How many snakes do you encounter?

[bwhana]

I love threads like these because of the inevitable aggressive cottonmouth stories! It gives me another chance to share my favorite video on the subject (https://youtu.be/314N7xIeRR8) and I get to point out that the professional hunters in Africa and Australia, where they have snakes that make ours seem about as dangerous as earthworms, only wear short leather boots with shorts.  I do the same with pants, and I have not seen a venomous snake while hunting. Please wear the snake boots and chaps if it makes you feel good, not discouraging it, but you almost have a higher chance of being shot by another hunter than bitten by a snake.

[silvestris]

For every snake you see, ten see you.

[Gentry]

See very few, although I don't look for them. Always heard if ya look for snakes you will find them. Snakes are the last thing on my mind in the spring turkey woods.


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[Sixes]

I've heard several old timers say rattlesnakes won't climb trees.  Well I can tell that ain't right!  Not sure if you can see real well in this picture.  This ole boy was about 5 feet in a tree.   I heard him buzz at me and started looking on ground for him.  Couldn't find him. Finally picked him out up in a small tree.   This one shook me up pretty bad as I was extremely close to him.   It took a couple hours for me to settle down from this encounter and being in the timber business I see them regularly.    I normally leave them alone out in the woods and away from the house but I took this on out.  Had my snake chaps on.  Needed a neck chap for this timber rattler. 


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They all climb trees, I watched a cottonmouth go up a tree very fast with no issues. I used to hunt river sloughs off the Oconee river in middle Georgia and it was loaded with snakes. It was common to see cottonmouths on about every hunt and they were routinely off the ground waist to head high in palmettos and bushes.

[RiverBuck]

While hunting with a best friend in South Carolina we found this 63 incher walking out of the woods... We ate it over rice w fresh turkey breast and local shrimp. He's got the tanned skin on a piece of driftwood.

[Master Gobbie]

When ya'll say cottonmouth are aggressive, what exactly does that mean? they instinctively strike? or sort of pursue you?

[RiverBuck]

When ya'll say cottonmouth are aggressive, what exactly does that mean? they instinctively strike? or sort of pursue you?

I've seen them stand their ground... They don't slither away in the Everglades WMA. They stay motionless and cocked back waiting for you to walk closer.

[RLAG]

Only time I ever see them is in creek bottoms around the water here in SC

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[3bailey3]

Two snakes i like to see in the season...

[Nathan_Wiles]

Here's a full grown SC Canebrake I came across on a cool morning. Very docile in this situation and I gave it plenty of space. I was more nervous on the way out when it was gone.
I usually see 5-6 venomous snakes each season and at least that many non-venomous. I wear snake boots.

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[WV Flopper]

In the past three season I have seen three.

2 years ago in Florida I seen a black snake and a Floridian water snake. I had pictures of the water snake, thought it was a moccasin.

This past spring end of season, I was sent in on a bad turkey and the set up I had was perfect. I was was stretched out prone across a hump of dirt. While there working the turkey a garden snake came through the leaves to check me out. He was a total of a foot away from my eyeball.
Don't wear snake boots, don't see many snakes, ain't scared of them, I have a gun.

[Tail Feathers]

I've encountered one rattlesnake while turkey hunting.  I was set up against a tree and looked down to see his head between my heel and my family jewels.  I don't know where she was, but some 9 year old girl screamed , I butt jumped  about 20 yards after kicking at the snake a couple times.  I thought I saw him strike at my snake booted foot.  When my heart dropped below 200 beats per minute I noticed two small wet spots on the hard cap toe of my boot.  Yep, he struck at me.
Had I remained still, he probably would have slithered past, or bit me in the twig and berries...I wasn't about to see which!

[aclawrence]

Somehow I spotted this timber rattler right before I walked past him. It was cool that morning thank goodness.


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[Sanders153]

Was about two steps from getting a strike from him a couple years ago while traveling up a creek.. Never even knew he was there till I looked down.. I'll second that notion that cottonmouths do not give you any warnings usually

[ChesterCopperpot]

Not many, but when I do I enjoy seeing them (preferably from a distance). Here was a pretty timber rattler holding to an old logging road last year trying to stay warm. Them early spring nighttime temps where I live turn them buggers into noodles. [mention]antnye [/mention]had a crazy video last year of a monster rattler sliding by him and a buddy's feet. Now that one was a little too close for comfort.



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