Why you should ALWAYS keep a pistol loaded with shot when in the woods!

[fightingquaker13]

It's all right, I'm more afraid of some other critters.  But I'll just keep that to my self, seeing how Kid enjoys tormenting me.  It seems the smaller the critter, the more poisonous they get.  But on burying the heads, your better safe than sorry, specially if you got kids running around.  They're just looking for ways to get hurt, they enjoy the attention.

Just like horses and dogs. They all have death wishes, prefferably to be fufilled in the most expensive manner possible. I swear to god, that if you put a horse in a ten thousand acre pasture with one land mine, it would last about five minutes. My personal favorite was a horse I had when I was twelve. We normally didn't let the stock around the house, but the tractor was broken, and the grass was high, so we figured better poop than mosquitos. Anyway Velvet (I didn't name her) was grazing, up against the house at about 2 am. Something spooked her, she raised her head, caught the pointy end of a jalosie window and a face full of glass. (a vet bill my grandad didn't disclose till his dying day). My bird dog Shadrach ate a towel, it twisted in the intestine,$1500 of surgery (the exact price of a semester at UT in state) before succumbing. Pets and children are not only evil, but suicidal. Watch them like a hawk. 
FQ13

[tombogan03884]

It's all right, I'm more afraid of some other critters.  But I'll just keep that to my self, seeing how Kid enjoys tormenting me.   It seems the smaller the critter, the more poisonous they get.  But on burying the heads, your better safe than sorry, specially if you got kids running around. They're just looking for ways to get hurt, they enjoy the attention.

There, We finally got one of the whippersnappers to CONFESS !   

[Rob10ring]

I'll bet that a gopher covered in serranos and grilled over mesquite would be pretty tasty. We Texans do love our mesquite smoke.

Regarding the staying power of snake venom I don't have an answer. I do know that it sticks around for a while and I'm also in the habit of burying the heads of poisonous snakes for just that reason. The few patients that I saw in the hospital over the years suffered with bites from live snakes. With my apologies again to Texas Bryan and his arachnaphobia I have to say that I've seen far more poisonous spider bites. Sorry Bry.

I also have come across more people who've been spider bitten. You mentioned shaking out your boots. One of the guys I know was a truck driver who got bit on the leg by a recluse that'd either been in his boots or hiding in the truck. He lost a lot of his leg.

[blackwolfe]

The story I heard 40 years ago is the cowboy that died from a rattler bite and his brother got his boots.  When the brother put the boots on there was a fang stuck in the boot that poked him and the brother died too.

And of course everyone knows that even if you chop a snakes head off they don't die untill sundown.

[PegLeg45]

The story I heard 40 years ago is the cowboy that died from a rattler bite and his brother got his boots.  When the brother put the boots on there was a fang stuck in the boot that poked him and the brother died too.

And of course everyone knows that even if you chop a snakes head off they don't die untill sundown.

Yep, and if you hang the body over a fence, it'll rain.   




Also,

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/carsnake.asp

http://www.snopes.com/critters/gnus/snakerob.asp

[Sponsor]

[Ping]

I have seen a bunch of snakes this year while out fishing. We have cottonmouths around here. Found one dead that was ran over by a bicycle where I used to fish. The Massassagua Rattler is also in our area but I have yet to find one. I will take a rattlesnake over any other kind of snake cause at least they let you know they are there. Have killed cottonmouths and copperheads in Ohio and Missouri. Sneaky little bastards.
I did keep a nice sized rattlesnake skull that had been hit by a lawnmower in West Palm, Florida. I am careful not to mess with the fangs and keep it in a glass jar so no one accidentally gets stuck.
Massassagua Rattlesnakes are a protected species in Indiana. They are very rare. I try to keep a stick handy in case I run into a snake. I have smacked many with my fishing rod. Water snakes like to come up and scare the crap out of you. When I here a splash in the water I am always looking around. They are not venomous but rather creepy. I have seen several from the 3 to 5 foot range in the water just a yard or two in front of me.
As for spiders, the brown recluse has left some nasty bites. My sister lost some flesh the size of a half dollar on her foot due to the brown recluse. I had to bomb the house twice this year after finding 8 of them in the garage.
While stationed in Montana, members of my crew caught a Black Widow that tried to attack our cook. I have never seen a more aggressive spider. They had it in a glass and saucer. I put my finger next to the glass and it was trying to bite me through the glass. Scared me and I had a 6 inch pet rose haired tarantula at home...

[blackwolfe]

I was a kid fishing in a pond.  The fishing was not to good, so I was pretty excited whe I finally got a bite,  Imagine my surprise when I reeled in about a 3 ft. water snake.  Didn't really scare me, just a surprise.  Can't remember how I got it off anymore.

[PegLeg45]

I was a kid fishing in a pond.  The fishing was not to good, so I was pretty excited whe I finally got a bite,  Imagine my surprise when I reeled in about a 3 ft. water snake.  Didn't really scare me, just a surprise.  Can't remember how I got it off anymore.

For some reason, I envision the scene in the movie 'Funny Farm' where Chevy Chase catches the snake on his fishing line.     

[Badgersmilk]

blackwolfe, we had the same thing happen a couple times when we were kids.  Not being politcally correct in the 70's, one of us stood on the snake while the other one pulled REAL hard on the line.  Even more mayhem arrises when snapping turtles decide to swallow your bait!

BIG THUMBS DOWN ON BROWN RECLUSE BITES!  Years ago a friend of mine got bit on the thickest part of his right forearm.  Almost half the thickness of his arm ROTTED OFF!!!  He recovered partially.  His arm was a F'd up looking after healing, but he kept partial use of it and his hand.  Dr. told him if he'd gotten closer to his hand by a Recluse that size it would have lead to amputation.  He got bit at night, and until going to the hospital the next morning all swelled up didnt even know what happened.  Just felt a sting.

The missisauga rattler just "makes adult humans very ill".  And their MUCH easier to avoid than a jumping spider the size of a nickel.   My friend got bit while on duty, and was discharged as a "disabled veteran".

This happened overseas, dont know if the Recluses there are bigger or more poisonous.

[Badgersmilk]

I'm not going to post pictures of them, but there are all kinds of pictures that show tissue desolved down to the bones on people and animals from Recluse bites. (just do a yahoo search)
Be afraid, be VERY afraid!