I hope this works..I am not to good on the computer thing.....
Snakes on the Prowl
By Robert Sloan, The Enterprise 04/06/2006
One of the most common and venomous snakes in East and Southeast Texas is a water moccasin or cottonmouth. The snake gets its name from the white puffs on the sides of its mouth. They normally are found in and around marshy areas, lakes, rivers and creeks.
The native Indian standing on the boat dock in the deep jungle terrain of Nicaragua was all smiles.
"Welcome gentlemen," he said, with a heavy Spanish accent. "Watch your step. Don't fall into the water, we've got big crocs. And if you get off the walkway be aware of venomous snakes. If you get hit by a Fer-de-Lance, we've got enough anti-venom to at least get you back to the mainland. It's the most dangerous snake in the world. It causes more deaths than any other American reptile."
Having safaried in Africa, and spent a considerable amount of time in Central and South America, not to mention being a native Texan, I've crossed paths with plenty of snakes.
But I've never been seriously warned about how to handle a situation with a deadly Fer-de-Lance. It was an eye-opener while recently fly-fishing my way through a jungle of rivers in a remote destination like Nicaragua. We were at what resembled a tree house with monkeys swinging from the vines.
Advertisement
Click here to go to JK Chevrolet
"Once you get your gear stashed, keep the doors to your cabin closed," our host said. "The howler monkeys and iguana lizards will move right in. So will the snakes. We have lots of snakes that are capable of killing you within minutes."
He held up a picture.
"This is another one you want to look out for," he smiled. "It's a bushmaster, the largest pit viper in the world and highly venomous."
I just thought we had bad snakes in Texas. Fortunately we didn't see any while running the jungle rivers. But within the past three days, I saw three rattlers while on the way to a turkey hunt in the Hill Country. Two were pancaked, and one was slithering across the road in high gear. And lately, while walking my lab, I've seen several grass snakes within the city limits of Beaumont.
It's a sure bet that by the time spring officially is here, snakes, including moccasins, rattlers and copperheads, are out in numbers. The good news is that the bite from one of these bad boys normally is not deadly. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas averages zero to one fatality per year from snakebites. Also, TPWD statistics show that we are four times more likely to get killed by lighting than by a snake bite. That's the good news.
The bad news is that Texas has 15 venomous snakes. Plus, out of the 254 counties in the Lone Star State, not one of them is snake free. That's especially true in East and Southeast Texas counties, where encounters with water moccasins and copperheads are not uncommon.
Spring turkey hunters should be especially aware of rattlers, moccasins and copperheads. The typical turkey hunter spends a lot of time on the ground, leaning up against a tree or a makeshift blind. I've got a friend who crawled into a blind on all fours during a pre-dawn excursion for a chance to bow hunt a South Texas gobbler. He had been sitting there, on a small stool, when he heard what sounded like a buzzing noise. He clicked the flashlight on and about had heart failure when realized that he and a big rattler were sharing the same blind. The hasty escape was pulled off without incident.
The rule is to never ever crawl into a blind or lean up against a tree without giving the area a good look.
The really bad thing about most snakes is that Mother Nature went above and beyond the call of duty when she gave them their camouflage. Take a copperhead, for example. This snake looks exactly like a pile of leaves. A diamondback rattler looks like dirt and even has yellowish flecks that perfectly blend in with the terrain of the Hill Country, as well as the West and South Texas regions. A water moccasin, a.k.a. cottonmouth, has a grayish/black skin that is akin to the mud and boggy areas where these nasty reptiles most often are found.
You can find a moccasin almost anywhere. A few years back, I was at the old Port Arthur Bass Fishing Club off Spindletop Bayou. I reached for the cabin door, and right there at my feet was a moccasin coiled up on the second step. That'll wake you up!
In most situations a snake is not going to attack unless you provoke it somehow. We've all heard stories about moccasins attacking humans. Personally, I've never seen that happen. Supposedly a bushmaster, that can reach lengths of up to 14-feet, is known to attack. Talk about a bad situation.
You've got two options during a close encounter with a snake. Kill it or give it plenty of leeway. TPWD stats show that most snake bites are a result of somebody provoking or handling them.
If you are bitten, you'll usually feel a burning pain that's followed by swelling. Regardless of what you might have heard, don't do anything other than heading back to the vehicle. Preferably, you'll want to sit down, and keep the bite area elevated, while a friend gets the vehicle. The main goal is to get to an emergency room ASAP, according to doctors I've talked to and hunted with.
If bitten, you need to determine what kind of snake did the damage. If possible, kill the snake, bag it, and take it along to the ER for a positive ID. Make certain the snake is dead, with the head on. I talked to an ER nurse a few years back who had a bad encounter with a "dead snake" that came to life in the ER.
To be safe, when afield, keep a keen eye out for snakes. If possible, wear snake boots, especially when hunting. If you see one, you know what the options are. And if you do get hit, remember that most snake bites are from non-venomous snakes. Better yet, Andy Price, a TPWD wildlife biologist, said about 30 percent of snakebites are dry bites, meaning no venom has been injected. That's often the case for hikers and hunters who wear boots and thick socks several inches above the ankle.
rsloan@beaumontenterprise.com
(409) 833-3311, ext. 484
©The Beaumont Enterprise 2006
Email to a friendPrinter-friendlyTop
Linear Mode
