First person account: Weird act of Nature

Steinhauer said:
Just do a google image search of Florida pythons ;)

When I was a kid growing up in the "sticks" in Florida, most all the roads were paved with crushed seashells (dirt roads), and there would be acres and acres of palmettos to each side of the roads. One day, I was with an older man who was babysitting me. His name was Wayne Barber (I called him Mr. Barber) and we were driving in his full size Van. He was about 70 years old at the time, and has long since passed on, but he was one of my best friends when I was a kid.

Anyways, on that particular day, there was a very large, very big, python or boa constrictor making its way across the road. Mr. Barber was an old school Marine, and was very protective of children and the ladies. He knew there was a neighborhood nearby, and saw that the this giant snake was headed straight towards it. The size of the thing was amazing, and it could easily swallow a 2-3 year old child whole - or even a German Shepherd sized dog. So, Mr. Barber thought the best way to protect that neighborhood's little ones and pets, was to kill this snake.

He ran over it with his van. It didn't kill it, just stunned it a little bit. So he put it in reverse, and ran over it again. Same thing, just stunned it, maybe fractured a bone here or there, but the snake would not die, even after repeated attempts of running over it. he finally pinned it in place with his rear tires, reached in the glove box and retrieved a .45 he kept in there. He told me to stay in my seat, and then walked back behind the van.

BAM! ....... long pause ............ BAM! BAM! BAM!

An even longer pause. He walked back and drove the van a little bit forward, then went back and threw the snake in the back of the van. I think he may have cooked it for dinner (like I said, this guy was a mean 'ol tough Marine - fought the Japs in WWII).

I tell kids these days stories like that and they just cannot wrap their minds around it. Everything has been so sanitized these days.
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My dad ate snake when he lived the Mexican jungle ,he told us a lot of colorful stories about his travels to Mexico and Cuba . That was one tough snake , poor thing !
 
Steinhauer said:
WDYS Happy Saint Patrick's DAY!!!! lol

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LOL! It not my holiday but thanks anyway ! I once stopped for a garden snake that was in the road , I picked it up and put in on some grass so it would not get
run over. I don't mind snakes as long as it not huge and can eat my dog. we don't have any around my yard .
 
whatdidyousay! said:
LOL! It not my holiday but thanks anyway ! I once stopped for a garden snake that was in the road , I picked it up and put in on some grass so it would not get
run over. I don't mind snakes as long as it not huge and can eat my dog. we don't have any around my yard .
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I am the same way. I don't kill anything that doesn't need to be killed.

Hmmm ... maybe I should re-phrase that. Rodents or nuisance animals/insects that are causing damage (coyotes, rats, mice, roaches, termites, carpenter ants etc. I kill every chance I get - not because I want to, but because they can cause an unhealthy infestation which becomes a very large and expensive problem if I don't kill them). A venomous snake I will kill on sight. Not because I want to, but because I do not want my dogs, children, wife, neighbor's etc. to get bit and die. It is more of a protective reason. If I see a King Snake, I leave it alone. They look scary, but they actually hunt rodents and venomous snakes. They are "friendlies".

If there is a way to deter nuisance, poisonous, insects/animals without killing them, I choose that option.
 
Steinhauer said:
I am the same way. I don't kill anything that doesn't need to be killed.

Hmmm ... maybe I should re-phrase that. Rodents or nuisance animals/insects that are causing damage (coyotes, rats, mice, roaches, termites, carpenter ants etc. I kill every chance I get - not because I want to, but because they can cause an unhealthy infestation which becomes a very large and expensive problem if I don't kill them). A venomous snake I will kill on sight. Not because I want to, but because I do not want my dogs, children, wife, neighbor's etc. to get bit and die. It is more of a protective reason. If I see a King Snake, I leave it alone. They look scary, but they actually hunt rodents and venomous snakes. They are "friendlies".

If there is a way to deter nuisance, poisonous, insects/animals without killing them, I choose that option.
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When I lived in Berkeley and doing farm work we were losing our chickens and found a rat nest that had a lot of feathers near it. There was a pile of rocks the rats lived in and we had to removed the rocks . A rat came out running at me and I stepped on it and killed it . I had on men work boots and didn't think of what I was doing .
All I know was my dad told me about a guy that was trying to kill a rat and he got the rat cornered and it jumped up and bite the guy on his neck ! So I just stomped on
the rat with all my might and people were shocked ! Yeah , I like snakes too b/c they eat rodents , I don't kill spiders in my house b/c they eat flies and they're gross , walking all over dog poop then your food ! YUCK !
 
whatdidyousay! said:
When I lived in Berkeley and doing farm work we were losing our chickens and found a rat nest that had a lot of feathers near it. There was a pile of rocks the rats lived in and we had to removed the rocks . A rat came out running at me and I stepped on it and killed it . I had on men work boots and didn't think of what I was doing .
All I know was my dad told me about a guy that was trying to kill a rat and he got the rat cornered and it jumped up and bite the guy on his neck ! So I just stomped on
the rat with all my might and people were shocked ! Yeah , I like snakes too b/c they eat rodents , I don't kill spiders in my house b/c they eat flies and they're gross , walking all over dog poop then your food ! YUCK !
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Yes, you instinctively killed, because it is our nature to protect ourselves. It is natural, and part of nature, to desire to go on living and to protect what we need to live so that our existence can continue (protecting livestock, vegetation, children, neighbors, friends, etc. is an extension of that desire to live).

That was what I meant when I said "I will not kill something that does not need to be killed". Something that threatens the life, or livelihood, of an individual or community, or country, is certainly targeted when it is necessary for survival. That is a far different approach than simply "not liking" something. Not liking something is no reason to execute - you may "not like" a rat - but rats carry and spread disease, they also destroy livestock, homes, automobiles and vegetables. They are a serious threat when they are part of an infestation. A rat, however, is a sentient being and have emotions, needs, desires and feelings. They also want to live and have the same desire to continue to go on living. Some of the time, an infestation can be deterred if their source of food is relocated - but most of the time, they have to be culled.

Anyways ...
 
Steinhauer said:
Yes, you instinctively killed, because it is our nature to protect ourselves. It is natural, and part of nature, to desire to go on living and to protect what we need to live so that our existence can continue (protecting livestock, vegetation, children, neighbors, friends, etc. is an extension of that desire to live).

That was what I meant when I said "I will not kill something that does not need to be killed". Something that threatens the life, or livelihood, of an individual or community, or country, is certainly targeted when it is necessary for survival. That is a far different approach than simply "not liking" something. Not liking something is no reason to execute - you may "not like" a rat - but rats carry and spread disease, they also destroy livestock, homes, automobiles and vegetables. They are a serious threat when they are part of an infestation. A rat, however, is a sentient being and have emotions, needs, desires and feelings. They also want to live and have the same desire to continue to go on living. Some of the time, an infestation can be deterred if their source of food is relocated - but most of the time, they have to be culled.

Anyways ...
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Yeah the chicken and veggies were food for people that couldn't afford to buy fresh veggies and eggs . We gave the food away for free to people that needed so
when
Steinhauer said:
Yes, you instinctively killed, because it is our nature to protect ourselves. It is natural, and part of nature, to desire to go on living and to protect what we need to live so that our existence can continue (protecting livestock, vegetation, children, neighbors, friends, etc. is an extension of that desire to live).

That was what I meant when I said "I will not kill something that does not need to be killed". Something that threatens the life, or livelihood, of an individual or community, or country, is certainly targeted when it is necessary for survival. That is a far different approach than simply "not liking" something. Not liking something is no reason to execute - you may "not like" a rat - but rats carry and spread disease, they also destroy livestock, homes, automobiles and vegetables. They are a serious threat when they are part of an infestation. A rat, however, is a sentient being and have emotions, needs, desires and feelings. They also want to live and have the same desire to continue to go on living. Some of the time, an infestation can be deterred if their source of food is relocated - but most of the time, they have to be culled.

Anyways ...
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Yeah the chicken and veggies was for people that couldn't afford to buy fresh veggies and eggs , the rats were killing our chickens off and that meant less
eggs to give to people . We gave the food away for free , it was given mostly to elderly people . I once an elderly woman going through a trash can looking
for food and I told her I could get some free food for her . She so surprise when I showed up at her house with a bag of veggies eggs and some cheese.
 
Here are some of those "weird acts of nature", and the snakes depicted in this youtube video are similar in size to the one I described in my prior post:

Having seen those, can you now understand why Mr. Barber would be alarmed when he noticed it was heading towards a neighborhood?

Please keep in mind that this was during a time when children were "free range" - it was before the Adam Walsh incident.
 
Steinhauer said:
Here are some of those "weird acts of nature", and the snakes depicted in this youtube video are similar in size to the one I described in my prior post:

Having seen those, can you now understand why Mr. Barber would be alarmed when he noticed it was heading towards a neighborhood?

Please keep in mind that this was during a time when children were "free range" - it was before the Adam Walsh incident.
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WOW ! That snake could eat a whole horse ! I saw on the news some poor pet snake ate a purple toy teddy bear ! The snake had to have surgery to have the toy removed from it belly . Do snakes have belly ??
 
whatdidyousay! said:
WOW ! That snake could eat a whole horse ! I saw on the news some poor pet snake ate a purple toy teddy bear ! The snake had to have surgery to have the toy removed from it belly . Do snakes have belly ??
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Do you mean stomach?
 
Steinhauer said:
Here are some of those "weird acts of nature", and the snakes depicted in this youtube video are similar in size to the one I described in my prior post
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Those snakes are scary big! Now, I can imagine the one you and Mr. Barber saw was nothing more than a speed bump when trying to run it over!
 
Has anyone ever heard of Narcisse?
It is in Manitoba, close to the province capital Winnipeg.
I've been lucky to see it with my own eyes, long long ago, even before they build up the viewing balcony.
It's an amazing sight, something of awe and to behold, and if you never ever held a snake you will be always surprised
how totally different they feel than they look. First of all they are not wet, second of all, not sleek at all! lol


I really, really encourage everyone to visit this place.
This fantastic "Snake Meet" happens once a year, sometime in Spring, what exact month depends on weather.

Snakes and vipers are unfortunately badly misunderstood creatures :( One should love them, not despise.
They would eat those, although in Karni Mata Temple in India those are worshiped:



Fuzzy
 
Audiofuzzy said:
Has anyone ever heard of Narcisse?
It is in Manitoba, close to the province capital Winnipeg.
I've been lucky to see it with my own eyes, long long ago, even before they build up the viewing balcony.
It's an amazing sight, something of awe and to behold, and if you never ever held a snake you will be always surprised
how totally different they feel than they look. First of all they are not wet, second of all, not sleek at all! lol


I really, really encourage everyone to visit this place.
This fantastic "Snake Meet" happens once a year, sometime in Spring, what exact month depends on weather.

Snakes and vipers are unfortunately badly misunderstood creatures :( One should love them, not despise.
They would eat those, although in Karni Mata Temple in India those are worshiped:



Fuzzy
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I picked up a snake and a classmate brought his pet snake to class when I was in college . The guy had the snake in a fanny pack and took it out before
the teacher was there and everyone went to the other side of the room. I was the only one that went over to see and touch the snake.
I felt bad for it being in a fanny pack all day.
 
Cappy said:
If I fell in there, I would end up in a straight jacket and in a padded room.
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hahahahahahahahahahahaha!
maybe not, though, as they wouldn't harm you. in fact, they'd run away from you! :)

Fuzzy
 
I have been very busy the last few weeks and haven't stopped by to visit. I went to St. Pete/Clearwater, where I am originally from and where I grew up because a friend of mine tied the knot. I took my wife and boys down there for the wedding, and we stayed with my Uncle and Aunt who live near Madeira Beach.

Anyways, while I was down there, I was able to do some fishing at the Sunshine Skyway Fishing Pier. I took my Sabiki rig and caught my live bait fish that I was going to use. I started catching Shad, and using them, then I caught a pretty good sized Sea Trout, and hooked it with my shark rig on a 90 lb line with wire leader.

I caught a 500 lb. Goliath Grouper. At first, I thought it was a tow truck in low gear.





I had to cut the line because it is Federally Protected.
 
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