What deadly or venomous snakes have you encountered in the African bush? Just 3 for me - Black Mamba, Boomslang, and Puff Adder.

Watch yer step,
Namibiahunter

None. . . yet.

Puff Adder and what I was told was an Angolan Spitting Cobra. These were in NW Namibia.

About an 8-10' Banded Cobra.....from a distance. That's one too damn many....I HATE freakin' snakes.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer
SCI
DSC

Only saw one in Zimbabwe last year, some kind of cobra about four feet long; thankfully we saw damn few spiders.

My son stepped over a small horned adder (about a foot and half) in Namibia. Well camouflaged in the red dirt. The horned adder is a smaller cousin of the puff adder. So much for: Oh, it's winter and they'll be hibernating, or the PH and the trackers will see it first!

Luckily, we got a good story and pictures, no bite. Bob

Yeah...the friggin spiders. Had a hut mate in Zim that looked like a small pie plate. PH said only the little ones are dangerous....yeah, right. And yes, I hate freakin' spiders too.

Gary
DRSS
NRA Lifer
SCI
DSC

Black mambas (3), and puff adders (2). Also non-poisonous rock pythons and what they called whip snakes.

I really like July over April/May for this reason!

Several Puff Adders an Egyptian Cobra and a Vine Snake and this BIG one with 3 young. I figure about 8" diameter and 20ft living in a huge tremite mound.

One black mamba in Namibia (from a distance getting a drink) and one Egyptian (?) cobra in South Africa crossing the road. Also found a small (and qoite poisonous according to the PH) scorpion on the rock "patio" in front of my tent. That sure put the stops to me walking to the pisser in bare feet.

Just one horned adder in Namibia on our safari.

Bob

SNAKES

Zim 3 safaris..........no snakes

Tanzania 1 safari.....no snakes

Botswana 1 safari......no snakes

Namibia 1 safari......no snakes

Zambia 2 safaris.......1 spitting cobra, 1 python, 1 momba and a litte green job

Cameroon 1 safari....1 long green job

RSA 2 safaris.........2 pythons 10ft. and 16ft.

Mozambique 1 safari..1 puff addar

I don't think this proves anything. The above does comprises quite a few hunting days and snakes for me have not been all that common.

Mark

3 Safaris, all in Botswana

1st - python

2nd - Python, 2 Puff Adders

3rd - Python

Tanzania, one cobra one grass viper ( that was what the apprentice called it I don't know the real name.)

RSA, Kwa Zulu one green mamba. One black mamba.

Zim, One dead cobra.

One HUGE mamba at least 11 feet long PH HIllary Dafi and crew said it was the biggest they ever saw. I am convinced without further investigation!!

2 cobras

Jeff

Two boomslangs in Mozambique. They were in the grass used for a leopard blind. And, two mambas in Tanzania. Those things move so fast...they are very scary!

Bull1

Vine Snake in the jess. We all walked right under it and I was the only one who noticed it.

namibia twice, tanzania once--never saw a snake, scorpion, or anything else dangerous, except the elephants and cape buffalo.

In the group that I went with to RSA in late August.

One guy and his wife happened upon a very robust rock python. Not venomous but you don't want to mess with any snake over 16ft long.

One guy almost stepped on a mamba while stalking with his bow early one morning. If it hadn't been so cold it certainly would have nailed him. Cold temps slow reptiles down. Even so he was very fortunate with his encounter with the black mouth of death.

I merely encountered an olive grass snake. Not a fatally venomous snake but they are indeed venomous. You won't die if one bites you but your safari will very likely be over while you recover. They are slick little snakes, wish I had gotten a picture.

None!

Namibia - 1 cobra

Black and green Mamba, many Boom slang's
and Mozambique spiting Cobra.

Had one spitting Cobra spray us in South Africa. In Zim we saw no snakes.

-A custom officer girl at Windhoek Airport,
-A Namibia Policeman on the route to the ranch
-A Brazilian baggage dispacher at San Paulo that stolen all my Namibian souvernir!!!

Guillermo, you are TOO funny

Bumped into several snakes in the bush. Worst was sharing a hide with a passing black mamba (His call- certainly not mine!)

Never been bitten - I move too fast and jump too far for that to happen

Just one cape cobra. He was coiled in a bush at eye level about 5' from my 338's muzzle. My PH is screaming, SHOOT SHOOT SHOOT. The trackers ran for their lives. I adjusted the crosshair 1.5" over him (her?)allowing for the close shot. The PH pulled it out into a sandy opening and commenced to wail on its head with his shooting sticks until there was no twitch left in him. The skin got lost in the salt shed so this beer soaked tribute is all the memory I have.

Just a few puff adders in Tanzania and Namibia.

They are short, thick and slow. They generally won't move at all until you step on them. Then they move real fast and right at you with mouths open and fangs unsheathed.

Luckily, so far we've seen them in plenty of time to avoid them.

Puff Adder in the Selous.

spitting cobra and puff adder in Tz, puff adder, 2 black mambas and a vine snake in Bots, puff adder, rock python and banded cobra in Zim, rock python and puff adder in RSA.

I had a Black Mamba try to come into a blind with me while in Namibia in 2006. Thank god I was not asleep. The PH was asleep.

one mamba, sunning itself many yards away

One Black Mamba in SA, another Black Mamba in Namibia

Puff Adder in RSA!

I actually get more snakes in my house than in the bush...

Here is the general procedure developed after sound scientific experiments.






First, identify your target. In this instance, a fine example of Naja Nigricollis – more mundanely, a friggin' spittin' cobra.






Carefully whack the target. You'll notice the highly specialized multi-use weapon. More later on its multi-use.





Trophy view. My Doberman takes the opportunity to give a sniff, for once without being spat at. She hates snakes, always manages to find them, and regularly comes back with swollen and weeping eyes...






Coil the culprit...






Really nicely...






And carefully put on the cooker. Here, you'll notice the second use of the carefully selected Whacker seen in pic. 2.






Let simmer...






And remove the scales. Yep, just like for fish. Or for chicken feet, depending on what your culinary tastes are.






Open up, again just like fish...






Add the touch of red pepper that makes all the difference...






Put back in the pot.






Take out again, cut in sizeable chunks...






And now just let it cook to perfection. The delicious smell pervades your nostrils, you close your eyes in anticipation...






And finally... YUMMMMM!!!!!!

Esatern cape-July- No snakes, one large scorpion. Mpumalanga-September- One large Puff Adder-in the road: ran over with truck. One Mozambique spitting Cobra, crossing the road, so we let him go. Never did take to eating snake, but I guess if there was nothing else----------------------------

We have come across snakes on every year we hunted.

They ranged from black mambas, puff adders and all sorts of those we could not name.

We just came back last week after 3 weeks in Tanzania.

I personally saw snakes on 6 occasions this year.

Being in Africa and not seeing snakes is just not the same.

Phillip A.,

Thanks for that excellent series of "Kill It and Grill It" photos, cobra-style.

I have eaten grilled rattlesnake, and it is very good indeed. Gotta try the red pepper though!

I stepped on a yellow cobra in South Africa. I jumped in the air, screaming like a school girl.

Luckily, it was very cool and the snake was sluggish. My PH was very helpful, "We'll never find a good warthog with you screaming like that."

Saw a fresh black mamba skin 12 ft. long that had just been shed in Tz this last October. I DO NOT like snakes. Dr.C

In Zim this past september, my friend thought it would be funny to put a rubber snake under my pillow. Needless to say it scared the shit out of me. One day he will pay dearly for that prank.