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¡Snek!


Patricio Swayze

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A couple weeks ago, the family and I were driving from Abilene to SA, and decided to take some back roads to see wildflowers and whatnot.  We stopped just north of Castell, where 2768 goes over the Llano River, and decided to get out and walk around the river bed.  I am always on the lookout for sneks, and I knew on this warm spring day that they would probably be hiding under rocks or in some other shade.  We are walking on the rocks on the west side of the bridge when a guy with his family on the east side of the bridge yells "Holy shit!".  So I ask what he found and he says a snek under a rock.  We continue our picture taking, rock collecting, and head back up to the bridge a few minutes later.  At this point, the guy has walked down to the General Store, and fetched the owner who is now walking back with a 12-gauge.  He sees the snek, about 5 yards from the bridge, and blasts it with a single shot, which cuts it in half.  And that was the vacation that started with a Cottonmouth getting shot in half about 20 feet from my 3 kids, all under 7.  Texas, fuck yeah.

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Disappointing day photography wise but satisfying otherwise. I found this Speckled Kingsnake in a spot that is 2 blocks off I-10 in an area that will no doubt be developed in 3-5 years. Plus it was under a board only feet from a road. I talked to a biologist and he told me to relocate it so I took it to the Katy Prairie after I showed my kids.

I was disappointed he was in shed. A couple days from now he will he brilliant yellow and black. His pattern was one of the best I have seen. Maybe I will see him again st the spot I released him at.

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2 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:


If people insist on the whole “good snake” and “bad snake” way of thinking, this is most definitely a good snake. Typically docile (he never tried to bite me) and they eat pests as well as venomous snakes, even rattlesnakes.

Completely understood and I have heard they eat rattlesnakes. That thing is a badass but my pussy factor with snakes is level 1000

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46 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

 That thing is a badass but my pussy factor with snakes is level 1000

You’re not alone.  Having confessed that, don’t believe in needlessly killing of snakes like the one mentioned above, unless it can harm people or pets.  But when you’re walking about in nature, you’re on their turf imo and they should be left alone. 

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15 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:


It’s only my second one. Other was less than a year old. I’ll probably go look for more tomorrow.

I’ve caught hundreds of snakes, but never even seen a king in Texas. But when I was visiting Southern California, stumbled upon a 4 foot beauty that I caught and released. My son has one now that is about 3 and change, sweet as can be, but is a voracious predator of anything dropped in its cage. Once including a rattlesnake.

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1 hour ago, Underdog said:

You’re not alone.  Having confessed that, don’t believe in needlessly killing of snakes like the one mentioned above, unless it can harm people or pets.  But when you’re walking about in nature, you’re on their turf imo and they should be left alone. 

For sure. I wouldn't kill it but I would scream and quickly go in the other direction

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is there video of the rattler meeting his demise? because that would be pretty cool

That would indeed be cool. However there is a video out there of an Indigo eating a rattlesnake in South Texas.

I follow a couple of snake nerds on Instagram and they find tons of Kingsnakes. Mostly Speckled and Prairie. They are really bad ass though and most are surprisingly docile.
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Sorry no pics. Total fail on my part.

 

I'm taking a shit in the upstairs bathroom next to an open window, and I hear some jays going apeshit in a tree out in the yard.. I look out the window and I see a huge fucking salmon-pink colored snake hanging half out of tree with two jays dive bombing it. The snake has a baby bird in its mouth. All you can see are the feet sticking out.

As I'm trying to quickly wipe my ass, the snake drops completely out of the tree and takes off across the yard at an amazingly fast speed, and disappears into the tall grass outside the fence. It moved so fast that it looked like it vanished, as opposed to just sliding into the tall grass. It was at least three feet long, maybe longer.

Based on the distinctive color, extremely long slender body, and the speed it moved, It was one of these guys:

 

800px-Red_Racer_Coachwhip.jpg

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masticophis_flagellum

 

tldr: Failed to get pics of cool snake because I was on the pot.

 

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So I am out and about scouting a location for business start up and I get this panic text from my wife.

Wife: YUCK!   OMG there is a snake in our backyard and Gus (our dog)  is standing right over it and barking at it.

ME:   Leave it alone.

Wife:  But it's going to bite Gus

ME:    It would have already struck and done it's thing if it were a big bad snake.  Leave it alone.  

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:


My wife showed me that yesterday. She said she wanted to see me pick that one up. Disappointing day today. I’ll post pics in a bit.

Saw in an article about the video that this anaconda was estimated at about 10 ft. Now imagine one about three times that size !!? Shit, if I ever saw one at about 30 ft  she wouldn't even have to constrict me before swallowing me down. Frickin' cardiac on the spot.

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I went to Austin this morning really hoping to get a chance to photograph a rattlesnake.  I know, I know.  Well, I didn't see any, and I looked at several spots where a guy in Austin always sees them.  I did catch two Coachwhips (and yeah, that pink snake up thread, is a Coachwhip).  Unfortunately, both were in shed, so not the best opportunity for photos.  I did take a flick with my actual camera of the larger.  I also saw a ratsnake. 

Coachwhips:

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Ratsnake:

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I was visiting a drilling rig right outside of Big Spring a couple weeks ago. Toolpusher killed this right outside his door. In my area (Wichita Falls), I never saw any rattlesnake that wasn't a Western Diamondback. We called them coontails because of the stripes. I measured it because I thought it might be a Massasauga (sp), and that would be huge. But, rattler count probably means something else.

Because of you guys, I tried to shoo a tiny little rat snake off a road earlier this year by swiping my foot across his tail. He turned around, ready to fight. I bent over, and noticed he had a little button on his tail. NOT a rat snake!46ac0a22463892d8043a8ef8a15d2a72.jpg4e7b5fc00474291ed5907d24a854f1d2.jpg

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I've researched the snake I pictured above, and maybe Desert Massasauga? If so, at 38-39", that one seems several inches longer than average (that's what SHE said).

Any input appreciated. Like I say, we had a dairy farm North of Electra. Our hay barn would have rat snakes, and stinking ass bull snakes. Rarely a rattler on our place, but the Waggoner Ranch, south and west of us, had bookoodles of them.

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I've researched the snake I pictured above, and maybe Desert Massasauga? If so, at 38-39", that one seems several inches longer than average (that's what SHE said).

Any input appreciated. Like I say, we had a dairy farm North of Electra. Our hay barn would have rat snakes, and stinking ass bull snakes. Rarely a rattler on our place, but the Waggoner Ranch, south and west of us, had bookoodles of them.

Looks like a Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis).
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East Texas Speckled king was the first snek I ever had as a pet. They’re awesome to look at, and super docile. I think I posted a pic of the one I found in Oxford MS a few years ago at the baseball field.
I posted a video of when I caught a Blue Indigo in South Texas a few years ago, but took it down due to the fact that I’d completely forgotten that they were protected, and therefore handling them is a federal offense. Still have the video, but not sure I should post it.
Patricio, next time you head out for pics, give me a call, I’d love to tag along.

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East Texas Speckled king was the first snek I ever had as a pet. They’re awesome to look at, and super docile. I think I posted a pic of the one I found in Oxford MS a few years ago at the baseball field.
I posted a video of when I caught a Blue Indigo in South Texas a few years ago, but took it down due to the fact that I’d completely forgotten that they were protected, and therefore handling them is a federal offense. Still have the video, but not sure I should post it.
Patricio, next time you head out for pics, give me a call, I’d love to tag along.


Man, I am so fucked for free time. Lately I stop on my way home from work. On my Friday off I get a chance to get out. Very rarely on the weekends. So my next Friday off I will likely head to Galveston for rattlesnakes and kingsnakes. I am guessing you will be working. If I do get some free time on a weekend, I’ll hit you up.
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