I got nothing against a snake
that’s at least 20 feet away form me and visible. Much closer and I know hes there…I got issues with him. I realize we all got issues…snakes and me is one of mine.
On Trails…
On trails watch out for hoop snakes. They hold their tail in their mouths and roll like a wheel to chase you down!
i have never been
able to figure out where the tail stops and the neck starts…lol.
Didn’t profess that you did
Dear Greywulff,
All I was saying is that you can’t blame a snake for being a snake.
When a snake poses a problem for you it’s just trying to get by. Look up canoeists and kayakers killed by snakes and look up canoeists and kayakers who died while on water.
Snakes are not a problem.
Regards,
Goobs AKA TimMurphy
Shouldn’t be a problem
– Last Updated: May-19-12 1:02 AM EST –
Recent example: Two weeks ago on the North Fork of the White River in Missouri, some of our group saw a nice-sized black rat snake swimming in the river. It approached two different boats, but once the boat's occupant moved too much or held a paddle blade close to the snake, it sprinted off a few feet, then settled down and chose a new direction to swim.
I've seen that happen with northern water snakes more times than I could ever count.
Cases of defensive behavior on land are usually mistaken for "chasing" activity by those with unnatural fear. There is no way to change their perspective on this. I've seen this type of confrontation myself, in-person, several times, and what I saw in each case was NOT what the scared person "saw". I've also been called an idiot for saying this on this board before, but that goes with the territory when it comes to dealing with a skewed and fearful perspective. Those same people do not believe that a person can easily walk faster than almost any snake going full speed, but it is true. Their appearance of speed can be deceptive.
Jackl once got a nice photo demonstrating what "aggressive cottonmouths" are really doing when they approach the boat. He offered his paddle blade to the snake as a nice climbing ramp, and the snake simply settled down on the blade and got comfortable, and did NOT try to get any closer to the boat. Jackl has probably had more close encounters with snakes on the water than just about any of us, but he doesn't believe they approach aggressively either. Maybe he'll chime in soon.
Snakes have rather poor vision, and often won't perceive a waving paddle blade as being different from vegetation swaying in the breeze. Give them a little time to figure out that a really big creature is in front of them before assuming they are on the attack. Also, snakes that are about to shed are essentially blind, and will not see you no matter what you do. They also tend to strike aggressively because when you can't see, putting up a good show of force might be your only chance of escaping. Snakes that are about to shed are usually not out and about, but people can encounter them at times.
Here you have one of the reasons
I live in the north.
chasing
Well of course the behavior is defensive. I certainly didn’t think they were hunting me. I like snakes, ill catch them, leave them alone, whichever. But, occasionally it falls to me to remove snakes from their locating due to the fear of others. The worst is a four to five foot black snake that decides he is going to move when he wants to. They become very aggressive and move toward the danger instead of away. Of course I can just walk away, but I’m still calling it chasing.
Ryan L.
.
Never had one climb into a canoe. Maybe time to sell the yak and get a canoe…one one of the thousands of reasons why canoes are superior.
My sons had one try to get in a canoe
they just pushed him away with a paddle, after a couple times he left. Later that day we seen a hawk grab a snake out of the water, sometimes they are feeling exposed and looking for cover. Usually a gentle nudge and some movement are all it takes to get them to leave.
SYOTW
Randy
I’m impressed!
As someone who grew up with snakes and reptiles & amphibians in general,(and took courses in herpetology a whole lotta years ago), I’m really impressed at the responses in this thread. Most are responsible and dead on, except that of the Hoop snake of course! I find it refreshing not to read what is normally a lot of misinformation. A big bravo to these posters.
try to learn how to identify …
– Last Updated: May-19-12 8:53 AM EST –
....... what type of snake you may be encountering .
There are 4 species of poisonous snakes in the US . Vipers which are the Rattlers , Copperheads , and Mocosins (Cottonmouth) ... and then the Coral snake .
The poisonous ones should be dealt with caution , all others may be ignored ... except for the huge Constrictors (Python , Boa) that inhabbit south lands like Fl.
If a snake like the Black snake bites you , it's because you picked him up , it's really nothing more than a light scratch like you might get from a briar bush , and that's only because you jerked away and got the scratch .
Rear fang snakes like the common water snake are mildly poisonous but for all purposes you can consider them non-poisonous , won't harm you at all but a fish or mouse , yes .
If scratched by a snake , wash the scratch w/soap and water , disinfect if possible , same as any scratch .
Snakes are very doicile critters , they try to avoid humans ... except for the Mocosin in the water .
Like the others have said , a swimming snake will approach you , it is looking to land on something , not bite . Water snakes , and swimming sanakes in general are simply curious , not aggressive at all ... unless you purposely attack them 1st , thewn they will attack back .
Non of this info. will likely have any change in your fear of snakes , but by reading up on snakes and learning to identify them , at least the poisonous ones , that may help put them into a different perspective for you and reduce your fears greatly ...
snakes
A couple of years ago I had a rattle snake swim towards my kayak while boating in ht Francis Walter Lakein NE Pa.
Once I realized what it was I set the worlds record for the 100 yd.kayak sprint.
black snake story.
I’m probably being vague just calling it a black snake, but I think we get the picture.
On the property where I live there is a peninsula type piece of land that extends out into a pond. At the end the is a place where people can sit and enjoy whatever it is they enjoy. One day there was a rather large black snake enjoying whatever it is he enjoys. I walk out to chase him off and he, of course, raises up like he wants to fight. I give him his space and wait for him to calm down. Eventually I get bored of this and get a long stick and pick him up and throw him into the pond. I’m astonished when he starts swimming back at me standing on the bank. Mind you he has unlimited other options to for an escape route. We repeat this dance about three more times. Finally I pick up a hand full of rocks and repeatedly and strategically throw them to lead him down the peninsula and up the bank into the woods behind me.
I would rather be surrounded by a fictional pack of pit vipers from Indiana Jones than one is those spiteful black snakes.
Ryan L.
Mr no shoulders
A long time ago someone posted a story here about fishing with their father, a boat, a snake (Mr No Shoulders), and a gun. It was the funniest story I have read in my entire life. I was laughing so hard the tears were flowing down my cheeks.
Probably an easy explaination
– Last Updated: May-19-12 9:53 AM EST –
My guess is that it was a species of snake who's natural behavior is to avoid swimming when practical. If that were the case and you tossed him out there, his instinct would tell him to swim straight toward shore. I bet the behavior of that snake was no different than that of a moth circling an electric light or a pigeon mistaking the reflection of the sky in a glass window for a clear path through the wall.
How about this as an example to illustrate this idea. As a kid I often would catch leopard frogs. In most environments, their instinct is to leap for the water and hide there. However, I once tried to feed some little bass in an ancient mill pond by tossing out some frogs. I tossed some frogs out about 25 feet (one at a time), and they would speed across the water straight toward shore, in the process making a bee-line for that strange giant creature that had just sent them flying through the air. You'd never seen a frog swim as fast as they did, and though a bass would sometimes come tearing over for a meal, none ever arrived before the frog had escaped. One frog got tossed out a few times in a row, and like your snake, all he had to do was swim some other direction. Were those frogs aggressively charging me, or did they have built-in behavior that protected them from predatory fish?
plausible
Except toward me was not the fast way to the bank. Also their behavior on land doesn’t jive with that either in my experience. With most animals the reaction to an approaching human or danger is to move away. This is true in my experience with the following animals; bears, bobcats, boar, copperheads, rattlesnakes, sheep, cattle, llamas, turkey, deer, all species of lizard, birds, etc., etc. The only animal that has ever moved towards me as I approach it is the common three to five foot black snake. I realize they are not cold blooded killers and there behavior usually invokes laughter for me, but I’m just saying, they can give you the felling that they are chasing you. Most will only move toward me until they get to a certain distance, then they stop and raise up into a defensive position. I’m always suprised how even on a sunny day when they have plenty of energy how slowly they will finally move away.
Ryan L.
like I said before…
I didnt ask him what his first name was, but his last name was “snake”. We all have fears, and I’m a grown man…I just am not comfortable with snakes. I know they are out there, I have been a hunter and fisherman for most of my life, and I know Im going to have encounters with them if I keep doing both. But still…If I can see them and can stay away from them Im ok. If one is coming toward me, crawling or swimming…my mind immediately tells me it’s in attack mode… and I either switch to defense or sissy!
Snake Facts
While I applaud pilotwingz’s desire to help I feel that I must correct a few of his comments. ALL water snakes are moccasins, lowland moccasins. The copperhead is a highland moccasin. There is but ONE poisonous water snake in the USA and that is the Cottomouth Water Moccasin found primarily in the South Eastern States. Common water snakes DON"T have rear fangs. In fact, they have NO FANGS at all but rows of many sharp curved teeth used to hold their prey. As pilotwingz pointed out, snakes fear you as much as you do them and would rather not have an encounter with you. The more you learn about these facinating critters the less fearful you’ll become
You are in a whole lot more danger
from motorized craft than you will ever be from a snake. I abhor spiders, but when I’m in their home I respect their territory.
Get a grip, it’s just a snake
As was mentioned previously, most are completely harmless and want even less to do with you than you do with them. Snakes don’t chase down people and attack them, so you have nothing to worry about in your kayak. As you said, you’re an adult, so its time to get over this silly fear.
Try learning something about the snakes in your area and in particular how to identify any that may be dangerous. That should put your mind at ease, so you can appreciate snakes for the amazing creatures that they are.