Just a quick note about translocation - ie. moving a problem snake. NTD had made some good points about the problems of translocating snakes so I decided to look into a little more. Since then, and conferring with a colleague at work I've had the chance to look over a few assorted journal articles regarding translocation of reptiles and amphibians. I'll spare you all the science-speak and get right to the point. This is in regards to a potential instance where you may have an event or something where a rattlesnake or other venomous snake happens to be in close proximity to the people at the event - ie. on a trail or near some area where the event will be occurring. From what I've read, simply moving the snake a couple dozen feet or so away from the problem area should cause no problem. In many instances I've encountered basking venomous snakes in areas where people would be walking along a heavily traveled path, in one such instance this occurred with a juvenile Copperhead I came across in a park near Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. In that instance and other similar ones, simply gently prodding the snake with the end of a long stick was enough to incite it to leave the trail and move into the underbrush, thus getting it out of harms way. I will never advocate someone try to pick up a venomous snake with something like the end of a bow or an arrow hook. If you do not know what you're doing - ie. you are not a trained professional, and I kid you not - I personally AM a trained professional and I happen to work with venomous snakes on a daily basis - DO NOT mess with it. Leave it alone. On second glance, it might even be a bad idea to suggest the prodding trick, but as long as the stick, bow, whatever is long enough, which ideally would be double the estimated total length of the snake, you should be able to coax it to leave in a safe manner. Also, beware that sometimes a snake may perceive that its only means of escape to a safe area such as a burrow may lay directly in your direction. A snake "coming for you" is almost never going to be intent on attacking you but is instead attempting to get past you and perceives that to be the safest way rather than moving in some other direction. Snakes are not belligerent animals. They will not wantonly and aggressively bite you unless molested. While I'm at it - a couple other things. Snakes often occur around yards or houses because the habitat is favorable either in terms of good basking spots or an abundance of prey. Look around your house and if you don't want snakes - venomous or harmless, be sure you're doing nothing to attract them. Wood piles, refuse such as old pieces of wood, carpets, or tin will all attract snakes. Also, keep debris like this away from your house. The closer things like wood piles are to your house the more likely you'll have "unwanted" invaders. Finally, I think this is probably the single best item of advice I can probably offer. If you hunt or walk around in areas where there is a lot of dense brush or areas that are prime habitat for venomous snakes, simply invest in a pair of bite-proof gaiters. There are a bunch of different varieties and while some can be expensive, it's good insurance against getting bitten. Most bites will be on extremities such as around ankles or fingers/hands/lower arm-forearm. The hand/arm injuries are almost always the result of either attempting to handle the snake or sticking your hand into something sight-unseen like an empty flower pot or some other dark, snake-friendly container or area. Also remember bites can often be dry bites, which mean little to no venom was injected. Also, a part of every outdoorsman's kit should be a Sawyer Extractor. They're not only one of the best field based methods of mitigating a venomous snake bite, they also work great on things like bee/wasp stings. Lastly, some links:
Sawyer Extractor:
http://www. sawyerproducts.com/B6B.htm
Snake chaps:
http://www. forestry-suppliers.com/drilldown_pages/view_category.asp?cat=903
These are my personal favorites:
http://www. forestry-suppliers.com/product_pages/View_Catalog_Page.asp?mi=3588#
Of course always wear snake gaiters/chaps with heavy duty leather boots. Leave the flimsy nylon Timberland and Hi-tec "hiking" boots at home. Get some real, stout, leather, hiking boots that go above the ankle for added protection.
