Water snakes

[workinforwood]

My property has a creek across it, the back is a wetland and the neighbor has a big pond. Now..I'm in the shop, step outside and what meets me but a big ole 2 footer water snake. Instict takes over and I do the opposite of what most do..I jump on it, grab it by the neck and take it in the house. I skinned it, prepped the solution and tossed it in. Never skinned a fresh snake before, but sure is way faster and easier than a thawed one from the freezer! I notice the skin is very nice and thin too, so it'll obviously make good pens. This is how we think as turners I suppose. So I take it out to the shop, set it on the table, leave the shop and there's a water snake on the porch in front of the door. It's not as big, but I grab it and toss it in a bucket, because I didn't want to deal with it right now since I just cleaned up. Now I go eat dinner, go back to the shop and don't make it in the door as there's another 2 footer sitting on the porch in front of the door. So now there's two snakes in a bucket waiting to meet there demise. Apparently my shop is in the middle of a snake highway. These snakes are a neusanse, especially to my kids swimming in the pond. Skins don't look to bad though.

 

[JayDevin]

ewwwwwwwwwwww yeeeeech!

 

[Rifleman1776]

While still in shock after reading your post, I looked up your profile and found you live in Michigan. Big relief. If you lived in Mississippi or Louisiana, those snakes could be bad news, bite and venom wise.
OK, you have now completed the first step in making snakeskin pens. Step #1: First ye kill a snake.
Good luck with your project. Pictures mandatory as you progress. Would love to have seen a picture of you jumping in the water and grabbing that snake by the neck.

 

[DavePowers]

This is how we as turners think!! I scream like a girl, cuss and take off the other direction.

Yes they do have cool looking patterns.

When my little boy was 3 my wife him and me went to hang a deer stand. They sat in the truck while I went to put the stand in. I was walking in a swampy area and new I would see a snake and kept telling my self to stay calm, sure enough when I went to step on a mound of dirt this stick took off as I almost stepped on it. I yell oh f*** and went on.
When I returned to the truck I could hear my wife laughing and when I climbed in she says go ahead ask your dad. My little one then asays daddy what animal goes eeewwwee, my wife is crying she is laughing so hard. I hate snakes.

 

[cowchaser]

Only good snake is a dead one. I don't like lizards or anything of the sort. If you want to see me run a 2.2 40 then chase me with one. If I can't get away someone will get a good smack out of it.

 

[Russianwolf]

too many wimps around here. I thought woodworkers were supposed to be manly men?[]

 

[OldWrangler]

A good old Texas boy was fishing at a small farm pond and ran out of bait. As he looked around for something a bass might eat, he spotted a big snake with a frog in it's mouth. Knowing that frogs are good bass bait he caught the snake but it wouldn't turn loose of the frog. The Texan had a jar of moonshine with him and poured some in the snake's mouth to make him spit out the frog. He did and then crawled off into the bush. The Texan baited up and went back to fishing.
About 10 minutes passed and he felt something bump his leg. It was the snake with 2 more frogs.

 

[Rudy Vey]

Originally posted by Rifleman1776

While still in shock after reading your post, I looked up your profile and found you live in Michigan. Big relief. If you lived in Mississippi or Louisiana, those snakes could be bad news, bite and venom wise.
OK, you have now completed the first step in making snakeskin pens. Step #1: First ye kill a snake.
Good luck with your project. Pictures mandatory as you progress. Would love to have seen a picture of you jumping in the water and grabbing that snake by the neck.

I also checked where he lives, Michigan. Since I used to live in Michigan myself for a while, I know there is one rattlesnake that lives in MI (and also in Ontario, but this is Canada):
The Mississauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus), aka Michigan Rattler, Black Rattler, Massasauga Rattlesnake and many other names.

 

[Ligget]

I`ll stick with buying the skins already cast, I hate the look of snakes so I vote for going the opposite way as fast as possible![:I]

 

[scoutharps]

As all my Boy Scouts know: BJ/s Mom doesn't do creepy cralies!!!! Snales are right p there at the top of the creeepy crawlie list. I may be a turner, but I refuse to revoke my privilige of being a girl when it is convienent!

 

[JohnU]

I drive hours a day while working and see them dead on the roads all the time, but I spend as much time as possible in the woods spring and fall hunting and never see them. I like it that way. I dont mind snakes... I hate suprises!

 

[bitshird]

Y'all are lucky, it is now against the law to kill a Rattle snake or from what I've been told Copper Heads or Cotton Mouth Water Moccasins in Tennessee.
We get several Copper Heads in our yard each summer. I agree the only good snake is on a pen!!! too bad chicken snakes don't have a more attractive hide

 

[1JaredSchmidt]

We had a big bull snake here that had skin that looked like rattlesnake skin. I guess I could send it to you.

 

[PaulDoug]

I have a great fear of snakes I just can't seem to get over. I do not kill them, I just give them their space and I keep my space. I have a big bull snake living in my garden. I make sure I look for him every time I go out there so I don't get surprised. Had to shoo him (or her, I don't know how to tell the difference.. in snakes) out of the yard the other day because I was mowing and didn't want to run over it. I think we are going to become friends!

 

[jack barnes]

The only good snake is a dead snake. I'm afraid if I see a snake, law or no law I'm going to do do my best to kill it.

Jack

 

[jbpaul]

Amen, Frank! Grabbing a "water snake" behind the head here in Louisiana could be your last mistake [xx(]. Full grown moccasins are quite aggressive at times. Good thing you can usually smell the big guys before you see them. Really gets the blood flowing when they drop out of the trees into your boat. Or when you are standing in the creek and feel a vigorous thumping on your boot. At least rattlers give you fair warning!

Jeff, good luck on prepping the skins for pens. I'll second the motion that pictures are mandatory.

 

[workinforwood]

Funny you mention that JB. These are just michigan water snakes, not water moccassons, but they do have a smell that turns the head! Pretty much every snake here is poison free except that mississaga rattler which is a very rare find in these parts. I only ever found the water snakes, stripers and garters around my house. I only wish some corn snakes would show up, because those are a true prize. The bigger water snakes here though, they are very aggressive and can certainly inflict some hospital visit damage and pain. Be great if anyone has a good suggestion on killing them fast without damaging the body. I tried a nail through the head, but it did nothing, then decided off with the head, but 2 hours later they were still moving...I don't get it.

 

[jbpaul]

Jeff,

Since I am always up for learning something new (one of my major faults, if you ask my wife), would you mind sharing your technique for prepping snakeskin for casting? How successful have you been? Lord knows we have enough snakes around here. I am in relative suburbia, but family members and friends from home see and/or "collect" numerous species of snake on a regular basis. Happy hunting/tanning/casting!

 

[JohnU]

My grandma used to live in Florida when I was a young boy and killed snakes all th time with her hoe. Best darn thing I ever seen used to kill them. One chop to take off the head and then scoop up the rest and give it a toss. I wish I had some of them skins now.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Originally posted by bitshird

Y'all are lucky, it is now against the law to kill a Rattle snake or from what I've been told Copper Heads or Cotton Mouth Water Moccasins in Tennessee.
We get several Copper Heads in our yard each summer. I agree the only good snake is on a pen!!! too bad chicken snakes don't have a more attractive hide

We have similar laws in Arkansas. If a dead copperhead wants to report me to the Sheriff, let it. [}]

 

[workinforwood]

I don't do casting, what I do is work a deal with a caster. In the past I sent out just the skins and then never saw anything come back. Now I have a few very reliable casting friends. I ordered some black it and am going to install the snakes on my tubes and on his, basically I'll split 50/50 on what we come up with..he has a bit more money into it with his equipment and resin, but I have money in the tanning supplies, black it and tubes too plus I have to work the hardest in labour no doubt! I have a kit that I bought for tanning that is especially for reptiles and amphibians and it helps preserve the color as well. A very simple process where the skin goes in the solution, I leave it overnight, but it can be done in a few hours, then lay out the skin so inside is facing you onto some cardboard and stretch and pin it to the cardboard. Then with a foam brush rub the inside of the skin with the tanning oil which keeps the skin plyable when it dries. In a day or two when it's dry, stretch and pull on it to loosen it up and that also loosens up the dead scales which can be easily scraped off now and that's it. I think for gluing on the tube, the oil on the skin will need to be rubbed off with something like alcohal maybe, but not sure yet since I'm not at that stage. Fresh skins are very easy to pull off. A frozen snake works fine but is ten times the work out. Seems like when it's frozen, the snake meat is tough and sticks hard to the skin. I don't bother with the tail or head, just cut around the neck and around where the pee hole is. The very end of the tail is generally too small to do anything with anyhow. It really is alot of work, but it's not hard or difficult, anyone can do it. Best done when wife isn't home of course, or you'll be living outside with the snakes.

 

[Mudder]

Originally posted by Rifleman1776

Originally posted by bitshird

Y'all are lucky, it is now against the law to kill a Rattle snake or from what I've been told Copper Heads or Cotton Mouth Water Moccasins in Tennessee.
We get several Copper Heads in our yard each summer. I agree the only good snake is on a pen!!! too bad chicken snakes don't have a more attractive hide

We have similar laws in Arkansas. If a dead copperhead wants to report me to the Sheriff, let it. [}]

Seems like Frank does not practice what he preaches, Less than a month ago he posts this:

Originally posted by Rifleman1776

Because a crime is low priority doesn't make it acceptable to violate. If you don't agree with this, do what you will. I won't be your final judge.

Funny how things change in a month.

 

[Ozzy]

It's kinda ironic that this subject came up this weekend, Saturday was my 37th anniversary of my being bitten by a Copperhead.

I was four years old and my family were at a pinic with several other families, all I had on was a bathing suit, and I had to pee. So, my mom walked me over to this cliff away from everybody to pee. I wasn't happy standing on the rock that I was on, so I stepped down onto the next one so that there was nothing but a lot of air in front of me. As I was peeing I kept feeling something tickle my ankle, when I finished I turned around to see what it was....it was a Copperhead!!! I had to make a choice, jump off the cliff or over the snake; I chose the snake.

I didn't even know it got me. My mom was screaming (I was too) but when I saw the blood coming from my ankle...I was really screaming! The cool part was that we were mear a small despinsery and they MEDEVACed me to Darnell Army Hospital. My foot swelled to about twice its normal size and I have to little scars that look like X's at the bite site.

 

[workinforwood]

Sorry about your snake bite Oz. It's ok to kill watersnakes here in Michigan, at least so far it is. There's a billion of them out there I think. Ya'll wanted pictures I read. This one is from 20 minutes ago while I was cutting the grass. It's far bigger than the other three. How big? I don't know, no tape measure with me, but you see the box of cereal and the drawer under it is 11", and there's still 6-8" of skinny tail on the body I didn't bother with. Had to run it in the house and skin it real fast while wife it out at parade with kid. If she sees this picture with the snake skin on the counter I'm a definite gonner! I did cometize the counter and sink of course.

I am using True Tan for my tanning. Lots of other products and home made ones you can do, but that's the professional product that I am using. Not me professional, just the product

 

[Tonto]

not 100% certain but I recall several states require a fishing license to take snakes and some are indeed protected..and I'll bet the sale of skins is covered by similar laws regarding antler and other animal parts....regading the killing of any snake....a bad practice....they are part of the system that keeps rodents in check and the loss of snakes can literally lead to increased crop loss and nasty stuff like Hanta Virus outbreaks and even plague...certainly not a high priority for enforcement folks but since this is a list that uses renewable resources (wood) we should apply that same ethic to critters as well...and all that said, poisonous snakes around one's house are a no-no especially if you have young kids (or squeamish woodturners)

 

[workinforwood]

Great points there Tonto. I looked into it in the past and thought it was ok, but figured I best do more research. You are correct that I am supposed to have a fishing liscence, but otherwise this snake is not protected, it is over abundant. It is one of the few in this state not protected by the DNR, although they want their liscence fee I'm sure, but I promise I'll be getting one soon since vacation is coming and we always go fishing up north and need liscences. Now if this was the copper belly water snake that can grow up to 8 feet, then I'd be in trouble as that is not only protected but endangered. Although snakes are a big part of the ecosystem, they do need to have a few removed now and again just like any other animal, and there isn't very many natural water snake preditors, thus the over population. No snakes is bad for all Tonto's reasons, but you also have to argue that too many snakes promotes disease amongst their own species. This is one of the problems we've been having now start to appear in Michigan with the way over populated and over crowded deer population. The deer are starting to die of sickness by overpopulation. I'm not taking any more water snakes though since I have plenty now and tons left in the yard. They do a good job of controlling my biggest pest problem which is moles and ground squirrels. In the future I'll be sure and grab that liscence first just to protect my butt.

 

[DocStram]

Originally posted by Mudder

Originally posted by Rifleman1776

Originally posted by bitshird

Y'all are lucky, it is now against the law to kill a Rattle snake or from what I've been told Copper Heads or Cotton Mouth Water Moccasins in Tennessee.
We get several Copper Heads in our yard each summer. I agree the only good snake is on a pen!!! too bad chicken snakes don't have a more attractive hide

We have similar laws in Arkansas. If a dead copperhead wants to report me to the Sheriff, let it. [}]

Seems like Frank does not practice what he preaches, Less than a month ago he posts this:

Originally posted by Rifleman1776

Because a crime is low priority doesn't make it acceptable to violate. If you don't agree with this, do what you will. I won't be your final judge.

Funny how things change in a month.

<center>
How about those Pirates!! </center>

 

[Mudder]

Originally posted by DocStram



<center>
How about those Pirates!! </center>

4th place 24 wins, 26 losses, 5.5 games out.

You really should check your sports scores yourself. [:0]