# Owl vs Snake vs Baseball Bat



## treedawg (Sep 18, 2012)

Not sure if this is the proper place but this was the best place I could think of.

This is the 1st video I've uploaded to Youtube.

A customer shared this video with me this afternoon. He said he filmed this during turkey season last spring in Laurens Co GA

I wish nature would have been allowed to run it's course without human intervention but that was not the case.

td


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## oaktree4444 (Sep 18, 2012)

wow


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## bhdawgs (Sep 18, 2012)

what kind of snake was that?  Did the owl live?   looks like his wing was broken.  kind of sad if he had to suffer


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## BOWHUNTER! (Sep 18, 2012)

Looks like it was just a king snake. Kinda thinking the guy smacked the owl with the bat in the process of hitting the snake??


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 18, 2012)

Not real smart to be posting videos showing 2 protected species being beat with a bat........


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## BAR308 (Sep 18, 2012)

cool vid. but leave it up to the troublemakers to try and point out something unlawful in the vid to get the dnr all heated up... why cant folks just look at a vid and enjoy it for what it is and not try to stir up trouble... good grief.


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## boarbutcher (Sep 18, 2012)

cuda67bnl said:


> Not real smart to be posting videos showing 2 protected species being beat with a bat........



 X2


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## don (Sep 19, 2012)

Thats a rat snake....either a very large dark grey rat or a black rat snake......looks like the ole bird jumped on something that fights back....


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## bluemarlin (Sep 19, 2012)

Who hunts turkey or walks the woods with PVC pipe and a baseball bat?


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## BassHunter25 (Sep 19, 2012)

My guess is that the owl got the snake, ( which I believe is a moccassin,) def not a rat snake or king snake I have ever seen.  Got bit and fell from where ever he was?????

Would make a cool mount!


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## NCHillbilly (Sep 19, 2012)

BassHunter25 said:


> My guess is that the owl got the snake, ( which I believe is a moccassin,) def not a rat snake or king snake I have ever seen.  Got bit and fell from where ever he was?????
> 
> Would make a cool mount!



Then you sure ain't seen many-that's a perfectly normal looking rat snake, 100%. 

Cool video, but I have no idea why he killed the snake? I think I woulda just left it alone and let whatever happened happen.


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 19, 2012)

Marlin7MM said:


> cool vid. but leave it up to the troublemakers to try and point out something unlawful in the vid to get the dnr all heated up... why cant folks just look at a vid and enjoy it for what it is and not try to stir up trouble... good grief.



Really?? I'm a trouble maker for pointing out that this was illegal? The guy in the video is a poacher. If it had been a deer, people would be coming out of the woodwork and screaming for him to be turned in.


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## olcowman (Sep 19, 2012)

Did that ratsnake have a strangle hold on that owl? Looked like he had him bout ready to tap out...


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## GAGE (Sep 19, 2012)

BassHunter25 said:


> ( which I believe is a moccassin,) def not a rat snake or king snake I have ever seen.
> 
> 
> 
> Good try,  it IS a rat snake. My daughter caught this one in our coop a couple months ago.


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## Lukikus2 (Sep 19, 2012)

NCHillbilly said:


> Then you sure ain't seen many-that's a perfectly normal looking rat snake, 100%.
> 
> Cool video, but I have no idea why he killed the snake? I think I woulda just left it alone and let whatever happened happen.



X 2 Just let mother nature take it's course.



olcowman said:


> Did that ratsnake have a strangle hold on that owl? Looked like he had him bout ready to tap out...



That's what I would say. Looks like the snake got the better part of the owl before the bat came along. From the start of the video it looks like the owl's wing is broken.


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## NCHillbilly (Sep 19, 2012)

GAGE said:


> BassHunter25 said:
> 
> 
> > ( which I believe is a moccassin,) def not a rat snake or king snake I have ever seen.
> ...


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## blood on the ground (Sep 19, 2012)

GAGE said:


> BassHunter25 said:
> 
> 
> > ( which I believe is a moccassin,) def not a rat snake or king snake I have ever seen.
> ...


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## jbird1 (Sep 19, 2012)

Interesting on a number of levels...still scratching my head on the whole pvc and bat deal.


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## turkeymerck (Sep 19, 2012)

man that was unreal...rat snake choking out an owl...unreal.

not sure why they guy intervened with a baseball bat...


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## arrendale8105 (Sep 19, 2012)

NCHillbilly said:


> Then you sure ain't seen many-that's a perfectly normal looking rat snake, 100%.
> 
> Cool video, but I have no idea why he killed the snake? I think I woulda just left it alone and let whatever happened happen.



I agree.  Poor snake.  going along minding his own business when bam, attacked by an owl.  fought for his life to get the owl in a choke hold (big suprise for the owl im sure) and turns the table.  not far from getting away to live another day when along comes someone to take his block off with a baseball bat thats suposidly turkey hunting (with a bat and PVC pipe?).  Wow! poor little guy.


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## PAE (Sep 19, 2012)

I feel bad for the owl... Should have tried to see what was wrong with the wing if possible. That probably should have been left to nature...


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## MonroeTaco (Sep 19, 2012)

arrendale8105 said:


> I agree.  Poor snake.  going along minding his own business when bam, attacked by an owl.  fought for his life to get the owl in a choke hold (big suprise for the owl im sure) and turns the table.  not far from getting away to live another day when along comes someone to take his block off with a baseball bat thats suposidly turkey hunting (with a bat and PVC pipe?).  Wow! poor little guy.



Only real men turkey hunt with a bat.


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## treedawg (Sep 19, 2012)

jbird1 said:


> Interesting on a number of levels...still scratching my head on the whole pvc and bat deal.



To be 100% clear, I was not present when this video was shot. The person that shot it came in my shop yesterday to share video of deer he had on camera. The owl/snake video happened to be on the same SD card.

OK, a little more info on the video as it was relayed to me....

He said he was driving into his hunting camp when he spotted the owl and snake. The ball bat and PVC were probably in his P/U truck.

I've already made it clear that I would have much preferred nature been allowed to run it's course w/o human intervention. Unfortunately, that didn't happen in this situation.

I'm not a lawyer and I don't work for the DNR so I won't comment on the legality of the actions shown in the video.

td


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## jerry russell (Sep 19, 2012)

Yep, clearly a rat snake. just like this one in the driveway a couple days ago. We chose to forgo beating it with a baseball bat.

You know, every time a video like this is posted on Youtube, the sport of hunting dies just a little bit more in the eye's of non-hunters.
Even if a person felt the need to intervene in a place they did not belong, why not just pull the two apart.  And then to film and post it?

Do what you like but I would pull that from youtube for the sake of our sport.


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## GAGE (Sep 19, 2012)

jerry russell said:


> Yep, clearly a rat snake. just like this one in the driveway a couple days ago. We chose to forgo beating it with a baseball bat.
> 
> You know, every time a video like this is posted on Youtube, the sport of hunting dies just a little bit more in the eye's of non-hunters.
> Even if a person felt the need to intervene in a place they did not belong, why not just pull the two apart.  And then to film and post it?
> ...



Dang Jerry, I wish I could make my grass look that good!


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## Shug (Sep 19, 2012)

Not getting into a debate over this video. Treedog thanks for posting. It was extreamly cool


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## jerry russell (Sep 19, 2012)

GAGE said:


> Dang Jerry, I wish I could make my grass look that good!



Sorry I got fired up on this but this post kinda got to me a bit... Normally I steer clear of this type of thread.

Gage, it's zoysia grass and long before began guiding I ran an irrigation company. lol


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## hobbs27 (Sep 19, 2012)

The film maker was obviously a highly trained wildlife biologist conducting a field operation.Therefore no laws were broken.


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## jbird1 (Sep 19, 2012)

treedawg said:


> To be 100% clear, I was not present when this video was shot. The person that shot it came in my shop yesterday to share video of deer he had on camera. The owl/snake video happened to be on the same SD card.
> 
> OK, a little more info on the video as it was relayed to me....
> 
> ...



Not judging..just curious.  The man thought the snake was venomous.  It's not the first time or last that a snake will be mis-identified.


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## turkeymerck (Sep 19, 2012)

i love this forum...and all the comments that go along with it. makes for a good, hearty laugh at times. 

i mean where else can you go (other than youtube) to see a video of a poisonous moccasin that has just bitten an owl....got it in a choke hold...some guy bash the snake (while breaking the owl's wing in the process)...the owls anti-venom kicks in (after it catches it's breath) and it hops off wondering 'what the crap just happened?" whilst nursing it's newly broken wing...and come to find out that it's not a venoumous moccasin after all...just a very pretty rat snake that was in self-defense mode....

...and all this thanks to a turkey hunter that made a poor decision in the middle of nowhere...


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## BornToHuntAndFish (Sep 19, 2012)

Whoa, what a crazy owl & snake battle.


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## calebroad (Sep 19, 2012)

Why do people have to point out illegal aspects of the video? Just watch the video and let the legal system intervene if they see fit. But I think it would be great just to see some positive post without all the legal talk. Even if the video is illegal, no need to point the law out to post readers, Im not DNR, its not my business to come on this post and start preaching the law? Just sayin'


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 19, 2012)

calebroad said:


> Why do people have to point out illegal aspects of the video?



Because the poster and others may not realize that it ain't legal........
just sayin.......


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## calebroad (Sep 19, 2012)

cuda67bnl said:


> Because the poster and others may not realize that it ain't legal........
> just sayin.......



Well thank goodness we have somebody on here to call us out if we are mis-behaving, Dont know what we would do without you


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## WestGaJohn (Sep 19, 2012)

So, I'm confused....I didn't see where the owl was hit with a bat as is alleged above & are Rat Snakes a protected species or not.....?  
If someone just said owl vs rat snake, I would've picked the owl for sure.  This was entertaining...thanks for sharing.


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 19, 2012)

Glad I could help, Calebroad!



WestGaJohn said:


> are Rat Snakes a protected species or not.....?



Yes, all day long.....


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## WestGaJohn (Sep 19, 2012)

cuda67bnl said:


> Glad I could help, Calebroad!
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, all day long.....



Thanks.  Thought I was missing something...


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## DSGB (Sep 19, 2012)

WestGaJohn said:


> So, I'm confused....I didn't see where the owl was hit with a bat as is alleged above & are Rat Snakes a protected species or not.....?
> If someone just said owl vs rat snake, I would've picked the owl for sure.  This was entertaining...thanks for sharing.



It is illegal to kill ANY non-venomous snake.



> There are currently 55 fish species, 7 salamander species, 14 mussel species, and 13 turtle species on the state protected list. Additionally, all nonvenomous snakes are protected. Many of these species may be encountered while fishing. It is unlawful to capture, kill, or sell any of these protected species.


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## calebroad (Sep 19, 2012)

cuda67bnl said:


> Because the poster and others may not realize that it ain't legal........
> just sayin.......



Who needs lawyers anymore? We have the GON legal professionals


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 19, 2012)

I find it ironic that people on this forum will jump on the band wagon and scream to the end of the earth if someone is poaching deer or turkeys, etc. But I get chastised for pointing out that killing snakes is illegal and poaching as well. And that posting videos of it isn't the smartest thing to do.


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## tony2001577 (Sep 19, 2012)

it would have been cool to see how all that started !


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## Buck Nasty (Sep 19, 2012)

Whats wrong with pointing out something when its wrong? Why turn a blind eye?  Would you stand by and watch a kid get kidnapped or a woman get assualted by her man?  Wait, that already happens.


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## flyfisher007 (Sep 19, 2012)

So here is my theory on what happened. The owl tried to get a good meal and maybe snatched the snake up too far forward. While inflight the snake was able to wrap himself around the neck, choking the owl out and they both came crashing to the ground. the snake said "you want a piece of me?!!!!! I'll give you a piece and while I 'm at I'ma pop your head off punk!!!!!!

For me, I would have tried to free the owl and get it some help and let the snake go on its way.

Crazy video. It is amazing what goes on in nature that we never even see.


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## tail_slider3d (Sep 19, 2012)

Q: why is killing a non venomous snake illegal?  
A:  because dnr needs something to do now that corn is legal.


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## albridges (Sep 19, 2012)

tail_slider3d said:


> Q: why is killing a non venomous snake illegal?
> A:  because dnr needs something to do now that corn is legal.



Why would it be ok to kill non-venomous snake?

Lesson of the day Mother Nature is cold but it's better left alone......My Opinion


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## Killdee (Sep 19, 2012)

tail_slider3d said:


> Q: why is killing a non venomous snake illegal?
> A:  because dnr needs something to do now that corn is legal.



This is not new, just most people dont know any better.

I would guess the fellar like lots of folks, took the snake as venomous since the owl seemed to be in shock or something the way it was not moving. The owl likely broke his wing trying to get free from the snake. stuff happens in nature, to bad the owl wont survive either.


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## miles58 (Sep 19, 2012)

You wouldn't want any part of trying to help that owl!  BTDT  Injured he might be, but he still has a lot of weapons and they can be very dangerous.  I tried to relocate an owl lonce.  Caught him in a bal-chatri and getting him out was not fun.  After that I took him to a researcher and banded him.  More not fun!  

Those feet have more power than you'd ever imagine and that beak can take a chunk out of you in a blink.  I'd just as soon mess with a mad bobcat next time thank you.

Dave


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## olcowman (Sep 19, 2012)

You know that ol' owl might've made after all? It looks like the snake done got his wing wrapped up there with his chokehold (which maybe saved the owl from choking to death) and considering owls are mostly nocturnal... well they just ain't no telling how long they done been tied up.

After searching some 'broke wing owls' videos it looked to me like this'n had a lot more loco-motion in his wing whereas them that was sure enough broke just kinda hung. Maybe he'll get his circulation back and get some blood a flowing and eventually take on off? If anything, he might have took a glancing blow off the bat to his leg? Regardless, unless he's been left a little 'off in the head' from lack of oxygen to the noggin... I would imagine he'll take snakes off the menu from now on.

Who knows? Maybe it turned out to be the owls lucky day? As far as the rat snake... bless his heart... he was 'one lost turkey hunter with a louisville slugger' away from pulling off the impossible! They's got to be some kind of parable or 'moral to the story' thing here?


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## turkeymerck (Sep 19, 2012)

killdee...check out the video at the  7:25 mark and watch him smack the crap outta that owl's left wing while hitting the snake in the head...the same wing that was flopping around when he was trying to fly off. he probably thought the owl was dead (or close to it) by the way it was acting and didn't think about breaking the owl's wing. stupid either way if you ask me (and no one didn't).

i just watched the video again with the sound...couldn't earlier at work. what the crap is going on? 

i was cracking up when he started cluckin...what was he doing?? trying to charm the snake southern style? 
trying to call the owl back from the light? 
actually trying to call up a turkey while he sat down right there to figure out why in the world a poisonous diamondback moccassin was trying to EAT an OWL and what exactly it was that he needed to do about it?

oh and i acutally heard him say that the rat snake had a 'diamond head'...so it must be poisonous....unbelievable.

i've read some stupid threads on this forum with some even dumber posts...but this one probably beats them all. totally illegal and stupid and thanks for those that pointed it out.

although i did enjoy the video...amazing...it's just a crying shame that two awesome animals had to die cause you know that owl ain't gonna make it long without any ability to ambush it's prey.


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## turkeymerck (Sep 19, 2012)

and he hit the owl in the leg too!!

olcowman...funny post...love to hear the moral of that one.


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## tail_slider3d (Sep 19, 2012)

For those of you saying why kill the snake and mess with mother nature.  Why kill deer?  Why did we bring them to Ga in the first place?  If you see a roach cross yer floor do you kill it? Do you spray for ants?  If you say yes then dont give me that hypocritical crap.  Personally I dont like any government entity setting any rule.  Sure I dont personally kill non venomous snakes in the woods but if I had a chicken coop then would kill on site.


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## fulldraw74 (Sep 19, 2012)

Buck Nasty said:


> Whats wrong with pointing out something when its wrong? Why turn a blind eye?  Would you stand by and watch a kid get kidnapped or a woman get assualted by her man?  Wait, that already happens.



x2....


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## dawg2 (Sep 19, 2012)

tail_slider3d said:


> For those of you saying why kill the snake and mess with mother nature.  Why kill deer?  Why did we bring them to Ga in the first place?  If you see a roach cross yer floor do you kill it? Do you spray for ants?  If you say yes then dont give me that hypocritical crap.  Personally I dont like any government entity setting any rule.  Sure I dont personally kill non venomous snakes in the woods but if I had a chicken coop then would kill on site.



Just for the record: Deer are a GAME SPECIES and have a season.  Non-venomous snakes are not a game species, do not have a season and are illegal to kill.  I'll bet people would have flown off the handle if someone killed a 150 class buck in August with a bat and would have wanted them thrown in jail.


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## dawg2 (Sep 19, 2012)

Buck Nasty said:


> Whats wrong with pointing out something when its wrong? Why turn a blind eye?  Would you stand by and watch a kid get kidnapped or a woman get assualted by her man?  Wait, that already happens.



I agree.


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## fulldraw74 (Sep 19, 2012)

dawg2 said:


> Just for the record: Deer are a GAME SPECIES and have a season.  Non-venomous snakes are not a game species, do not have a season and are illegal to kill.  I'll bet people would have flown off the handle if someone killed a 150 class buck in August with a bat and would have wanted them thrown in jail.



I'm going spotlighting tonight and need a camera man....you interested?  Heck, i may even rob a convenience store or 2 while i'm at it....


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## GA DAWG (Sep 19, 2012)

One Nitro would have ended that whole situation rather quickly.


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## calebroad (Sep 19, 2012)

fulldraw74 said:


> I'm going spotlighting tonight and need a camera man....you interested?  Heck, i may even rob a convenience store or 2 while i'm at it....


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## Killdee (Sep 19, 2012)

Didnt Granny on the Beverly Hillbillies cook owl???????? Seem's I remember it a time or two when she would recite her Menu, Jed said, wheeeedoggies...


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## WestGaJohn (Sep 19, 2012)

DSGB said:


> It is illegal to kill ANY non-venomous snake.



Rat snakes are protected, not endangered…I confused the distinctions for a minute…I'm surprised they even let me go into the woods.


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## BassHunter25 (Sep 19, 2012)

In my defense, I have always been interested in snakes, and all reptiles.  Been catching them down here in South Ga since I was a kid.  We don't have any rat snakes that look anything like that down here.  And none of our rat snake flatten their heads out like that.  I would have guessed it was some kind of hog nose before a rat snake.  

What part of the state was this ?  Anybody in the Southern part of the state seen a Rat snake like that around here?


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## donald-f (Sep 20, 2012)

My theory of what happened.
Owl catches snake - snake wraps coil around wing in flight causing a crash - it looks like the snake is coiled around the base of the wing - wing was damaged when crash happened - it did not look like the bat hit the wing close to the body - where the bat hit was just feathers - if the bat hit anything but feathers the owl would have changed positions rapidly - the snake is dead and the own has about 25% chance of making it.


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## Oak-flat Hunter (Sep 20, 2012)

Truism is best displayed in nature..


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## BreamReaper (Sep 20, 2012)

The biggest travesty is i just lost 10+ minutes watching/ reading.
Its not bad enough he let the owl suffer until 7 min sin the video, now he'll be coyote bait with the gimp wing. Assuming he cant fly, i didnt see him fly in the video.


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## tail_slider3d (Sep 20, 2012)

The difference in a game and non game species is how legislators define it.  Alligators were non game then they magically adopted a gene that made them non game?  No...some legislator said they were.  Ive never been much for government involvement.


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## NCHillbilly (Sep 20, 2012)

tail_slider3d said:


> The difference in a game and non game species is how legislators define it.  Alligators were non game then they magically adopted a gene that made them non game?  No...some legislator said they were.  Ive never been much for government involvement.



Cool, me either! I think I'm gonna kill 136 deer (mostly 1.5 year-old bucks,) this year and leave 'em laying there, maybe trap some flocks of turkeys with corn and fishhooks, and dynamite a few fish ponds!


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## olcowman (Sep 20, 2012)

NCHillbilly said:


> Cool, me either! I think I'm gonna kill 136 deer (mostly 1.5 year-old bucks,) this year and leave 'em laying there, maybe trap some flocks of turkeys with corn and fishhooks, and dynamite a few fish ponds!



Man Up!!! Shoot you a bald eagle or two...


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## NCHillbilly (Sep 20, 2012)

olcowman said:


> Man Up!!! Shoot you a bald eagle or two...



That too! Maybe pour some poison in the river and see what floats up while I'm at it! Might get a big ol' fish that'll get me on the cover of GON!


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## DSGB (Sep 20, 2012)

WestGaJohn said:


> So, I'm confused....I didn't see where the owl was hit with a bat as is alleged above & are Rat Snakes a protected species or not.....?
> If someone just said owl vs rat snake, I would've picked the owl for sure.  This was entertaining...thanks for sharing.





DSGB said:


> It is illegal to kill ANY non-venomous snake.





WestGaJohn said:


> Rat snakes are protected, not endangered…I confused the distinctions for a minute…I'm surprised they even let me go into the woods.


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## jmizell19 (Sep 20, 2012)

BassHunter25 said:


> In my defense, I have always been interested in snakes, and all reptiles.  Been catching them down here in South Ga since I was a kid.  We don't have any rat snakes that look anything like that down here.  And none of our rat snake flatten their heads out like that.  I would have guessed it was some kind of hog nose before a rat snake.
> 
> What part of the state was this ?  Anybody in the Southern part of the state seen a Rat snake like that around here?



I saw two of them that looked exactly like this one in statesboro.  we found an old van in the woods on our property and started looking around in it.  opened the glove box and two of these popped out.  We didnt beat them to death with a baseball bat though.


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## GA DAWG (Sep 20, 2012)

jmizell19 said:


> I saw two of them that looked exactly like this one in statesboro.  we found an old van in the woods on our property and started looking around in it.  opened the glove box and two of these popped out.  We didnt beat them to death with a baseball bat though.


What did you do. Shoot em?


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## Nicodemus (Sep 20, 2012)

They should have been left undisturbed. Nature after all, is survival of the fittest, and everything must learn from experience. People too. Unfortunately, most folks nowadays, don`t know the true meanin` of experience.


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## turkeymerck (Sep 20, 2012)

i really like some of you guys on here...the rest are just yoohoos  or was that supposed to be yahoos?

rat snakes have all kinds of variations.
i've caught one that had maroon colors in it...really cool looking thing...i didn't beat it with a baseball either...i crushed it's head in with my boot heel...and then shot it...nah i didn't do that
http://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/elaobs.htm


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## tail_slider3d (Sep 20, 2012)

I guess government knows best.   I could go into spill about how we have sacrificed our personal responsibility for a nanny government but it would offend 80% of those that call themselves conservatives.  But thats another topic for another thread.
Either way cool video.


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## Nicodemus (Sep 20, 2012)

Alright folks, if ya`ll want to argue, take it a PM. Not here on the open forum.


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## Huntinfool (Sep 20, 2012)

This thread needs to be sticky'd as a first class example of the downhill slide so that, when people in the future ask "What ever happened to that great forum, Woody's?", they can pull the archives up and understand.


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## dawg2 (Sep 20, 2012)

fulldraw74 said:


> I'm going spotlighting tonight and need a camera man....you interested?  Heck, i may even rob a convenience store or 2 while i'm at it....



Sounds good.  You want me to bring the camcorder like last time or just use my video phone?


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## Nicodemus (Sep 20, 2012)

Everyone here read post #76 again.


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## KINCHAFooneeryan (Sep 20, 2012)

Um...rat snakes are not a protected species in Georgia....Southern Hognose and the Indigoo are the only ones. But technically I guess it is illegal to kill nonvenemous snakes.


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## Dupree (Sep 20, 2012)

I agree to let nature take its course, but above all, wonder why the guy decided to run some horribly sounded turkey calls in the process.


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 20, 2012)

KINCHAFooneeryan said:


> Um...rat snakes are not a protected species in Georgia.....



Wrong...... ALL non venemous snakes are protected.
http://www.georgiawildlife.com/node/1383


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## KINCHAFooneeryan (Sep 21, 2012)

> Wrong...... ALL non venemous snakes are protected.
> http://www.georgiawildlife.com/node/1383



I apologize....WRD has different info labeled all over the place. I was reading the the protected reptile list http://georgiawildlife.com/sites/de...ame/text/html/protected_species/Reptiles.html


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## cuda67bnl (Sep 21, 2012)

Yeah, that's the "rare, threatened, or endangered" conservation list. I think a lot of people get confused with that, and think that something has to be threatened or endangered in order to be protected.


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## copperheadmike (Sep 26, 2012)

There is a whole lot of not cool in this video. However, as a herpetologist and raptor lover, it was neat to watch. Poor owl tangled with the wrong snake for sure. While I am not one to intervene with nature, I might have had to try to break this up myself. Though, I would not have used a bat in that fashion, probably could have separated the animals with the bat and the pvc and seen each of them go their separate ways. 

As for the legality of all this, I do believe the owl was injured by the bat along the snake. I think it is important to bring up in a forum setting for the benefit of all those viewing the post. The reason things like this happy is simple ignorance. The man did not know he was doing something wrong and obviously could not identify the snake properly. It is a shame that people are not capable of identifying the snakes in their region. This is why you hear saying like " the only good snake is a dead snake." Being able to identify a snake should be something that any outdoorsman can do without hesitation. Or at least being able to identify the venomous species in his or her area. Even venomous species should be left alone unless they are an immediate threat, they are all a part of a healthy ecosystem and all have a place in nature. Don't get me wrong, I do not think that people should allow a Canebrake to hang out on their front porch but if you are out in the middle of nowhere and you come across a rattlesnake in the road or in the field, walk around it and go about your day.

One another note, the snake is a Gray Ratsnake (Elaphae obsoleta spiloides) a close cousin of the Black Ratsnake. Could even be a cross between the two. The Gray Ratsnake is pretty common in Middle and South Georgia. Used to catch quite a few in Laurens Co when I was down there. Ratsnakes are colubrids, all of which are able to flatten their heads to varying degrees and do so in order to look like their venomous relatives. This is a defensive posture and, in the case of most Ratsnakes, requires some aggitation to get them to do it. Colubrids will also rattle their tails when aggitated and if in dry vegitation, this can produce a sound. Again, this is the snake trying to imitate a rattlesnake in order to scare off the aggressor. Ok, sorry, that is all, I promise.


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## Hooked On Quack (Sep 26, 2012)

NCHillbilly said:


> Cool, me either! I think I'm gonna kill 136 deer (mostly 1.5 year-old bucks,) this year and leave 'em laying there, maybe trap some flocks of turkeys with corn and fishhooks, and dynamite a few fish ponds!





olcowman said:


> Man Up!!! Shoot you a bald eagle or two...





NCHillbilly said:


> That too! Maybe pour some poison in the river and see what floats up while I'm at it! Might get a big ol' fish that'll get me on the cover of GON!


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## bangbird (Sep 26, 2012)

That video sickens me.  What an ignorant moron.  His daddy didn't teach him right.


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## triton196 (Sep 27, 2012)

tree huggers will never go for hunting. we post our stuff they post theirs its called civil rights.


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## TurkeyKiller12 (Sep 28, 2012)

BassHunter25 said:


> In my defense, I have always been interested in snakes, and all reptiles.  Been catching them down here in South Ga since I was a kid.  We don't have any rat snakes that look anything like that down here.  And none of our rat snake flatten their heads out like that.  I would have guessed it was some kind of hog nose before a rat snake.
> 
> What part of the state was this ?  Anybody in the Southern part of the state seen a Rat snake like that around here?



So your from South Ga and you don't know where Laurens County is..... Hmmm Probably explains why you didn't know the snake in the video is a rat snake plain as day. Two things to take away from this, buy yourself a Georgia map and a book on identifying snakes.


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## sgtstinky (Oct 2, 2012)

bluemarlin said:


> Who hunts turkey or walks the woods with PVC pipe and a baseball bat?



Dude, you don't just hunt turkey while walking the woods with a baseball bat, you hunt turkey while walking the woods with your trained turkey snake by your side and your baseball bat. What is jacked up about this video is the snake wasn't trained right, it couldn't tell the difference between a tom and an owl! Makes me sick, perfectly good turkey snake gone bad, I would have knocked that snake up too.


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## Hancock County hunter (Oct 4, 2012)

bluemarlin said:


> Who hunts turkey or walks the woods with PVC pipe and a baseball bat?[/QUOTE hahaha


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## WallyGator9 (Oct 4, 2012)

Cool Video


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## WallyGator9 (Oct 4, 2012)

Side note....

So this guy seperating these two animals and killing the snake is "not allowing nature to run its course"...

But killing a turkey or deer is "allowing nature to run its course..."


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## tcdeerhunter (Oct 4, 2012)

Wow, This video and half the posts on this thread really show the ignorance of some people.


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## zedex (Oct 4, 2012)

calebroad said:


> Well thank goodness we have somebody on here to call us out if we are mis-behaving, Dont know what we would do without you



Without those of us that will call people out like this, other people would just run around killing anything, anywhere, anyway they see fit and have no justifiable reason for doing so. Don't believe me??.... just watch the video again and you will see just what I described.

Illegal is illegal is illegal. paint it any color you want, but the facts are present, the evidence of two crimes is there.

 Why overlook it? To do so is to condone it. Where do you stand?


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## WallyGator9 (Oct 4, 2012)

I hear what your saying cale... and I dont mean to condone the killing of the snake or injuring of the Owl. Im just saying that this guy doing something about it didnt bother me. Have a huge problem with killing something just to kill it. But I imagine he prob thought it was poisonous... I mean how else would a nonvenomness snake take down that owl?

My previous comment was not intended to condon this mans actions... just to point out that humans, especially hunters, are a part of "mother nature"


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## Skyjacker (Oct 4, 2012)

I don't agree with the methods, but I have zero problem with someone trying to separate the owl and the snake. We are outdoorsmen and interact and take part in the grand scheme of mother nature everyday.  If you saw a coyote chasing a a fawn through the field and you had your best rifle slung over your shoulder, what would you do?

Exactly.


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## WallyGator9 (Oct 4, 2012)

Skyjacker...

My thoughts exactly... my brain just wouldn't explain it that clearly... to many concussions while playing ball in college I guess.


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## snookdoctor (Oct 5, 2012)

Skyjacker said:


> I don't agree with the methods, but I have zero problem with someone trying to separate the owl and the snake. We are outdoorsmen and interact and take part in the grand scheme of mother nature everyday.  If you saw a coyote chasing a a fawn through the field and you had your best rifle slung over your shoulder, what would you do?
> 
> Exactly.



Depends on how fast they were running. You would have to lead the fawn by what, a foot and a half?


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## bigolebuck (Oct 5, 2012)

snookdoctor said:


> Depends on how fast they were running. You would have to lead the fawn by what, a foot and a half?



Now thats funnee........


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## WallyGator9 (Oct 5, 2012)

snookdoctor said:


> depends on how fast they were running. You would have to lead the fawn by what, a foot and a half?



hahahahahahaha


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