Im going to save this thread and refer back to it the next time i get to thinking Kansas is too boring..
Re: Snakes One of my jobs on the High Speed Motorsports Top Fuel dragster was to "drive" the car back to the pits after a run. Actually the car is being towed but I have to steer it and mind the brakes so it doesn't crash into the tow pickup. So we're in Boise, just finished a run, I do my usual stuff, back the motor down etc, I didn't notice the guys in the truck using the starter alky/gas mix to spray at something in the brush. I hop in the race car, wiggle down into the seat so I can steer and brake, I'm 6'2" so it's a tight fit. The pickup pulls up about 10 feet and stops, I'm going"go on I'm ready" everyone is cracking up, someone says look beside the left slick...there's a big ass rattle snake all coiled and spitting...about 3 feet from where I'm wedged into this car... They had been spraying him with the started bottle and boy was he pissed! Fortunately they started moving soon after that, of course I was shitting, they were cracking up. Ahhh, life on the road.
Well, this thread has been fun, and pretty educational as well thanks to Doc, jipp, and a bunch of others. I probably wouldn't have started it if I hadn't been so 'wired' from my latest encounter; we have every critter imaginable out here but I'm not as fast as I used to be! Sorry to the 'Racing Washing Machine' crowd if this thread seems too OT, but it isn't really; it's all part of loving old cars, searching woods, brush, and old barns and sheds to uncover cool old tin. My two big white shepherds take 'antivenin' shots regularly, we always wear boots outside, and I may start wearing gloves to bed! It's all good. Thanks to all who shared their great stories, tips, and knowledge.
4 years ago my little girl, Gianna, was bitten by a baby rattlesnake when she was only 25 months old...after lifeflight to the hospital...5 days in intensive care and 27 vials of anti-venom she came out of it great...to this day if I see anything moving out of the corner of my eye it gets either shot, chopped, sliced, diced, crushed, mushed, or obliterated.
Bull snakes kill rattlers too....climbed over a barbed wire fence once and stepped right on top of a rattle snake .... damn near pissed my pants. It struck my boot. And I stomped on his head with my free foot
Live in the foothills here in So Cal, lots of Rattle Sankes, I found a great cure, bought 2 pigs and man do they love those snakes. Just a thought!
Hey man, I wasn't denigrating your thread, I think it is part of old cars to have to deal with critters, although I am glad for cold winters here, not so much scary shit to deal with. I was just taking a poke the the mods for deleting my post that was based on humour and sarcasm, without which I think cars and car people would be a bunch of dusty old farts and parts. Snake on!
Thats it! Soons i get these cats squared away i'ma gonna get some pigs! Just takes a couple of'em? Any special type of pig?
Born in the Congo Africa I have seen plenty of criters in the 8 years we lived there. From black mamba / boa / vipers / scorpions and many other dangerous animals. Here in Tempe AZ we had over 300 + scorpions from inside the house to outside in the yard. Frenchy
No sweat aj, I was born in Canada and every time I run into a rattler I consider moving back! Trouble is Momma's about 100lb soaking wet and she remembers the cold when she lived in Alaska. Guess we're stuck with the snakes, badgers, wild boar, Oryx, etc. Anyway, no offense taken; I'm with you...Life without humour and sarcasm would be a sad affair.
We got'em here.. Walk down the side walk at night, and the damn things are just laying there, out in the open. Dropped a big rock on one once. Made a hell of a mess. Haven't seen one in a while, in the neighborhood, so maybe folks have been cleaning up their yards more.. We had a cat eat one when I was a kid. Turned on the lights, and it was sitting there, with the legs hanging out of it's mouth.. Nasty!
Gotta love cats and dogs, when my dog was still under a year old I watched him jump about 4 feet in the air and grab a bird in the air. I thought my wife was gonna puke! Our bitchy cat used to bring us gifts in the form of mice, voles and moles. One day she brought us a baby rabbit, still screaming and then she silenced it in front of us. I was nicer to that cat after that.
I think of all the stories, this one bothers me the most. I wouldn't want to find any critters of any kind, anywhere near my junk!! My favorite story was from a female co-worker. She had left her car at a repair shop one summer day with the window open. When she picked it up a few days later the window was closed, and it didn't smell right inside the car. She was the type who tossed empty fast food wrappers and soda cans on the floor of the car. Due to the smell, she figures it was time to clean out the car. She got most of the trash out before she screamed when she cam face to face with a dead Opossum that was under the seat. Must have climbed in an open window, and then baked after the window was rolled up.
I killed this one bare handed a few weeks ago, I leave a radio playing in the shop 24/7 and seal it up ( metal Building ) best I can. The first time I find one IN the shop, might be the last time I goto the shop in the dark. MrC.
We once had gophers in our garden and being a car guy I grabbed the torch. After getting a nice neutral flame I snuffed it out and shoved the torch into the gopher hole. I waited five minutes and tossed in a lit match. Two things: five minutes is way too long and a match is too short of a fuse. It did get rid of the gophers.
They make a spray that will keep the snakes out that works real good. I forget what it is we would use it at my grandmothers house because every few weeks she had snakes in the house. They are bad this year because its so dry allmost every where. We have killed a bunch this year.
My family in SE Missouri has several Vietnamese potbelly pigs on their place and do a good job keeping the snake away. I know snakes are one of gods creatures so I try and send as many as possible home.
Don't think we've done enough spiders yet. I was curled up in the front fender well of a 57 Chevy in a junkyard. It had a couple of wheels pushed under the frame to lift it when I got there. Kinda tight quarters, but still enough to turn the wrenches. Heard something coming up along the frame rail beside my ear and turned to see one of those big brown fuzzy 8 legged things staring me in the eye. Couldn't get my arms up to do anything, so I just blew at it and it scrambled away. Had it jumped on my face instead, you'd have seen a 57 Chevy flipping over as I exploded in place..........
After several failed attempts by my brother to remove a large, nasty, non-poisonous black snake from his yard, he decided it was time to fetch his 32 cal auto pistol. He approached the snake, which was coiled in a strike pose, with a rake and his pistol. He held the rake outward towards the coiled snake and took aim. The snake then struck and scared the crap out of my brother, causing him to fire two quick reactionary shots. Unfortunately both shots hit my brothers hand almost severing one finger! That turned out to be one dangerous snake for sure!
C'mon! Now the pic i've enclosed is from a rattlesnake..........A BIG ONE! Seriously,If you've think you've pissed yourself,try being on a lake in a float tube (fisherman you know) and having one of those bad boy's swim,(yes they swim) up to you thinking your an island.You waist is only sticking out of the water.... FYI- They dont drown easilly,and you have to back pedal for a long time,and eventually yell-(scream) for help.This bastard hangs on the wall!
we get rattle snakes all the time, mostly July/August, 3 in the last 2 weeks. First one the wife yells out to me saying that one of our dogs (the stupid one) tripped over another snake by where she was watering and for me to come and move it away, but not to kill it as it's a Bull snake...wrong! it's a rattler, just didn't rattle! so off with it's head. Next 2 are coiled up in the dogs kennel and one of those times the dogs are in it. 2 dogs are dancin' around on top of their dog house's carryin' on like it's the end of the world while the third (stupid one) is just sitting there waiting to get let out like any other day just 3 ft. from the snake. Same outcome for those 2 snakes also.
Just killed a water moccasan (sp) after some torential downpours we had.... There's a reason I keep snake shot for the ol' .45..... I shot twice, neighbor came runnin out of the house and said "You hear that?......ohhhh I guess you did" (one hand pistol, one hand dead writhing snake) He was good with it.....as was I
.38 with snake shot...why not be prepared to blow its head off? Ahh I see salty is good to go on this..and he's a faster typer too.
The Jalopy Journal
