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1 year ago  ::  Apr 13, 2012 - 6:04PM #11
IreneAdler
IreneAdler
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Apr 13, 2012 -- 5:16PM, mountain_man wrote:


Apr 13, 2012 -- 5:03PM, IreneAdler wrote:

... Yes, people just do not get that animals can cause great harm.  Once, while I was out walking, I spied a pair up ahead of me, fussing over something.  When I approached, the lady cautioned me “it’s a rattle snake! Stay back!” and the man was holding onto this poor garter snake by the back end- Steve Irwin-style.


Yes, a garter snake. But couldn’t  tell them that.   


She was all impressed by his bravery. 


Hope they let him go before too long.  Bet snake was terrified.


The guy was a fool. Most of those bitten by snakes are messing with them. Snakes are awesome creatures that should be left alone and admired from a distance - just like all wildlife.


I was on a hike in a different park with a law enforcement ranger (off duty). We came across a guy that was bragging to us about the rattle snake he had just killed. The poor guy could not understand why my friend gave him a $1500 ticket. We let the judge explain.




Yes a complete fool.  The gal with him wasn't much smarter.


On behalf of all the prudent people out there who know how to respect the wild animals and their space, please extend my sincerest "thank you!" for issuing that ticket. Gee, couldn't the guy just have left the snake be?


I've encountered  wild critters when out and about walking-skunk,snakes, possum, fox, coyote.  Never had an issue with them.  Just give them a wide berth.


 


Irene. 


 


 
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1 year ago  ::  Apr 13, 2012 - 6:37PM #12
mountain_man
mountain_man
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Apr 13, 2012 -- 6:04PM, IreneAdler wrote:

Yes a complete fool.  The gal with him wasn't much smarter.


On behalf of all the prudent people out there who know how to respect the wild animals and their space, please extend my sincerest "thank you!" for issuing that ticket. Gee, couldn't the guy just have left the snake be?


Some people have this irrational idea that all snakes MUST be killed. I don't know if it is a primal fear or just shear stupidity. I hate it when drivers swerve to hit a snake trying to cross the road. There is no reason for that. I stop and help them get across safely.


I've encountered  wild critters when out and about walking-skunk,snakes, possum, fox, coyote.  Never had an issue with them.  Just give them a wide berth.


I like to study them. I can do that without disturbing them.


I did pick up a snake on a hike once. It was a very cold morning and this California King Snake was out in the open and could barely move. I put it in my pocket so it could warm up. After awhile I reached in, took it out, put it on the ground. I'd swear it looked back at me and said thanks. Then moved on. It's a beautiful snake with a black and white pattern that kind of blurs into an optical illusion when it moves. That's hard for a predator to see.

Dave - Just a Man in the Mountains.

I am a Humanist. I believe in a rational philosophy of life, informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by a desire to do good for its own sake and not by an expectation of a reward or fear of punishment in an afterlife.
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1 year ago  ::  Apr 13, 2012 - 8:47PM #13
farragut
farragut
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I understand where y'all are coming from, but when a copperhead settled down in a small flower bed a few feet from my backdoor, I elected to employ my hoe.
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1 year ago  ::  Apr 13, 2012 - 9:26PM #14
mountain_man
mountain_man
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Apr 13, 2012 -- 8:47PM, farragut wrote:

I understand where y'all are coming from, but when a copperhead settled down in a small flower bed a few feet from my backdoor, I elected to employ my hoe.


I have found several rattlesnakes on my ranch. I - carefully - put them in a container, take them to a more sparsely populated area and released them.


Edward Abby has a special way of handling rattlesnakes. But you'll have to read Desert Solitaire to find out.


That's one book by a park ranger. Another one, I'm reading right now, and written by a friend, Shelton Johnson; Gloryland: A Novel.

Dave - Just a Man in the Mountains.

I am a Humanist. I believe in a rational philosophy of life, informed by science, inspired by art, and motivated by a desire to do good for its own sake and not by an expectation of a reward or fear of punishment in an afterlife.
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1 year ago  ::  Apr 14, 2012 - 7:36PM #15
mytmouse57
mytmouse57
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Rattlers are ecologicaly important. The only time I ever killed one, was because it was posing an imeditate threat to my dog.
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1 year ago  ::  Apr 24, 2012 - 2:17PM #16
rangerken
rangerken
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1. Snakes eat rodents. That is a GOOD thing!


2. One of the things we were taught in Jungle Wafare School (used to be at Fort Gulick in the Canal zone, now long gone) was that when in the jungle, we were visitors in the backyards of many animals who were not at all interested in our being there, nor inclined to be friendly. I also do recall hearing that about alligators when going through Ranger School. The one and only time I 'met' a tiger in the wild I gladly backed off and let Mr. or Ms. very BIG cat enjoy its territory...and I had an M-14 which fortunately there was no reason to use.


3. Too many idiots think that wild anilmals want to be friends. What they want is for us to leave them alone! And besides, anyone who has been close to a bear knows just how wonderful they smell...NOT!


4. Of course deer can kill people. Why else would God have given them those very sharp hooves, and of course getting a terminal case of antler insertion can really ruin some moron's day.


5. There is, however, a bright side to be found when fools manage to get themselves killed by the lawful, furry or scaled residents of various parks. At least the fools won't be able to pass on their sub-par genes!


6. As for  the idiots eating halucinogenic mushrooms...did you those rangers HAVE to save them???? They might have deprived some innocent mountain lion, or black bear, not to mention some respectable buzzards and ravens and ants of a tasty meal!


Ken...always rooting for the predators!!!!!

Conservative, Libertarian, Life member of the NRA and VFW
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1 year ago  ::  Apr 24, 2012 - 3:10PM #17
mytmouse57
mytmouse57
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Well, you know what we say to tourists when they ask how to tell the differnce between a black bear and a grizzly.


"It's easy. The black bear will climb up the tree after you, whereas the grizzly will simply push the tree over."
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1 year ago  ::  Apr 25, 2012 - 6:33PM #18
Stardove
Stardove
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Don't believe we have bears in Texas, but we do have snakes.  I sent this link to myself today to save and be able to refer back to it.  It is about Texas snakes, but has information about snakes in general.


www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/junior_nat...


Peace out folks.  We recently enjoyed staying at a Texas State Park in our RV trailer.


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1 year ago  ::  Apr 25, 2012 - 6:41PM #19
mytmouse57
mytmouse57
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The Park Service encourages visitors to Yellowstone to carry pepper spray in case of a bear charge, and to take measures to make their presense well known while hiking -- such as wearing bells.


Therefore, when asked by tourists how to tell when one is in Grizzly country, us locals sometimes respond,


"Easy. Just look for huge piles of bear s*** that smell like pepper and have bells in them."
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1 year ago  ::  May 03, 2012 - 3:03AM #20
Merope
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This thread was moved from the Hot Topics Zone.

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