Snakes & cougars

[Rocketfish]

Have you had any encounter with them during fishing trips?

[Ron Eagle Elk]

I've had a few rattlesnake encounters, but we have an understanding. I don't bother them, except to say hello, and they don't bother me. Never seen a cougar.

REE

[pittendrigh]

Haven't met any snakes since I quite guiding.

.......sorry. Couldn't help myself. Truth is, when you are a river guide, 99% of the people you meet you like so much you wish you could stay in touch. But there is that 1% or so that does make you grind your teeth.

[Uncle Jesse]

Since snakes are relatively slow moving creatures I am not sure how they get so widely distrubuted around south. Mississippi has countless farm ponds from a fraction of an acre to 5 acres or so. Practically everyone one of them has snakes, lots of them cottonmouths. If there is a aluminum boat overturned on the banks, it's almost guaranteed to have a snake under it. Cottonmouths are not shy snakes, I had two leave separate spots opposite the point where I was slinging hardware and converge on the point, it was vacant when they arrived.

I go to church with a guy who is a native of Detroit, he formerly had a customer in the MS Delta. He’s a fun guy and responded well to the usually kidding a guys with a northern accent gets in the deep South. He listened to all the tells about snakes, snapping turtles, grabbling, etc. and took it for what he thought it was worth. They invited him to go catching bullfrogs. They did it by leaning way out the bow of the jon boat grabbing the frog and tossing it to their buddy in the back, who put it in a cooler. After watch a couple he decided to give it a try. He spotted his first frog, leaned out of the boat as far as he could reach, when he heard the crack of a .22 rifle behind him.

“What was THAT?”

“Well, I had to shot that snake on the limb above your head.”

He was done for the evening and I don’t think he has been frog hunting since. Married a Southern girls and has stayed down here however.

[Donald Nicolson]

I must say, you Americans can fish in 'interesting times', to misquote the Chinese.
The worst we have here in Scotland are the Rangers and Celtic Supporters
who are usually busy glaring at each other.
Barring the occasional irritable bulls, farmers etc.

[jimsnarocks]

"The worst we have here in Scotland are the Rangers and Celtic Supporters
who are usually busy glaring at each other."

Donald, What does Texas baseball fans and Boston basketball fans glaring at each other have to do with fishing in Scotland?
Sorry, I couldn't pass that up. Jim

[Donald Nicolson]

I shall re-phrase your question,
what has Texas and Boston to do with fitba' in Glasgow?

[Uncle Jesse]

Snakes are not uncommon in the SE USA, I have encountered many over the 50+ years I have fished. They are mostly non-venomous but there are the occassional cottonmouth or rattlesnake. Cougars are pretty much non-existent in the SE, out west it is possible I suppose.

[bowfin47]

Used to have a female cougar on the property that used to rent in northwestern LA. We occasionally saw/heard her and often saw here tracks.. We knew it was a her, because one spring we found kitten tracks with her's on a sandy road..

In Louisiana there are moccasins everywhere... Usually show them a little respect, and they'll left ya' alone,. But I and most everyone I know that spends time outdoors and on the water, have a number of stories where that wasn't exactly the case...

[tedshuck]

I have seen a cougar while fishing in Waterton Canyon, near Denver. It was quite happy to leave me alone and go its own way and I was quite happy to see it do so. There are rattle snakes in this area, but I have not seen them while fishing. They generally stay away from the water. I have seen several on the bike path while bicycling to work.

Ted