Snakes and grandkids

[Kinsman]

Monday evening, My son and his 3 eldest and I took a walk on the trail through the woods.
I have tried to stress to them the idea of looking for snakes. Look 4 steps ahead, take 2 steps and look 4 steps ahead. Eyes on the ground except when stopped. The 4 yr old boy was just in front of me, and he stepped over a 16" Carolina Pygmy Rattler. I saw it before his feet cleared it and said WHOA!!. Everybody stopped, and I used the event to stress once again the importance of watching the ground. Lots of discussion of the snake, and snakes in general.
I am ashamed to admit that I thought it was a copperhead at first. Then I saw the tiny rattles on it's tail. 16" is a pretty big pygmy, and could have been a nasty bite if the boy had stepped on it.

 

[jericho]

Re: Snakes and grandkids

I grew up in a place with a lot of very nasty snakes, so I hear you. My biggest thing i had to adapt to living in the city was to look up and ahead when walking, because I only ever walked studying the ground for Puff Adders, cobras and mambas.
We ocassionaly got an unwanted visitor in or near the house and my grandfather would catch it in a trash can and take it somewhere safer. Never killed them. I still get creeped out 30odd years later about the night I had a night adder that slivered overt bare feet in the dark.

 

[kraigWY]

Re: Snakes and grandkids

Grandkids and rattlers don't play well together. There are plenty around here. I fenced in my yard hoping the dogs would keep the snakes away. Still I kill one every now and then. Shot one under my back steps last fall.

Lots of people say I'm silly for constantly carrying my pocket pistol (S&W 642). This is a peaceful place, not many bandits but plenty of rattlers. My little 642 has dispatched more then a couple.

I started using bird shot, but it wasn't effective out of a short barrel 38. So I use my normal SWC rounds, they work.

People bitch about the Judge, My wife got one a couple years ago for horse back riding. So far she's dispatched 4 of the suckers.

 

[ArcticLight]

Re: Snakes and grandkids

Daughter was at Grants pass Oregon (Or somewhere in a pass down there) and stumbled onto this by accident. She named him Henry.

 

[jericho]

Re: Snakes and grandkids

I love snakes but they still creep me out to no end.

 

[Alderleet]

Re: Snakes and grandkids

Thats why I carry a 22lr pistol with shotshells when i'm wandering the forrest.