I hate snakes...

Here is a link about a mamba getting in a bow hide.

Scroll down until you find the video section.

http://www.bowsite.com/bowsite/features/LIVEHUNTS/Leopard2004/INDEX.CFM?DAY=8

Gerhard

I'm not sure if you guys noticed while watching the videos how high a black mamba can raise its' body unsoupported! I read it can support up to 2/3 of its body length in the air which is more than any other snake including the cobras. It is also one of the fastest snakes around and generally more aggressive than most.

Don't mess with them.

quote:

Originally posted by kudu4u:


African Hunter just to kindly tease you a bit here is the other picture. Hope it attaches.

Jeff

Sorry no picture comes up.

I think it came have up in the next post. I'm just learning my way around the forum. Anyway it is the horned adder I was holding up on a stick for a closeup shot. It turned out blurry. This snake thread has been interesting.

Dr B ...

Don't lose sleep over snakes on your visit. Just take normal care and you should be OK. Where are you going? In the bush, take someone that knows the place and knows what to look for to go with.

quote:

Originally posted by loboga:
Everyone makes a big deal about snakes, but the chances of being bitten are very remote. The best rule with snakes is to leave them alone.

You're spot on ... only a handful of snakes are actually lethal to us. The rule is not to look for trouble as you may just find it!

quote:

I know in the US and Australia that almost everyone that gets bit was either handling or trying to kill the snake.

loboga...very true, I stand corrected but I think SA's annual death total from sanke bite is about 10-12 people and most who get bitten are handling snakes. So, 42 million people, 12 deaths...not bad odds. Lightning deaths, way over 200 per annum, so if you are hunting in very early or late season when thunder showers may occur...worry about lightning!

Kudu4u - great pix, I can't see the hornes but from yuor PM you say two, that would be horned adder (single horned), as it has one distinct scale 'horn' above each eye. The many horned has three or four small 'horns' above each eye, almost like a tuft of scale horns. They are rarer and have a far smaller distribution than the single horned adder, typically only western SA, Namqualand, bushmanland, parts of karroo, kalahari. Cool, thanks for the pix!

Daniel, thanks for sites too!

Ted, the web between fingers would be possible I guess, skin/flesh pretty thin there. thanks.

Bahati wrote "You're spot on ... only a handful of snakes are actually lethal to us. The rule is not to look for trouble as you may just find it!"
Thanks, more sense!!!In SA alone we have 134 species of snake. Of that, only 14 are of danger to humans (you can argue these numbers by one or two if you want 'play' with subspecies!). We also have god -only- knows how many cars...all of which are of great danger to humans, we also have McDonalds food, rickety ladders and drunken tree climbing...not to mention unprotected sex, swimming pools, environmental pollutants and people who shoot off the back of moving bakkies at warthogs , all of which, are bad for humans.

Cheers!

Bahati
I'm looking at a trip to zululand, I will probly hunt Nyala and Red Duiker for a week while the wife and kids see the local sites, then we do a week or two seeing SA. The week of the hunt we will all stay in a bush camp (raised platform and tents}.
I'm not worried about myself I grew up in the Atchafalaya Basin, with more venomous snakes per square mile than any where in the world. I steped all over them and was bit on the boot once without envenomation. But these were just water moccasins verey small chance of dying from a bite. The snakes in Africa are of concern becuse of their leathlity and the fact that my kids are a little young to handle snakes on their own.
Has anyone kep a supply of Antivenom at the bush camp during a hunt? is this practile?, is air evacuation availble in Zululand like it is in the US?
Thanks
Dr B

quote:

Originally posted by 577NitroExpress:
I hate snakes...

"You funny!" - Short Round

Do you see alot of mambas in the selous,i will be hunting the selous september 2007.

I know we've gone far afield from the original post, but I thought I would post a link to a picture of a big snake in SA. At least its big to me...

http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/fencesnake.asp

Acer, now I know where some of the ideas for certain Sci-fi movies came from.

PH Brad Rolston had a black mamba drop out of a tree into the back of the truck he was riding in a couple of years ago. Needless to say, he vacated the truck rather quickly! This was up in the Limpopo Province near Hoedspruit. I too, do not care not to see any of the nasties while on Safari; I'll leave that up to the rest of you.

The guy in the video (begining of first clip) was absolutely correct - he DID win the dumb American of the year award!
Something that makes me very happy as it now knocks me out of the running

We crossed paths with a puff adder while in the Limpopo area near Ellisras last year. I was scared to death of it but the PH did not seem the least bit concerned. Infact he kicked dirt at it to move it off the path and out of our way so we could procede. I have a short video clip on my website that shows this. www.mississippioutdooradventures.com under future videos.

quote:

Originally posted by Dr B:
Bahati
Has anyone kep a supply of Antivenom at the bush camp during a hunt? is this practile?, is air evacuation availble in Zululand like it is in the US?
Thanks
Dr B

Dr B

We do exactly that in Mozambique (Anti-V, plane, the works) - but then our hunting area in Moz is really remote. Zululand is relatively close to major centers with hospitals and evacuation is very practical by plane or helicopter.

Johan

300magman good video--that puff adder was movin'