Snakes!

A buddy was casting light with a mirror underneath sandstone caves worn out by the river when he saw a good size rattler. He grabbed it with a mechanical grabbing stick, but it coiled in such a way as to wedge itself in a tight space to resist capture. He knew he could "put a good stretch on it" and pull it out as soon as it tired, but WHILE HE WAS WAITING, another smaller rattler crawled beneath his chest and stopped right there--in such a nice warm spot, that it rested about ten minutes before sliding on. That was his last snake hunt...
 
My best friend is DEATHLY afraid of snakes. So much so that he will barely entertain the idea of hunting RSA, even though winters there are colder than they are here in Houston, and we never see snakes this time of year. Ever.

Once, we were doing some shooting on a place I used to have up near Lake Livingston. We'd finished shooting and were walking the couple hundred yards up the driveway back to the house when a BIG timber rattler crossed the driveway in front of us. He said "chute'em." I said "I'm out!" Says he "I am too."

Bear in mind this is my place. I mowed the front pasture where we were about every 6 weeks. In that time, it would grow to about 18". I *always* wore boots and jeans when I was out there. Always. He's in shorts and crocs. So, we're both out of ammo. What does he do? Picks up a big stick and runs off in this knee-high grass after this snake.

Did I say it was a BIG rattler? It was at least the diameter of my bicep.
 
My best friend is DEATHLY afraid of snakes. So much so that he will barely entertain the idea of hunting RSA, even though winters there are colder than they are here in Houston, and we never see snakes this time of year. Ever.
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July 17 2018. Look at the other side of the waterhole. A cobra came slithering in to drink. He slowly slithered off away from my pop up blind. An hour later I shot a warthog and when we got out of the blind the cobra was 10 feet away behind our blind slithering into the brush pile our blind was against. Can’t imagine what may have happened if we weren’t getting out at that time. I asked my PH how many snakes he sees this time of year and he said so far in my life one...
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My daughter and I were fishing at a local pond. I noticed the domestic ducks had gone silent and frozen in place and went to investigate. I found this small American water (garter) snake had caught a little largemouth bass, gotten it to shore and was trying to kill and turn it to consume its meal. After an hour the snake had manipulated its meal to headfirst and started the swallowing process-darkness prevented any more photos-

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Only interesting African story was in Namibia 2010. Warm day in late June. We are walking through a large flat of thigh-high grass hunting kudu. Looking down I wondered what an odd spot for a length of electrical cable. My PH's hand stopped me in my tracks, and looking up, seemingly at eye level - though I am sure actually just above the grass - is the neck and head of a black mamba. I am a good ten feet a way, and a significant piece of him is at my feet. The tracker is within 4 feet. After what seemed like 45 minutes, but was likely closer to 45 seconds, the head and neck submerged into the grass like the periscope of a U-Boat. The cable at my feet moved off at a deliberate pace.
 
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This story makes my blood to freeze!
 
a few years ago I was in Thailand, on a regular tourist trip. The country is Buddhist, hunting is not welcomed there (although there are several types of pheasants, but alas...). We went on a regular tour of the river Kwai. Hotel with carved teak furniture on the banks of the river, frogs yelling at all voices, in General, all things. So I took my wife for a walk in the jungle while the rest of the group was having fun at the water Park. And having only half a kilometer, we saw the following picture: in the woods, rustling the leaves, literally carrying huge black and grey snake lifted high on the neck. A long meters 4-5. With the speed of the train, hell catch up. She went about her business, and we went to the hotel at the same speed. Then I looked at the directories-it was the same Royal Cobra, by the way I read that she eats other snakes, not tourists.
And about the black Mamba - recently one of our TV presenter on his own stupidity got a bite of this nice animal right on the air. Although the case was in the city -- not rescued, has died.
 
With all this mamba, cobra and adder talk I've come up with a solution that may work for the "snakes haters" like myself...just gotta figure out the rifle firing equation in my body of armor.:ROFLMAO:

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In 17 trips to SA and Namibia I've only seen three snakes all in Limpopo. One in July the others in Aug. and Sept. One was a Black mamba and one was a spitting cobra and the other I don't remember what it was but it was poisonous and they killed it.
 
Thailand, has something like 35 species of poisonous snakes. Eeeeshh!
 

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When living on a farm in the Western Cape every year I killed one or two Cape Cobras. They are very active during January and February, sometimes tried to get into the house. One day I killed one under the dining table. Always have had a S & W Centennial .38 with shot shells in my pocket. Because of our guests (we owned a guest house) and our small children plus dogs we couldn't take a chance. Not far from us, a young girl got killed by a Cape Cobra. During my years in Northern Transvaal, now Limpopo province, I was dealing with Pythons on a regular basis. Farmers dropped them in my garage - I released the snakes in our state forest.
 
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Grz63 wrote on Werty's profile.
(cont'd)
Rockies museum,
CM Russel museum and lewis and Clark interpretative center
Horseback riding in Summer star ranch
Charlo bison range and Garnet ghost town
Flathead lake, road to the sun and hiking in Glacier NP
and back to SLC (via Ogden and Logan)
Grz63 wrote on Werty's profile.
Good Morning,
I plan to visit MT next Sept.
May I ask you to give me your comments; do I forget something ? are my choices worthy ? Thank you in advance
Philippe (France)

Start in Billings, Then visit little big horn battlefield,
MT grizzly encounter,
a hot springs (do you have good spots ?)
Looking to buy a 375 H&H or .416 Rem Mag if anyone has anything they want to let go of
 
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