Okay, I am enthusiastically looking forward to an awesome day of bow-hunting deer. I have the right wind to hunt my favorite chock-full-o-deer spot and the temps won't get above 75 - PERFECT! What could possibly go wrong? Let me preach on: I'm a couple of minutes walking time away from my spot. It's around noon, sunny, I'm walking down a firebreak/road I've been on countless times. Never seen shit except deer along this road. So I glance down looking for fresh deer hoof prints crossing the road or whatever and YOWSA! Something black between my boots. Bear in mind I know every square inch - anything different gets noticed. I break the standing long jump record by at least a few feet as I instinctively jump away from the danger. I then look closer and see what looks like a bicycle tire, same color that's for sure. Then I keep looking and see a huge triangular head - not a good sign. This snake has a thick body too, almost too thick for it's length. I take all these mental notes and it emits a very loud hiss. I notice now it has white around it's mouth. But it won't slither off, it holds it's ground and hisses again. But I'm across the street and up a steep ridge from where I hunt, next to the water. Hmmm......could this be a water moccasin? It's not a rattle-snake. But that huge triangle flat head and thick body is one of the six types of venomous snakes around here, but I couldn't remember which one. And it had white around it's mouth, almost like it was wearing white lipstick. Until I got home later I couldn't research it of course. So here I am finding out that holy crap I almost stepped on a water moccasin/cottonmouth. Yes, that explains the white around the mouth. They won't harm you unless you mess with them - like STEPPING ON THEM! Wow - that is some serious shit, as in if I don't get medical help in time I die, or at the very least have unspeakable pain and permanent damage. And no, it wasn't a water snake - I see those a lot, their head and habits are completely different. Here is a drawing for comparison. Here are pics of what they look like. No, I didn't shove my cell phone camera in it's face like I do with turtles I find in the woods. Now I'm off to internet shop for snake proof boots which I have so far looked upon with amusement. This was NOT the way to start off my relaxing afternoon! BTW once I got settled into my blind I had a spike buck come down the trail towards me (would have taken him right past me where I needed him to be) but he stopped about 30 yards out and his body language indicated nervous. After a few minutes he angled off in a different direction taking him above and behind me so I couldn't do shit. He saw something that wasn't quite kosher so he played it safe and circumvented me completely, but staying alive is serious business. Anywho the color and texture of those "black phase" cottonmouths sure does look like a bike tire when it's in weeds and leaves.
Since you didn't take any pics, we're going to assume that this is the kind of black snake you nearly stepped on. Was it "too beaucoup"?
HA! No but it wasn't "pure Alabama blacksnake" either. I wasn't scared so much as startled. I can't stand being startled. But then the longer I sat hunting the more I started thinking about it most likely being venomous then I got scared! I took a different route back to my car when I was done hunting and didn't wait until dark like I usually do - I had stuff to do anyway thank goodness.
