# While you're out there... snakes?



## Chad_Minter (Mar 6, 2005)

Hi,

My name is Chad Minter, and I live in Eatonton. I'm the author of Venomous Snakes Of The Southeast. I'm hoping for a bit of help. I'm working on a new book and need pictures of snakes that you see in the field. If you happen to have a digital camera with you, and encounter a snake in the field, would you mind taking a photo (from a safe distance) and email it to swampy@bellsouth.net. Please include your name so proper credit to the photographer can be given.

I'll also be glad to identify any snake that you are not sure of the species. I can also remove live venomous snakes if you happen to have one in your yard if you are within reasonable driving distance to Putnam County.

(also, this is a strange request, but snakes love to hide under old rusty roofing tin that is laying on the ground. If you know of any central georgia spots that have old fallen buildings, or where people dump roofing tin, old refrigerators, and crap like that... please email me directions!!!)

Thanks Much,

Chad Minter
Author
Venomous Snakes of the Southeast
http://www.envenomated.com


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## dominantpredator (Mar 6, 2005)

I am always on the look out for those no-shoulder creatures....I can identify some snakes(all of the poisonous snakes)....I get confused on chicken snakes, rat snakes, and a few others....and if at all possible, the poisonous snakes usually will be killed. If I can I will get you some pics.


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## Toliver (Mar 6, 2005)

Are these of any use to you?


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## Joe Moran (Mar 6, 2005)

*Chad*

First, let me say welcome!

Second, let me ask...are you nuts?!!!   

I avoid snakes at all costs, & you go looking for them!

More power to you! 

We have been known to run up on the occasional rattlesnake on our lease in Talliaferro County, but I sure don't go peeking under stuff looking for them!

If we get the chance, I'll be glad to snap a pic for you, but then he's snake meat!


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## Toliver (Mar 6, 2005)

Joe, you'll be glad to know that snake I just posted came from Taliaferro.   He's no longer there as I brought him home with me.   I bet his Mom and Pop and brothers and sisters are still out there, though.


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## CAL (Mar 6, 2005)

Toliver,
You brought him home with ya! Let me be the first to congratulate you for being the all time winner of the "You ain't right award".


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## Joe Moran (Mar 6, 2005)

Toliver said:
			
		

> Joe, you'll be glad to know that snake I just posted came from Taliaferro.   He's no longer there as I brought him home with me.   I bet his Mom and Pop and brothers and sisters are still out there, though.



Thanks! I finally broke down & got a pair of snake boots last season. I still watch my step, but they sure give me piece of mind.  

CAL,
I second that! He ain't right at all!


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## dbodkin (Mar 6, 2005)

Most poisonous snakes I've seen posted here are hard to I.D. without a head   In 40+ years of hunting I've seen maybe 3 snakes.. I probably have seen more in my driveway....


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## frankwright (Mar 6, 2005)

Toliver, in the future please leave a warning like (Caution.. Snake pictures will appear in next post)

I spilled my drink and knocked down two grand Kids trying to get away from the computer.


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## CAL (Mar 6, 2005)

dbodkin,
I don't see any hunting either.I never see any in the clean places!I ain't gettin where they likes to be .Never seen one in my truck either!!!Sorry for being


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## Joe Moran (Mar 6, 2005)

My very good friend, & long time hunting buddy Jason has had more run- ins with rattlers than anyone else on our property.

One particular incident occured in the woods with his pants around his ankles!    

He ended up with pinestraw in his drawers!   

He is a snake magnet.


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## Chad_Minter (Mar 7, 2005)

*Nice Snake!!`*

Toliver,

That is a gorgeous Canebrake (also known as Timber) Rattlesnake. It's also a female, by the way.

I've got one about four feet long that I raised from a baby. You mentioned you brought her home... do you still have her?

I've got about 10 snakes, all georgia native and venomous. Believe it or not a LOT of people keep venomous. I was vice president of the Southeastern Hot Herp Society for 3 years, it's a group of hard-core venomous keepers. We have members in 32 states and 9 countries... the website is www.venomousreptiles.org 

Thanks much for the pics, I'm saving them. That shot of the rattle is great. 

Shoot me a private email if you like -- swampy@bellsouth.net

Chad Minter
http://www.envenomated.com


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## Walkie Takie (Mar 7, 2005)

I , don't like snake's at all ///////       and they don't  even taste like chicken///////
   w/t


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## Tom Borck (Mar 7, 2005)

This is a pic of a Cottonmouth I took.  

http://community.webshots.com/photo/64489984/68739099EbqGOY


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## Chad_Minter (Mar 7, 2005)

*Nice Cotton*

Nice Cotton! (I followed the webshots link and found the pic) ~ 

was that one near Statesboro?


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## Tom Borck (Mar 7, 2005)

Chad_Minter said:
			
		

> Nice Cotton! (I followed the webshots link and found the pic) ~
> 
> was that one near Statesboro?



In Screven County, about 10 miles south of Sylvania.

I just notice the big red X showed up.  I changed the link.

I walked right up on him as you can tell from the photo.  I am sure he lived a long life!


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## gordylew (Mar 7, 2005)

I,ve just purchased a small farm in Thomaston, I,ve been told it has a substantial Timber/Canebrake populus living around the rock outcroppings on the back of the property. If I happen to catch some this spring, would you be interested in them?. If not they might become belts.


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## gadeerwoman (Mar 7, 2005)

GaBuckeye probably still has a young rattler in the tailgate of his truck. Maybe he'll catch it for you.


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## Chad_Minter (Mar 7, 2005)

*Gordylew...*

Gordylew,

If you see that they are actually there, let me know and I'll swing by. (don't take any risks trying to catch them yourself though... )

Many times I've been told that "my property is FULL of rattlesnakes" and only once has it actually turned out to be the case. Apparently to some people a snake a year qualifies as an 'infestation.'  

I can always find good homes for them rather than see them killed. Keep my email handy ~ swampy@bellsouth.net

I'm always bouncing back and forth to south Georgia, I'm sure I could work a stop in thomaston during one of those forays...

~ Chad


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## Bucky T (Mar 7, 2005)

*Here's a copperhead*

Here's a pic of myself with a live copperhead I caught a couple of years ago.

Hope it helps.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/71281045/71603183yRGVSs

Tommy


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## Al White (Mar 8, 2005)

I saw a snake the other day while fishing in the pond, but still don't really know what it was.  It was swimming on top of the water, and looked like a rattlesnake, well the coloration and pattern did.  But, the head of the snake was really narrow, like a blacksnake?  It was about 4.5 to 5 ft long.  Had I not seen the head, I would have said it was a rattler.  Any ideas from you guys?


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## Bucky T (Mar 8, 2005)

Was his whole body on top of the water?  If it was, you were looking at a cottonmouth.  If just his head and part of his body were on top and the rest submerged, it was probably a banded water snake.

That's the easiest way to tell the two apart while they are in the water swimming.

Tommy


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## travissheerer (Mar 15, 2005)

*Help*

Hey everyone.  I am planning a turkey hunting trip in early April.  I am deathly afraid of snakes.  Absolutely hate them, and they scare the heck outta me.  Once, I was mowing my lawn and a garder snake was in front of the mower.  I screamed like a little girl.  My dad thought i chopped my foot off.  And that was just a gardner snake.  Haha.  Anyways, what do I have to watch out for.  I have knee high rubber boots, are they decent snake protection?  And what if I or one of my hunting partners gets bit......what do ya do?  Here in Michigan poisonous snakes aren't a problem so I have no idea.  If you could please list the snakes to watch out for so I can look up pics and identify them.  HAHA.  I know I am such a wimp.  Anyways thanks.


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## fredw (Mar 15, 2005)

*Chad, a question*



> That is a gorgeous Canebrake (also known as Timber) Rattlesnake. It's also a female, by the way.



How do you determine the sex of a snake?

No jokes now guys....this is a serious question.


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## MudDucker (Mar 15, 2005)

I found a diamond back on my farm last weekend.  Unfortunately, there are no pictures, because my donkey found him about the same time that I did.  There is little to recognize.  I had heard that donkey's don't like snakes, but man, its something to see!

There is a retired dermatologist down here in Valdosta who used to have and may still have an excellent snake collection.  Dr. Bechtel.  My buds and I used to catch snakes for him and sell them to him.


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## Bucky T (Mar 15, 2005)

T.S,

I assume you'll be hunting in Georgia or somewhere here in the south.

It really depends on where your hunting.  Here in Georgia, you can find Timber/Canebreak rattle snakes all over the state.  In the northern latitudes of the state they are called Timber Rattlers and are usually found among rocky out croppings in or around the forest.  In the middle and southern latitudes these rattlers are called Canebreak rattlers.  They have a different color to them and are found a lot of times in cane thickets hence their name, but can be found any where in the woods.  The Timber rattler has a darker color to them, more black than a cane break.

You can find Copperheads everywhere in the state.  They are upland forest snakes and live in decidious forest mostly.  They are in my opinion the most camoflaged snake in the woods.  They are nearly impossible to see when they are coiled up in a bed of leaves.

Cottonmouths/Water Moccasins range from the middle of the state down through Florida.  They only live near water.  My post above describes the way the swim and that is a great way to identify them in the water.  

We also have Eastern Diamondbacks, which I don't need to explain about that famous rattler.  They reside in the southern part of the state, but I've seen one as far up as Screven C. Ga which is on the eastern side of the state about 30 miles above Statesboro and 90 or so miles north of Savannah.  

There are also Pigmy rattlers which are found mostly in the southern part of the state as well.

The only non pit viper venomous snake we have is a Coral Snake.  These guys are member of the elapid family.  (Same family as a cobra.)  They are small and have very small fixed fangs.  They have a bad rep of biting and hanging on to you.  They have to chew on you to work their small fangs into you.  These snakes live only in the southern part of the state as well.

These guys have pretty much posted all the snakes your most likely to run into.  The Pigmy and Eastern Diamondbacks you probably won't see at all, and also the Coral Snake.

Honestly, your chances of running into any venomous snake is slim to none.  If you do, simply walk around it or go the other way.  They're more afraid of you than you are of them, but from reading your post, I may be mistaken!!

Good luck turkey hunting and don't worry about the snakes, you'll probably just run into a big black rat snake or a black racer!!!  

Tommy


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## travissheerer (Mar 15, 2005)

*Thanks*

Thanks a lot for the info.  And I think I am more afraid of the snakes than they are me.  Haha.  I am going to be hunting in northern georgia like berry college wma and maybe cohutta depending on how much of a work out i wanna get.  Thanks for the info though....it eases my mind.......a little. lol.


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## darrelllu613 (Mar 15, 2005)

you guys are all nuts...aint nutin like a dead snake.


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## Bucky T (Mar 15, 2005)

T.S,

The only one out of the bunch you may encounter will be a copperhead in that neck of the woods.  Maybe a Timber Rattler, but I doubt it.

Take it easy,

Tommy


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## xpertgreg (Mar 15, 2005)

a black snake is the only snake that has a chance around me.  and he only gets one chance, after that if he comes back he's dead.  I fall into the "the only good snake is a dead one" catagory.

I's have to agree with the above post and say that most likely you'll not see the first one.  I live about an hour from Berry and work there all the time and have no reason to think that you should be worried about snakes... I'd be more worried about hitting a deer with my truck down there.  You may find one over in cohutta, but I just wouldn't go runnin my hand down a hole under a big rock and you should be fine.

gw


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## red tail (Mar 15, 2005)

Snakes are good! They eat them nasty rats.


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## bubbafowler (Mar 15, 2005)

I had never run up on snakes but twice while huntin,   ((Had a 5 ft long rattlesnake crawl literally around the ladder of my deerstand while i was in it.  I almost tried to skewer him seeing as i was bow huntin, the other was while tracking a doe, a copperhead came at us, had to beat it to death with a weedeater that was in the junk pile he was in))   until last month. But then again we were rabbit hunting a couple weeks ago and saw 3 in one trip, but the longest one was only 2 ft.  Guy i hog hunted with in south ga used to shoot the rattlers then grill them up.  I never did try it, but everyone else siad they were great.--Bubba


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## frankwright (Mar 15, 2005)

In 20+ years of hunting in Georgia I have only seen one venomous snake and it was laying in the middle of an eight foot wide dirt path. You could see him long before you got close.

I scout for deer in July and August and bow hunt during the hot months and of course turkys in the spring so I am sure out there where there are snakes.

I just try to be careful and I walk carefully, I use a good light when walking in to a stand in the dark and I am careful where I sit or put my hands. Simple awareness will usually keep you out of trouble.

I hate snakes too!


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## ugabowhunter (Mar 17, 2005)

just a few snakes, travis,

copperheads, water moccasins (cottonmouths), eastern diamondback and canebrake(timber) rattlers, we have coral snakes too, but you really gotta be doing something funny to get bit by one b/c they have such a small mouth, but highly toxic if you do. if ya get bit, a lightly tightened turnicate (just enough to indent the skin) and, most importantly, immediate medical attn. also, if you're worried get ya some snake proof boots at bass pro shops. they're around $100 but they're comfortable and nice cause you're able to cross creeks and walk in swamps b/c they're about 17" high.keep you wits about you and your eyes open and you will have nothing to worry about, except trying to figure out these georgia longbeards.


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## lab (Apr 20, 2005)

this one was next to the diving board. he did not get any bigger.


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## sr.corndog (Apr 22, 2005)

*While your're out there*

Hey snakeman I have seen a increase in snake on my two ponds! Killed 15 in two weeks thank goodness for cheep shells from wallie world! The hotter the days get the braver the snakes get laying on old floating christmas trees and in alder bushes. 

My theory same as Vietnam KILL"IM ALL AND LET GOD SORT THEM OUT!


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## HT2 (Apr 22, 2005)

Some people just ain't right..........


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## flatheadpatrol (Apr 26, 2005)

*Snakes*

Check these out


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## Bucky T (Apr 26, 2005)

Nice Pics.

That cottonmouth was a fat one!!!  The first canebreak had a great rattle too.

Tommy


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## the HEED! (Jul 22, 2005)

*Thomas Lackey*

I caught a copper head about that size last summer after my brother almost stepped on it after putting up a ladder stand.


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## Bucky T (Jul 22, 2005)

I caught another one on a job site in Decatur, about 3 times bigger than that one.  I didn't have a camera on me however.  He was huge.  I let him go unharmed as well as the one posted above.

Tommy


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## STRYCNINE (Aug 1, 2005)

*Here's one*

Took this on the way to the club .


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## shaggybill (Aug 20, 2005)

Nice looking corn snake there! Thanks for posting.


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## Buckeye1 (Aug 21, 2005)

shoot first take pictures later!!!!!!


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