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Near Misses
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by 23bms on February 12, 2008
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Most anyone who has dealt with hots has had a near miss or two. What are your most memorable? Here are mine...
#1
I was working through my favorite rattlesnake den. I bent down to peer into a hole when suddenly a Copperhead blasted out of some nearby leaves. Missed my face by about an inch. I still shudder to think about it. I was two hours away from my car and any help. I have a great deal of respect for Copperheads!
#2
I was trying to hook a juvenile Puff Adder away from the water dish so I could pull the dish out from a top opening cage. The Puff launched a strike upward at my hand on the hook and in the process turned a complete AIRBORNE 360 degree cartwheel and landed in a position to relaunch. I thought he was well out of range, but he nevertheless came within a couple of inches. I still find it hard to believe the leap he took. While I always leave a margin for error, I must admit I was shaken. I have never seen a maneuver like that from any snake. If I hadn't been totally focussed and had forgotten to leave that margin, that little bugger could have had me.
Still, he's one of my favorites. I just make certain to stay WAY ... WAY clear!
jrb
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RE: Near Misses
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by earthguy on February 12, 2008
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When I was doing my research I was out in the middle of the swamp by myself. Stupid, I know, but it's difficult to get reliable help for research, and academia waits for no man (or woman for that matter).
Anyway, I had just safely landed two good sized cottons that had been sunning together. As was my routine I secured them and placed all my measuring gear gently on the ground. After about 15-20 minutes of careful measuring I safely released the snakes and went to take my last measurement - my GPS location. As I picked up my unit, I noticed a flash of movement, just missing my hand. There had been a juvenile cottonmout in a stump hole under my GPS. He must have come out to see what the commotion was all about. I was so shocked that I just watched him slip into the water. I can honestly say that that was one of only 3 snakes that I saw during the summer of my research that got away. He was tiny, but that didn't take away from the severity of the situation. I just went home for the day. I remember it so vividly that with no eletronic help I could take you to the exact spot in the swamp where it happened.
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