Originally Posted By: HomelessjOe
I caught one in southern Mississippi it was about as big around as your finger it's head was same size as its body and it was 12 to 14 inches long...pinned it's head down and picked it up. Can't recall the color lay out and later wondered if it was a common banded king snake ?


I killed my last snake 45 years ago; a streamside timber rattler on Waters Creek while I was trout fishing. Since then, I made a pact with snakes: you leave me alone and I will reciprocate. About 50 miles down the coast is privately owned Little Saint Simons Island. Herpetology researchers at one time considered it to be the most dense population of Eastern Diamondbacks in the world. About 30 miles to the north is a barrier island in the mouth of Port Royal Sound, SC. I was told the story about a man who was on the beachfront with his retreiver that strayed into the tall grass and was killed by an EDB. The dog's owner went home, got a Calcutta canepole and spent the day shaking the grass with it; when he heard a Big Buzzer, he shot it dead. He cleared out a lot of snakes. Shrimper friends tell stories of seeing the big snakes offshore swimming.
Stan, I recall reading the same story about the instant killing of the timber cruiser in either F&S or Sports Afield years ago. A big EDB carries a huge dose of venom. From what a vet told me, the canebrake (timber) rattler's venom is a mix of neuro and hemotoxins and is more troublesome than an EDB but for the volume of the latter's venom.
At one time I was lazy about wearing leggings or snakeboots while turkey hunting. Then Dale called to tell me that earlier in the morning where we hunt, he killed a bird. He went to pick it up and it flopped. A camoflaged canebrake lying in the leaves, a big one, struck the flopping turkey as Dale bent over to pick it up. Neither Dale nor I have been without snake protection since. Dale may have also resorted to wearing Depends for a brief period. smile Last year while cleaning out a decorative goldfish pond, he was pulling leaves out from the circulating pump. An 8-10" long cottonmouth latched on to his index finger. Not much venom injected but he lost flesh where it bit and all the Dr. could do was prescribe antibiotics and something to relieve the swelling. He said it hurt like hell.

Gil