I just was refilling my coffee, walked the 10 feet from the house to the hangar and found this 38″ water moccasin sunning himself. People attribute all kinds of qualities to snakes, but after a childhood in Thailand with cobras and a few decades with moccasins in Florida, It is my opinion that snakes are slightly dumber than cockroaches, which at least know to run.
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No matter what TV personalities think, there are good reasons some people chose to own firearms, and here is my personal reason for the day. The world record for moccasins is only 59″, and 38″ is nothing to be trifled with. The bite has the potential to be fatal, but isn’t frequently. However, the treatment will leave you very sick for a long time, and many people end up with amputations from the necrotic tissue damage. This snake took that 20 gauge #8 hit in the middle and was still able to bite at a shovel minutes later. I don’t mind looking after my own safety, as long as I, not others, get to chose the tools.
