Transformers, as PMB discovered

[jukk0u]

can get you into trouble

http://conservativetribune.com/youll-never-look-at-transformer/

[MadPick]

Umm, seems like standing that close, wearing shorts, may not be the best approach to this situation.

[delliottg]

Umm, seems like standing that close, wearing shorts, may not be the best approach to this situation.

Eh, none of them are coiled to strike, and none seem overly interested in the guys. I used to encounter rattlesnakes fairly frequently when I was working as a surveyor down in southern CA. They never bothered me, and other than the first one I found, I never bothered them. Still feel guilty about killing that first one, he wasn't doing anything other than sunning himself early in the morning, wasn't coiled up, and other than being in my way, wasn't threatening at all.

I was almost always in shorts and boots when I encountered them, never even saw one coil up to strike, but I did get the occasional rattle (which is heart stopping till you figure out where it is). And if they're in your way, just use the surveying rod to move them out of the way and carry on.

[PMB]

Eh, none of them are coiled to strike, and none seem overly interested in the guys. I used to encounter rattlesnakes fairly frequently when I was working as a surveyor down in southern CA. They never bothered me, and other than the first one I found, I never bothered them. Still feel guilty about killing that first one, he wasn't doing anything other than sunning himself early in the morning, wasn't coiled up, and other than being in my way, wasn't threatening at all.

I was almost always in shorts and boots when I encountered them, never even saw one coil up to strike, but I did get the occasional rattle (which is heart stopping till you figure out where it is). And if they're in your way, just use the surveying rod to move them out of the way and carry on.

I did not know this... I've been around them a few times and always given them a very wide berth. Sounds like you applied common sense and I applied a fear-instilled response.
I was jogging on Blue Mountain in SoCal when I was a lad... 5am, sun not yet coming up but light enough to see a bit... beautiful view from a ridge line. Still jogging up hill, and up ahead of me it looked like someone had dropped a semi-rounded coiled welcome mat in the middle of the dirt road. You know the kind of mat I mean...? A 1" sisal rope coiled around and around to wipe your shoes on before entering.
I timed my steps to land in the middle of the mat... Why? Who knows. As I was about to land one foot upon the "mat" I realized that it was a 10' (ish) rat snake. I just looked it up... They are only supposed to get to a hair over 8'. Whatever. When I realized what it was I thought it was 15' long. It was effing HUGE from the surprise perspective...
And that was when I discovered levitation. I was in the air about to step on it and landed about 4-5 feet past it. I don't know if my arm flapping carried me the extra distance or startlement has an anti-gravitational component, but I sailed past that guy, ran a few more steps and went back to view him. He really was a big one, peacefully waiting for the sun to give some heat...
Snakes are awesome... But there is some primal thing about being startled by them that can add some sharp clear pictures to an old man's memories late in life.

[delliottg]

Was at a summer camp about 40 years ago, a bunch of us were hiking on a mountain trail and I was about 3rd or 4th in line. The girl I was sweet on was hiking right in front of me with short-shorts on, so I was a bit distracted. We were spaced out about 10-15' apart and I happened to look down just as she stepped over a curled up rattler right in the middle of the trail. The first couple of people never saw it and walked right over the top of it as well. I saw it and stopped everyone. The rattlesnake was completely unfazed, curled up (not coiled to strike) and sleepy (it was still pretty chilly out, so he hadn't warmed up yet). After everyone got a good look I used a stick to encourage him off the trail and down the hill away from everyone. No harm, no foul, and everyone got a good story to tell.

We used to keep snakes as pets when I was a kid, my mom wasn't very happy about it, but she tolerated it. My brothers and I used to go hunt them to catch & keep. We'd just chase the poisonous ones away (after admiring them for a bit). My oldest brother had almost no fear of them, I'm not quite at his level, but other than a healthy respect for their capabilities, I'm not afraid of them, even poisonous ones. Mostly they don't want to be bothered, and aren't going to bother you unless you give them cause. Except water moccasins, which are pretty territorial. Had a couple of run-ins with them in TN when I was a kid, basically you just have to respect their territory (by staying out of it). I remember catching a baby one when I was a kid at my grandmother's house. I put it in a milk jug with holes punched into it...that is until my grandma found out...

[Selador]

Was at a summer camp about 40 years ago, a bunch of us were hiking on a mountain trail and I was about 3rd or 4th in line. The girl I was sweet on was hiking right in front of me with short-shorts on, so I was a bit distracted. We were spaced out about 10-15' apart and I happened to look down just as she stepped over a curled up rattler right in the middle of the trail. The first couple of people never saw it and walked right over the top of it as well. I saw it and stopped everyone. The rattlesnake was completely unfazed, curled up (not coiled to strike) and sleepy (it was still pretty chilly out, so he hadn't warmed up yet). After everyone got a good look I used a stick to encourage him off the trail and down the hill away from everyone. No harm, no foul, and everyone got a good story to tell.

We used to keep snakes as pets when I was a kid, my mom wasn't very happy about it, but she tolerated it. My brothers and I used to go hunt them to catch & keep. We'd just chase the poisonous ones away (after admiring them for a bit). My oldest brother had almost no fear of them, I'm not quite at his level, but other than a healthy respect for their capabilities, I'm not afraid of them, even poisonous ones. Mostly they don't want to be bothered, and aren't going to bother you unless you give them cause. Except water moccasins, which are pretty territorial. Had a couple of run-ins with them in TN when I was a kid, basically you just have to respect their territory (by staying out of it). I remember catching a baby one when I was a kid at my grandmother's house. I put it in a milk jug with holes punched into it...that is until my grandma found out...

I floated right through the middle of a teeming mass of water moccasins, when I was about 12.

In the river, with my brother and cousins. I was the pariah at the time, so I was separate from the rest. Started floating. Saw my cousins and brother all looking at me worried-like, about the same time I felt something brushing against me like a weed or something.

For some reason I'll never understand, I instinctively froze.

And found myself drifting with the flow of the river, through a teeming MASS of water moccasins.

Some kind of mating mass, I guess.

I stayed frozen, and floated all the way through, then swam out of the river, once I was clear.

We never talked about it. But no one ever wanted to go back to the river to go swimming again. LOL

[Sinus211]

During my youth I spent some summers down in Oklahoma on Grand Lake with my uncle Les. I've seen a lot of snakes. Been too close for comfort with water moccasins on many occasions and learned 1 thing. Kill every one of them.

[RockHopper]

I started to read the comments above, and didn't even make it through the 1st story.
All I can say is this........
If that were me in the video, I would have been at least 20' away from that box, before gravity could slam it shut.

[RockHopper]

I started to read the comments above, and didn't even make it through the 1st story.
All I can say is this........
If that were me in the video, I would have been at least 20' away from that box, before gravity could slam it shut.

Felt like a pussy after posting that. To make up for it I steeled my will and made myself read the full thread.

Yes...it's confirmed. Every one of you is braver than I. Had I been in your shoes, the end result would be me wetting my man panties, and screaming like a 7 yr old girl.

[PMB]

I started to read the comments above, and didn't even make it through the 1st story.
All I can say is this........
If that were me in the video, I would have been at least 20' away from that box, before gravity could slam it shut.

Felt like a pussy after posting that. To make up for it I steeled my will and made myself read the full thread.

Yes...it's confirmed. Every one of you is braver than I. Had I been in your shoes, the end result would be me wetting my man panties, and screaming like a 7 yr old girl.

I love it.
You've encouraged me to tell a story of how I made up a fake snake head about 3" diameter and 3' long when I was 10 years old and hid it behind the couch for later when the babysitter came over to watch us kids.

I will tell the story another time. It is another one of those old memories that will remain crystal clear in my old brain as I gasp my last breath. You gotta hang on to the happy times.

[delliottg]

I started to read the comments above, and didn't even make it through the 1st story.
All I can say is this........
If that were me in the video, I would have been at least 20' away from that box, before gravity could slam it shut.

Felt like a pussy after posting that. To make up for it I steeled my will and made myself read the full thread.

Yes...it's confirmed. Every one of you is braver than I. Had I been in your shoes, the end result would be me wetting my man panties, and screaming like a 7 yr old girl.

I love it.
You've encouraged me to tell a story of how I made up a fake snake head about 3" diameter and 3' long when I was 10 years old and hid it behind the couch for later when the babysitter came over to watch us kids.

I will tell the story another time. It is another one of those old memories that will remain crystal clear in my old brain as I gasp my last breath. You gotta hang on to the happy times.

OK, venturing further afield, a little back story: Christmas time a few years ago... I have a niece in Malaysia who pulled a pretty good prank on me by pretending to be a Singaporean Customs Inspector about half a day before I was due to fly back to the states. She timed her call perfectly for when I was sound asleep napping in my brother-in-law's apartment, so I was groggy, confused as to why the phone was handed to me, and unable to understand why I was talking to Singaporean customs. When I handed the phone to my wife (her godmother), who listened to exactly one sentence and then said "do you want your christmas present or not?". Now I'm totally befuddled, why is my wife threatening to withhold an xmas present from some customs official, then I hear the giggling through the phone and realize I've been had. This was several years ago, and other than still calling her "inspector Gan" I'm pretty sure she's mostly forgotten about it. I haven't. Last time we were there, her school schedule kept us from meeting up with her, but next time we go, she's living back in Malaysia again, and my answer to her prank is coming. I'm planning on a giant rubber snake (you knew this was coming back around to snakes again), to be planted in her bed not long before bed time (to keep the maid from finding it and having a heart attack). I hope to hear the squeals of terror right after she climbs into bed.

[Arisaka]

Was golfing down in central Oregon Guy in our foresome hit one in the weeds. When he went looking for it we all heard the rattle. Guy backs away and goes over to his bag for a 7 iron. Tees up on the snake and takes its head off. Asked him why he didn't use a longer-shafted club. He said he always hits the 7 iron well