A bit of excitement this morning. My oldest boy J came running towards the house in full freak out mode. It would seem that he had nearly stepped on this gopher snake which caused the snake to go defensive and possibly strike at him. I haven't gotten a solid answer on whether it struck at him or not. He has not seen many snakes since our area doesn't have a plethora of them.

The snake was curled up hissing and shaking in the shade of a Pine tree when I got to it. It was pretty agitated seeming and it struck at me once as I walked towards it. Gopher snakes and Garter snakes are the only two types that I have seen and caught on the farm. In the area I have caught a few rubber boas, but the only other snake I know of possibly near by would be rattlesnakes but they tend towards the basin to the west.

The x marks where the snake was. On the edge of the boys play area. I am more concerned that they don't step on it and hurt it than it harming them. At the top of the image is the trampoline and about 50 ft beyond that is the creek.

I used a stick to distract the snake so I could pick it up. It is a 3 foot long snake and is solid and healthy looking. The hissing continued unabated for the whole time I had it in my hands.

This is the snake hiss video. It was really cool since the entire snake's body would inflate as it hissed and it was curled around my arm.

Both boys got to pet the snake and feel the snake skin. They both were fairly apprehensive but warmed up a good amount once I had a hold of it, despite the snake protesting. Luckily I did not get musked from it. I am not sure if all snakes musk, but I know Garter snakes musk like crazy.

One of the coolest sensations while holding the snake was the tip of the tail kept a constant quivering shake, kind of mimicking a rattlesnake. But the tail felt wild on my arm as the snake wrapped around it.

I carried the snake to a spot above my garden under a patch of Chokecherry bushes. It is nice lush grass with lots of places for it to go off to that are nicely hidden. I have been having some trouble with gophers so I am hoping this is a good sign for the growing season.

The snake hiss is so cool. After I let it go it curled back up into defensive position and continued to hiss. I gathered the boys and we left it to wander off into the undergrowth, all the while it continued to hiss.

Check out my blog @flemingfarm

AND/OR

See me on SOLA & signup with this link https://sola.ai/r/ZDVIZG

For more information about our farm:
Fleming Family Farm
FLEMING FAMILY FARM, LLC
Sustainable & Organic Methods | Heirloom Produce

All images are original works of Fleming Family Farm unless otherwise notated and credited.

If you find this post useful or entertaining, your support is greatly appreciated by upvoting, resteeming, & following!