A Good Snake

[getaclue]

At least 2 neighbors have tried it. Yes. I ended it quickly.

 

[sharron]

Moved this guy out of our coop today. We pick up eggs early in the morning, found this guy when I brought some scraps out to my ladies later in the morning. I couldn’t figure out why my husband put our garden hose in the coop...until I saw how big it was...and it moved.

This guy will eat venomous snakes like Cooperheads and Cottonmouths. He’ll also eat rats, mice, etc. I have removed these snakes from neighbors homes and brought them to our property due to concern over snakes coming up from our creek out back.

Picked up the bucket, and moved him out, tipped him over and watched him slither off.

Definitely wouldn’t suggest messing with any snake if you are not sure of what it is...just in case. If you are unsure, call someone who is or a local wildlife officer, I know ours our happy to identify critters.

-Arkansas

wow, what a beauty

 

[sharron]

I don't let neighbors release snakes or tortoises in my yard, especially gopher turtles, which are actually a tortoise. No one around here has less than 2 acres, so there is no need for them to relocate anything. Besides that, gopher turtles are totally protected, and they don't dare get caught touching them, let alone picking them up to move them. They dig, so one or two are fine, but too many are not. I have my quota.

gophers are good eating, before they became protected my daddy would "pull" them and momma would cook them, this was in the 50's, we ate alot of game

 

[getaclue]

You are right, Sharron.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I don't let neighbors release snakes or tortoises in my yard, especially gopher turtles, which are actually a tortoise....

Those cute Gopher Tortoises are basically responsible for people in the Coastal Deep South having Eastern Diamond Rattle Snakes. The Tortoises dig the holes and the rattle snakes soon move in to escape hot temperatures. The tortoises don't seem to mind having a roommate so who am I to object to the living arrangements of reptiles?

 

[sharron]

Those cute Gopher Tortoises are basically responsible for people in the Coastal Deep South having Eastern Diamond Rattle Snakes. The Tortoises dig the holes and the rattle snakes soon move in to escape hot temperatures. The tortoises don't seem to mind having a roommate so who am I to object to the living arrangements of reptiles?

yes, daddy would never let me get close to the hole as he was pulling a gopher, but we did it for the food valve, not for cute little turtles, not much money in those days and we ate what we could catch(fish) or daddy could kill(hunting season)

 

[getaclue]

Sharron, very little of Florida was actually wealthy. Yes, there were a few, and they had their areas they lived in, but the majority were poor, to middling. We ate things like that, ran trot lines for snapping turtles, ate rabbits, deer, quail, coon, possum, and when the local poultry farm had a sale on spent hens, we would go get a bunch of those tough old hens to stew. Grandma did have chickens, so we got fresh eggs, and fryers. Grandad raised a few hogs. One was for us, the rest were to sell. There were plenty of local farmers, and when they opened the fields to U pic, it was cheap. Everyone had a garden. We picked our food by the hamper. For 2 months we picked, shucked, shelled, snapped, cut, peeled, then blanched, froze, or canned everything we'd need until the next season. During those 2 months, we ate sandwiches, and a pot full of whatever it was we were putting up that day. We had plenty of fruit trees in the yard, and everyone in our community gave their friends their excess fruit from their trees, in season. It was a totally different way of life than now, but I think we actually ate better food.

Just like learning to look before crossing over a log, or not getting too close to a gopher hole, we learned to keep from stepping in ant beds too. I was barefoot most of the time. I had shoes, but hated to wear them.

 

[sharron]

Sharron, very little of Florida was actually wealthy. Yes, there were a few, and they had their areas they lived in, but the majority were poor, to middling. We ate things like that, ran trot lines for snapping turtles, ate rabbits, deer, quail, coon, possum, and when the local poultry farm had a sale on spent hens, we would go get a bunch of those tough old hens to stew. Grandma did have chickens, so we got fresh eggs, and fryers. Grandad raised a few hogs. One was for us, the rest were to sell. There were plenty of local farmers, and when they opened the fields to U pic, it was cheap. Everyone had a garden. We picked our food by the hamper. For 2 months we picked, shucked, shelled, snapped, cut, peeled, then blanched, froze, or canned everything we'd need until the next season. During those 2 months, we ate sandwiches, and a pot full of whatever it was we were putting up that day. We had plenty of fruit trees in the yard, and everyone in our community gave their friends their excess fruit from their trees, in season. It was a totally different way of life than now, but I think we actually ate better food.

Just like learning to look before crossing over a log, or not getting too close to a gopher hole, we learned to keep from stepping in ant beds too. I was barefoot most of the time. I had shoes, but hated to wear them.

are you sure we're not sisters? we raised chicks , ate the roosters when they were still little, momma got the hens, when she wanted a chicken for chicken and dumplings, she would chop a head off most of the veggies momma raised herself, we picked berries from the sides of the road for cobbler. have to admit, no coons or possums tho, brother caught those and sold them
i think most of us hated shoes, momma had a devil of a time keeping shoes on me, only for school or going to town and yes the food was so much better

 

[MROO]

Be very, VERY careful with mothballs! If at all possible, find a better way to fend off predators. Mothballs usually contain either naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene, both of which leach into the soil and groundwater - and are toxic to children, pets and the environment in general!

 

[getaclue]

Thank you MROO. The ones I get contain napthalene.