Yes Dad, I'm watching for Snakes

[tradslinger]

So, like many of you, I have taught my kids and in my case, even my wife to be hunters. This of course included a lot of shooting and trips out into the woods as I tried to teach them about nature and animals. You go thru everything in like a crash course at first but then you slow down a little and go over the important things more and more as you try to get them to remember them.                                                                                                           
         Of course most of it is in one ear and out the other until they have reason to retain it. But the slow process begins to show the rewards of them retaining enough for you to feel safer in the woods with them. Things like snakes here in the south, is something that you hopefully do automatically but not always. I usually make them wear rubber boots into the woods for both the snakes and scent control. In my wife's case, to keep her out of the poison oak.                                                                                                               
           My son was going into the woods at a very young age and I had to really keep an eye on him. He just wouldn't listen or mind so he was always getting into trouble. His name was David but I had considered changing it to Dennis several times. So this one day, I was scouting this ridge top out and he was with me of course. David was 5 or 6 then and very noisy in the woods and, he didn't watch for snakes at all.                                     
          So, I am looking ahead to some early rubs in this small gap flat as we walk this faint game trail. I spotted the small copperhead just off of the trail about ten feet and it is headed for the same trail to cross it. I step ahead a few feet and stop, David sees me stop and so does the same. I am really watching the snake and him, he is gawking into the sky, bored stiff. As I watch, the snake is headed straight for his rubber boot and is actually beginning to crawl over it.                                                                                             
            I quietly ask David if he had been watching out for snakes and he of course immediately says "yes dad, I am." Then he makes a half hearted effort to glance around just in time to see the copperhead coming off his boot. Suddenly David comes to life as he kicks the snake away and hollers out loud in alarm, "SNAKE!" I act totally surprised and won't do anything to help him.                                                                                   
          The copperhead is doing everything that it can do to get away while David does the famous snake dance. David is now yelling "Copperhead! Copperhead!" non stop as I do my best not to laugh. As we watch the snake crawl away, he begins asking why I didn't kill it. I quietly explain that it was way out here in the woods and no threat to us. I also told him that it was doing its best to get away from us, not to hurt us. And besides, he had his high top rubber boots on.                                                                                                     
            I took the moment to explain that a big ground rattler would be about the same size and they are always very grumpy. Grumpy meaning that they are pretty much strike happy. I then told him that he had better start keeping an eye out for the snakes, a bigger copperhead or a big rattler would get him for sure. So, a life lesson learned that he would never forget. Yeah, I had to get him to look up after that to show him things.                                                 
          He learned that we didn't kill snakes just to kill them. He also learned that many times I would catch the snake (copperheads and rattlers) around the house to take to another place miles away to release. After he got older, about 14 or so, I taught him how to catch the poisonous snakes with just a stick to pin their head down gently. Now he is teaching his two young sons about them. Some lessons in life have to be learned the hard way.

[MnFn]

I don’t hunt around poisonous snakes much.  Are rubber boots viable protection against snake bites?

[Pat B]

Rubber boots are not viable protection against snake bites although I believe there are rubber boots that are snake proof.

[durp]

Gota learn some how...loved the snake dance...tks for the story 

[GCook]

I won't say that I haven't been known to capture venomous snakes alive.  But I sure as heck have never released one alive.  That is just insane.  That's like knowing there is a biting dog loose in the neighborhood and telling your kid to catch it and take it down the road and turn it out.  That said most bites occur by people handling them.  It's a gamble and can get you in trouble.  And as I age and my grip is less secure, my reaction a tad slower, they tend to die without being played with first.  There are too many non venomous snakes (which always get a pass from me) that handle the rodent issues to let one that can cripple or kill my dog, cost me tens of thousands of dollars in medical treatments if I do get bit kneeling behind some cover as an animal is passing or cause the loss of a finger or hand after a bite. 

[Captain*Kirk]

I get the whole "live and let live" part of nature, but venomous snakes don't fall under that umbrella.

[Sam McMichael]

Killing the venomous snake is no longer my first reaction. If not in danger, I generally let them go their way. However, my son and his family live on the same land I hunt, so I kill them if they are close to the house. I've seen some sizeable rattlesnakes, and quite frankly they "give me pause", which is a literal phrase that means they scare the hell out of me. In my younger years I was much more fascinated by snakes and even let a rat snake crawl up in my lap once while deer hunting. However, the day I stepped on the copperhead closely resembled your son's snake dance.

[Captain*Kirk]

To me, it's similar to liberal DA's releasing perps with no bail. Better safe than sorry.

[M60gunner]

First off, I hate snakes, got the stuff scared out of me at a young age. I realize not all snakes are poisonous and actually are good for the environment. I try the “ live and let live” approach these days. Yes, I killed a few poisonous snakes with an M-14 on full auto, one with the M-60, even a machete but those guys were endangering me and others. Awareness IMO comes with close encounters. Most folks shrug off the danger until it gets their attention.

[gregg dudley]

It took me a long time to get to the point where I don't kill poisonous snakes.  I have been pretty self-congratulatory about my evolution in that regard.  However, on the property that I own where my new grandson is starting to bumble around they no longer get a pass. 

[Wheels2]

Snakes and the bugs keep me out of the woods for the first week or so of the season.
Deer activity is slow as well.  Thermally only does so much .

[Wudstix]

Awareness is the key.  If they are minding their own business in the woods that's great, on they go.  If they are in the neighborhood, they're not as lucky.  Unless they're coral snakes they are not a real hazard, small mouths and no fangs.  Almost everyday is snake season in Texas!
 

[tradslinger]

The whole reason for this post was about getting my son to be always on alert here for snakes as they are always here. Now having said that, the local population of the Timber Rattlers has dropped off big time. They were a big time predator of the wood rat or what we call here, pack rats. We have seen a tremendous rise in the wood rats here and we do hate them. The big rats will kill the rattlers when the temps drop too much and the snake becomes very slow. My son is busy teaching his two boys about snakes.