Rule 1: It's winter, so all the snakes will be hibernating.

Rule 2: You'll never see a snake first, since you are walking behind your PH and your tracker.

This is the puff adder that my 16 year old son stepped over last week in Namibia at Kamanjab. He was fourth in line as we walked this path. He called out, "Dad, there's a snake." He was about to put his foot down on this juvenile puff adder, then wisely decided to lengthen his stride. We all turned around and went back to look over this snake. Zack was a bit shaken, at least to the point of wanting to walk in our footsteps for the next few days. Added a little spice to the trip. Helmke, our PH, said this was only the 3rd snake he'd seen while hosting hunting guests in June/July. In the warm months, he's seen black and green mamba, adders, spitting cobra, and python. He had a prize breeding bull killed with a single bite from a black mamba. He picked up the adder, we took some pictures, and let him go.

Bob

Two years ago while riding through the Okavango in June one of our PHs yelled "stop" he leapt off the truck followed by the trackers. He reached into a bush and stood up holding a 2 foot puff adder. The trackers set an olympic record for the standing leap into the truck. I was glad that neither I nor my sons followed the PH down. After showing us the snake the PH released it and we went on our way. Needless to say I watched my step for the rest of the hunt.

I saw a puff adder in Tanzania; the game scout about crapped his pants.

Saw a big snake yesterday coyote hunting in AZ - wriggled right on by me as I sat on the ground.

During the last week in May this year while in RSA, I decided to rest my back from the bumping around in the Land Rover. I grabbed a folding chair and found a spot overlooking a bog with a small bit of standing water in the middle.



I began to see game almost immediately. I was having a great time, reading a book and glassing animals, awaiting a "chip shot" for my little .375 Express double.



About 10:00 a.m. a pretty fine impala emerged from the high grass, grunted a bunch and then struck a pose perfect for a full-body mount about 45 yards away. After he stood there for 10 minutes without flicking an ear, I couldn't take it anymore and decided that he needed to become supper.



I was pretty well hidden on the edge of the a crumbling old damn, with my chair pushed back into a bushy, low tree. I eased up my rifle, rested my left hand in a "V" of the "encompassing" tree and took the shot. Upon the shot, the impala jumped straight up and ran to the left, not bounding, but very low to the ground



I got up, and went to the last spot I had seen him, and finding blood everywhere, returned to my makeshift blind, knowing that the P.H. and trackers were scheduled to pick me up in 30 minutes.



When I returned to my chair, I sat and with the rifle in my right hand, butt down, I looked to the ground to rest the rifle there and against the limbs in front of me.



I about crapped in my britches. Almost touching my right foot, not 2 inches away, was a big ass snake's head, with his body stretching out about 7 feet. The damn thing's head was about half the size of my foot (or so it seemed). My first thought was "What kind of snake!?!", but after a zillionth of a second, I decided I didn't care and slammed down the butt of the double with all my strength (which, fortunately) was only a few inches above the snakes head as I was preparing to rest it right where the bugger's head was).



I'm not sure if I rolled out of the chair, or just fell my fat ass out, but I was about 20 feet away from that damn snake faster than the light comes on in a refridgerator.



After I got my breath back, which was about 5 minutes after the P.H. got to the dam, we looked at the dirt where I was sitting. Impressed in the ground was my right boot print, an eliptical imprint of my rifles stock, and in the middle of that, an perfect oval impression of a snakes head.



We timidly looked a bit around the area for the snake, but since the ground was soft and a little soggy, all I probably did to the snake was to give it a headache. All he did to me was cause me to change my underwear.



When we got back to the P.H.'s house later in the week, I looked all through "snake books" and finally decided that I had been visited by a python.. probably not very dangerous to me, but in the second I had to decide, I really didn't give a flip. All I knew was that it was big and "fang" distance from my foot.



Anyone who spends as much time in the South Georgia woods will have some snake stories, and during turkey and early deer seasons I usually wear snake boots, but now I've got a good one from Africa. I won't mind if it's my last.

Last year in the Selous, while riding along a two-track looking for zebra, my PH yelled "stop" to the driver. As we slid to a stop I stood up in the back of the Rover just in time to see the "last five feet" of a snake quickly slither out of the track. Just as quickly as it got out of the road, it turned and made a quick dash back toward our vehicle. "It's a black mamba, go, go, go". The driver lurched the vehicle forward for a couple hundred feet. I, and probably everone else on the vehicle, thought the 8-10 foot long snake was trying to get to our vehicle. The PH explained that we could not have killed the snake by running over it in the sandy soil and if you tried and then stopped to survey the scene, you were at grave risk. We determined that the snake had a den near the trail and was just trying to get to cover but, we did not investigate further.

On this trip, we were charged by elephants on two differtent occasions and walking among the buffalo herds just about every day. But, in three African safaris, this was the only time I actually saw what I believe to be "fear" in the eyes of an African PH. I feel his fear/respect were in order on this occasion.

There are many ways to "get your ticket punched" in Africa but dying by a bite from a Black mamba ain't one I really care to think about.

I saw my first black mamba this past May. We were headed back to the lodge when the PH called for a sudden halt. About 10 yards in front of us across the road was a long dark grey snake covered with dust from the road. He told us that it was a black mamba and proceeded to put three rounds into it, the last just behind the head to finally kill it. Here's our apprentice PH displaying it.

Slingster, I think I'll settle for the junior sized version we saw. By the way, after our hunting was over, we visited a kopje full of rock engravings on the ranch. With us was our PH Helmke von Bach and his 5 y/o daughter Mirelle. We found a natural well full of water on the kopje, with a dead bird floating on top in the algae. Helmke would not let Mirelle near, as he said this was a natural ambush point for a python to lay in the water, covered by the pond scum, waiting for prey to use the water. Bob

I went out in the desert today to do a little long range shooting and after checking my targets, I nearly stepped on a coiled up rattler. He was very lightly colored and not very big. After walking many miles in the desert you learn to know when it feels "snakey" and keep your eyes to the ground. I spotted this one six feet away. Threw a rock at him and he didn't move, so I just walked around him.

We saw this little fellow on our recent hunt in Namibia. We were hunting a farm about an hour and a half north of Windhoek.



Luckily, Vaughan spotted him before we were very close, and we all stood back and gawked at him until he got tired of the attention and left. I can now say with experience that 50 yards is about as close as I want to be to a black mamaba.

And you all call yourselves BIG GAME hunters

Saeed,

That little kid is a mere snack for that python.

Personally, I don't see what the big fuss over snakes is. After all, they don't even have legs or ears. So who has the advantage? Long legged humans or a skinny, deaf snake? The leguans (monitor lizrds) are probably more dangerous than the snakes. They have a mouthfull of nasty bacteria that can ruin your day should you be bitten.

For those of you who have had some close contact with snakes, have you noticed they did not bite you?

Who cares whether they have ears or legs? It's the fangs that count.



Ruin your day?



Tell this guy how lucky he is...









I always find it distressing to hear of someone catching a poisonous snake and then releasing it in an area where they or someone else may be hunting tomorrow.



I suspect that if they had found an armed leghold trap, they would have disarmed it before leaving.



Apparently some folks see a difference in the two scenarios.



As far as a python, that's a different story.





I wouldn't dream of allowing a copperhead on my property see another sunrise.



I have friends with children who visit, and I like them to enjoy the out-of- doors. I wouldn't want to tell their parents, in the hospital waiting room that the snake that bit the little child was one that I released last week...







Rick.

Got up in the high rocks glassing for Mt. Zebra one morning this past hunt in Namibia, and as it got lighter, noticed 6-7 feet of shed snakeskin at my feet in the rocks. At 40 degrees F., its not a bad reaction (minor heart failure), but decided no glassing in the warm rocks in the afternoon!

Rick,

Not all snakes are poisonous. As long as people don't touch they are fine. Most (granted not all) snake bites occur from people deliberately handling these animals.

Actually, we did see a shed skin, probably from a much larger puff adder. By the way, the web photo isn't real clear, but the picture of the snake on the stick, you can just see some little 'horns' just above the eyes. Is this a puff adder or something else.

We didn't have a problem letting this snake live. It was totally the ranch owner's call. Bob

Actually, I agree with Ann. I see snakes all the time in Arizona and they leave you alone. If you don't see them they rattle or hiss (and scare the bejesus out of you) just before you step on them. Once I almost stepped on a huge one that stayed quiet but I saw it just before my foot hit him. I jumped backwards and felt nauseous.

They are fun to hunt deliberately, but I don't kill them unless I am hunting for them, in which case I use a .22 revolver and head shoot them. Kind of a dangerous game varmint hunt, huh?

I'm with Russ, the only good snake I've seen was a dead snake.

I was also told "no snakes". I figured yup I'll just walk behind the ph just to make sure. Well, I didnt see any but the last day my ph said to the other ph--did you see that snake track in the sand. I said that I thought that there wasnt supposed to be any snakes and he shrugged. SO--when in snake country you never know. Where I live there isnt any poisonus snakes so I'm not really used to them--I also dont want to get used to them either....

My last trip to Africa, my PH was a herpetologist and caught or tried to catch snakes every time we saw tracks. No cobras or Mambas or Puff Adders. I handled a Boomslang on my first trip.

I have been bit by a snake when handling it, nonpoisonous. I've a couple of riends who have been bit handling rattlers, and one by a Cobra. My Grandmother was bitten by a very large Rattler which crippled her, or maybe the treatment crippled her.

I've stepped on Rattlers twice, and my Mother has stepped on one, but neither of us saw agression in the snakes. Copperheads are another story; I've had them chase me and other people when we're clearing cedars.

Russ,

Used to hunt quail out that way. Sorry, but there can be plenty of rattlers.

If you really want an eye opener take a "black light" out at night. All of those little reflectors are scorpions. We used to sleep on the ground in bags and a thermarest until some wise guy showed me that trick. It's a good idea to turn over your boots before you put them on in the morning for the same reason...

In 2000 (late August) we saw a large puff adder in Zim--southern Zim at that--which much to my dissappointment, was allowed to crawl off. I was fully in favor of execution. We also saw a small cobra in camp. He wasn't "allowed" to live, but got into the wall by the cookhouse before anyone could get him. Last month we saw a good sized Leguaan. I thought that was pretty neat. He went up a tree (I was standing on a rock he was under at first), and I got close enough with no fear for some decent photos. In all of Africa, there really is only one thing that I hope I never see--a black mamba!

bobC,

I had the opportunity to see the brother to that snake in your pic last yr in the Norther Provice. But not for very long, I did the brave thing and ran like hell, while my wife who is the Neiman Marcus version of Ellie May Clampet yelled for me to come back and look at the pretty snake, typical women born in Dallas/lived in Houston most of her life.

I was very impressed that Zack was able to take the snake in stride (pun ? intended). He had a hoot that evening emailing his mother, sister and grandparents about dodging death in Africa. Well , what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Bob

I haven't read all the rest of the stories yet, but Judge yours cracks me up. The fat ass comment makes me think of me! I don't know if I would have had the presence of mind to slam the butt down. I was in a planter box about 4ft. deep in the Philippines one time (digging the dirt in to then get rid of the thing) and this silvery black snake comes slithering out of the dirt wall and I jump clean up on the sides of the box with my feet planted against the wall trying to scramble out. yeah, the snake was about 4" long and a baby, hell, I was able to after calming down kill it with the heavy duty bugspray they have over there.

but it shows you how I feel about snakes.

Red

Russ:

Two hours north of Tucson puts you in Scottsdale, and there are plenty of snakes there. We call them lawyers .

Just kidding. Actually, in the middle of the day during that time of year is pretty safe. I have never seen a snake out past 9 am when the temp goes above 105.

Quail season is prime time snake time. They are out all the time then.

Some guys used to think the only good grizzly was a dead grizzly...who thinks that way now? Hell, bears are infinitely more dangerous than snakes (except in Africa and other remote places with really deadly snakes) and we don't kill all of those.

We saw a beautiful cobra that "hooded" for us during our lion hunt August 2000 in Chirisa,Zimbabwe. I got some great video of him. Also saw the tracks in the sand of the Sengwa riverbed of a very large python.

But being with a group of crazy Texans in Sweetwater for the annual rattlesnake round-up takes the cake. If anyone had ever told me I would be pumping gas into snake holes and reflecting sunlight off of mirrors to catch rattlesnakes, I would have told them they were crazy. Texans sure know how to show a girl a good time.

Two safaris on two coasts and two puff adders.

Last August in the Selous in Tanzania, we ran over and killed one in the Toyota.

Last month north of Etosha in Namibia, Matheus, our tracker, saw puffy first, and we simply stepped around him/her. He/she never even moved and we left him/her with a neighborly "Peace be with you." We were more concerned about a certain lion at the time.