Terry, you've sure had an interesting life (from my
perspective anyway)
As for that man's reaction to the headless snake - it
is a "spirit of fear" that causes a reaction like that
He didn't have to think about it.
judyt.
From: Terry Clifton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> This area has been blessed with an abundance of reptiles in all shapes and
sizes. Since I am a gunsmith, all the hunters know where I am. Since
most hunters are also fishermen, and fishermen, hunters and farmers are the ones
most likely to come across snakes, I act as an agent , buying diamondback
rattlesnakes and holding them for a man that comes by once a month and gets them
from me. He has a regular route, with pick up points like mine, all over
the Southeastern states. He buys nothing but diamondback and
Canebrake rattlers. He says he buys an average of eighty thousand snakes
each year. He sells meat to restuarants, hides to boot companies, rattles
to people who make ear rings and other junk jewelry, and I believe he sells the
venom to someone else, but am not sure who. Seems like it was something to
do with medicine or research of some kind. Not exciting or very profitable
for me, but something interesting during the slow time of the year.
As I wrote that, I just thought of one time when one of my customers got a
little excited. He had just seen a rattler cross the road about a mile
from my place. He whacked it's head off and threw it in the back of his
pickup, then drove straight to me, so it was real fresh. When he reached
into the truck to get the snake for me, he grabbed it by the tail and started to
lift it out. In a split second, the snake struck him on the hand.
The snake having no head, no damage was done to his hand, so I had a big laugh
when he jumped backwards about five feet. I asked,"Did he get you?"
He replied, "No, but he made me wet my pants!". I thought that was kind of interesting. I had up to then always
figured that instinct was related to brain activity, but this snake was a mile
from his brain and still functioned as he was programmed to do. Somebody 'splain that to me.
Terry ShieldsFamily wrote:
Terry, So how do you profit from handling snakes? (I used to have a boss
who I thought was a snake. Turns out that was her Chinese Zodiac
sign. Almost made me believe in the Chinese Zodiac.) Izzy
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- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers"?? Lance Muir
- RE: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers"?... ShieldsFamily
- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers"?... Terry Clifton
- RE: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers&qu... ShieldsFamily
- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handler... Terry Clifton
- RE: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake han... ShieldsFamily
- RE: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake han... David Miller
- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snak... Terry Clifton
- RE: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "... ShieldsFamily
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- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers"?... Judy Taylor
- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers&qu... Terry Clifton
- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers"?... Knpraise
- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers&qu... Terry Clifton
- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers"?... Knpraise
- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers"?... Knpraise
- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers"?... Knpraise
- Re: [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers&qu... Terry Clifton
- [TruthTalk] Appalachian "snake handlers"?? Judy Taylor