For you southern boys

[turkaholic]

I had some birds roosted last year and got in early to where I needed to be. As it came light my birds gobbled and I started to tree call, they clammed up and I waited to see what would happen. I caught movement and got ready thinking it might be the birds closing in silent. All I could make out was something black and moving. About 75 yards out I got a good look and it was no turkey. I was sitting in the clearing and a 400 pound or so black bear was grubbing in the rocks on the side hill. My first thought was is it a female and did she have cubs? I just sat still because I didn't want to spook it. I let that bear go buy me at 40 yards and took in the show, but had to return to camp after to change my pants.

[SouthernStrut]

I've never really had a problem with snakes during turkey season, but I'm sure I will now that I said that. I guess I've just been lucky, but I do wear snake boots during late season in April. During late summer we always cut up at least 2 or 3 niiiice sized rattlers in our fields. One a couple years ago was over 5 ft long and big around as my forearm, didn't find the rattle. I dern sure don't walk through the fields in hot weather without a big stick to poke in front of me and my snake boots. If you saw the big ol cat I saw about 8 years ago trottin across our field you wouldn't worry about a snake one bit. That sucker was every bit of 200 lbs with feet bigger than my face. I know those big cats travel so far I'll probably never see one again, but the clubs nex to us have gotten pics of them over gut piles several times. Coyotes don't get too big around here so I don't worry about those. Bobcat screams are creepy too but they don't get too big here either. I'd probably have more chance of being smacked in the back of the head by an owl swooping down when I'm hooting than running into anything else. I call up 3 or 4 hooters every season that just don't wanna leave me alone early in the morning.

[MoJack]

I was checking out a new Conservation Area last year, walking up a trail, looking left and right into the woods to see what was there.  The trail kind of dead ended, so I turned around and started walking back.  About 15 steps on the way back I am looking down and there is a 6-8' rattler lying in the trail sunning himself.  He had to be there a minute or so ago, so I must have stepped right over him, made the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

On the bobcats, a few years ago I saw that movie, Blair Witch Project (usually really don't like that genre of movies...) and went camping the next night.  We had a bobcat circling the campground, and that was the single scariest sound that I have ever heard, sounded almost like a baby crying.... don't think I slept 10 minutes all night after that.

[Cut N Run]

I've had more encounters with poisonous snakes in the Fall during bow season for deer than turkey season. They are usually shedding their skin in Fall & will strike at most anything that gets in their way. Cottonmouths have the worst attitude of any snake species I've run into. They make the rest of 'em almost look tame.

Those Fer de Lance snakes from the jungles of Central America where the Oscillated Turkeys live are a whole different ballgame. They are born pissed off and are always spoiling for a fight. They have some serious poison too. Glad they're nowhere near here.

Jim

[grizzly]

hey there retranger i to never give snakes a second thought until my son had an encounter with a timber rattler last year and the fact the while working for the state highway dept. out of the hornell area snake boots and chaps are a must and when you look at the old battle flags of n.y they have rattlers on them tells me that at one time they must of been a common site . so if you see a snake better safe than sorry[;)] wayne

[Bobbyparks]

Hunters Diary

June ....West Point Lake....water extremely low...pull onto shore about 9:00 in the morning so partner can answer natures call...walking around in shorts and Converse Chuck Taylor All Star tennis shoes making notes of ditch and landmarks for future fishing when waters back up.........notice big clumps of grass....looking up while stepping over clump and step on a BIG A@@ Water Moccassain thats already coiled up and waiting.........know what I'm on before I even look down.........feel him moving and see something black fly out and come back at my ankle........know I'm doomed and being bitten........suck air..scream like a girl...jump off snake and realize it was his tail that flew out and that I stepped right on his head and neck and pinned him down....my head and his is messed up the rest of the day.

October .....Harris County ....Climb out od stand late in morning during archery season...take 25 steps and step over limb and stop........look down........see limb is a Timber Rattler right between my feet........suck air...scream like a girl again...and jump away from snake

Sept... Scouting along a creek in Quitman County Ga....Partner walks towards creek looking for a place to cross and flushes a Copperhead that crawls right across the same tennis shoe I stepped on the water Moccassian with...scream like a girl for a 3rd time

October....Halfway lost and trying to find the truck....trying to get through a massive thicket...decide to crawl though at a narrow spot...crawl a few feet and come face to face with a 5' Rat Snake crawling straight at me....girl scream # 4

Turkey Season....2004...Take a guest hunting...sitting against a tree with cover around me and my guest 30 feet away in the afternoon calling perodically....just about to snooze when I feel something crawl up on my right leg...look down and see another huge Rat Snake already across one leg and going up on the other.......on the inside I implode and feel like I'm having a movement... ....on the outside I don't move and see it's not poisinous..........I let him crawl off me while my guest looks at it with his mouth wide open and his eyes bugging out...no girl scream...acted like it was nothin....my guest thinks I'm a MAN....he couldn't quit talking about it...tells everybody.....everyone thinks I'm a BAD... didn't let him see me clean my pants out and he never knew about the skid marks in my underwear

[dewey]

Bobby holy crap those are some close calls especially when the snake tail hits you in the leg after you step on his head. After hearing snake stories like that I am glad to have snow and cold if it keeps me from having to scream like a girl, run away and then clean out my underwear later.[:D]

Dewey

[kenturkey89]

Haha good stuff Bobby. Glad you've made it through those encounters to tell us about them[;)]

[retranger]

Grizzly we do have timber rattlers in certain areas up here, all along lake champlain and lake george. When I was in the Catskills there were timber ratters and copperheads. Where I am it doesn't get warm enough long enough for them to wake up. I don't know about other parts but along lake champlain they have an area and they stay there, never seem to populate anywhere else. I've always said I am only afraid of three kinds......big ones little ones and dead ones!!!!

[kygobbler]

Bobby, thats some funny stories. Thats why I always have my .22 pistol on me. There are a couple of places here in the county that we do have some timber rattlers and water moccasins.