Phobias other than guns?

[LePetomane]

I accidentally sterilized myself during a self-administered prostate exam.

If you travel a lot like I do, the TSA will do that for you.

[greenfarmer]

After being bit by a brown recluse that came in a box shipped from OK I HATE spiders, semi hate snakes after crawling down a rock wall on the MN river by New Ulm to catfish and discovering that my favorite rock ledge had a nice rattlesnake sunning on it. I made it back up the rock wall way faster than I came down.

I never knew there were actually rattlesnakes here in MN.... That's scary.. Sounds like the PTC better cover more than carrying a firearm. I'm going to start to want to carry a machete!

[greenfarmer]

Until I was in my mid 20's I had no problem with snakes. I'd catch them and play with them no problem. Then I started having weird snake encounters and now am at the point that they just all need to die. I'm not like run away scared, it's more of a commit whatever act of violence necessary to kill every snake that I can chase down, deep seated hatred.

First was at a car show where a buddy of mines little brat managed to sneak one into my coat pocket. I don't know how long it was in there, but when I put my hand in my pocket I squealed like a little girl and flung it about 80 mph right into a dudes AMX. Neither of us were happy.

Next was a late night encounter. Woke up in the middle of the night and went to take a leak. After wrapping that up I looked in the mirror, still half asleep of course. And right behind my head is a great big bastard coiled up between the door and door jamb on the hinge side with about a third of it's body length stickin out towards me doing some weird head bob back and forth deal. I took out of there like I was lit on fire, I ran to my gun room grabbed a Ka-bar ran back to the bathroom and staked that sucker right to the door jamb and left it till morning. That's the first and only time I ever had a snake get in that house, but it was also the last time my girlfriend stayed in that house. The scream when she saw that snake hanging from the door jamb will never be forgotten.

Oh this one was a real gas. So I was working road construction in Nebraska. Nature came a callin' and I had no choice but to go drop trou' out in a cornfield. While I'm doing the deed, crouched down, vulnerable and exposed, a goddam Bull snake about 5' long decides to sliver right between my feet. I didn't know what kind of snake it was, so I just froze. That is the last time I will poop anywhere, but an actual restroom unless it's a life or death situation. Thank good he wasn't hungry.

Then there was the time I got tangled up with one while swimming. Eff that!! Given the choice I would rather swim in a shark tank with a half dozen t-bones tied around my neck than re-live that fricken episode.

Oh yeah and the time I was helping a buddy rework and enlarge his fire pit. Moved a big rock off a snake nest right after they had just had a litter or whatever the hell they have, but about 100 of those bastards went slithering in every direction. It was probably the creepiest thing I've ever seen.

Last but not least happened right after we bought our new house in 2012. Was walking around our 3.5 acre lot and without seeing it, stepped right on a big Mofo and wrapped around my calf like a damn bullwhip and I couldn't shake him loose. I was kicking my leg so furiously that if I would have been surrounded by Chuck Norris, Jet Li and VanDamme, they wouldn't have stood a chance. I never mentioned that one to anybody till now. If my wife would have witnessed it either we would have had to sell the house or she would have just never would have left it again.

That is the short version of why I kill, murder, destroy, annihilate, slay and massacre any snake that enter's my property.

Not trying to laugh at your misfortune, but this post made me laugh harder than I have in a long time! It was hilarious!

But I know what you mean about snakes. I can't stand them. And when i'm mowing lawn in the summer, it seems I always see one or two, and no matter what, I will lower the deck on the mower, and drive around with that zero turn Deere until I see parts! And the next time I mow, i'll find another one! Those are the one thing I just can't stand. I swear if I ever had one in my house, i'd probably be investigated for arson! I'd take my guns out of the safe, and burn the house down! Safe in the house! I wouldn't care. I just can't stand snakes.

[xd ED]

After being bit by a brown recluse that came in a box shipped from OK I HATE spiders, semi hate snakes after crawling down a rock wall on the MN river by New Ulm to catfish and discovering that my favorite rock ledge had a nice rattlesnake sunning on it. I made it back up the rock wall way faster than I came down.

I never knew there were actually rattlesnakes here in MN.... That's scary.. Sounds like the PTC better cover more than carrying a firearm. I'm going to start to want to carry a machete!

2 species of rattlers in MN-
but many 'rattlesnakes' are actually a very similar hognose snake.
The most prevalent is the Timber Rattlesnake, not uncommon in bluff country.
The other less known, and pretty rare is the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, in MN known only to be found in the Miss River valley in S MN.

Rattlers aren't too notorious in MN because to date, there's never been a fatality from snake bite

I learned about Rattlesnakes in MN through a rude awakening: a friend and I were going camping near Winona, he mentioned rattlesnakes and I figured he was joking, until I saw a snake bite kit in a store….. don't think I slept that night.

[greenfarmer]

After being bit by a brown recluse that came in a box shipped from OK I HATE spiders, semi hate snakes after crawling down a rock wall on the MN river by New Ulm to catfish and discovering that my favorite rock ledge had a nice rattlesnake sunning on it. I made it back up the rock wall way faster than I came down.

I never knew there were actually rattlesnakes here in MN.... That's scary.. Sounds like the PTC better cover more than carrying a firearm. I'm going to start to want to carry a machete!

2 species of rattlers in MN-
but many 'rattlesnakes' are actually a very similar hognose snake.
The most prevalent is the Timber Rattlesnake, not uncommon in bluff country.
The other less known, and pretty rare is the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake, in MN known only to be found in the Miss River valley in S MN.

Rattlers aren't too notorious in MN because to date, there's never been a fatality from snake bite

I learned about Rattlesnakes in MN through a rude awakening: a friend and I were going camping near Winona, he mentioned rattlesnakes and I figured he was joking, until I saw a snake bite kit in a store….. don't think I slept that night.

Well, atleast i'm not near the river valley part of the state.
xdED, what you said, sure didn't make my morning! I just can't handle snakes. Those things are the one thing I just don't like. I'm pretty sure i'd rather never be able to buy 22 ammo again than have snakes in my house!

[xd ED]

Well, atleast i'm not near the river valley part of the state.
xdED, what you said, sure didn't make my morning! I just can't handle snakes. Those things are the one thing I just don't like. I'm pretty sure i'd rather never be able to buy 22 ammo again than have snakes in my house!

Try not to get to concerned. Think about how long you've lived in MN( I'm guessing a while), and they haven't been an issue for you.
I don't like to touch snakes, but have actually gone out looking for them. As long as they don't surprise me I'm OK. I have yet to see a rattle snake in the wild.

[Snakeman721]

Wow....with all the snake haters here, who needs a gun safe. I'll just take all my guns and put them in the same room as my pet snakes.

[Rip Van Winkle]

Rattlers aren't too notorious in MN because to date, there's never been a fatality from snake bite

I learned about Rattlesnakes in MN through a rude awakening: a friend and I were going camping near Winona, he mentioned rattlesnakes and I figured he was joking, until I saw a snake bite kit in a store….. don't think I slept that night.

Several years ago the oldest boy and I were trout fishing on the Whitewater River. I was walking through some knee high grass by the Crystal Springs Hatchery when I saw a Bull Snake slithering through the grass in front of me. I decided to get him to move so I poked him with my fly rod. When he started rattling at me I decided the fishing would be better on the other bank of the river.

[Snakeman721]

Rattlers aren't too notorious in MN because to date, there's never been a fatality from snake bite

I learned about Rattlesnakes in MN through a rude awakening: a friend and I were going camping near Winona, he mentioned rattlesnakes and I figured he was joking, until I saw a snake bite kit in a store….. don't think I slept that night.

Several years ago the oldest boy and I were trout fishing on the Whitewater River. I was walking through some knee high grass by the Crystal Springs Hatchery when I saw a Bull Snake slithering through the grass in front of me. I decided to get him to move so I poked him with my fly rod. When he started rattling at me I decided the fishing would be better on the other bank of the river.

Yep....Bullsnakes are VERY good rattlesnake imitators!

[smurfman]

Rattlers aren't too notorious in MN because to date, there's never been a fatality from snake bite

I learned about Rattlesnakes in MN through a rude awakening: a friend and I were going camping near Winona, he mentioned rattlesnakes and I figured he was joking, until I saw a snake bite kit in a store….. don't think I slept that night.

Several years ago the oldest boy and I were trout fishing on the Whitewater River. I was walking through some knee high grass by the Crystal Springs Hatchery when I saw a Bull Snake slithering through the grass in front of me. I decided to get him to move so I poked him with my fly rod. When he started rattling at me I decided the fishing would be better on the other bank of the river.

Yep....Bullsnakes are VERY good rattlesnake imitators!

And so are Hognosed snakes.

An interesting story that happened to me. Once at work my partner and I heard a call on the police channel about a woman with a water moccasin in the trunk of her car. I talked my partner into going to the location though he has a deathly fear of snakes.

When we arrived, an officer and the Community Service Officer were both looking into the trunk from a few feet away holding nightsticks. I walked up and asked them if they could see the snake. They answered in the affirmative and that it was acting aggressive. I crept up with a CO2 extinguisher ready to zap it. Upon seeing the snake I set the extinguisher down and reached back for a nightstick. Poking the snake caused it to start rattling its tail and coiling up to strike. A couple more pokes and it began to strike the stick. When it stopped, I reached in and grabbed the snake by the back of the head.

When I set it one the ground, the snake went belly up. I laughed and turned it back upright. It immediately rolled back over. It was a hognosed snake doing what it does best by acting like a rattler and then playing possum when that didn't work.

Under great protest, I put the snake in a bag and into a compartment on the truck. We drove over to a largish wildlife area and released it. I am now the "go to" guy if there are any more snake complaints. so far, they have been few and no exotic poisonous ones.

[xd ED]

Yep....Bullsnakes are VERY good rattlesnake imitators!

And so are Hognosed snakes.

An interesting story that happened to me. Once at work my partner and I heard a call on the police channel about a woman with a water moccasin in the trunk of her car. I talked my partner into going to the location though he has a deathly fear of snakes.

When we arrived, an officer and the Community Service Officer were both looking into the trunk from a few feet away holding nightsticks. I walked up and asked them if they could see the snake. They answered in the affirmative and that it was acting aggressive. I crept up with a CO2 extinguisher ready to zap it. Upon seeing the snake I set the extinguisher down and reached back for a nightstick. Poking the snake caused it to start rattling its tail and coiling up to strike. A couple more pokes and it began to strike the stick. When it stopped, I reached in and grabbed the snake by the back of the head.

When I set it one the ground, the snake went belly up. I laughed and turned it back upright. It immediately rolled back over. It was a hognosed snake doing what it does best by acting like a rattler and then playing possum when that didn't work.

Under great protest, I put the snake in a bag and into a compartment on the truck. We drove over to a largish wildlife area and released it. I am now the "go to" guy if there are any more snake complaints. so far, they have been few and no exotic poisonous ones.

There are informational signs along a bluff side portion of the River Trail (between the 35E Bridge and the town of Mendota) about the snakes one might see- that they are most certainly Hognosed, and not rattlesnakes. Saw a dead one once; pretty obvious how they got their name.

[smurfman]

The last hognose I saw was a couple years ago on Chisago Co Rd 17 through Carlos Avery. I saw it up ahead and slammed on the brakes, blocking the road. I jumped out and grabbed it as there was traffic coming up behind me and I knew someone would run it over, either by accident or intent. I got it into the ditch and me car pulled to the side just as the vehicles got to me.

I caught a 5'+ bull snake on the St Croix River once. I carried it around a park looking for my girlfriend. It was amusing watching all the people run away, even the "tough guys" in our group. The most "girly" gal in the bunch was also the snake's most steadfast defender which was also a surprise. I was initially disappointed when my girlfriend came up and petted it but that turned around when she tried to figure out how to get it to my home. As my land is not conducive to this type of snake, I put a stop to that and then had to figure a way to release it without the lynch mob that was forming getting a hold of it.

I ended up tying up a t-shirt into a sack and carrying it down river a couple hundred yards before releasing it. The whole time I had the gal mentioned above threatening me with harm if a single scale on the snake ended up out of place. Geesh, what I go through from the most unexpected places.

[greenfarmer]

Wow....with all the snake haters here, who needs a gun safe. I'll just take all my guns and put them in the same room as my pet snakes.

Well, if you have a room full of pet snakes, if someone does decide they want your guns, they have bigger kahones than me!

No offense, but in my opinion, they belong on TV or the zoo... Not anywhere within 5 miles of me! And as long as I don't see them, i'm fine. lol

[Snakeman721]

Wow....with all the snake haters here, who needs a gun safe. I'll just take all my guns and put them in the same room as my pet snakes.

Well, if you have a room full of pet snakes, if someone does decide they want your guns, they have bigger kahones than me!

No offense, but in my opinion, they belong on TV or the zoo... Not anywhere within 5 miles of me! And as long as I don't see them, i'm fine. lol

Yes, I DO have a room full of snakes. I've always been fasinated by them and have been raising them for over 17 years now. All NON-venomous, BTW. Add that to my fasination of firearms and I gotta be the less than 1% that do both...

[Snakeman721]

THESE are the things that scare the crap out of me...giant Asian hornets...which, of course, are now in the USA.

asian-giant-hornet-image.jpg (23.88 KB) Viewed 3164 times