Snakes at my Post/Site=Yikes !!!

[copelandamuffy]

http://www.reptileeducation.com/mkportal/modules/coppermine/albums/userpics/10003/web_CottonmouthGaping1.jpg

Imagine on patrol at an old factory that is being demolished.
You pick up a light fixture and this little fellow starts curling up your arm.

How come they don't teach you this in training videos?

Anyone who knows me from the old days of SPS, knows my biggest problem at my post
is not dealing with humans, but all kinds of animals:
Deer
Fisher Cats
Badgers
Stray Cats
Snapping turtles
Dove
Angry Geese
Ducks
Crows
Hawks
Chipmunks
Frogs
And yup Racing Snakes

[Lawson]

was it venemous? looks like it from the inside of its mouth.

[Curtis Baillie]

Yes! It's a Cottonmouth. And from personal experience - very agressive.

[Andy Taylor]

I would hardly put the damage that could be caused by a dove or a chipmunk in the same class as that of what that snake could do.

Did that senario with the light ficture happen to you? Or is that a what it senario? Just curious in how you handled it if it happened.

I have a phobia about snakes. I have since I was 9 and my cousin and I came across a rather unfriendly rattle snake outside of Natchez WA. I would most like grabit and through it as far as I could and start running in the other direction. I know I would most likely get bit, and that it probably not the best thing to do, but that is what I think I would do out of panic. I do want to hear the responses of those more knowledgable as to what they would do.

On a related (somewhat) subject, a few years back I was getting home from work. As I got out of my suburban in front of my house, in full uniform, I heard a little girl's voice say "Mr. Policeman, I need help." I look up the street and about a half block away and across the street I see the cutest little girl, about 7 years old. She had pigtails and was crying softly. She was wearing a pink dress with lace. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon and had a book in her hand. I look around, hoping that there is an actual policeman nearby, and she isn't talking to me. I quickly realize that no one else is in sight, policeman or otherwise, and that she is indeed speaking to me. I walk over to her and croutchdown so that I am eye to eye with her and say "What seems to be the problem?" She says nothing and points to the ground, between her feet and mine. That is when I saw the snake. It was about 3-4 inches long. I believe it was a gardner snake but do to my aforementioned phobia, I really didn't care at that moment. I pulled my ASP (ironic, huh?) extended it and did a golf swing that landed the snake on the other side of the street in my neighbor's bushes. The little girl said "Thank you." I said "Your welcome." and with that, she headed home. A little later I captured the snake with the help of my neighbor and we relocated it to a more suitable area.

[N. A. Corbier]

And deadly.

[copelandamuffy]

One of my Security Officers was born in Guatemala, and is quite use to
dealing with snakes, and yes some poisinous. He was the one who encountered the snake. He believes the snake was what is called
a Racing Snake, or Racer Snake. Probably not posinous.
Mr. Security Consultant, and Mr. Lawson....venemous?
Not so sure there are where we are { Metro-Boston} there are many
venemous snakes. But I know poop about snakes.
My Officer from Guatemala who found the snake in a building that is
cool and dark said she may be in the building to hatch more snakes.
And yes they do hatch alot of snakes.
Just what I wanted to hear

[Curtis Baillie]

One of my Security Officers was born in Guatemala, and is quite use to
dealing with snakes, and yes some poisinous. He was the one who encountered the snake. He believes the snake was what is called
a Racing Snake, or Racer Snake. Probably not posinous.
Mr. Security Consultant, and Mr. Lawson....venemous?
Not so sure there are where we are { Metro-Boston} there are many
venemous snakes. But I know poop about snakes.
My Officer from Guatemala who found the snake in a building that is
cool and dark said she may be in the building to hatch more snakes.
And yes they do hatch alot of snakes.
Just what I wanted to hear

Yes. The picture you posted is of a Cottonmouth. Yes. They are very venemous. I had one come out of the water when I was fishing once and went on the attack. It would not back off. I finally killed it with a tree branch. I was able to fling it away from me twice, but it was not detered.

[N. A. Corbier]

There's a Samuel L. Jackson quote that's coming to mind right now...

"I have had it with these <expletive deleted> snakes on this <expletive deleted> site!"

[Michael Ledgerwood]

For those of you who live in venomous snake country I have this advice taken from a survial guide. "Only 50% of all rattlesnake bites inject venom." Apparently, according to the guide, rattlers don't like to waste venom on something they know they can't kill ( a human ). Survival guide or not, I stay clear of any snake. Even here in Western WA we get a few rattlers that hitch rides from the Eastern side. And yes I'm scared to death of snakes. I would grab my 12 gauge and blow it into next week if I could.

[Curtis Baillie]

[QUOTE=Michael Ledgerwood;33784]For those of you who live in venomous snake country I have this advice taken from a survial guide. "Only 50% of all rattlesnake bites inject venom." Apparently, according to the guide, rattlers don't like to waste venom on something they know they can't kill ( a human ). Survival guide or not, I stay clear of any snake. Even here in Western WA we get a few rattlers that hitch rides from the Eastern side. And yes I'm scared to death of snakes. I would grab my 12 gauge and blow it into next week if I could.

I'm not willing to test that theory.

[Rooney]

Being in the desert, I deal with rattlesnakes all the time. If they rattle at me I let them go on there way. If they don't rattle because they're rattle is messed up I will "get rid of them".

Since I have lived in many areas of the country I have come across Cotton mouths quite a bit. Which reminds me of a funny story:

My father, uncle, cousin, and I were Trout fishing in a stream in Missouri. My dad was wading in about 2 feet of water fly fishing away. I noticed he had a funny look on his face as we was looking down in the water. A Cottonmouth had thought his leg was nice and warm and decided to wrap around his leg right below his knee. When my dad realised what it was he let out a scream that I can only compare to a 6 year-old girl seeing a spider. He kicked his leg up and launched the snake into a tree then proceeded to walk on water back to the shore. I never laughed so hard in my life. The snake just stayed in the tree confused. My dad, as confused as the snake, gave up fishing for awhile and commenced to have a beer or three.

[SecTrainer]

I've heered tell that the "baby" cottonmouths can actually be more dangerous than the grownups. But, my basic strategy is to give every snake a wide berth, so I don't very often check their ID's to see how old they are. Even if I thought a baby snake might be underage to be buying beer, I wouldn't voice my suspicions. Nossir. I'd just wrap up that beer along with whatever I had in the till, toss in a few packs of smokes, and help the little fellow carry it all out to his tricycle.

Babies or grownups are all the same to me. 3 centimeters or 30 feet long, they all cause me to remember various and sundry things that I promised my wife I would do....somewhere else.