This last summer ('08) I was down in Texas helping my grandfather with his ranch. Clearing fence lines, repairing, cutting tree limbs, cuting and bailing hay, rounding up cattle...

Well one day it was a little damp out, and we decided to burn one of the many brush piles that has been accumulating since we been working.

Well I go over to it (its about 20ftx20ftx6ft big) and throw about a liter of gas on it, and light it up.

The next thing I hear is hissing, loud fucking hissing. I look down, and 5+ snakes are just peacing out of this brush pile. (they had quite the nest going)

I don't fucking move, yell for my grandpa to get anything I can hit something with. He tosses me a T-Post for barbwire, and I go to town with this thing.

I end up killing one with a blow to the head. It was a male copperhead, about 3 ft long, and slender.

I wish I had my phone or camera with me so we could take a picture or take it in to get a belt or hat rim thing made from it. But just ended up playing a practical joke on my dad and then tossing it is in the fire later.

I was down there 5 months in every possible condition where a snake/spider would be...and only ran into them in that situation a week before I came back home.

Now I like the fact I can sit down, crawl, jump, climb, forage anywhere here in the pacific northwest without the fear of something biting me. We only have brown recluses and black widows and those are very very very rare in the valley(more in Eastern Oregon where the climate is totally different).

Sure wont miss fire ants or army ants either... couldn't believe how many times those fuckers got me. Oh and mosquitoes...

(We did run over a few snakes trying to suntan on the roads....)
(also didn't see any scorpions or ticks... I must be lucky)