I know that there must have been more springtimes where the growing season was just as phenomenal, but right off the top, I don’t think I recall them. Aside from my bird feeder always being full of grackles, the occasional cardinal or blue jay is a joy to see. I’m sure the nesting success of all the birds required the supplements they find at my feeder. It’s rather amazing it will sit empty for a few days and within minutes of my filling it, birds will be flocking to it.

    During one of my replenishment sessions last week, I had a rather surprising incident occur. I don’t buy the premixed bird seed but rather consumer bags of cracked corn and oiled sunflower seeds. I mix these ingredients with corn in a 2:1 ratio. The bags are stored in my outside shed and then mixed in a large plastic barrel before taking to the feeder. I unlocked the shed and walked directly to the barrel. As I reached forward, I had a sense of something moving backwards. I turned to see a huge black snake on a shelf pulling itself back into the darkened corner.

    Snakes may surprise me at times, but they don’t scare me. I had to laugh just thinking of the numbers of people who’d likely have had to change clothes or who’d have seriously hurt themselves in similar situations. Connie was outside the building and I knew she was one of them. When I told her to go to the house, that was enough to peak her interest and when I told her, it almost happened anyway.

    I went to my shop and got a piece of rod steel, bent it in a shepherd’s crook and went back to the shed. As I said, this was a big guy and I didn’t want to hurt him or risk getting bitten myself in trying to move him across the road and back into the woods. With the rod, I was able to disentagle him from the rake handles. I grabbed the tail and lifted his body gently to get him outside. Once outside, much against the insistence of Connie to disconnect his head from his body, I pinned the head on the lawn and grabbed it behind the neck. I supported him with both hands and was a bit surprised that he was almost 6 feet long and probably weighed about five pounds. Obviously chasing mice had been quite good for his diet, though with his size I know lots of other critters had probably passed his maw.

    With two curious dogs and a wife who had that look of disowning me, I carried it across the road and released him into the honeysuckle thickets that cover the woodlot there. He seemed rather content in heading the other way.

    So it is the seasons to run into our “no shoulders” friends, but indiscriminately killing snakes should be avoided. They provide an invaluable service of ridding areas of rats and mice. Delaware is not known for having lots of snakes anyway, so identification should be rather easy. The chance of seeing species other than the black snake and the garter snake is very unlikely.

    Understand that any snake can and will bite you and though non-venomous snakes are not lethal, they all have some toxins in their bite. It may only be from bacteria on their multi-rows of teeth, but should not be taken lightly. If bitten by one of these snakes, never try to pull the snake away as you’re likely to rip more flesh because of the curvature of those teeth. And though no one wants to get bitten obviously, working in ivy and Hosta beds is a great place to make an unexpected encounter. After your panic attack subsides, clean the wound and treat it with a good topical antiseptic. (This information is supplied only to those people who won’t immediately call 911 and head to the ER. I understand that any advice I might give is just plain stupid to those other folks, and if I were them, I’d ignore me as well.)

    The Delaware Branch of the Quality Deer Management Association had to cancel their Rendezvous last month because of forecast high winds and thunderstorms. The event has been rescheduled for Sunday, Sept. 13 at the Owens Station Shooting Preserve. If you didn’t get tickets previously, they’re $50 in advance and $60 at the event. I’ll post more a bit down the road.

    QDMA is also holding a Field Day at Owens Station Thursday, Aug. 27. This event is open to the public and admission is free. It will run from 8 a.m. until noon and will provide hands-on training for hunters and habitat managers to include your deer herd management indicators and options as well as soil testing, tree species and planting and food sources.

    The training will be conducted by certified QDMA experts and will help anyone who manages food plots and deer resources on parcels from a few acres to areas with hundreds of acres. The admission is right for anyone and if you’re one of those targeted individuals, this is the session you need to attend.