Interesting Snake Removal Call Today

[JuliusSqueezer]

At about 3pm today I got a call that was redirected to me from our local Nature Center. A frantic young woman told me that her 50ish year old dad who lives a couple of miles from her walked outside and there were "copperheads" all over the porch, beside the porch in the shrubs and in her garage. Well...It is that time of year when babies start popping out so who knows? I got the address, Mapquested it and drove the 30 miles through rush hour Atlanta traffic to the other side of town from where I live and half way there the daughter called again and said he found another one in a tree and the one in the garage was up on a shelf now. OK...I've been catching copperheads all my adult life. I've never seen one climb anything. So as I'm driving I started explaining that they are probably ratsnakes or maybe kingsnakes, got off the phone and continued the drive. While I was driving, I was thinking...3pm, fairly warm out and has been warm all day. Why would anything be out basking this time of day on a day like this? Didn't make any sense to me but stranger things have happened. When I pulled in the driveway, I was greeted by 2 fairly large dogs...another good reason for nothing to be out in large numbers basking in the yard. When I got out and got through making friends with the dogs, I asked where the snakes are. He took me in the garage first and pointed at a greasy towel on an otherwise empty shelf and said "There!". I picked it up and said "this?"..."Oh...guess that's an old glove". "No sir, it's a towel". "OK, well come look at this one. This is the biggest one I've ever seen". This time there was nothing but grass. I stepped right on that invisible snake and moved on to the swarm of babies by the porch. When I was explaining that those were just pine needles, he threw up and went in the house mumbling something about hallucinations. I am fairly sure that's exactly what was going on too. He did force 20 something bucks for gas on me before going inside. Sometimes I accept. Sometimes I don't. This time...I accepted. About that time, his wife got home and I explained to her what had just happened and she said he's had the flu and maybe that caused it? She seemed as baffled as I was but...I'm not so sure she doesn't know more than she's telling...but it's really none of my business I guess. Anyway, it was a fruitless snake call that I can't really decide if I want to find humor in or feel really bad for the guy. I'm leaning towards the latter. I hope he's OK. I don't believe there was any alcohol involved and he nor his wife fit the bill for drug abuse. Mental illness of some sort is more likely...Alzheimer's maybe? All I know is this goes down as yet another first for me on snake call weirdness.

[ssjsmits]

Yeah, I'm neutral as well. Pretty funny, but kind of sad. You're a good man for going down there though.

[Johnny Utah]

Maybe he had a late mid life crisis and decided to experiment with hallucinogenic drugs to feel young again?:confused1:

[DrumRnj]

Thank You, I can really appreciate that story. I probobly would have done the same thing. I am glad there are good people like you in the world.
Thanks for the story.

[JuliusSqueezer]

I was frustrated at first..Then I got a little mad but I don't think I showed it. I tried not to anyway. It was after talking to his wife that I started wondering if it was something besides LSD.

[mpgt]

You're lucky too. Snake removal sounds like fun.

[JuliusSqueezer]

It is! I get to meet a lot of interesting people and have the opportunity to educate people who obviously aren't into reptiles but at least care enough to call for removal rather than to hack them up. Plus urban herping means I get to snake hunt and usually catch snakes without driving 3-5 hours.

[owen]

interesting story to say the least...I would have gone for sure lol