Where Snakes Hide: Avoiding Snake Bites

You’ve seen the old Western movies where a cowboy gets bit by a rattlesnake and dies out in the middle of the wilderness. Or the exotic thrillers where the villain threatens the hero with a viper or a cobra. Indeed, snakes can be terrifying and lethal, but all they really want to do is be left alone so they can munch on mice and other vermin. But if you do make them mad, they will take their revenge…

In this series of free outdoor safety videos, our expert on venomous snakes tells you how to treat a snake bite. You will learn what to do if you get bitten and how to use an extractor to remove the venom. But your first priority is to keep from getting bit in the first place. Professional snake handler Ginger Black gives you excellent advice on how to avoid poisonous snakes by taking the proper precautions in your backyard or when you go camping. She tells you where snakes like to hide and describes situations in which they are likely to bite. You will find out how to identify common poisonous snakes and how to distinguish between coral and king snakes (“red on yellow will kill a fellow, red on black friend of jack” refers only to eastern coral snakes). King snakes like to stay hidden, so hikers are unlikely to run into them in the first place. Hopefully, you or your friends and family will never get bitten by a snake, but wouldn’t you like to know what steps to take if they do?

"Hi. I'm Ginger Black. I'm a professional snake handler with Expert Village. I'm here to talk about where you would find snakes in the woods, on nature trails, in parks, that sort of thing, pretty much any where you might be out walking, and how to avoid them. But, first, let me say that snakes are not evil, slimy creatures. They're not out to get you. They're not going to chase you. They pretty much want to be left alone. But, should you come across one, how to handle it, and pretty much how to avoid them. One of the first things you'd want to know is that they like hiding under debris like bushes, in the pine straw, the leaves. Those are great places for snakes to hide and hiding is exactly what they're doing. You may have one come across your path as you're walking down a nature trail like these behind me. If you do, the best thing to do is stop and let it go. Stay out of its way. If you are not a professional handler and you don't know for certain what sort of snake it is, leave it alone."