Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: lesken2011 on May 24, 2013, 08:01:05 pm

Title: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: lesken2011 on May 24, 2013, 08:01:05 pm
I was on the way to an appointment, this morning, and straddled this snake all curled up in the middle of a back-country road. He looked alive, but I noticed he did not move when I road by him and when I stopped and walked back (with an umbrella-it's all I had), he still did not move. Then I noticed about 4 inches of skin knocked off one side and blood coming from his nose. If he was alive, it was just barely. I picked him up with the tip of the umbrella and put him in the back of my truck. It is about 5' long and pretty thick, too. It is in pretty good shape and should make a nice bow back. It is kinda green in color with yellow stripes. Do any of you recognize the type of snake it is?
(http://www.traditionalbowman.com/hwdphotos/uploads/62/2/fpmseq7viuxs0k.jpg)

(http://www.traditionalbowman.com/hwdphotos/uploads/62/2/cgcwbmns4grvgg.jpg)
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: mullet on May 24, 2013, 08:10:40 pm
I've never seen one like that in Florida.
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: H Rhodes on May 24, 2013, 08:26:06 pm
I believe that is a pine snake - a nice one. 
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: osage outlaw on May 24, 2013, 08:29:05 pm
That was a healthy snake.  He was eating good.  That will make a nice bow backing. 
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: Stringman on May 24, 2013, 09:49:21 pm
Great catch, man!! Way to make use of the poor unfortunates.
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: Lemos on May 24, 2013, 10:40:26 pm
Good find. I second the pine snake
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: criveraville on May 25, 2013, 02:53:57 am
Beautiful!!

Cipriano
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: TRACY on May 25, 2013, 08:30:42 am
+3, pine snake and a nice one.
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: mullet on May 25, 2013, 07:10:39 pm
Not even the same Pine Snake with have in Florida. Ours is a golden brown and can get up to 6' or more.
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: lesken2011 on May 25, 2013, 08:00:00 pm
My son was with me when I picked it up off the road. He was bitten by a copperhead when he was 11 and is deathly afraid of snakes. He really gave me a hard time about it. I dropped him off at his house on the way home and by the time I pulled up in my driveway, his momma was outside telling me no way that snake was going in her freezer. I said you're right. It is going in the fridge in the garage so I won't have to thaw it before skinning it. Put it this way, the snake wasn't the only thing that was cold after that. You know, it's funny, she doesn't seem the least bit impressed by the fact that my next bow could be backed with a snake I skinned myself. Go figure!! ::)
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: osage outlaw on May 25, 2013, 10:56:36 pm
Sometimes wives just don't understand Kenny.
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: JEB on May 25, 2013, 11:25:11 pm
Nice find but too bad also. Pine snakes feast on ticks.
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: HoBow on May 26, 2013, 09:25:21 am
Funny story and nice find. 
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: littlehunters19862011 on May 26, 2013, 05:42:32 pm
this snake  skin here is a rat snake it was killed and i saved the skin.  . your snake looks close to the same .
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: blackhawk on May 27, 2013, 03:34:21 pm
Well..whateva it is, it wood look good on that character hedge I gave ya ;)
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: lesken2011 on May 27, 2013, 04:03:11 pm
Yeah, Blackhawk. I go in the shop and stare at it every day for a couple minutes. I'm sure over the next year or two I'll get up enough courage to tackle it...well...maybe sooner! ???
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: PrimitiveTim on May 27, 2013, 06:24:00 pm
look up gopher snake and compare the two.  Looks a little off for a pine snake and pine snakes spend most of their life underground so they're seldom seen.  I think they're both in the same genus though... or something like that.
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: 4dog on June 11, 2013, 11:33:19 pm
Thats two for gopher
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: lesken2011 on June 12, 2013, 09:50:11 am
I finally got it skinned and dried out and put away. I used way too many staples stretching it out since it was my first time, but it turned out great and is much bigger than I thought it would be. Now...which piece of wood to put it on???
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: Pappy on June 12, 2013, 10:04:58 am
Nice save,beautiful snake. :)
   Pappy
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: Marks on June 12, 2013, 11:51:20 am
Looks like our chicken snake here in north Alabama. Also called rat snake by some. They get upwards of 6' long so 5' is within reason.
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: Marks on June 12, 2013, 12:26:38 pm
Here is one from a few years ago. 95% sure that's what it is. Its probably the most common snake found around here and you aren't that far away from me.
(http://i1038.photobucket.com/albums/a470/marks1018/Screenshot_2013-06-12-09-56-55_zpsb63b2abc.png)
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: Marks on June 12, 2013, 01:07:31 pm
I googled chicken snake because I knew it was a general term. It includes several breeds. The corn snake which is more orange or golden in color and definitely not it. I know them well also as corn snake. The Northern Pine looks similar to the next 3 but isn't it. Its pattern looks a little more broken up and the background color is lighter.  The next 3 look extremely similar. The Black rat snake is mostly black with a slight pattern peaking thru. The Grey rat snake and the eastern rat snake are lighter in background color. Both have a grey background with a black to dark grey pattern. I think the eastern can have some slight brown highlights and shading going on but I really can't distinguish the 2 from the internet pics. The last 3 vary from animal to animal on how dark so they are hard to distinguish. Until now I never realized there was a difference. I just thought there were color phases.

Your snake is either a grey or eastern rat snake. Or called a chicken snake out here on the farm. I've always been told they keep poisonous snakes away but that's probly an old wives tale. They are fun to catch and play around with. They love chicken eggs but we never had chickens so I always let em go near our grain bins to keep the mice at bay.
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: Josh B on June 12, 2013, 01:13:18 pm
Good save Kenny!  I was down in the bootheel of Missouri a while back and watched a copperhead get clipped by a car ahead of me.  I got all excited, whoa'd my truck, put the four ways on and ran back to claim my treasure.  I got about five feet away when that dead copperhead righted it self and exhibited some rather bad behavior!  I got the hint real quick!  As I was back peddling for all I was worth, I hollered at the ornery critter, "if your gonna be that way, keep your skin then!"  Lol!  Josh
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: lesken2011 on June 12, 2013, 01:56:41 pm
I can just picture that, Josh. I wish I had that on video!! ;D
Title: Re: snake harvest - road kill
Post by: Marks on June 12, 2013, 02:22:57 pm
Good save Kenny!  I was down in the bootheel of Missouri a while back and watched a copperhead get clipped by a car ahead of me.  I got all excited, whoa'd my truck, put the four ways on and ran back to claim my treasure.  I got about five feet away when that dead copperhead righted it self and exhibited some rather bad behavior!  I got the hint real quick!  As I was back peddling for all I was worth, I hollered at the ornery critter, "if your gonna be that way, keep your skin then!"  Lol!  Josh

Its amazing how hard it is to kill a snake. A guy called me the other day to tell me he it a snake. He said he ran over it several times. When I got there the snake was fine. I caught it and put it in a bag, drove it down the road and let it go in the ditch. Coincidentally it was a chicken snake and I don't kill them.