So today I caught a snake...

[Bellabob]

I was coming back from a small hiking trip with a friend, and on the way back we have to cross a water fall to get back. Theres a whole carved into the side of the waterfall where we have seen cottonmouths, and other snakes. But lately, there haven't been any. I almost didn't check, but I thought I would check this one time. I went and looked, and I could see keeled scales and chainlink fence paterns. I said to my friend "DUDE!! He's in there!!" He had this little tiny fishing rod we had been using, it was super small, and super skinny. Perfect for reaching into this hole.

I didn't know for sure wether the snake was venomous or not, but I was pretty sure it wasn't. So after a while of poking gently at the snake, he poked his head out, then I knew for sure it wasn't venomous, so I knew I could handle it. It shot out of the hole, and I garbbed it. It started wiggling every where and musking al of me. My friend got a stick and pinned its head down, buit JUST as I was about to grab it, it sliped and and nailed me on the thumb. Still got the marks on my thumb to prove it. It didn't hurt, but it was a pretty big snake.

We pinned it down again, and this time I got it. It wrapped around my arm, and I said to my friend "lets go". So we went to my friends and family who were over by the park and showed them. My thumb was still bleeding, and a lady said "Oh my god you're bleeding, are you ok?" Then my mother said "Its not venomous, right?! I'm not going to have to take you to the hospital, right?! I said no and that it was a complteltey harmless snake.

After that we went back where we found it and let it go. Great experience. I knew it was a type of water snake but I did't know what kind it was. So I went ad looked at my "Texas snake guide". It was a Diamondback Watersnake.

AWESOME experience, and really fun. I'm 14, and after today, I know for SURE I want to work with reptiles for a living. Don't worry, I'm very familiar with the snakes in this state and know venomous from non venomous, and I've owned snakes for years and know how to handle captive and wild ones.

Thanks!

[Raptor]

Watersnakes are fun, but feisty things. Random fact: their saliva has a anticoagulant in it. That's why you kept bleeding.

[Bellabob]

Whoa! Seriously! THats frikcing COOL!!

[shelliebear]

Aww man, I'm jealous.
I live in Washington and there's hardly any snakes. Our climate makes it pretty hard for them to live.

[Rorschach]

Sounds like a good time!

[DutchHerp]

i didn't know for sure wether the snake was venomous or not, but i was pretty sure it wasn't.

don't worry, i'm very familiar with the snakes in this state and know venomous from non venomous, and i've owned snakes for years and know how to handle captive and wild ones.

lolololol!

[mainbutter]

All you need to be able to identify are the native hots to satisfy 'hot or not'

That is unless you encounter a non-native venomous snake. That has happened on occasion.

[grits]

Wheres the pics?

[Muddyredneck]

i see only 2 things im seeing u did wrong here

1) you didnt play up the bite with mom! cmon dude im 20 and would have ran crying telling her i just got tagged by a cotten mouth lol.. just to watch her turn white.
2) no pics! lol gotta invest in a field camera or somethin if you gonna do it for a living. more power to ya tho! im really trying to think of a way i can make this a job, i love the hobby but the best hobby is not only one that pays for itself but makes you money

[M_MULLINS]

I love goin out & catching snakes in my free time. I've been doing it since I was in the 3rd grade. All we've got around here is garter snakes & dekays brown snakes in the non-venomous department though. I did find a baby cottonmouth when I was about 12 & got bit, because I didn't know what it was because they look so much different from an adult. I went to the hospital but all it did was make me very sick. Lesson learned there.