Snake Hunting Memories

Every year in the springtime, my husband Frank and I, would head up to the Carolina's for a get together with other like-mined snake hunters. We would stay at a motel where the owner knew of our activities yet keep it low profile, by giving us rooms on the far side of the building.
Frank would meet with two or more friends he had known for years and they would plan where to go each day. The wife's would stay behind and enjoy each others company and go shopping.

The most interesting part of that time together was when the men returned to the motel with their catch. For the bags or pillow cases, were filled with snakes and as they carried them into the motel room, some unknowing people may have thought them to be bank robbers carrying in the loot.
Each days catch was brought out and discussed about where and how, and why, and any near misses. The poisonous snakes were kept in padlocked wooden boxes for public safety, as required by law.

All types of snakes were caught, from copperheads and eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, canebreaker rattlesnakes and less harmful non-poisenous snakes like corn snakes and hognose, king snakes and garter and water snakes.

Some were kept to sell, but many were returned close to where they were found. It was seeing who caught the most and the different kinds, and the stories and memories from years past shared and pasted around. It was a real adventure and great way to have a vacation that paid for it's self. To do this it might be said, you need to have the proper yearly permits, for the State you live in, as well as, any other State you wish to visit. That way you are legal in the eyes of the law and know each State's laws concerning the collection of snakes. If snakehunting is a hobby of yours there are two good books I know of, one is called Snake Hunting the Carolina Tin Fields by John Kemnitzer Jr. and Gone Snake Hunting by Frank Weed.

Often times when we share stories about various types of snakes, it is hard for the average visitor to picture the snakes talked about without pictures. Frank caught many poisenous snakes, as well as, the harmless ones, each beautiful in its own way. Eastern Diamond-backed rattlesnakes and Cane-breaker rattlesnakes have deep rich colors in their skins that makes them stand-out. The color patterns in King and Rat snakes and various other snakes can not be realized without good pictures to match the types and color patterns in identification. while we took many pictures I have no way to scan them to share so I am providing a link to a website that explains about each type of snake mentioned here, as well as, beautiful pictures of each species of snake. http://www.reptilechannel.com/reptile-sp...nding.aspx

Are you sure they actual return those snakes to where they come from?

Some of the invasive snake species in Florida came from Asia. Fly them back isn't going to be cheap. Who is going to pay for their air tickets?

Not so long ago it was in the news that a snake was found on the wing of a plane in middle air. It struggled to get back in but failed. Poor thing was bleeding and freezing when the plane landed.

Yes, they did, but they were not catching pythons in the Everglades. The snakehunting I am talking about happened in North and South Carolina. Over the years many copperheads and rattlesnakes, coral and king snakes, hognose and yellow rat snakes, green rat and black racers, coachwhip and northern pine snakes, red rat and garter snakes were caught or caught and released. One trip involving 3 days of snakehunting could total up to be 48 black racers and 1 coachwhip, 5 copperheads and 10 rat snakes, 8 king snakes and 3 diamond-backed rattlesnakes = 75 snakes per hunter. Some were caught and later sold, others were observed and photographed, and left alone. The amount of them that were kept, more than enough, paid for our entire vacation. I think if you read the books mentioned they would explain better about the thrill of snakehunting.

Areas all over the Carolina's are full of copperheads. They are often found under boards and sheets of tin, and around barns and outbuildings on farms. Some farmer's welcome snake hunters on their property to catch copperheads, they see as a danger to family members, as well as, farm animals, but others will warn you off with a shotgun. Of the many good hunters, there are always a few that look under the boards and tin, throwing the piles around the fields and by driving through those fields and tearing up crop lands. These type of snakehunters ruin the sport for those who are respectful of other people's property. A permit to hunt does not give anyone the right to trash someone elses personal property. But with repectfullness snakehunter's can remove these poisenous reptiles and build good friendships with landowners who will welcome them back year after year.