Little Diamondback

The only snakes we have to worry about here in Massachusetts are the politicians.

ReverendDexter wrote: In reply to carguy123: +1 for eating what you're gonna kill.

Man, that's a lot of husbands and wives people'd be eating. If you had to eat them if you killed them it might make the murder rate go down. Win/Win

Or it might increase the cost on fave beans.

carguy123 wrote: I hear they taste like chicken. I'd be more for eating them than just moving them. If you move them they breed and then there's just more of the little buggers to deal with.

Can't kill them here, they are protected.

Thing is, I live in a gated golf community. The water and grass brings the rodents. Zillions of wabbits. Therefore there are zillions of snakes, bobcats, and coyotes. The coyotes commute. They head in around sundown, work and head home before sun up. Bobcats and snakes live here and also hunt at night. They are all very healthy and plump. The javelinas also live here and there is a big group in my area. They come right up to my window. Mtn lions come through but don't stick around but last year one dragged a javelina down the street and left a huge blood trail that stopped at a house. The trail then continued on the roof! Amazing. Quite the combat zone.

Hasbro wrote:

carguy123 wrote: I hear they taste like chicken. I'd be more for eating them than just moving them. If you move them they breed and then there's just more of the little buggers to deal with.

Can't kill them here, they are protected. Thing is, I live in a gated golf community. The water and grass brings the rodents. Zillions of wabbits. Therefore there are zillions of snakes, bobcats, and coyotes. The coyotes commute. They head in around sundown, work and head home before sun up. Bobcats and snakes live here and also hunt at night. They are all very healthy and plump. The javelinas also live here and there is a big group in my area. They come right up to my window. Mtn lions come through but don't stick around but last year one dragged a javelina down the street and left a huge blood trail that stopped at a house. The trail then continued on the roof! Amazing. Quite the combat zone.

Egad, sounds like living in the middle of a "Wild Kingdom" episode. That being said, maybe I'm just in a different environment. My dad managed National Wildlife Refuges for a living, I enjoy having critters around & watching the world at work. I just wish Copperheads & Cottonmouths would make more noise when you stumble across them (yup, Southern Boy here.. )

4cylndrfury wrote: awww...snake? Thats nothing exciting...I though this thread was going to be about Diamond Backs

I thought the same thing:

-Rob

Back in the day, I was canoeing down the Hillsborough river north of Tampa. Skinny water there. Came around a bend where the stream had washed the dirt away from tree roots. Looked at a particularly interesting root formation, realized it had eyes. Cottonmouth with a head bigger than my fist. Dumped the canoe a few yards later, swear I walked on water to get to the shore. No harm, no foul.

We have Eastern Diamond-Backs here. I've relocated a couple out of the yard. Just part of the rural life style.

We also have Cottonmouths, Copperheads, coral snakes, Timber Rattlers, and Pigmy Rattlers.

I've relocated a Copperhead too.

SillyImportRacer wrote: We have Eastern Diamond-Backs here. I've relocated a couple out of the yard. Just part of the rural life style. We also have Cottonmouths, Copperheads, coral snakes, Timber Rattlers, and Pigmy Rattlers. I've relocated a Copperhead too.

Pygmy rattlers are really beautiful. We used to catch them down near the Okefenokee Swamp. All over the place. One had just killed a little boy playing baseball near there.

The Timber/canebrake gets so damn big! I messed with one that was about 5 1/2'. A big old heavy male with a head the size of my palm. Probably close to a 3' strike range. Fortunately he didn't show me just how far he actually could strike. I don't miss being around those guys.

FriedGreenCorrado, that must have been a pretty cool upbringing. Where did your Dad work? Did you live there?

Salanis wrote:

cwh wrote: Bunch of gators, big iguanas, wild hogs, bears, rattlers, water moccasins, coral snakes, and pesky New Yorkers.

Gators, hogs, bears and snakes? Them's is good eatin's. Can't say for the New Yorkers though.

New Yorkers? Somethings even gators and hogs wont eat

We have the pygmy rattlers here as well. Seems like they like WalMart Garden departments. At least two people around here have been bitten at WalMart Garden shops, by pygmy rattlers in the plants. Their venom is quite strong, considering the size of the snake.

I live in Central Texas. 2 years ago I killed 2 4.5' rattlers.

I walked out into the barn to feed the horses and emu (yes, the big ass bird) and heard the rattle. Something had been telling me to carry a weapon out there for the past few days, but the one I took was my .40 S&W Baby Eagle. Not the spread I want for something like this... I went inside and grabbed the Remington 870 12 gauge. LOL Had to get my neighbor to hold the flashlight for me. We found him under a pallet and a bunch of junk. I put the shotgun down towards him and he struck the end of the barrel. The second he did that, I pulled the trigger. When I pulled what was left of him out of there, the wad from the shell fell out of his body. He took the whole damn thing!!

A week later I walk outside on the back porch and there's blood all over the place. My Shih Tzu comes walking up bleeding from his face. I walk out the door with him in front of me and he walks over to the shed in front and whimpers. When he does that, the rattle started. I threw him on the back porch and got the .22 as it was MUCH better light in this area. LOL Pulled back a board and there was the culprit. I popped him in the face and that was it.

Wife took the dog to the vet, he's fine. Apparently the head/face is the best place for them to get bitten. Not a lot of major arteries or muscle tissue there to be effected by the venom. They bleed a lot from the face/head and it flushes most of it out.

Rattle snake is gooooood. It tastes like chicken, but is kinda flaky like fish if memory serves. Gator is good too. Kinda like a fishy chicken. Hehe.

rob_lewis wrote:

4cylndrfury wrote: awww...snake? Thats nothing exciting...I though this thread was going to be about Diamond Backs

I thought the same thing: -Rob

It's a thread about little diamond backs. Thus, I present the Mini-Viper.

I had one of these when I was probably 10-12. ie, much too large for it, but with full size bars, cranks, layback seat, etc. Only bike I ever was able to do a cherry picker on.