i did it dont know for sure just to see if i could do it i guess[:D]
Snakes of any kind and myself do not mix. I was bitten by a Copperhead when I was 14, and since then all snakes I see, die. Yes, I am 6 foot tall, and 280 pounds, but am like a scared little girl when I see a snake.
Some friends and I were at my cabin in the Adirondacks and were going to move the wood pile from outside, into the woodshed. When I took the tarp off from it, it was moving. I made a hasty retreat for the cabin...they all thought I had the poops....but when I came out with an 870 just a pumping and shucking, did only then they see the snakes.
The best way to relieve your fear is a 12 ga...that is the moral of that story.
Comments
Then I had 2 boys.
One morning, they call me outside to show me something "really cool." The oldest is holding something behind his back, both of them grinning like Cheshire cats, and he produces a grass snake, holds it inches from my face. While my first instict would have been to scream and run, I quickly realized that that was exactly the reaction they were looking for, and I would be a target for these gags for the rest of my life. After I recoiled from the surprise, I went into my plan to destroy their fun, attempted to appear calm, commented on what a pretty little snake it was, then actually reached my hand out and took it from the boy, let it coil around my fingers, cooed some more, then calmly handed it back to the boy. They looked at me stunned, and walked off disappointed.[^]
Then I walked back into the house alone, and freaked out.[xx(]
quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
I have never been afraid of snakes,......caught many an eastern diamondback by hand.
Learn the differences between venomous and non-venomous, and the actions of the dangerous ones.
Catch some small rat snakes, water snakes, or king snakes, and simply handle them for awhile before you release them.
The fear will disappear![8D]
I got the crap scared out of me as a kid by a water moccasin. By age 13 I was determined that I would fear nothing on the planet. I did just like Marc outlined (except I didn't catch rattlesnakes by hand, that's just nuts!). It worked for me.
You must remember, I was 16 to 18 years old when I did this. The large ones,i.e. over 4 feet or so,......I used a stick to pin the head. Guess I didn't go into enough detail. The largest I ever caught was just short of 8 feet long.
I certainly would not advise anyone to do this BTW. If you are fast enough, and you get the rattler in a strike mode,........you simply use your weak hand to make it concentrate on. Keep in mind, as a pit viper, it is largely seeing your head, as it is reptile thermal vision. When you feel ready, or if it strikes, you grab it by the neck with your strong hand. Kind of like a "redneck" snake charmer. Yes,.....a dangerous game. I WAS hit by a pygmy rattler once, and it called for a trip to the ER needless to say.
I would not even consider doing this again at my age now.
Take the other advice, minus the above![;)]
How do you hang a deer to bleed in Florida without it becoming fly blown?
I belong to hunt club we have a walk in cooler on the property we skin them out there
When I moved to florida, I knew I would eventually encounter a snake or two of the poisonous variety, so I boned up on the subject....learned to tell the diff, at least as much as possible from reading and seeing pics...
Then one day I encountered a woman at the flea market who had a snake wrapped around her neck....not a small snake by any means...I made up my mind right then and there to handle it...I asked her if I could, explained why and she was so helpful and very knowledgeable on the subject that it didnt take very long for me to feel very comfortable, all the while the snake was around my shoulders...
They are not slimy, but actually very dry, very smooth and very soft to the touch....
Face your fears, find out as much as possible about the snakes in your area and at first chance, handle one or two...it does make the world of difference in how you view them...
quote:Originally posted by p3skyking
quote:Originally posted by Marc1301
I have never been afraid of snakes,......caught many an eastern diamondback by hand.
Learn the differences between venomous and non-venomous, and the actions of the dangerous ones.
Catch some small rat snakes, water snakes, or king snakes, and simply handle them for awhile before you release them.
The fear will disappear![8D]
I got the crap scared out of me as a kid by a water moccasin. By age 13 I was determined that I would fear nothing on the planet. I did just like Marc outlined (except I didn't catch rattlesnakes by hand, that's just nuts!). It worked for me.
You must remember, I was 16 to 18 years old when I did this. The large ones,i.e. over 4 feet or so,......I used a stick to pin the head. Guess I didn't go into enough detail. The largest I ever caught was just short of 8 feet long.
I certainly would not advise anyone to do this BTW. If you are fast enough, and you get the rattler in a strike mode,........you simply use your weak hand to make it concentrate on. Keep in mind, as a pit viper, it is largely seeing your head, as it is reptile thermal vision. When you feel ready, or if it strikes, you grab it by the neck with your strong hand. Kind of like a "redneck" snake charmer. Yes,.....a dangerous game. I WAS hit by a pygmy rattler once, and it called for a trip to the ER needless to say.
I would not even consider doing this again at my age now.
Take the other advice, minus the above![;)]
Just remember the words "Young and Dumb"
Caught a couple of Rattlers myself, never got bit that was pure luck.
Mt closest was in NC at Camp Lejuene. Walking a trail caught some movement to my left. Sort of Leapt/ran fom the Movement. Cotton Mouth landed in my footprint. I hate them things.
I think I must have been around 7 or 8 at the time and thought it was neat (for the snakes, not the rats). Will say that those rats KNEW they were in trouble when they were in the snake cage.
Never developed a fear of snakes or rats. [:D]
First, learn to ID all the snakes that are native to your area. Don't look at just one picture of them, there are color and markings variations.
Second, just sit and observe the next one you see. You can learn to fear them less if you are familiar with them.
I like the Timber and Eastern Diamond Back Rattlers for takes a lot to get them angry enough to strike. Stepped on a few while out and have yet to have one strike.
The only snake that bothers me much are the Yellow Copper Heads that we have around here. I love the looks of them and all but those things will just reach out and take a bite out of you without warning.
Yep, they are just mean!
CGR;
I remain surprised that nobody has offerd up their own snake as help for you to get over your inner fears...
Ohh, my....
CGR;
I remain surprised that nobody has offerd up their own snake as help for you to get over your inner fears...
WOW, you got more balls than i got. i thought the same thing but wasnt sure if i should, so i didnt.
Nah..I am just a dirty old man.
quote:WOW, you got more balls than i got
Nah..I am just a dirty old man.
i hear ya![:D]
have had the crap scared out of me with rattle snakes here. one time come out of the house just after sunup unchained my dog turned took couple steps to pickup....still half asleep and heard the buzzing sound they make looked down was a foot or so away from coiled up pizzed off ready to strike rattler......that'll wake you up real quick!! steped back a step grabbed what was closest to me and whacked it...pry a fence post....another time i was walking to a rock pile that had some old wood posts on it that i needed to use to make a new gate post...well i had a four foot rattle slither way that way between my feet...that snake was as scared as it was. i did snap one behind it head with a vice grip once ....was haying and seen one go under a windrow stopped only thing i had was the vice grip..its head was just sticking out from under windrow....stepped on it and very quickly snapped the vice grips on it.....that was another one near 4 ft long....why i did it dont know for sure just to see if i could do it i guess[:D]
Some friends and I were at my cabin in the Adirondacks and were going to move the wood pile from outside, into the woodshed. When I took the tarp off from it, it was moving. I made a hasty retreat for the cabin...they all thought I had the poops....but when I came out with an 870 just a pumping and shucking, did only then they see the snakes.
The best way to relieve your fear is a 12 ga...that is the moral of that story.