Snakehunting in South Carolina

Recently I went to visit my dad in South Carolina during my Easter vaction. My top priority was snakehunting. Spring time + South Carolina + Tin = Catching Some Snakes! Shortly after arrival a very experienced friend took me out snakehunting. He took me to one spot where he had laid a piece of tin. I lifted it and there coiled up on the ground was a black racer. I grabbed him, got excited, and then dropped him. He jolted into thick brush and he was gone. I was so upset at myself but I got over it. He then took me to another spot where he had laid out some tin. I lifted it and there was an Eastern Chain King and aother Black Racer. I grabbed them and this time held on. I put them into a bag and tied them tight. Then I went back for the other tin and caught a greenish rat snake. I bagged it up too. The rest of the trip didn't yield us any more snakes other than a few ringneck snakes but they don't count in my book. After that trip my dad and I went down to Gainesville, FL for two days and came home. I wanted to go herping down there but never got the opportunity. We were busy looking at peoples' personal collections and talking herps. So when we got back to South Carolina, my dad drove me down and dropped me off at a spot I knew of. I had my hip waders on walking through a creek. I was looking for water snakes but there were none. So after stepping a little too deep and getting water in my boots I got out because I had my dad's watch with me and didn't want to damage it after a close call. So I walked on down the train tracks and to my right there was this random sheet of tin. I lifted it and there was a black racer. I picked him up and tried to get him in the bag and eventually managed to do so. I walked some more and came across this junk yard. I must have found about ten good sized sheets of tin. I kept that spot in mind and had to get back to the bridge to meet my dad. I was so happy to have caught my first snake all by myself. I felt like a schoolboy again lol. The very next morning I called my friend and we went snakehunting. He loves walking through the woods and wanted to experience some snakes with me. We went back to that spot and took all of that tin and moved it out into a wide open field. It took us about an hour because of all the tin we found. Together we established a good snakehunting spot for later. We didn't find any snakes there but just wait. From there we went to a park and met with two of his friends to play frisbee golf. The trail that the baskets were on was in the middle of a swamp. I had boots on and walked through it a little. I enjoy it I guess. As we were playing I got a mental note from God telling me to check this one particular wood pile so I did. The wood was bark that had fallen off of a tree and dry rotted. So as I removed each piece I came to the last piece and under it was a neatly coiled copperhead. That was the first venomous snake I had ever found in the wild by myself. I told my friend to get my snake bags out of the car and he came back with the bags and my tongs. I gently lifted the snake and set him in the bag and tied it. I was the happiest kid on Earth at that moment. I guess I can call myself a snakehunter now!

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