Rattlesnake Falls from Tree ... bites kayaker...

[Darren.]

In case southerners don't realize the dangers out there,

here's a tale straight from the "Worst Case Scenario" files.

Hope he recovers quickly.

 

https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/rattlesnake-falls-from-tree-bites-sc-man-in-kayak-twice/101-556842775

 

I've encountered so many snakes in trees while kayaking,

but I'm also keen-eyed looking out for them because I'm

a snake guy.... Funny, its spiders that get me, not snakes.

 

But blowing wind and close proximity to trees and bushes

can be dangerous. Buddy of mine was fishing a hot spot

when he was blown into a bush...that happened to house

a big hornet's nest, unseen.

 

He had to purposefully capsize to avoid a full-on sting fest.

[Choporoz]

That's one link I'm not going to share with my wife...I might never get her out with me again.

 

On a related note, I devote a lot more of my available situational awareness bandwidth to overhead branches than I did in recent years.  But, that's mostly to the increase in cormorants lately.

[Darren.]

Just now, Choporoz said:

That's one link I'm not going to share with my wife...I might never get her out with me again.

 

On a related note, I devote a lot more of my available situational awareness bandwidth to overhead branches than I did in recent years.  But, that's mostly to the increase in cormorants lately.

Yeah, not gonna share it with my buddy, either. He'd probably

give up kayak bass fishing and stick to the shore if I did.

[BrianinMD]

Not just kayaks, had a boat in my bass club a few years ago doing a tourney on Kerr Lake in VA. Two snakes fell out of a tree into the bottom of the boat, fortunately no one got bit though.

[Darren.]

44 minutes ago, BrianinMD said:

Not just kayaks, had a boat in my bass club a few years ago doing a tourney on Kerr Lake in VA. Two snakes fell out of a tree into the bottom of the boat, fortunately no one got bit though.

Absolutely right. I've seen boaters get all tied up with

a snag an unable to keep from drifting to the trees...

 

But two snakes, eh? I have a grove of cypress trees

which have a number of bushes around them. I love

to look for snakes there and have come across so 

many there. Fun to get pix.

 

 

[Tracker22]

I’ve had water snakes climb on my kayak but rattlesnakes and moccasins would be a whole different story.?

[BrianinMD]

55 minutes ago, Darren. said:

Absolutely right. I've seen boaters get all tied up with

a snag an unable to keep from drifting to the trees...

 

But two snakes, eh? I have a grove of cypress trees

which have a number of bushes around them. I love

to look for snakes there and have come across so 

many there. Fun to get pix.

 

 

The thing about Kerr is its used to control the level of the next lake down the river. During heavy rain periods the water is held in it, it was 30 feet over pool at the time. People were flipping picnic tables and road signs. The snakes were in the trees in the picnic area they were fishing.....

[Darren.]

12 minutes ago, BrianinMD said:

The thing about Kerr is its used to control the level of the next lake down the river. During heavy rain periods the water is held in it, it was 30 feet over pool at the time. People were flipping picnic tables and road signs. The snakes were in the trees in the picnic area they were fishing.....

Flooding does present a whole other set of circumstances

when it comes to wildlife. Thinking of not just snake dis-

placement, but fire ant colonies (islands). *shudder*

 

[Hez]

3 minutes ago, Darren. said:

Flooding does present a whole other set of circumstances

when it comes to wildlife. Thinking of not just snake dis-

placement, but fire ant colonies (islands). *shudder*

 

Dealt with these a lot in Texas growing up.  Every time it would flood...this is one of the things you watched for the most.  It would always amaze me at their ability to overcome the flood waters. 

[Darren.]

38 minutes ago, Hez said:

Dealt with these a lot in Texas growing up.  Every time it would flood...this is one of the things you watched for the most.  It would always amaze me at their ability to overcome the flood waters. 

Lived in the Dallas area during my teen years. Don't recall

much flooding, certain there was some, and most definitely

recall the fire ant menace.

[Dponchay]

Jusy ran across an update to this story. Thats why you just leave things alone.

http://foxsanantonio.com/news/offbeat/sc-rattlesnake-bite-victim-picked-up-snake-snake-didnt-fall-from-tree-cousin-says

[Bluebasser86]

I was skeptical about this story, makes more sense that he picked it up off the water. Rattlers are good swimmers, not so much in the tree climbing department though due to their thick, heavy built bodies. 

[TnRiver46]

I was going to say when I clicked on it, the link said he grabbed the snake. I have never been bitten by a snake........ unless I grabbed it first. In which case I get bitten most every time hahaha. 

[Darren.]

3 hours ago, Dponchay said:

Jusy ran across an update to this story. Thats why you just leave things alone.

http://foxsanantonio.com/news/offbeat/sc-rattlesnake-bite-victim-picked-up-snake-snake-didnt-fall-from-tree-cousin-says

Well now, that makes much more sense.

 

At least another person had a snake bite kit. I actually

keep one in one of my fishing kits.

 

As much of a snake guy as I am (collector, etc.), I would 

never attempt to pick up a venomous snake w/o proper 

tools, and even then, I probably wouldn't. Granted, he 

did not know what it was...and that's part of the smarts.

If you don't know/can't identify, DON'T!

 

Like others, I was suspect of this because rattlers are rarely,

if ever, in a tree. But not impossible, so I figured it was one

of those rare circumstances. Black Rat snakes, and other

colubrids are often in trees and a far more likely "drop", tho

it would have been an accidental slip on the snake's part.  

 

Anyhow, good that the truth came out. Glad he'll be ok.

[lonnie g]

I am not telling my wife any of these stories or showing her the pics, I just managed to seat talk her in the boat. she thought that our neighbors were crazy when they just bought a house in Florida and showed pics of gators in the canal . stated that she wasn't going fishing there!! funny how she isn't afraid of the ocean tho[sharks,stingray, jelly fish]

[soflabasser]

Been fishing in Florida for over 23 years now and never been biten by a snake. I always watch where I step and give the snake space when I am fishing. I do enjoy catching snakes and have caught many snake species in Florida from a tiny little southern ringneck snake to a big python I caught a couple months ago. We also have lots of alligators, crocodiles, lizards,turtles, and other reptiles so South Florida is a paradise for those who like reptiles.

[Darren.]

1 hour ago, soflabasser said:

Been fishing in Florida for over 23 years now and never been biten by a snake. I always watch where I step and give the snake space when I am fishing. I do enjoy catching snakes and have caught many snake species in Florida from a tiny little southern ringneck snake to a big python I caught a couple months ago. We also have lots of alligators, crocodiles, lizards,turtles, and other reptiles so South Florida is a paradise for those who like reptiles.

Paradise, indeed! Although some would call it a jungle with

too many beasts that can kill ya! (Not me, but some, LOL).

 

My older brother and I would love to participate in a python

round up down there! However, I'd be tough to pull from 

hunting peacock bass to snake hunt.

[Way2slow]

Back when I was a young kid in my early teens, I fished some brickyard ponds (ponds made after removing the clay to make the brick) and they had canals that connected several ponds together.  These were old ponds and the canals had a lot of overgrowth, trees and limbs hanging over them and were too narrow to go through them without going under that overgrowth.  You learned real quick to spend more time looking closely at the limbs you were going to be going under than at the water for snakes and wasp nest.  The wasp were worse than the snakes.   Most of the snakes you came across where the non venomous verities so I didn't bother them, just went on under them, but every now and then there would be a cotton mouth laying on one to get warm.  Those you kept a long stick so you could knock them off their limbs before you got you boat under them.

Well, one day I was going with this retired army captain that had moved in behind us to show him the ponds and how to get around in them.  We were going through one of the canals and I saw a water snake sitting on a limb, didn't think nothing about it but did tell him there's a snake so he would see it also. 

I found out afterwards he thought I was talking about seeing a snake in the water. 

This was after he happen to bump the limb with his paddle, the snake dropping into the boat at his feet, him being scared to death of any snake and emptying a 1911, 45, shooting holes in the bottom of the boat.  Scared the total s*** out of me and it's a good thing those canals were only a few feet deep, because a 45 makes huge holes in the bottom of a plywood boat sitting on water.  Needless to say, it didn't float very long.