Snakes!

[Lone Star]

Okie-

I'm intrigued by your comment on the apparent intelligence of elapids. The Dallas zoo used to have a black and white Forest Cobra (Naja melanoleuca) that they got rid of because it was so good at cleverly feinting to get a handler to counter with his snake stick, then it would change its angle of attack to hit from a different direction. The curator of reptiles at the time told me that they figured it was only a matter of time before they suffered a serious envenomation.

The last snake that I wanted BADLY to shoot was a water moccasin attacking my string of fish. But just as I drew my S&W .38, two small boys showed up just across from the river pool where I was fishing, and I was afraid of a richchet off the water hitting the brats, so didn't shoot. That was an aggressive snake, too!

Lone Star

 

[KMKeller]

Correia

I used to buck hay by the trailor for spending money when I was growing up in NM. Can't tell you how many times I came across rattlers that were bailed/loose and alive/half-dead. Can be quite a wake up call can't it?

 

[Okiecruffler]

Lone Star

I'm very familiar with the black forest cobras, the only cobra I've ever owned was a Black that had been devenomed. Nasty, evil, sneaky, and those were his good points. Finally got rid of him when I got tired of bandaging bites.
Most snakes when confronted will watch whatever body part or object is moving. Najas never break eye contact, very erie.

 

[Sisco]

KMKeller - been there, done that. Got a few surprises picking irrigation pipe up off the pile too. Watched a bullsnake swollow a cottontail one afternoon. It don't take much to amuse a small town boy!

 

[VikingBlood]

I visit the South every year, and when in the woods, we used carry a single-shot .410 Contender-style handgun, in case of snakes. That gun saved the life of my buddy's cousin when I wasn't up there. They were wandering in the swamp with a camcorder, making a nature video to send me and my family, and they saw what appeared to be a small water moccasin. My buddy shot it with a 12ga, but then discovered it was actually a huge snake, which had been 3/4 submerged, and was now angry to have the tip of its tail blown off. It struck at his cousin, who managed to hold its head down with a stick, but he needed both hands to keep the damned thing away. My buddy couldn't get a clear shot at the snake, and his lucky SOB of a cousin let go of the stick with one hand, and somehow quick drew that massive gun on his belt, and blew the snakes head to pieces. Funny thing is, his idiot cousin ended up cutting the thing open with his knife to show the camera the venom sack, and ended up accidentally cutting my friend later on with the venom-covered knife. They went to the hospital to get him a shot (his hand had swollen BIG) and when the doctor was done fixing him up, he proceeded to cuss out his cousin for twenty minutes for playing with snake venom.
I only ran into one venomous snake on a trip to the mountains of North Georgia, and we ended up having to dispatch it with a 9mm and a .22 (pistols). It was a small rattler, but it was about a foot away from my foot, and coiled to strike. I almost peed my pants.
Sorry 'bout the long post.

 

[HS/LD]

I have used a shovel before.

I would prefer a 12gauge with number 8 shot.

HS/LD

 

[scotjute]

A hoe is the premier hand instrument for snake dispatching.
The right shape and length (you can hit them but they can't bite you) for the work.
I've also used walking stick, bow-and-arrow, machete, axe, dead limbs, rocks, lawn mower, tractor/bush-hog, boat paddle, and shovel. (I build my own boat paddles expressly for paddling, poling, and dealing with snakes)
Firearms : shotgun with bird shot is best.
Pistol with shot cartridge also works good and is handy to carry.

 

[tex_n_cal]

Hmmm...I saw this thread in the "non-firearm" weapons forum, and thought:

"Good God, does someone have a snake launcher? That would be a hell of a weapon"

 

[Okiecruffler]

I've got one

The day The Wife was bitten by my Ball Python, she launched it about 30 yrds.

 

[Lone Star]

Okiecruffler-

I saw someone else use the name "cruffler" somewhere. What does it mean?

Did you notice that some member here is using the name HABU? Wonder if he has reference to the habu snake, several subspecies of which live in the Orient? (Genus Trimeresurus)

Lone Star

 

[MLH]

If it's a king snake leave them along. They eat poisonous snakes and it's hard to get them to bite you. You can usually pick them up and they'll just look at you.

 

[Lone Star]

No, a habu isn't a kind of king snake; it's a pit viper. Several subspecies in China, Japan; some Oriental islands. Before invading Okinawa, the US forces slipped mongooses ashore in hopes that they'd kill off the habu population. Didn't work, but my Dad later had fun shooting at some of the mongooses...

Explorer

 

[Okiecruffler]

Cruffler is an affectionate term for those of us idiots with a C&R, no money and closets full of obsolete firearms. The Habu I've never seen up close and personal, but I've heard they are tempermental little devils.