Sitting in my treestand and hearing chipmunks running around wondering if a deer is coming has made me leave snakes alone. They control the rodent population where I hunt!!
I just don't get it...non venomous; why the hatred? If it can't hurt you why the fear? Look, I dislike spiders, but won't indiscriminately kill them. Snakes are the same...just don't pick them up. They have a real role in nature. They eat bugs, rodents, other snakes, etc. I do despise wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets, but they attack indiscriminately, viciously, and oft times without provocation. They serve nearly no purpose in nature, and should all die.
I just let them lay. I enjoy seeing them and unless you are going to eat them no sense in killing them.
I don't think I've ever seen a snake while bow hunting. Most of the snakes I see are when I'm mushroom hunting in April and May. I did have a blue racer slither right up next to me while I was turkey hunting last spring. I used to kill every snake I saw when I was younger. I still take them out when they are in my yard or around my pond. If I am in the woods, I just walk around them.
How I react to a surprise encounter with a snake depends on how close I am to it when I see it. If I'm right on top of it I'll move like an obsessed acrobat to get out of range, but that's just a self-preservation instinct. If I see it before I get to it I'll watch it for a minute or so and then just walk by out of range. Snakes don't bother me and I don't bother them. Like someone said earlier, if I find a venomous snake in my yard I don't kill it. I pin it down, pick it up and take it into the woods. The non-venomous snakes get to slither anywhere they want except for in the house. Regarding the snakebite kits, it's pretty well documented that they don't work. This is just one article and there are a lot of them out there. http://www.doctorross.co.za/wp-cont...-suction-devices-suck-emerg-med-clin-n-am.pdf Of course, there are always examples of people who have used them and they appeared to work. One poster mentioned that there wasn't even any tissue damage after using one of these devices. Of course I can't say with absolute certainty that it didn't work, but there's a good chance that the bite was a "dry bite". Up to 20% of venomous snake bites are "dry", meaning they strike defensively and don't inject any venom. I'd say there was a good chance that this was the case if there was no tissue damage at all.
I leave them alone, because they are beautiful and amazing creatures. I have kept pet shop type snakes for years, because here in ohio you need the permits to collect them. The only way I would kill them is if was put in a survival situation and needed something to eat. Everyone should respect God's creatures they were put here for a reason, to help with population control of the mice, rats, ect...
Thankfully we really don't have any poinsonous snakes in my immediate area. There are copperheads at a few of my further hunting spots though. I can't really say I've ever come across a snake while hunting. The only time I kill a snake is if it make it into the house. Our house is very old (1845) and has an unfinished basement. Being that old there are a few cracks and holes that snakes have been able to find a way in. So if I catch them in the basement, they are killed. If they are just around the yard, I'll take them out back of the barns so they can eat things out there.
I see quite a few, more while working than while hunting. Usually identify what kind it is, if venomous, go around it. They serve a useful purpose in nature.
definitely. I dont go in the woods with out it. I think its something alot of people over look. ~Mathews Helim~
I just let them be. I must admit that I do keep a pretty good eye for them though. I don't like to be surprised by them.
Took the puppy on a short hike. Found this baby rattler. And this gopher snake. We didn't kill either. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk
I walk on By them. I don't kill snakes. I'm in their area. I never see them in my house so no harm no foul. "Live Life at Full Draw"
