¡Snek!

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

34 minutes ago, wd40 said:

under Parmer on the Brushy Creek trail today.

 

I'm gonna call that Long Snek Runnin'

[Jerry Callo 8671]

My daughters (no pics) run down there almost daily.   They see snakes every time.  Usually water snakes, though.

ETA:  in reference to the Brushy Creek snek.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Jerry Callo

[KingBobo81 526]

Coral snek in hiding


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Braff Zacklin 13461]

How in the hell did you see that? Posrep.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Nice catch on that coral.

Another goofy watersnake today. I think it’s time for me to go looking for some speckled kingsnakes and rattlesnakes. Wouldn’t mind a rough green snake either.

[UDontKnow 10439]

1 hour ago, KingBobo81 said:

Coral snek in hiding


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Red and yellow, kill a fellow? (coral snek)

Red and black, a friend to Jack? (king snek)

Edited May 8, 2020 by UDontKnow

[South Austin 52182]

4 minutes ago, UDontKnow said:

Red and yellow, kill a fellow? (coral snek)

Red and black, a friend to Jack? (king snek)

I think it goes "red and yellow, or red and black . . . whatever . . . get the shovel."

[Buzzrock 14881]

I can never remember the rhyme but if the black and red don’t touch it’s a coral.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

[4th_and_18 687]

Friend in Bastrop just sent me this picture. Under a board in the backyard.

[thunderlounge 7773]

Looks like double barrel season. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Looks like double barrel season. 

Don’t be a vagina.

[Brothahorn 10085]

Don’t be a vagina.

So what would Swayze do? Besides take pictures.

Call me whatever you like, but I’m shooting and identifying later.

[thunderlounge 7773]

No venomous snek survives if found in the yard. 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

So what would Swayze do? Besides take pictures.

Call me whatever you like, but I’m shooting and identifying later.

I’d relocate the snake. They have a job to do.

[deadshank 24651]

3 hours ago, 4th_and_18 said:

Friend in Bastrop just sent me this picture. Under a board in the backyard.

I can smell the whiskey burnin’  

[WBT 20447]

1 hour ago, Patricio Swayze said:

I’d relocate the snake. They have a job to do.

After he picked up the board, they'll relocate themselves.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

After he picked up the board, they'll relocate themselves.

I mean, I literally just relocated a coral snake from my brother’s front yard

[thunderlounge 7773]

Relocate to the woods, relocate to snek hell. Still relocating. 
 

Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t do that outside the yard, but come near the house and you’re  ot remaining in the gene pool. (Venomous, not good snek.)

[TwiceHorn 31343]

On 5/8/2020 at 5:37 PM, Patricio Swayze said:

Nice catch on that coral.

Another goofy watersnake today. I think it’s time for me to go looking for some speckled kingsnakes and rattlesnakes. Wouldn’t mind a rough green snake either.

THAT's what I saw mountain biking.  I didn't get a good look but it was that coloration and had a wedge shaped head.  

Diamondback water snake?  I was thinking moccasin after I saw it because of the pit viper head, though I know a lot of snakes can affect a wedge shaped head.

Edited May 10, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

THAT's what I saw mountain biking.  I didn't get a good look but it was that coloration and had a wedge shaped head.  

I am guessing 90% of the snakes people kill because they think they are vicious water moccasins are actually various non venomous water snakes. I saw this one on a very popular mountain bike trail in NW Houston.

[TwiceHorn 31343]

I give Swayze a lot of credit for looking for these critters, turning over rocks and logs and whatnot.

Snakes don't frighten me, even venomous ones, at range.  I'll handle em if I can do so safely.

But even harmless rodents and things can startle the shit out of me and snakes with their camouflage and odd movements are quite capable of giving me an "oh shit!" moment.

Even if I was prepared to find something under a log or rock, I have to admit that flipping them would give me a bit of the willies.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I give Swayze a lot of credit for looking for these critters, turning over rocks and logs and whatnot.
Snakes don't frighten me, even venomous ones, at range.  I'll handle em if I can do so safely.
But even harmless rodents and things can startle the shit out of me and snakes with their camouflage and odd movements are quite capable of giving me an "oh shit!" moment.
Even if I was prepared to find something under a log or rock, I have to admit that flipping them would give me a bit of the willies.

Haha, I definitely get that “oh shit” feeling even when I am actively looking for them.

[TwiceHorn 31343]

6 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Haha, I definitely get that “oh shit” feeling even when I am actively looking for them.

A few months ago, I was riding on a really rural trail in the Trinity River bottom in SE Dallas.  It's by far the most boonies trail in the Metroplex, but I havent seen a whole lot of critters, unfortunately.  I'm sure they've seen me.

However, I did catch a weird movement to my right, several yards away and it was a well-camouflaged racer about 3-4' long and he was hauling ass on a path roughly parallel to me.  I had a momentary freak out until I realized what I was looking at and then watched it til I couldn't see it any more.

Edited May 10, 2020 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 31343]

Snakes in the water do freak me out a bit.

And snakes in trees over the water and your boat in the water under said tree and said snake definitely freak me out.

[South Austin 52182]

"Snake" thread is down the hall.  This thread is about sneks.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

May have shared this story before.  Spending weekends with the grandparents on their boat was a Summer time tradition for years.  All the boats were berthed in a series of connected, huge covered sheds. We'd run our skiffs under the docks between the boat sterns around the whole complex.  The underside of the docks were 3-5' above the waterline depending on the tide, so at times you almost had to duck into the hull as you skimmed along the water.

We're in a friends skiff pulling ourselves along by the joists and as we come to a piling I reach up to grab the next joist, and about 12-16" away, and just above my head is a about a 20' long (looked like it was that big at least) 2' black snek actually.  His tongue flicking out, beady little black eyes, each scale in vivid detail as he coiled up, and pulled back like he was ready to strike. Talk about a kid freaking out. I'm not sure how I didn't piss my pants.  Single scariest moment of my young life till I got caught out in the middle of a very long, tall, railroad bridge over the river when I was 12 with a train coming along at a pretty good clip.

Edited May 10, 2020 by Onboard 2.0

[Armybrat 40757]

So, what did it feel like getting killed by a train?

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

2 minutes ago, Armybrat said:

So, what did it feel like getting killed by a train?

There are 3' tall x 10' wide x 2' deep u shaped concrete piers along the concrete trestle top every 50' or so (a really very pretty, concrete structure).  They let you get a couple feet away from the track. We hunkered down in one as the train ran by.  Still scary being that close to a running train, figuring they're gonna call the train cops to come arrest us as we walk off the bridge.

[Jerry Callo 8671]

11 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

THAT's what I saw mountain biking.  I didn't get a good look but it was that coloration and had a wedge shaped head.  

Diamondback water snake?  I was thinking moccasin after I saw it because of the pit viper head, though I know a lot of snakes can affect a wedge shaped head.

Vertical black strips on the lower jaw is the easiest way to know its not a water moccasin.  

[TwiceHorn 31343]

10 minutes ago, Jerry Callo said:

Vertical black strips on the lower jaw is the easiest way to know its not a water moccasin.  

Well, I was boogying down a hill on a slope loaded with roots and ledges when I came across it.  I got a glimpse of it from above, "essing" furiously first toward me then away from me.  I didn't have the opportunity to examine its lower jaw.  And, in the event it was a bitey, poisonous bastard, I didn't want to spend any extra time in its proximity.  It was uninterested in spending any time in proximity to me, as well.

[UDontKnow 10439]

33 minutes ago, Jerry Callo said:

Vertical black strips on the lower jaw is the easiest way to know its not a water moccasin.  

 

19 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Well, I was boogying down a hill on a slope loaded with roots and ledges when I came across it.  I got a glimpse of it from above, "essing" furiously first toward me then away from me.  I didn't have the opportunity to examine its lower jaw.  And, in the event it was a bitey, poisonous bastard, I didn't want to spend any extra time in its proximity.  It was uninterested in spending any time in proximity to me, as well.

The only snek hunter I know is @South Austin's mom (Happy Mother's Day, btw!). I for one, would not expect anyone to stick around long enough to give a snek a dental exam with the intent of noting the presence or absence of vertical black strips on the lower jaw.

[Buzzrock 14881]

Patricio what’s your approach to hunting snek? I have woods behind my place that slope down to a creek, so I’m sure I have plenty back there. Wouldn’t mind taking the kids to safely observe. We usually just crash around back there so they likely hide or run away for the most part.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Patricio what’s your approach to hunting snek? I have woods behind my place that slope down to a creek, so I’m sure I have plenty back there. Wouldn’t mind taking the kids to safely observe. We usually just crash around back there so they likely hide or run away for the most part.

Well, you are basically doing what I do, put myself in their habitat. Time of day, year and some luck are the other factors. Also training your eyes for them.

Where are you located?

[wd40 1976]

15 hours ago, South Austin said:

"Snake" thread is The Cloak Room.  This thread is about sneks.

fixed

[Braff Zacklin 13461]

23 hours ago, Brothahorn said:

So what would Swayze do? Besides take pictures.

Co-exist.

Cultures elsewhere in the world are able to despite dealing with far more dangerous animals.

[Braff Zacklin 13461]

3 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Well, you are basically doing what I do, put myself in their habitat. Time of day, year and some luck are the other factors. Also training your eyes for them.

Bullshit. What @Patricio Swayze won't admit is he lures his subjects out from hiding with delicious bottles of ice-cold Big Red.

[rage-a-holic 4308]

Fuck venomous snakes. What, they eat vermin? So do 1000 other snakes that aren't gonna put my kid or dog in the hospital for stepping in the wrong place.

[baboso 6052]

Buzzrock is suburban Atlanta, GA, like me.  However, our relative demographics are sharply divergent.

[Brothahorn 10085]

At my place in the country, we put out sulfur around the house, snake repellent in the yard and moth balls in the storage sheds. Now after all that if I see one it's shoot first no questions. In the woods I leave them alone as long as they leave me alone.

[Buzzrock 14881]

On 5/10/2020 at 2:27 PM, Patricio Swayze said:

Well, you are basically doing what I do, put myself in their habitat. Time of day, year and some luck are the other factors. Also training your eyes for them.

Where are you located?

25 miles north of Atlanta. Lots of black, king, rat etc. Copperhead is the most common venomous, followed by cottonmouth and the occasional rattler. Would love to see some big black snakes (TWSS). 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

25 miles north of Atlanta. Lots of black, king, rat etc. Copperhead is the most common venomous, followed by cottonmouth and the occasional rattler. Would love to see some big black snakes (TWSS). 

I’m not real familiar with Georgia snakes. By black snake, do you mean black racers? If so, the best place to find most racers is in fields just adjacent to a forest. They will hang out in the fields within 10 yards or so of the forest basking in the sun or hunting. At least that is how I have found most racers here (yellow bellies racers).

[Buzzrock 14881]

I don’t know, I’ve just always called them black snakes and they can get big. Took a pic of this one at a buddy’s house near the river last summer:

[Shoxthemonkey 1976]

We call those Blacksnakes in Kansas but they are actually a species of Rat snake, Pantherophis obsoletus. They can get well over 6' long and as big around as my wrist. They are probably the most common snake in these parts. That looks like the same snake we have here.

ETA, wiki says that they are found west of the Mississippi. Not sure what you have there.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Shoxthemonkey

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I don’t know, I’ve just always called them black snakes and they can get big. Took a pic of this one at a buddy’s house near the river last summer:

Yeah, as soon as I saw the climbing pictures I knew it wasn’t a racer. Definitely a rat snake like shox mentioned.

However, many rat snakes I come across are in the same habitat as racers. On the edge of woods. You will also find them under old tin and boards around abandoned farms and such. I’ll do a bit more reading up on that particular kind in Georgia.

[Braff Zacklin 13461]

If it hangs around long enough to have its picture taken, it's probably not a racer.

We've got Western racers here in Idaho. See them often, but the only time I ever managed to snap photos of one, it was dead.

[Zepol87 9172]

Still one of the coolest and informative threads on the site. I am still a pussy with snakes but less of one than a couple years ago

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Racers are cool. Hard to catch. I have flipped Coachwhips and grabbed them. Also managed to grab a couple of yellow bellies racers in fields. But it wasn’t easy haha. They are all up thread but can repost.

[TwiceHorn 31343]

I see racers second most often after juvenile copperheads.  They can really haul ass.

[Braff Zacklin 13461]

1 hour ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Racers are cool. Hard to catch. I have flipped Coachwhips and grabbed them. Also managed to grab a couple of yellow bellies racers in fields. But it wasn’t easy haha. They are all up thread but can repost.

If you're taking requests, I'd love to see another speckled king whenever you can find one on your hikes. First encountered this species while on a date in Flint. It was hanging out near a burrow at the foot on an oak tree. Its speckles were more variegated than examples I usually see, but my mind might be embellishing it.

1 hour ago, Zepol87 said:

Still one of the coolest and informative threads on the site. I am still a pussy with snakes but less of one than a couple years ago

For our resident ophidiophobics, I would like to introduce you to the Idaho's rubber boa, quite possibly the world's most docile snake. They have no bite reflex (worst they'll do is musk if you handle them improperly), they rarely exceed 30 inches in length, they are crepuscular and one of only two true boas in North America, they look and feel like a toy rubber snake, and they are usually content to coil up on your arm and chill.