I don't have an abundance of money and I rarely hunt in snakey areas (less than 1 time a year probably). I'm going on a hog hunt for 3 days in June near columbia SC.
Do I need to worry about buying snake gaitors? Are they an absolute must have or am I just paranoid about snakes?
Wear rubber boots, you'll be fine.
I think with a little care you will be fine.
I wear them because I have them.
Are you coming down to hunt with ToxophilitePastor?
Yesterday saw my first poisonous snake (2' cottonmouth) in quite awhile. 7:10PM & he was stretched out (not coiled up) on the trail about 6" from my hiking boot. Not so many snakes anymore due to all the hogs. That's still closer than I care to get w/o knowing where they are. He lived.
Just watch where you step. Closest I came to being bit was in the face...twice. Big diamondback and timber rattler.
The diamondback almost crawled in my lap when turkey hunting and he struck up towards my face when I was coming down with a big long stick.
The timber rattler was coiled up about 12" from my face when I was on my hands and knees looking for specks of blood. Real cold weather saved me then.
I come from Louisiana and it is SNAKE country. You will be fine provided you watch your step. I do not step over logs or cut corners around trees. I also watch where I put my hands. My dad drilled this into me as a little guy following him through the woods. Some of the best stories in a hunting camp have a snake as the main character.
Snakes are the least of your worries, its the skeeters and chiggers that will kill you. :scared:
Yep toxophilitepastor is my Dad.
Looks like I just need to pay attention. Here in PA we have some rattlers, but not many. I hate snakes and I certainly prefer not to see one at all. BUT I'd spend the money if I need the protection.
For a little peace of mind, I think I would also purchase the snake boots.
If you want to enjoy your hunt buy the snake boots. Only a fool would "not worry" about the real possibility of an encounter. If you want to spend your whole hunt watching every step you take instead of enjoying the beauty of the SC Lowlands, that's your choice.
Another thing to consider is that if you shoot a pig, he's gonna take you into the parts of the swamp where you won't even be able to see the ground and more often than not, it will be in the dark.
A good pair of boots will last you a lifetime and are well worth a few hours of overtime at work for the piece of mind they'll provide
Biggie, do you think you should warn him about smg's or are they indigenous to hog heaven only?
Izzy, nah....snake boots won't help with those
I am a yankee-living southern born snake fearin' bowhunting fool. I got bit by a copperhead 20 years ago and although the treatment wasn't bad the little snake that nailed my leg is kinda burned in my brain. I wore my snake boots at Ray's last month to say the least. It gave me a ton of confidence to just quit being so paranoid about snakes, put the darn SC fickle coastal wind in my face and hunt. Biggie is right...the pig I shot went to the nastiest part of the swamp. Invest in the boots and go huntin'. Oh yes, one of the two snakes I did get to greet was a fanger. Wouldn't you know it was the bigger version of my old nemesis :) I thought I heard a SMG yell a couple of times near Hogg Lake though. I had my snake boots on but I think that anything that could rip my arms off and beat me with it wouldn't be too scared of my size 14s.
(http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r296/wapiti792/Swamppics013.jpg)
I don't know about SC but it's been a very snakey year already here. I've killed two copperheads within 20 yerds of my ground blind (that last one was in there with me and I stabbed with the my broadhead), saw about a 4.5-5' rattlesnake,and almost stepped on a bull snake yesterday. I've heard many others talking about seeing more snakes this year. The Dallas Morning News just did a piece on how much more active they are this year but I wasn't able to read it. I always wear my snake boots and when I'm going to be in tall grass where I can't see the ground well I wear my chaps as well. My snake boots are nice but a 5' rattler can easily strike higher than my boots go up.
QuoteOriginally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
If you want to enjoy your hunt buy the snake boots. Only a fool would "not worry" about the real possibility of an encounter. If you want to spend your whole hunt watching every step you take instead of enjoying the beauty of the SC Lowlands, that's your choice.
Another thing to consider is that if you shoot a pig, he's gonna take you into the parts of the swamp where you won't even be able to see the ground and more often than not, it will be in the dark.
A good pair of boots will last you a lifetime and are well worth a few hours of overtime at work for the piece of mind they'll provide
Biggie is absolutely correct! My hunting boots ARE snake boots.
You will most likely not see a snake, they have great camo and can be very still!
Benjy
If I go to buy...
Can I get away with gaitors instead of boots? Cabelas has a set that is reviewed highly.
If not, what brand of boots do you guys reccomend?
Like many, I have a healthy fear of snakes and after joining a hog hunting lease in south Georgia I quickly invested in quality snake leggings. While the leggings give you confidence, you will quickly find them to be heavy, cumbersome, and make you legs heat up and sweat like crazy in warm weather. After 2 trips I took mine off an hunted most of the time in high top black tennis shoes as you often need to wade through water sloughs that may be deeper than any hip boot. Just be careful where you step and stay out of places like thick cutovers where you can't see the ground and you should be fine.
QuoteOriginally posted by JohnV:
Like many, I have a healthy fear of snakes and after joining a hog hunting lease in south Georgia I quickly invested in quality snake leggings. While the leggings give you confidence, you will quickly find them to be heavy, cumbersome, and make you legs heat up and sweat like crazy in warm weather. After 2 trips I took mine off an hunted most of the time in high top black tennis shoes as you often need to wade through water sloughs that may be deeper than any hip boot. Just be careful where you step and stay out of places like thick cutovers where you can't see the ground and you should be fine.
X-2 I had some snake leggings back in the early 60's that weren't bad to wear, but never got past trying on the new type.
I've bought Chippewa, Bass Pro and some other brand of snake boots, but didn't like any of them..too heavy execpt for the Bass Pro Lightweights. I did wear them in Fl. when I knew I was going to hunt the hill and be in high palmettos.
Seems like every time I would wear snake boots I'd end up over my knees in swamp water with boots full of water. In Fl. used camo tennis shoes till the weather got to cold.
However..I would recommend them to everyone else...especially if you don't look where you step.
I have the turtle skin snake chaps and wore them two days ago. Obviously they will be hotter than not wearing them but they are worth the extra money because I don't think they are that hot. If you are stalking pigs you have to have the wind anyways so the scent of sweat doesn't make too much difference in my opinion.
"RedHead® Ultra Snake 16'' Waterproof Hunting Boots for Men"
Buy a pair of these [ cheap and light] and go where you want and don't worry about getting them wet. You going to hunt pigs in SC, you likely going to get wet.
I wear snake boots working and hunting and have for nearly 40 years. They are a cheap insurance policy. My company thinks so as I am reimbursed 100% for any boot to included custom Russells when ever I need a pair. Not wearing snake protection in rattlesnake country is as poor a decision as not wearing fall protection from a tree.
Most of the time I wear this old pair of cheap Rocky's because they are comfortable, light and leak badly.
(http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh338/spikeknife/bestdressed.jpg)
If you still not sold....interview someone who has been tagged by a rattlesnake or cottonmouth. Both rattlesnakes [coiling and rattling} and cottonmouths [opening mouth and exposing the white interior] use a defense mechanism to warn you off when they feel threatened. They are not normally aggressive but if their defense doesn't work they will not hesitate to pop a load in you. They rarely give a dry bite
Copperheads' defense mechanism is a strike and are much easier provoke to do so. So, they may pop you to get your attention with a dry bite but if you don't pay attention they will pop you again and this second strike is generally the real deal.
I got tangled up in a thicket with a sow and pigs and this dude one evening near Savannah, GA in the late 1980s. I'm wearing a pair of Gokey snake boots here. I took the easy way out. :)
(http://i544.photobucket.com/albums/hh338/spikeknife/rattler.jpg)
Lawsie that's a putty canebrake! :scared:
Killdeer
Snakes are gross!
My hunting buddy and I did not wear snakeskin boots for several years of GA swamp hog hunting. His wife kept bugging him to get snake boots. He finally bought a pair and got hammered by a big cottonmouth while sneaking through palmettos in a spot we had hunted on a reguar basis- the FIRST day he wore them in the woods.
Snake boots are HOT! I hate wearing them. Gaiters over jeans/boots is even worse.
I don't see the point in spending the money if you've already got a pair of leather boots or rubber boots...they'll deter a snake just the same. (they're hot, too, though)
Google 'texas rattlesnake roundup'. Those guys catch and handle hundreds of snakes. They generally only wear cowboy boots.
QuoteOriginally posted by Biggie Hoffman:
Only a fool would "not worry" about the real possibility of an encounter.
Biggie.....did you just call shoe-man a fool??? :biglaugh:
Had them all including boots, wraps, & leggings. IMHO, the cheapest & best are plastic wrap around or zip up you can put under & "puff out" your pants leg which kind of work to keep your legs cooler. Rubber or snake boots & chaps way too hot.
Wearing lowcut hike boots the other day when I stepped near the moccassin. He raised & showed his fangs. Lucky he didn't whack me! Likely wear rubber boots from now on just because they're handy.
No and no but they're there. If you wear snake boots or legging you don't have to look down every step. Back in the early 70's I hunted he swamps on the Congaree river out of Columbia and seen lots of timber rattlers a few cotton mouths and copper heads. I had a pair of Herters leather snake boots at that time. mIKE
I don't much care if you want to play with rattlesnakes, as long as it has no effect on me. Occasionally I invite someone to hunt hogs with me in South Carolina. You don't wear snake protection...you don't hunt with me.
Reasons: I don't want you getting bit and ruining my hunt, or other guests' hunt. I don't want you getting bit and needing 6 vials of anit-venom at $6,000 plus per vial, a week in the hospital and running up my insurance premiums. I don't want you inconveniencing your family and friends having to care for you. I don't want you to have a hand that can no longer pull a bow or a leg that limps.
It be find and dandy if the only one impacted by a poor decision was the person making it. But it never works that way.
For those who think it sissy and too hot and too costly and too whatever....."Here's your sign!"
What I would like to reiterate is that if the OP doesn't want to spend a bunch of money on snake boots or gaiters, he's likely fine with the leather and/or rubber boots he probably already owns.
I've also never seen an African PH wear snake boots. Maybe it's because the ones over there are big enough to bite you above the waist :)
Well I decided to get some gaitors off of some reccomendations. My brother in law is picking a set up for me.
Bought a pair of snake proof chaps. Warm, yes but much better than the other option! I used to just watch for snakes but twice in the past 2 yrs almost stepped on a rattler. If the last one hadn't rattled when it did, I would have stepped on it, and that settled the issue for me.
I walked by this guy three times within his striking distance. I guess he tolerated me.
Wear protection if you have it.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Equismith/DownloadsfromKodak4222010020.jpg)
May I ask a related question? Is there any time during the winter that you can be somewhat snake free in South Carolina? Do they hole up at all? I'd like to hunt Ray's, but snakes freak me out!
I'd keep my eyes peeled anyway and watch where you step. There's more than snakes to step on. I've had to make some pretty quick backwards, sideways, twist-around moves, more than a couple times when big cotton mouths and rattle snakes struck at me. All the big ones struck up high...like the way this big cotton mouth is looking. He didn't strike and I didn't kill it.
Click pictures for full size
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/Pictures/th_cottonmouth1.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/Pictures/cottonmouth1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/Pictures/th_ditchgator1resizez.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/Pictures/ditchgator1resizez.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/Pictures/th_pwrgator.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/Pictures/pwrgator.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/Pictures/th_buggermans222.jpg) (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/Pictures/buggermans222.jpg)
Sorry Andy. Don't know how you can hunt & have a good time so askeered of snakes? Good news is, hogs love snakes too. Snakes are getting scarce in hog infested areas. Doubt hot snake boots would bother me at all rather than both eyes peeled to the ground all the time.
Poker
Jan1 thru March 15 is going to be without snakes for sure
Call if you'd like to discuss 6783002883
Thanks for the heads-up, Ray! I'll be coming down to your place January or February. You know, spent my Army time (infantry) stationed in GA and TX and never gave snakes a thought (young and dumb) and never saw any that I can remember...but all these snake pics ya'll are always posting get me all worked up. Don't get em up here in MI.
Snake boots or gaiters, a thermocell, and clothes sprayed with Permithrin are the mainstays in my list of equipment. I doubt you'll have problems with snakes, but it's good to be prepared. One thing you definitely need to prepare for is ticks. Oh, and the heat.
(http://i1123.photobucket.com/albums/l544/dwilber88/Mobile%20Uploads/0825111101.jpg)
They are out there but i haven't had any close calls with them striking at me...knock on wood!
I have been struck at many times and stepped within inches more than that. Only God can say why I ain`t been bit. I wear snake boots and will not hunt the swamp without them or a good pair of rubber boots.
Kinda like in hunting. It only takes one animal to make or break a hunt...same with snakes it only takes one to change your life.Snake boots are cheap.RC
QuoteOriginally posted by RC:
I have been styruck at meany times and stepped within inches more than that. Only God can say why I ain`t been bit. I wear snake boots and will not hunt the swamp without them or a good pair of rubber boots.
Kinda like in hunting. It only takes one animal to make or break a hunt...same with snakes it only takes one to change your life.Snake boots are cheap.RC
That's pretty profound for a SOUTH Ga. sandwich eatin, pig killin, deer chasin redneck.
[/QUOTE]That's pretty profound for a SOUTH Ga. sandwich eatin, pig killin, deer chasin redneck. [/QUOTE]
He might be all of that, but Robert ain't stupid ... especially when it comes to snakes. :rolleyes: