Snakes in South Africa

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While I lived in Benoni, Transvaal, in the 60's, I took it upon myself to pick up all the ringhals (spitting cobras) marooned around Homestead dam, a lake that had become encircled by suburbs.
Funny things, they always signal when they are going to strike, but you should wear glasses because they spit venom. Often, to escape, they play dead, twisting over upside down with their mouth pushed to one side. If you turn one back over gently, it will insist on being "dead" and roll back upside down again. I got to like them.
A few years later, I stayed at a rough hotel while working at a steelworks, but went catching most weekends. I came back one evening with a snake box (like a small suitcase with prominent warning stickers) and stopped for a snack in the restaurant.
The owner started mocking my "lunch box" as pretentious, and ignored my telling him it had two snakes inside. I shook it, but he then accused me of making the hissing sound myself and told me to open it - if there were snakes inside, my coffee and sandwich were free!
I opened the lid and up popped two very angry ringhals with their hoods out and making a hell of a din.
Have you ever seen a restaurant with the entire clientele and staff, four deep, all trying to get out through a doorway together........
 
Lots of cape cobras around my previous house, one inside the house under the dining table. Killed them all with my .38 Spl and shot shells. They catch cape cobras in the middle of Cape Town. Every year people get killed by that highly dangerous snake.
 
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Python on hippo hunt 2017. He had just come out of the reeds next to the water.
 
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Black Momba crossing the road during 2015 elephant hunt. Plenty of snakes in South Africa. And this was the 1st of August.
 
While I lived in Benoni, Transvaal, in the 60's, I took it upon myself to pick up all the ringhals (spitting cobras) marooned around Homestead dam, a lake that had become encircled by suburbs.
Funny things, they always signal when they are going to strike, but you should wear glasses because they spit venom. Often, to escape, they play dead, twisting over upside down with their mouth pushed to one side. If you turn one back over gently, it will insist on being "dead" and roll back upside down again. I got to like them.
A few years later, I stayed at a rough hotel while working at a steelworks, but went catching most weekends. I came back one evening with a snake box (like a small suitcase with prominent warning stickers) and stopped for a snack in the restaurant.
The owner started mocking my "lunch box" as pretentious, and ignored my telling him it had two snakes inside. I shook it, but he then accused me of making the hissing sound myself and told me to open it - if there were snakes inside, my coffee and sandwich were free!
I opened the lid and up popped two very angry ringhals with their hoods out and making a hell of a din.
Have you ever seen a restaurant with the entire clientele and staff, four deep, all trying to get out through a doorway together........

I really laughed reading this!!
 

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Grz63 wrote on Werty's profile.
(cont'd)
Rockies museum,
CM Russel museum and lewis and Clark interpretative center
Horseback riding in Summer star ranch
Charlo bison range and Garnet ghost town
Flathead lake, road to the sun and hiking in Glacier NP
and back to SLC (via Ogden and Logan)
Grz63 wrote on Werty's profile.
Good Morning,
I plan to visit MT next Sept.
May I ask you to give me your comments; do I forget something ? are my choices worthy ? Thank you in advance
Philippe (France)

Start in Billings, Then visit little big horn battlefield,
MT grizzly encounter,
a hot springs (do you have good spots ?)
Looking to buy a 375 H&H or .416 Rem Mag if anyone has anything they want to let go of
Erling Søvik wrote on dankykang's profile.
Nice Z, 1975 ?
Tintin wrote on JNevada's profile.
Hi Jay,

Hope you're well.

I'm headed your way in January.

Attending SHOT Show has been a long time bucket list item for me.

Finally made it happen and I'm headed to Vegas.

I know you're some distance from Vegas - but would be keen to catch up if it works out.

Have a good one.

Mark
 
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