Here in Crawford County, Arkansas, we've had two very mild winters in a row. I mean at my house, it's been two years since we had a measurable snow fall.
And as a result, the snake populations have EXPLODED!!!!!!
This morning, I went fishing at Lee Creek at the National Forest canoe access.
Walking to the creek, I came across a 14-inch garter snake on the gravel road. I picked it up and tossed it into the weeds so on coming traffic wouldn't squish it.
Then, on the creek itself, I saw four more separate snakes in about two hundred yards worth of stream bank.
Two were probably cottonmouths....thick, dark bodies that floated on top of the water as they swam, with large heads that stuck up characteristically at about a 45 degree angle.
A third was for sure a banded water snake. Another was too far away to identify, but the head and sinuous ripple could have been only a snake.
In fact, for about 10 minutes, the two probable cottonmouths cruised around the same hole of water together. That's pretty much unheard of for this stretch of Ozark Mountain stream.
All the while, I had a Kimber Ultra Carry II in a Versa Max II on my hip.
But at the time I would have gladly traded it in a heartbeat for a .410 shotgun and box of #7 shot
The final straw came when one of the probable cottonmouths cruised up right under my feet and came ashore, disappearing into a cleft in the rock within spitting distance......time to go home.
hillbilly
And as a result, the snake populations have EXPLODED!!!!!!
This morning, I went fishing at Lee Creek at the National Forest canoe access.
Walking to the creek, I came across a 14-inch garter snake on the gravel road. I picked it up and tossed it into the weeds so on coming traffic wouldn't squish it.
Then, on the creek itself, I saw four more separate snakes in about two hundred yards worth of stream bank.
Two were probably cottonmouths....thick, dark bodies that floated on top of the water as they swam, with large heads that stuck up characteristically at about a 45 degree angle.
A third was for sure a banded water snake. Another was too far away to identify, but the head and sinuous ripple could have been only a snake.
In fact, for about 10 minutes, the two probable cottonmouths cruised around the same hole of water together. That's pretty much unheard of for this stretch of Ozark Mountain stream.
All the while, I had a Kimber Ultra Carry II in a Versa Max II on my hip.
But at the time I would have gladly traded it in a heartbeat for a .410 shotgun and box of #7 shot
The final straw came when one of the probable cottonmouths cruised up right under my feet and came ashore, disappearing into a cleft in the rock within spitting distance......time to go home.
hillbilly