Shame on the snake killer on Camp Creek Road!

**BayouBelle** · 05-04-2009, 03:17 PM

'SHAME ON YOU' to the person who purposely ran over the big black snake trying to cross the road by Camp Creek Golf Club today around lunch time. I waited to patiently let it slither across the road only to see the person behind me swerve to crush it before it made it to the other side.

I'm no huge fan of the creatures, but my God, give the poor guy a chance to cross a very unbusy road in peace without having some minivan run it down. I even turned around to see if it had survived somehow and it hadn't.

That made me really sad and angry so I just thought I'd vent here.

**lerxst** · 05-04-2009, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by BayouBelle

'SHAME ON YOU' to the person who purposely ran over the big black snake trying to cross the road by Camp Creek Golf Club today around lunch time. I waited to patiently let it slither across the road only to see the person behind me swerve to crush it before it made it to the other side.

I'm no huge fan of the creatures, but my God, give the poor guy a chance to cross a very unbusy road in peace without having some minivan run it down. I even turned around to see if it had survived somehow and it hadn't.

That made me really sad and angry so I just thought I'd vent here.

Sorry you had to witness that BB,

It wasn't me but I'll catch you a snake to replace the flattened serpent?

**scooterbug44** · 05-04-2009, 03:52 PM

Are you sure they killed it?

I was told that running big snakes over w/ a car wouldn't kill them because they just tense up their muscles.

**BayouBelle** · 05-04-2009, 04:20 PM

Yeah, unfortunately. I turned my car around and drove by it and it's skin was peeled off from half his body and stuff was oozing out. Yuck - sorry for the graphic nature of this reply!

**mikecatadjuster** · 05-04-2009, 04:20 PM

I saw a big black snake crossing the road the other day too. It was big enough to make me wonder if was an endangered Indigo, but it may have just been a big black racer. That's sad that someone would go out of their way to kill wildlife. I leave the snakes grinning from my encounters.

**Foodlover** · 05-04-2009, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by mikecatadjuster

I saw a big black snake crossing the road the other day too. It was big enough to make me wonder if was an endangered Indigo, but it may have just been a big black racer. That's sad that someone would go out of their way to kill wildlife. I leave the snakes grinning from my encounters.

I believe I saw an Indigo at Jolee Island at Sandestin. The snake was moving out from under the boardwalk that goes down to the beach area. My dog started to run after it until I told her no. We watched it as it moved into the brush. I think it was at least 6 feet long (maybe longer) and it was very large in diameter.

At the time I did not know what type of snake it was. I described it to a friend and they said that it sounded like an Indigo. So I looked it up online and I am almost certain that it was an Indigo. I read that they can live for many years in captivity (over 20 years). I wonder if that one is still at Jolee or if they have a wide habitat range?

DD · 05-04-2009, 07:05 PM

**Seasheller** · 05-04-2009, 08:32 PM

Ya'll are really good people.

I have seen several snakes on that road when biking.
Am terrified to look at them. Usually I yell and run off the
road or into the person I'm with. I would have to honestly
come clean and say the only reason I wouldn't run over
one in a car is the mess it would make on my car.

**NoHall** · 05-04-2009, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by Seasheller

Ya'll are really good people.

I have seen several snakes on that road when biking.
Am terrified to look at them. Usually I yell and run off the
road or into the person I'm with. I would have to honestly
come clean and say the only reason I wouldn't run over
one in a car is the mess it would make on my car.

Just remember that the big black snakes eat the poisonous ones.

**Seasheller** · 05-04-2009, 10:06 PM

Originally Posted by NoHall

Just remember that the big black snakes eat the poisonous ones.

Thats some good information!

**scooterbug44** · 05-05-2009, 12:05 AM

Originally Posted by Seasheller

Ya'll are really good people.

I have seen several snakes on that road when biking.
Am terrified to look at them. Usually I yell and run off the
road or into the person I'm with. I would have to honestly
come clean and say the only reason I wouldn't run over
one in a car is the mess it would make on my car.

I think if I saw a snake while biking you'd hear either me screaming or the sirens!

There have been some close calls w/ string and other assorted debris that got the ol' heart rate up.

And I confess that the reason I don't run them over w/ my car is that I was told it didn't work!

Yes, God's creatures, blah, blah, blah .............. they still freak me out as they always manage to catch me by surprise!

**dogflyguy** · 05-05-2009, 08:30 AM

Yeah i am a snake lover,whenever i see one i am like steve irwin i want to catch it and examine it's colors and markings and attitude. I hate when people kill them for no reason espicially the Non-Poisonous ones.when all they have to do is walk away or bicycle for 5 minutes and it will usally be gone. Just yesterday i heardsomeone scream outside my office when i went to investigate a couple of ladies had walked up on a banded water snake and the one started yelling its a water maccasin (commonly mistaken for) and to go get the hoe from the shop and kill it. luckily i intervened and showed them how to tell the difference and caught it and showed them the markings. not to sure they wouldn't try to kill it i took it and put it in one of my fish plots. It's very happy and safe now. At least until he goes looking for a mate!!

**Mango** · 05-05-2009, 10:00 AM

I fished a black snake out of my pool in Sowal a couple of weeks ago. It seemed very appreciative, and I sat about 10 feet from it, drinking my coffee, and it hung out a while with me. Didn't seem intimidated, no hissing or anything defensive, just stuck it's tongue out a few times immediately after being rescued. I assumed it was exhausted. It was about 3 feet long, very black, no other markings that I could see. I am looking at pictures of the Indigo and the Racer and I can't tell them apart.

**Smiling JOe** · 05-05-2009, 10:53 AM

Originally Posted by scooterbug44

Are you sure they killed it?

I was told that running big snakes over w/ a car wouldn't kill them because they just tense up their muscles.

That makes complete sense. A snake can surely tense its muscles to make a 6000# vehicle bounce over it. I bet humans can also try it.

**scooterbug44** · 05-05-2009, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Smiling JOe

That makes complete sense. A snake can surely tense its muscles to make a 6000# vehicle bounce over it. I bet humans can also try it.

We were talking about the scootermobile (less than 3,000 lbs) and a BIG snake.

**seagrovegirl** · 05-05-2009, 11:10 AM

Black snakes should be left alone for reasons already mentioned. Now a rattlesnake.....is another story. I ran one over, a huge one, on Bay Drive years ago in a little Mazda truck...and it disappeared. I mean it wasn't in the road and it didn't slither off, so that means it is under the truck. When I got home I opened the door...fas....t and leaped about 10 feet away from the truck. Never found the snake......eebie-jeebies!!!!

**Lynnie** · 05-05-2009, 11:13 AM

I used to play with snakes as a little girl. My brother made a house for one (he took Shop Class that year) and every morning before school I would go check on it and feed it. It molted! I was horrified, cried and made my brother set it free. I won't go out of my way to run over one today, but I also won't endanger humans to avoid running over one.

And, yes the black ones take care of the bad ones around........

**Lynnie** · 05-05-2009, 11:16 AM

Anyone ever been to the Rattlesnake Roundup in S. GA? Oooh, I shiver just remembering the noise of the rattlers.

My cousin was Rattlesnake Queen! Twice!

**dogflyguy** · 05-05-2009, 02:43 PM

No but went to one in Austin Tx when i visited my brother,talk about crazy they would put 40 snakes in a glass booth about 8'x8' and crazy texans would get in there and see how maney they could get in a sack in 2 minutes and not get bit. I saw 4 guy's do it and no one got bit and the winner had about 25 if i remember right (long time ago)

**dogflyguy** · 05-05-2009, 02:45 PM

sorry thats many dang prescription drugs!!!

**Foodlover** · 05-05-2009, 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by Mango

I fished a black snake out of my pool in Sowal a couple of weeks ago. It seemed very appreciative, and I sat about 10 feet from it, drinking my coffee, and it hung out a while with me. Didn't seem intimidated, no hissing or anything defensive, just stuck it's tongue out a few times immediately after being rescued. I assumed it was exhausted. It was about 3 feet long, very black, no other markings that I could see. I am looking at pictures of the Indigo and the Racer and I can't tell them apart.

Apparently it is not always easy to tell the two snakes apart . . .

Eastern Indigo Snake in Alabama

Smaller indigo snakes are easily mistaken for the common black racer. Close examination is required to tell them apart. The common black racer is a slender, fast moving snake. The indigo snake is a stout, slow-moving snake. A distinct difference between the indigo snake and the black racer is the anal plate which is entire on the indigo and divided on the black racer. Another snake that is sometimes mistaken for the indigo snake is the black pine snake. Black pine snakes inhabit some of the same geographic locations as the indigo, but are easily differentiated. Black pine snakes have keeled scales. The indigo snake has smooth scales.

**NoHall** · 05-06-2009, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by Lynnie

I used to play with snakes as a little girl. My brother made a house for one (he took Shop Class that year) and every morning before school I would go check on it and feed it. It molted! I was horrified, cried and made my brother set it free. I won't go out of my way to run over one today, but I also won't endanger humans to avoid running over one.

And, yes the black ones take care of the bad ones around........

I have a cousin who used to find dead snakes and drag them around on a string when he was about 4 years old. His mother looked out the window one day and noticed that he had slack in the string...and he had a copperhead...

If you've ever been around copperheads, those bad boys are aggressive. All we can figure is that he surprised it so badly that it didn't know what to do but follow Stuart around. (Stuart was also a mean little kid--maybe the snake was afraid it would get food poisoning if he bit him, or that Stuart would bite back.)

**ShallowsNole** · 05-07-2009, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by Foodlover

Apparently it is not always easy to tell the two snakes apart . . .

Eastern Indigo Snake in Alabama

That's cool! But I don't see checking a snake's anal plates in my future.

**Lynnie** · 05-07-2009, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by dogflyguy

No but went to one in Austin Tx when i visited my brother,talk about crazy they would put 40 snakes in a glass booth about 8'x8' and crazy texans would get in there and see how maney they could get in a sack in 2 minutes and not get bit. I saw 4 guy's do it and no one got bit and the winner had about 25 if i remember right (long time ago)

That's just plain idiotic. The Rattlesnake Roundup in these parts started several decades ago because a farmer was struck and almost lost his leg. Word spread and it became a sport. Trappers have come from as far as Texas to this tiny town in S. GA, where they devenom them and send that to the hospitals, use the meat, which is yummy (tastes like chicken!) and the skins for fancy bags, etc.

There is a huge pit in this warehouse that is probably 25' in diameter and hundreds of snakes in there......that noise! Yikes. And, some are huge (those might be the ones from Texas!). It's a weekend festival including a beauty pageant, etc.......

Cheers~~~~~

DD · 05-07-2009, 07:15 PM

Originally Posted by Lynnie

That's just plain idiotic. The Rattlesnake Roundup in these parts started several decades ago because a farmer was struck and almost lost his leg. Word spread and it became a sport. Trappers have come from as far as Texas to this tiny town in S. GA, where they devenom them and send that to the hospitals, use the meat, which is yummy (tastes like chicken!) and the skins for fancy bags, etc.

There is a huge pit in this warehouse that is probably 25' in diameter and hundreds of snakes in there......that noise! Yikes. And, some are huge (those might be the ones from Texas!). It's a weekend festival including a beauty pageant, etc.......

Cheers~~~~~

The have one here too--in Sweetwater, TX. I can guarantee that this is one event I will never attend.

**ShallowsNole** · 05-07-2009, 08:45 PM

There's one in Opp, Alabama as well, or at least there used to be.

**ASH** · 05-08-2009, 02:58 PM

I got to help a critter cross the road recently so it didn't get run over. I was riding my bike North on 393 and saw something ahead start out into the road. I could see a pickup coming from the North and I thought for sure they would run it over. They ended up stopping and some guy got out of the back of the pickup topper as I was approaching.
It was a huge snapper turtle nearly two feet across. the guy tried to pick it up by grabbing the sides of the shell and when it scratched him, it freaked him out and he dropped it. He started hollering at his friends and they were all laughing at him.

I pulled up and told him to pick it up by the tail. He didn't speak a word of English and he didn't understand. He grabbed my bike and I walked up behind the turtle, grabbed its tail and lifted it as best I could and drug it to the edge of the road.
Ungrateful little bugger hissed at me!

You wouldn't want to run that turtle over. It would probably damage something underneath. It was a monster. As I peddled around the pickup to leave, there was a bunch of kids in the back all saying thank you.
All ended well that day.