Snake killing tool
Wish I had a pic but I don’t. Have you ever noticed how a stick make for a very poor snake killing tool? You only have the surface area of the very end to hit the snake with. Missing him really pisses him off, and that makes your hitting him much more difficult.
An old man I know once showed me his snake killer. It was a hoe handle with a piece of hose about 2 feet long on the end a little smaller in diameter than a water hose. It was filled with what I believe was lead shot. Wack! One swing and Dead snake he said. I asked why not just keep a hoe in back of his truck? He did before but several had been stolen. Nobody knows what it is and so they haven’t stolen it!
When I was in Australia
flying fires, they knew I was deathly afraid of snakes. So they kept the grass around the ready shack cut short and gave me a 6 ft. long piece of heavy braided fence wire. It was supposed to work the same as your hose tipped hoe handle, strike short and let it roll out. Lucky for me I never had to use it.
There is something satisfying and classic shooting snakes
Granny could take a head off clean as a laser with here razor sharp hoe. It had a healthy handle so it worked. Copperheads and Pygmy Rattlers had no hope. You start getting into BIG Cottonmouths and Timber Rattlers things change a bit. They can raise their heads a foot off the ground! I have no experience with Puff Adders and Mambas but I'm thinking full on 12 gauge and some distance measured in many yards.
We have experimented a bunch with revolver shotshells and Huey helped me some CCI capsules I could not find locally, they are great. I need to show you guys some fun self defense things with them too. I have been most successful with full cylinder length .41 Mag, .45 Colt and even .510 GNR shotshells effective to at least 20-30 ft. on snakes. You really need small shot pellets to get good density and multiple head hits.
If I had 41 mag rat shot I might use it.
When I'm around my place working around the house a 22/22 mag works fine. Usually get them first shot. If not I go full on Audi Murphy. When not in the immediate area of the house my Ruger .41 mag is my pal. Bears, hogs and cats. I've heard the cat but never seen it. I grew up in Oregon and I know that sound anywhere. It makes the hair stand up.
western diamondback
![[image]](images/uploaded/202007221719265f18751e0488d.jpg)
Here is one I shot a few weeks ago
Got him with a Ruger Wrangler. Damn near stepped on him in knee high grass! stretched out he was 42" long and has 10 rattles. I skinned him and sent the skin to Andy S to make into a hat band.
![[image]](images/uploaded/202007221755465f187da2103ba.jpg)
African Snakes ..
The book on African snakes is quite thick .. and the majority of them are deadly.
The Puff Adder does not move fast but it has the quickest striking speed of any snake. It is not like other snakes in that it will not try to get away from approaching humans. Its defense is to hide and lie still. Thus it gets stepped on and is the #1 Killer in Africa.
One of our Tia's was taking rice to the shepherds for their evening meal and stepped on a Puff Adder. It got one fang into her foot. He leg turned black and swelled up. She suffered for 3 days before she died. She left a husband and 3 boys.
The Mamba's travel with their head held up high and I was told they can hit 12 MPH and sustain it. They are scary. I had one that was shaken out of a tree drop in front of me. As it cocked it's head to strike the Lord helped me to strike first with the machete and take it's head off.
Puff Adder .. these are quite common. My friend Liz who runs the farm there kills some every week.
![[image]](images/uploaded/202007221419455f184b01e559b.jpg)
Baby Boa killed on the farm.
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That's why I made my spear. I did not want to get too close to those things.
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African snakes
John, I'm "supposed to be" going to Africa with Gary and the guys next April. From what I've read, the snakes are thick there in the summer, but pretty much fade away in the winter. Are we likely to see a bunch in early April, or are we going to be OK? We were supposed to go this last May, but the damn Covid shot it straight to hell.
I am not John but I lived in Mozambique and
spent time in South Africa ...hunting and visiting friends. June, July and August are the winter months. I have run across snakes in June/July so you may see some.
BUT .. you will have a PH and trackers with you and they live there and can spot those things quicker than you can believe. And they don't like them any better than you or I.
Trust your PH and your trackers. They will take care of you.
Snakes
I'm sorry Jim, I looked right at your name and typed John, I haven't been sleeping well LOL. Thank you for that information, now I can concentrate on the game I'm hunting and not worry about where I step!
Kent, don't worry about snakes in Africa. There will be
a tracker or two in front of you along with the PH. You will know it if there is a snake in the vicinity. The screaming from the trackers will be the first hint. The second hint will be when they pass you on a hard run while screaming.
After 14 African safaris I have only seen 2 snakes, both on one hunt when the heavy rains raised the water in the Limpopo River and flooded the flatlands on each side of it. There were lizards and other critters including a few snakes trying to find a dry spot. We were driving in 2 feet of water with it coming over into the floorboards of the Land Cruiser.Even after we got to a dry spot the critters were passing us like the waters were chasing them. Here is PH Vlam with a monitor lizard that was getting out of the water. We were driving somewhat uphill in a dry area. The flooded areas were to the right, downhill, and toward the Limpopo.
![[image]](images/uploaded/202007232350575f1a2261aa046.jpg)
If you have a copy of my first book there is a chapter on the snakes in that area.