On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:37:09 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:06:54 -0700, "nom=de=plume"
wrote:

Are the black snakes poisonous?

No they are really quite harmless to anything they can't swallow.
They have tiny teeth that barely break the skin on a soft spot like
the inside of your arm and don't hurt my fingers at all.
I had one living in my screen cage for a couple weeks and they are
always around the yard. I still get one in now and then.
It sure did a good job on the bugs, lizards and tree frogs.That's how
I know I have one. Nothing is alive in there.
http://gfretwell.com/wildlife/Black%20racer.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/wildlife/Black%20racer2.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/wildlife/Black%20racer3.jpg

I am the local snake wrangler and I go get them out of other's peoples
pool cages and garages a lot.
I toss them in my yard if I can't talk them into keeping them at in
their yard. I suppose it takes them about an hour to make their way
back but I tried ;-)


The black snake in the picture sequence is a racer? King snakes are
famously known for eating rattlesnakes, too, since apparently they are
immune to rattlesnake venom.

When I was a kid, when I would come across a racer, I would try to
chase it down. It was like a sport, since the racers were so fast. I
never did see a black one, though. The ones I've encountered in our
area have been blue or green.

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On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:01:18 -0400, gfretwell wrote:


The pythons are so bad in the everglades they have opened up hunting for
them. No closed season, no bag limit and no restriction on how you take
them.
My son in law works for water management and the guy they have taking
them uses a shotgun. The trick is being far enough away that when you
hit one in the part that is exposed, he can't get you when he strikes
back. It is certainly not a "single shot" shotgun sort of thing. You
need a quick follow up shot to hit him in the head on that strike. It is
sort of a "station 8 low house" sort of thing but a "double". There are
teams that capture them alive but they are not your average people and
they do get bit a lot. The bites are very likely to get infected.
I am going to get out there with the water management folks the first
time I get a chance but I will be a shotgun guy, not a "grab'm" guy. (at
least not at first)
I might want to go out with a capture team once I get a feel for it. I
don't mind wrestling with critters.

Looks like you have a new python, besides the Burmese one.

http://www.miamiherald.com/573/story/1243680.html

I'm still amazed those things will tangle with an alligator. I was doing
a little reading on the pythons. It seems they could really do some
damage on the Everglades ecosystem. That's a shame. There isn't any
place like the Everglades.

On Sep 21, 9:49*pm, thunder wrote:
On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:01:18 -0400, gfretwell wrote:
The pythons are so bad in the everglades they have opened up hunting for
them. No closed season, no bag limit and no restriction on how you take
them.
My son in law works for water management and the guy they have taking
them uses a shotgun. The trick is being far enough away that when you
hit one in the part that is exposed, he can't get you when he strikes
back. It is certainly not a "single shot" shotgun sort of thing. You
need a quick follow up shot to hit him in the head on that strike. It is
sort of a "station 8 low house" sort of thing but a "double". There are
teams that capture them alive but they are not your average people and
they do get bit a lot. The bites are very likely to get infected.
I am going to get out there with the water management folks the first
time I get a chance but I will be a shotgun guy, not a "grab'm" guy. (at
least not at first)
I might want to go out with a capture team once I get a feel for it. I
don't mind wrestling with critters.

Looks like you have a new python, besides the Burmese one.

http://www.miamiherald.com/573/story/1243680.html

I'm still amazed those things will tangle with an alligator. *I was doing
a little reading on the pythons. *It seems they could really do some
damage on the Everglades ecosystem. *That's a shame. *There isn't any
place like the Everglades.

B'leve it or not, the PETA types got upset about shooting the pythons.

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:28:59 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:21:13 -0500, wrote:

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 16:37:09 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:06:54 -0700, "nom=de=plume"
wrote:

Are the black snakes poisonous?

No they are really quite harmless to anything they can't swallow.
They have tiny teeth that barely break the skin on a soft spot like
the inside of your arm and don't hurt my fingers at all.
I had one living in my screen cage for a couple weeks and they are
always around the yard. I still get one in now and then.
It sure did a good job on the bugs, lizards and tree frogs.That's how
I know I have one. Nothing is alive in there.
http://gfretwell.com/wildlife/Black%20racer.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/wildlife/Black%20racer2.jpg
http://gfretwell.com/wildlife/Black%20racer3.jpg

I am the local snake wrangler and I go get them out of other's peoples
pool cages and garages a lot.
I toss them in my yard if I can't talk them into keeping them at in
their yard. I suppose it takes them about an hour to make their way
back but I tried ;-)


The black snake in the picture sequence is a racer? King snakes are
famously known for eating rattlesnakes, too, since apparently they are
immune to rattlesnake venom.

When I was a kid, when I would come across a racer, I would try to
chase it down. It was like a sport, since the racers were so fast. I
never did see a black one, though. The ones I've encountered in our
area have been blue or green.

The southern black racer is more closely related to the northern black
snake from what I understand. They may even be the same crtitter with
environmental adaptation.

That's interesting. The black snake in this area is rather gentle.
The old farmers in the area wouldn't mind the black snakes in their
barns or in the corn cribs because the snakes would eat the rats. I
remember having a black snake as a pet when I was a kid. A person
could handle it without a worry.

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On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 02:21:55 -0400, wrote:

On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:28:38 -0500, wrote:

The black snake in the picture sequence is a racer? King snakes are
famously known for eating rattlesnakes, too, since apparently they are
immune to rattlesnake venom.

When I was a kid, when I would come across a racer, I would try to
chase it down. It was like a sport, since the racers were so fast. I
never did see a black one, though. The ones I've encountered in our
area have been blue or green.

The southern black racer is more closely related to the northern black
snake from what I understand. They may even be the same crtitter with
environmental adaptation.

That's interesting. The black snake in this area is rather gentle.
The old farmers in the area wouldn't mind the black snakes in their
barns or in the corn cribs because the snakes would eat the rats. I
remember having a black snake as a pet when I was a kid. A person
could handle it without a worry.

The southern black racers are pretty aggressive. They won't hurt you
but they put on quite a show. They really don't like being picked up.
It is quite a show when I pull one out of someone's pool cage.
I let them go nuts striking at everything until I get it outside
because I know it won't hurt me.
They do put a nasty stink on your hands. That is some protective
reaction I imagine.
As soon as they hit the ground they are gone.
The flip side of that is if they are really attacked they will roll up
in a ball with nothing but the tail sticking out, whipping around,
trying to look like a rattle.
My dog went after one and he rolled up like a hockey puck. I picked
him up and tossed out the door. Once it was clear it opened up and
rocketed away unharmed.

That sounds typical of the behavior of the Hognose snake (or Puff
Adder) in this area. It will spread the sides of its head like a
cobra, and it puts on quite a show. It acts ill-tempered and will
strike. But the thing is harmless. When it becomes obvious that it
hasn't dissuaded its 'attacker' it plays dead. It's really amusing to
watch.

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On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:37:08 -0400, wrote:

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:49:48 -0500, thunder
wrote:

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:01:18 -0400, gfretwell wrote:


The pythons are so bad in the everglades they have opened up hunting for
them. No closed season, no bag limit and no restriction on how you take
them.
My son in law works for water management and the guy they have taking
them uses a shotgun. The trick is being far enough away that when you
hit one in the part that is exposed, he can't get you when he strikes
back. It is certainly not a "single shot" shotgun sort of thing. You
need a quick follow up shot to hit him in the head on that strike. It is
sort of a "station 8 low house" sort of thing but a "double". There are
teams that capture them alive but they are not your average people and
they do get bit a lot. The bites are very likely to get infected.
I am going to get out there with the water management folks the first
time I get a chance but I will be a shotgun guy, not a "grab'm" guy. (at
least not at first)
I might want to go out with a capture team once I get a feel for it. I
don't mind wrestling with critters.

Looks like you have a new python, besides the Burmese one.

http://www.miamiherald.com/573/story/1243680.html

I'm still amazed those things will tangle with an alligator. I was doing
a little reading on the pythons. It seems they could really do some
damage on the Everglades ecosystem. That's a shame. There isn't any
place like the Everglades.

I was flipping channels tonight and saw that Jackass guy playing with
two anacondas in one of those ball houses the kids play in.
One of the snakes disappeared in those balls and popped out of nowhere
to grab one of the guys by the leg. The Jackass guy got two nasty
bites on his arm trying to hold one. He had it too far from the head
(maybe on purpose, considering who it was).
I am thinking the shotgun doesn't sound like a bad idea.
I am not looking for aT

The internet should disclose some makers of western boots. Might be
good money in the skins

Casady

On Sep 22, 8:06*am, (Richard Casady)
wrote:
On Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:37:08 -0400, wrote:
On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:49:48 -0500, thunder
wrote:

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:01:18 -0400, gfretwell wrote:

The pythons are so bad in the everglades they have opened up hunting for
them. No closed season, no bag limit and no restriction on how you take
them.
My son in law works for water management and the guy they have taking
them uses a shotgun. The trick is being far enough away that when you
hit one in the part that is exposed, he can't get you when he strikes
back. It is certainly not a "single shot" shotgun sort of thing. You
need a quick follow up shot to hit him in the head on that strike. It is
sort of a "station 8 low house" sort of thing but a "double". There are
teams that capture them alive but they are not your average people and
they do get bit a lot. The bites are very likely to get infected.
I am going to get out there with the water management folks the first
time I get a chance but I will be a shotgun guy, not a "grab'm" guy. (at
least not at first)
I might want to go out with a capture team once I get a feel for it. I
don't mind wrestling with critters.

Looks like you have a new python, besides the Burmese one.

http://www.miamiherald.com/573/story/1243680.html

I'm still amazed those things will tangle with an alligator. *I was doing
a little reading on the pythons. *It seems they could really do some
damage on the Everglades ecosystem. *That's a shame. *There isn't any
place like the Everglades.

I was flipping channels tonight and saw that Jackass guy playing with
two anacondas in one of those ball houses the kids play in.
One of the snakes disappeared in those balls and popped out of nowhere
to grab one of the guys by the leg. The Jackass guy got two nasty
bites on his arm trying to hold one. He had it too far from the head
(maybe on purpose, considering who it was).
I am thinking the shotgun doesn't sound like a bad idea.
I am not looking for aT

The internet should disclose some makers of western boots. Might be
good money in the skins

Casady

As all the grandkids of my parents got older, at Easter, the kid's
would hide the eggs and the adults would look for em. My sis in law
was bending over to pick up an egg and a hognose snake "struck" at
her. She fainted right there on the spot and so did the snake. You
could roll the snake on his belly and he'd roll back over like he's
trying to say, 'Go away, I'm dead", sorta cute.
Another time, we were exploring the pit at Falling Waters State Park
mapping the cave at the bottom and one of the guys finds a black racer
in the pit and decides to "rescue" it even though tit looked very
happy to me down there. He caught it and stuffed it into his pack and
started up the rope. He gets about halfway up and that snake got out
of his pack and starts wrapping round his arm biting him and he's
desperately trying to stuff it back in with one hand, funny as hell.

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:06:54 -0700, "nom=de=plume"
wrote:

Are the black snakes poisonous?

There are no poisonous snakes. They are all safe to eat. Some are
venomous, but not blacksnakes.

Casady

On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:01:18 -0400, wrote:

I am going to get out there with the water management folks the first
time I get a chance but I will be a shotgun guy, not a "grab'm" guy.
(at least not at first)

Where would you go for the best python hunting and what would be the
most suitable boat? I've been back 20 to 30 miles in the Little Shark
River area but haven't seen any snakes, possibly from lack of skill at
it.

Do you need to notify the park people in advance?

"Richard Casady" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 12:06:54 -0700, "nom=de=plume"
wrote:

Are the black snakes poisonous?

There are no poisonous snakes. They are all safe to eat. Some are
venomous, but not blacksnakes.

Casady


I meant venomous. Thanks for the correction. I've never had a problem with
snakes (non-human of course). I don't even mind spiders. I had a friend with
a tarantula. I wouldn't have picked it as a pet, but it was ok to handle
(after a few thoughtful minutes of consideration).

--
Nom=de=Plume