Snake raiding squirrel burrow...

[crazyhorse]

Looked on my hill just in time to see this snake enter a squirrel burrow. He was in there about 15 minutes...so I ran for my camera. He came back out and stopped about 1/3 his length and looked like he was gulping for air. Looked like a small bulge...then he u-turned and went back in for 20 minutes and came back out and left. The burrow entrance is just left of the burnt tree stump.

This is a medium size Pacific Gopher snake often mistaken for a rattlesnake.

I can see two bulges so he had seconds for lunch. He was approx 4 feet long.. they can reach 7 feet long. !0 years ago hunting squirrels I came upon a rattle snake coming out of a squirrel burrow but that is another story...



Rich

 

[stoti]

Pretty cool!

 

[budwig]

nice shot

 

[dizzums]

thats what she said . he's eatin up all your targets man, you know what you need to do ..

 

[L.Leon]

thats what she said . he's eatin up all your targets man, you know what you need to do ..

What does he need to do? Kill the snake? That snake is helping keep the rodents in check. Wild predators, unlike humans, hunt everyday to survive...

@crazyhorse, good photos and story.

 

[triggertreat]

Let that one slide.

 

[TNT19]

Yeah let him do his thing. Cool stuff though. 

 

[davelarson]

What a treat to add to the day. Life is good. Thanks for sharing!

 

[crazyhorse]

It's the rattlesnakes we do not want...the gopher snakes do take out "Gophers" so they get a pass....since I've started shooting more squirrels we have not had any rattlers in 4 years...so far this past week I have taken 7 squirrels (6 days).

 

[boscoebrea]

I used to see Red and Blue Racers all the time,not anymore,same with Gopher snakes .

The last two snakes I saw were in the talons of Red Tail Hawks. Thanks for the great pictures and story.

I wonder if any snakes survived through all the fires we had.... also squirrels,are their tunnels deep enough to save them?

 

[crazyhorse]

Last October my neighbor started our hill on fire using a grinder with a cutting wheel. He told me he had no idea the fire started till he felt heat on his butt.

Since then regrowth from all the rains we had has given us a bumper crop of sqiurrels, cottontails , snakes (Gopher, Red Garters. and King Snakes. I can pretty much tell you the snakes go into the burrows and get the young....this time of year the young squirrels (Ground Squirrels) are just coming out.I think most squirrels were saved from our fire because I could see then running around a week after the fire...plus the wind may have kept smoke out of the burrow..??



This fire burned 5 acres right down to my patio. Only my home and my neighbors were at risk.The prevailing wind saved us as it blows from slighty left to right and uphill.

My home is just out of picture on left .We were golfing and missed the whole deal.

 

[Scotty1]

Very cool, thanks for sharing. When we moved into our house, I took a 6 foot rat snake out of our basement….twice, before sealing up his vent entrance. 

 

[Flintsack]

That’s quite a neighbor who almost burns your kingdom down while you’re playing golf. Sounds like you were very lucky.

Cool snake pics!

Mike

 

[crazyhorse]

I was lucky two other neighbors fought the fire in my backyard till CAL Fire got there....my neighbor that ignited it just was not thinking and he told the fire dept he started it..