During most of my career I have never been concerned too much about snakes. But over the last 3 years or so, I have seen a steady increase in copperheads and rattlesnakes here in Louisiana. I think it may be related to much of the land being now leased to hunting clubs instead of open to the public as much of our privately owned woodland used to be.
I have seen 4 eastern diamond back rattlesnakes this spring. All 4 were on sandy woods road where they like to lay out and warm up. 3 of them were astonishingly big, two of them having heads almost the size of my hand. In the past we'd go for years without seeing a single one of them. I have never worn snake chaps, but I think based upon what I have seen lately I need some. I cannot imagine how bad it would be to be bitten by a huge rattler.
Frank,
I have gotten where I wear my snake chaps anytime I am in the woods, or tall grass. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
They also protect my lower legs from briars, so the benefit is two fold.
Be careful. I have seen more snakes dead in the roads the past few weeks. Looks like it is going to an active year. I only saw one snake in the field last year.
Jimmy
You are right.
Have you seen the new chaps that are very thin and almost look like khakis? They are "guaranteed."
The bigger rattlers are reported to sometimes strike at one's hands.
No, I haven't seen those. My snake chaps are Whitewater brand. I bought them at the Bass Pro Shops store in Memphis.
I am very careful where I put my hands. A few years ago, we were working along the Mississippi River levee system in Tunica County, MS. I was working with one of our party chiefs, and we were recovering monuments along the top of the levee. We found the monument well, and cleared the tall grass from around the top. The party chief was about to reach into the well, and get some of the grass that had fallen in the well. I happened to see something move, and grabbed his arm before he could reach into the well. We grabbed the sharpshooter, and scooped out a 12" baby cotton mouth.
It could have been a bad, bad day.
I have noticed that since the number of fire ants has decreased around here, there has been an increase in the number of snakes, quail, native ants, bees, ticks and other ground dwelling critters. When the initial front of the fire ant invasion came through here (about 1974 thru 1990) virtually everything that lived on the ground was affected and decreased in number. We still have fire ants here, but not in the step from one mound to the next tremendous numbers that we had in the past. I have seen an increase in the number of snakes around and can once again hear quail in the evenings. At least this is my theory of it all.
Ants!
> I have noticed that since the number of fire ants has decreased around here,
Maybe you're seeing the beginning of the Crazy Ant invasion.
Stay tuned!
Out of curiosity, is there a reason for the fire ant decline?
Researchers at the University of Texas are warning that the invasive species from South America has the potential to change the ecological balance in the southeastern United States, largely because the ants can wipe out colonies of what's been widely considered the insect villain of the region, the fire ant.
I agree with Jeff.
my guess is overpopulation.
i really like that bad movie 'Snakes on a Plane'.
it was almost as good as 'Hot Tub Time Machine'.
This one lived "Just Across The River" from you. You cannot be too careful this time of year.
Another one of my theories -
When the initial wave of the fire ant invasion came through, they were establishing colonies very quickly and most were fairly small and densely populated - you could step from mound to mound in many places and very few things that lived on the ground could find a place to live, breed and survive. As the invading wave continued past conquered territory, the existing mounds were left to survive on their own and many individual colonies were wiped out in turf wars with other fire ant colonies in competing for food and space. Maybe the most vigorous and fierce individuals continued their rampage, while more docile and lazy ants stayed in place and found a lessor and more sustainable population density. It could be that a natural predator or disease found them and decreased their numbers, but I think if that had happened, one of the many scientists that is searching for a solution would have found it and honed in on it by now.
All I really do know, is that the days of having to put gasoline on our boots so we could work in the field have long since past. We're still not where I would like to be with fire ant numbers, but thankfully it is not as bad as it once was.
Pretty good little rattler. 🙂
I imagine just the impact and fang cut from that thing would hurt. It is amazing how many of them are that big.
Camera perspective is a great thing to play with.
I don't know this guy, the source of the photo, or the context....but when you mentioned "camera", the picture itself seems to be photoshopped. His arms don't appear to be at the right angle or strained for a snake that big.
Edit: Is the snake on a stick or something that he's holding?
The photo is not "Photo Shopped". Snakes of that size are quite common in Mississippi.
That one was harvested in Warren County. I have killed several 6'+ snakes like that on numerous Summer Camps at Camp Shelby, Mississippi. During one camp I saw a Deuce and a Half stopped on top of a large snake. The front tires had him pinned down, one tire about 6" short of his tail and the other about 8" from his head, with him striking at the tire for all he was worth. Didn't take the time to see what type he was. He was pizzed and pinned and that was fine with me. Figured the driver could deal with the situation.
Rat Snakes and Black Runners get bigger than that in my area. I live in an urban area with a wooded field behind my house. Those woods are LOADED with large snakes, Deer, Rabbits and Raccoons. The big snakes control the rats and field mice nicely.
Don't cast doubts about things until you have seen them for yourself. Most of you would be stunned by what slithers through the back yards of people that live in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Yes, there are snakes of that size.
However, in most of the photos making the rounds on the internet, the actual size of the snake is maximized by camera perspective. The person holding the snake would be working much harder to hold the snake in the position shown if it was actually as heavy as a snake of that size is supposed to be. The stick or whatever that is being used to hold the snake up is in such a position as to disappear or nearly so behind the body of the snake, thus suggesting the snake is in, or very close to, the hands of the person in the photo.
You'd be surprised how light a large snake with a spine larger than your thumb is. That snake may top out at about 10 pounds and the old fellow holding him up is used to MUCH heavier loads than that.
That is probably a 6 to 6.5 footer and would not weigh as much as you are suggesting. I haven't seen a 30 or 40 pounder in Warren County in years. They get that big, they are called alligators.
I also agree that snakes that size are all over the place down here.
One summer a few years ago I was driving down a sandy road on a cool day, and I saw one about that size stretched out in pure white sand in the road, run over and dead. I picked him up with a golf putter I had in the back of my pickup and put him in the back of my pickup. By the time I got home the crazy thing was ALIVE and ratting like a huge buzzer and going crazy. Gave me chills.
In doing a little checking I was told that sometimes they get out on white sand in the sun to warm up and sometimes they get too hot. That must have been the case with this thing. Boy was that stupid. I was sure he was dead.
