The Spider vs the Snake...

OBJ Viking · #1

I had a discussion with "Jake the Snake" (a moccasin) while clearing deer patches and he lost. Here he is laying on my bushhog for a photo-op after I pinned him down in the grass with my boot and cut off his head with my serrated Endura.

SolidState · #2

I've heard they're not good eating. Well done though, are you making a coaster, or a hat?

OBJ Viking · #3

Neither. His head is in one bottle and the body in another, and both are filled with rubbing alcohol for my 6th grader to take to science class Monday for the kids to see and be able to recognize before deer season gets here and they hit the woods.

Chipped Karambit · #4

Wow Looks like you can try to make an endura sheath out of it?

SolidState · #5

OBJ Viking wrote:Neither. His head is in one bottle and the body in another, and both are filled with rubbing alcohol for my 6th grader to take to science class Monday for the kids to see and be able to recognize before deer season gets here and they hit the woods.

Great Idea! Gotta love biology.

chuck_roxas45 · #6

Was he venomous?

Edited: Googled it and I see that they are venomous. Good work!

SDR · #7

Yikes! Mr. No Shoulders s no friend of mine! So I say, BRAVO! Good show, Viking!

OBJ Viking · #8

chuck_roxas45 wrote:Was he venomous?

Edited: Googled it and I see that they are venomous. Good work!

...and very aggressive. Just an FYI (I know you Googled it but may not know this) - When dealing with North American snakes, look at the head and if it is triangular (diamond shaped) as in the picture above, and in North America, then it is a poisonous snake. This is true for all I know of in my area of the country (and elsewhere in the US AFAIK) except the coral snake which does not strike like other poisonous snakes but rather bites and chews soft spots such as between your fingers.

sharpguitarist · #9

Hey Viking,
I'm not trying to hijack your thread, I swear!
I had a similar battle, although mine took place in my living room!
I have yet to figure out how he got in, but a four foot blacksnake was coiled up between the couch and the wall, and my dog Suki alerted me to his presence.
I used my fukos and saber ground pe d4 to take care of him.

Good job!
Later,
Don

chuck_roxas45 · #10

OBJ Viking wrote:...and very aggressive. Just an FYI (I know you Googled it but may not know this) - When dealing with North American snakes, look at the head and if it is triangular (diamond shaped) as in the picture above, and in North America, then it is a poisonous snake. This is true for all I know of in my area of the country (and elsewhere in the US AFAIK) except the coral snake which does not strike like other poisonous snakes but rather bites and chews soft spots such as between your fingers.

Ah thanks for the head up. Fortunately venomous snakes are very rare where I am.

OBJ Viking · #11

I would have done the same to any snake in the house (poison or non-poisonous) as they would come back in even if taken outside Don...no worry about a hi-jack. :)

OBJ Viking · #12

chuck_roxas45 wrote:Ah thanks for the head up. Fortunately venomous snakes are very rare where I am.

Where are you located?

ETA: look at the head on the black snake killed by sharpguitarist and you will see the difference between it and the moccasin's head shape and you will see the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous snake heads.

BTW - on the Coral Snake, they resemble a striped King Snake which is non-venemous, except the color rings are different. google pictures of each and remember this rhyme - "red and yellow kill a fellow, red and black friend to Jack".

phillipsted · #13

I've had quite a few run-ins with Moccasins over the years - most of them while canoeing or fishing. These snakes are very territorial and will attack animals many time their size. I had one drop off of a low-hanging branch into our canoe one time - ambush attack style. Fortunately, canoe paddles are pretty handy at subduing snakes.

We were taught in Scouts that these were the one species of snake that you don't mess with and kill on sight. With rattlers, you can slowly back away from them (as long as you don't surprise them). Coral snakes will tumble over themselves to get away from you. But moccasins... all you can do is "subdue and dispatch". My Scout Master was an old Marine Drill Sargent, and a no-BS kind of guy.

Nice work, OBJ!

TedP

chuck_roxas45 · #14

OBJ Viking wrote:Where are you located?

ETA: look at the head on the black snake killed by sharpguitarist and you will see the difference between it and the moccasin's head shape and you will see the difference between poisonous and non-poisonous snake heads.

BTW - on the Coral Snake, they resemble a striped King Snake which is non-venemous, except the color rings are different. google pictures of each and remember this rhyme - "red and yellow kill a fellow, red and black friend to Jack".

Philippines.

dj moonbat · #15

OBJ Viking wrote:Neither. His head is in one bottle and the body in another, and both are filled with rubbing alcohol for my 6th grader to take to science class Monday for the kids to see and be able to recognize before deer season gets here and they hit the woods.

Quality thinking.

DCDesigns · #16

**** man that is crazy! I would not want to get that close to a cottonmouth to be able to use an endura! Did you use something else to hold the head, or did you just run up and slash it?!

Here in Ga, we have a plethora of poisionus snakes, including the coral snake. Mocassins used to be so prominant on this one creek near my Grandmas that me and my cousin would go there intentionally to "thin their numbers". One area has a large rock about 5 feet from the edge of the creek. We would stand on the rock with shotguns, throw individual m80's into different areas of the creek. then shoot all the snakes that swam away. We got near 30-40 in one afternoon once... You could not pay me to go swimming in that creek... I hate snakes, regardless of species I shoot on site. I have had two come into my house, one poisionus, one not. I treated them with the same hospitality.

One time (when I was 12 years old...) my dog pulled a snake out of bush and was playing with it. I was so scared for my puppy's life, that I didnt even stop to look what kind it was, I ran over, grabbed it from him by the tail, and repeatedly smacked it against a tree. I wasnt sure if it was dead, so after checking over my dog to make sure he wasnt bit, I took him inside and came out with lighter fluid...

OBJ Viking · #17

DCDesigns wrote:**** man that is crazy! I would not want to get that close to a cottonmouth to be able to use an endura! Did you use something else to hold the head, or did you just run up and slash it?!

I usually run them down then stomp on their head with my boot, pin them down, then cut off their heads with whatever knife I have in my pocket. I have used a stick to pin real aggressive ones. If you don't pin their head and try to cut it off with short blade, they can twist and get your hand, though a machete gives you plenty of length to work without pinning one. I have been doing this for a while and don't recommend my technique for anyone else.

OBJ Viking · #18

phillipsted wrote:I've had quite a few run-ins with Moccasins over the years - most of them while canoeing or fishing. These snakes are very territorial and will attack animals many time their size. I had one drop off of a low-hanging branch into our canoe one time - ambush attack style. Fortunately, canoe paddles are pretty handy at subduing snakes.

We were taught in Scouts that these were the one species of snake that you don't mess with and kill on sight. With rattlers, you can slowly back away from them (as long as you don't surprise them). Coral snakes will tumble over themselves to get away from you. But moccasins... all you can do is "subdue and dispatch". My Scout Master was an old Marine Drill Sargent, and a no-BS kind of guy.

Nice work, OBJ!

TedP

I knew a guy back in high school who shot up a "John-boat" with a .22 rifle when one dropped in with him and some other boys. He didn't hit the snake and the boat started taking on water. They all bailed into the creek and ran for the bank. LOL

WireEdge Roger · #19

Good work! I hate snakes, yuck. As a kid, I had at least a dozen get into our house. I came home from school one day and thought dads belt was laying in the mud room. I grabbed it to toss it aside and HISS! I about jumped out of my shoes! Bleck!

OBJ Viking · #20

I like a serrated blade for stuff like this and prefer the size of the Military model...I need to get my older 440C serrated Military back from Spyderco warranty and repair ASAP, where I sent it a couple of weeks ago to be sharpened and to have the lock repaired (locking up late)...its not much larger (as in being Kabar size) but the little extra grip and blade length would give me a little more reach for this type thing when working in the woods and fields.

ETA: Since they don't make a serrated Military model anymore, I don't want to use my newer NIB serrated Military model as a work knife like I do my Enduras. If Spyderco would do a limited run serrated Military I would buy one or two and then use both of my other older serrated ones in the woods.