Steve
By the time duck season arrives the snakes have gone into brumation and seldom crawl from their holes or hiding locations. In all my years of duck hunting I've only encountered a snake one time. On that occasion we were hunting a flood and pulled the boat under a dense tree to hide. I soon noticed a rat snake a few feet above my head. Jeff prodded it a bit and it could barely move due to the cold temps. We figured it climbed the tree when its den flooded. As for venomous snakes we frequently encounter them when tending our water control structures in the spring. Especially the one with rip rap rock. Those sun warmed rocks really attract the moccasins. So far we've not had any snakes take residence in our blinds, but it wouldn't surprise me. I am most concerned in the early fall when we camo the blinds after leaving them for the summer. I was a member of a duck club yeas ago and we found a snake skin in the shower floor. I never once showered there....
SJ
Our hunting crew consists of Thomas, Patrick and Colton G, Zac A, and myself. I'm the old guy in the bunch. We are the workforce that help manage, maintain, and enhance the property which is approximately 1500 acres dedicated for hunting. On occasion we are able to invite guests. Sometimes we are joined by the landowner, Michael K, and his guests. We've never had everyone there at once. The four man blind is near two other blinds so we can all hunt the same flooded field. The six man blind is in a timber hole and should it not be enough there are other locations not too far away. The ten man pontoon blind is for a lease that Patrick and Colton belong to in Northwest TN. I'm not involved with that but have an invite to hunt there after helping build their blind. We have one more blind to build and will tackle it in Oct. I'll post pictures of it as well.
As a side note I'll mention in the past decade I've invested quite a bit of time helping develop this land for duck hunting. What an educational and rewarding pursuit this has been. Between the time spent with my son and his peers and learning about land management it has been incredibly satisfying. My son and his friends have gained experience very few waterfowlers are able to, especially for being in their early 20s. Everything from operating farm and heavy construction equipment, planting food plots, working with herbicides and fertilizer, controlling invasive aquatic vegetation and trees, levee and water control structure construction, blind construction, managing moist soil impoundments, timber and row crop land, planting trees, etc. etc.. We've implemented our own ideas and we've worked with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helping develop Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) land. I'm incredibly proud of what we've accomplished. I truly believe the knowledge these boys have acquired at such a young age is not only rare but will serve them the rest of their adult lives.
Eric
From left to right - Brittany, Matthew, Zac, Patrick, Thomas, and Colton
] But you can be a cagey rascal. I suggest keeping your powder dry while the youngsters flambe at a flock. When the inevitable happens at some point and it looks like no feathers were harmed, that's your opening. Rear up and fold a big old greenhead with one shot. Calmly retake your seat, and pick up your coffee without a word. Never make eye contact with the vanquished warriors, but your body language clearly indicates they are to retrieve. Priceless.
