Snake

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RDH79

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Rimersburg, Pa, USA.
OK Snake guys. What kind of snake is this? It was slithering along our pool last night. Almost went under the deck.
 

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shadetree_1 said:
I think it's the Northern Water snake, "nerodia sipedon sipedon" but I could be wrong.
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Hmm that too is what I was thinking. As a youth I use to visit family in Northern Pennsylvania and we use to see the Northern Water Snakes a lot and they look very close to this.
 
I am a subsistence hunter, life feeds on life and I frequently kill in the pursuit of food for my family. Respectfully, I understand fear............but not killing something you can't even name. Even if this was a poisonous snake they are vital in keeping rodent populations under control. Predators of all sizes are important to any healthy ecosystem. Bites are rare in areas where poisonous snakes are common and rarely fatal in north America. Rats, mice and other pests carry diseases.....this snake was far less of a threat to you.
 
Hadn't thought of that Ken! If the snake is at least going to be put to use I can understand it, I personally try to eat anything I can off the trap line but that's not the norm........and I apologise if I offended you. Do learn a bit about your local snakes though, they are very cool critters.
 
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Rick P said:
I am a subsistence hunter, life feeds on life and I frequently kill in the pursuit of food for my family. Respectfully, I understand fear............but not killing something you can't even name. Even if this was a poisonous snake they are vital in keeping rodent populations under control. Predators of all sizes are important to any healthy ecosystem. Bites are rare in areas where poisonous snakes are common and rarely fatal in north America. Rats, mice and other pests carry diseases.....this snake was far less of a threat to you.
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Rick To you it might not have been a threat, but what if it was a poisonous snake. We have black snakes too but I will not kill them because I know there not poisonous. If its a snake that I dont know what it is will end up like this one.
 
It would have not made a difference too me......My family has far more to fear from traffic than a snake passing through. I honestly am not looking for a fight, just hoping to get folks to look at snakes a bit differently. They really are important to the health of our world and really neat critters.
 
If you lived next door, I'd say you got yourself a Genuine Redneck Water Moccosin. A "RWM" is actually a banded water snake. RWMs do a very good job of keeping copperheads, turtles and beavers away from your dock. BUT, unfortunately our transient summer population from Cleveland think that they are cottonmouths and shoot them. The worst thing these snakes do is STINK! You know when a "RWM" in nearby, because you can smell 'em. THEY WILL STEAL THE FISH OUT OF YOUR FISH BASKET, but because you can't make a "snake proof fish basket" ain't no reason to kill 'em.

Eastern Banded Water Snakes are sorta the "king snake of the lake".


AND, in the immortal words of Crocidile Dunee " You can eat 'em... But they taste worse than they smell". DAMHIKT:)
 
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Down here those are called Blotched Water Snakes, google it and see if it looks similar to you. The one I got recently stunk to high heaven, and that was even before I killed it. It turns out, that that is a defense mechanism to ward off its enemies or potential threats.

Sent from my Epic using Forum Runner
 
I am by no means a snake expert...but by looking at the head and its shape...tells me that this snke was to be fooled with. The markings on the body are unusual but that head to me is a dead give away. And I kill every poisinous snake that I can. Untill you have been bitten by one...you more than likely will never see that point of view. No n-lethal snakes...let them go...but snakes that can hurt you...better dead.
 
Rick P said:
Muskrat is that way too Penman.......LOL!
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I've got a running feud with the muskrat here. They've run plumb out of what muskrat normally eat and have found depth finder transducers on boats to be a delicacy.

I replaced one and the danged muskrat ate it again before I cold even swim back to the dock.

We have a bounty on beavers, too. Those millionaires from the city come here'd and call the cops because they think "kids" are stealing their high dollar willow, weeping cherry and Japanese Maple trees. At least the deer just eat the leaves off the maples....lol!
 
We don't have enough water here in the desert for muskrats, but gophers! man they are coming out of our ears!!! We need a bounty on those pesky little pocket gophers here, their holes can break a horse's leg in a hurry so we have to keep a sharp eye out when we ride and they climb the chicken wire I put around my small trees to keep them out and still eat the leaves! I went outside this morning to work on my tablesaw and found it sitting at a 30 degree angle, the little buggers had tunneled under one of the legs !!!!!! Gonna have to get an air rifle I guess.
 
RDH79 said:
Rick P said:
I am a subsistence hunter, life feeds on life and I frequently kill in the pursuit of food for my family. Respectfully, I understand fear............but not killing something you can't even name. Even if this was a poisonous snake they are vital in keeping rodent populations under control. Predators of all sizes are important to any healthy ecosystem. Bites are rare in areas where poisonous snakes are common and rarely fatal in north America. Rats, mice and other pests carry diseases.....this snake was far less of a threat to you.
Click to expand...

Rick To you it might not have been a threat, but what if it was a poisonous snake. We have black snakes too but I will not kill them because I know there not poisonous. If its a snake that I dont know what it is will end up like this one.
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I can agree with both sides.... While snakes are good for the ecosystem he did not know if it was a poisonous snake or not and erred on the side of caution. I offer a link to a pdf showing the snakes of Pennsylvania. Perhaps this might be of help for the future. I for one would not want a poisonous snake around my house.

http://fishandboat.com/factsnake.pdf
 
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Penman

Muskrats are fur baring critters ya can thank the wisdom of the folks at PETA for both of your "pest" animals. I grew up on a man made lake, dad though muskrats were the devil incarnate!!!!!! He'd give me and my brother a bounty then we would sell the hides. Used to laugh my but off when I would see some rich old woman prancing in her Muskrat fur!

Shadetree1
We lost a horse that way, they are a real issue anywhere there is pasture land.
 
Again I understand fear and I absolutely understand the gut reaction many have to snakes: Horses have literally been the direct cause of over a dozen broken bones for me. I got nailed by a siphonophore so badly that I could hardly walk for a week, it left welts on my legs that lasted more than a year. Got bit by just about every domestic critter with teeth and a few wild ones. A little rat dog gave me 14 stitches once. Hell we have 2 of the worlds most dangerous land predators on earth here in my own back yard and favorite place to camp.

Yet I have never struck down a horse. I love jelly fish, how else could I have gotten stung more than any other guide in single season while working at "Monterey bay kayaking"? I still like working farms and have never ran in fear from a toy poodle. Kill all snakes is the same as kill all anything. In the eyes of this backwoods boy and hunter, as well as that of the entire scientific community it is wrong thinking. Predators keep populations healthy and in check they are vital to the health of our world, our food sources and us personally! Some even produce our medicine, heparin is derived from snake venom......if you survived a heart attack you owe your life to a venomous snake! Killing any non-game animal that is not a DIRECT threat to life or property is also illegal in most states.
 
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LOL..True Ken very very true! In fact I know folks who tolerate our winters to avoid them, my Grand mother certainly would have! But like most Alaskans I was not born here. I spent my youth bringing home snakes, frogs and turtles from the swamps and ponds of Michigan. Most of college was spent in the field as well. Fact is Ken reptiles are one of 3 things I miss form the lower 48. My time in California was greatly enhanced by the multitude of slithering critters I found there as well.........I do have to admit though that tarantulas, face to face, were a bit more than I could take! I was walking a ridge on sunny day. Found myself a nice spot for a break and set down my apple. When I picked it up I found a new freind had stopped by to share my lunch with me........ya hear the phrase "screamed like a school girl" and "complete freakout on the side of a mountain" but until its YOU emitting a shrill sound that would have made miss Muffet blush they are just words.
 
All right, I admit it, I'm old fashioned. When my Dad gave my my first real weapon, a single shot 22, I was instructed, "It is OK to kill anything wild as long as you are in danger from it or hungry enough to eat it." I got caught killing Blue Jays while trying to locate squirrels. Let me tell you this, Blue Jays taste bad fried and there is not much meat there.

Now, I have learned what all my critters look like, which ones will try to kill me and which ones just want to be left alone to do their job. Do I want to find a Copper Head under my foot while hiking? NO! Not even a Black snake as good as they are.

But Please, why can't we all just get along! Critters and humans alike.
Charles
 
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