End of the line for Earle????

[flintknapper]

Well…..folks, it might be all over for Earle.

The last time I saw him was yesterday afternoon when he came down for a quick snack and to play a little bit.

I didn’t see him that evening which is unusual because he will normally come down and get a drink before heading off to his nest for the night.

No sign of Earle this morning at all. I called and called…but no Earle. Highly unusual for him not to “come running” in the morning.

I checked on him again several times throughout the day, still no Earle. I searched up and down along the island of trees he frequents….but nothing.

This afternoon I went to go look again….and spotted this Chicken Snake about half way inside of one of the holes in the Hackberry tree that Earle likes to go into.


Fearing the worst…I ran to the house (and I do mean RAN) grabbed my camera and shotgun and hurried back out to stop the snake from doing whatever it was he was doing.

I took a quick aim and did my best to cut the snake in half. The pattern of the 7 shot wasn’t quite dense enough (modified choke) to achieve what I wanted.


But, it was enough to cause the snake to cease and desist, then back his way out.


Once he hit the ground…he received the second barrel, putting an end to things.


The hole in the tree is much too far up for me to reach with my extension ladder, so unless Earle was able to spot the snake first….and vacate the area…then I have no way of knowing if he is dead inside the tree or not.

The bad thing about this is… I found this same snake inside a PVC pipe next to my shop last week. I shook him out, pinned him down and then carried him out to the pasture where I let him go. I don’t generally kill non-venomous snakes as long as they are not right up by the house. I may have made a costly error this time.

Anyway, I am hoping against hope that Earle recognized the danger and has temporarily relocated himself. If I don’t see him this weekend…then I will be forced to assume the worst.

[romegadave]

Flint,


NOBODY will sleep well this weekend until we get word on Earle. I don't hate snakes but man I don't want harm to come to one of our favorite critters. We'll all be keeping our fingers crossed and checking for updates. Thinking of you Earle---Dave in Georgia

[romegadave]

Flint,

I just thought about something...what about the digestion rate of a snake...would it be self evident if our buddy had been eaten being so soon? Maybe Earle will show himself soon!

[flintknapper]

Originally Posted by romegadave

Flint,

I just thought about something...what about the digestion rate of a snake...would it be self evident if our buddy had been eaten being so soon? Maybe Earle will show himself soon!

That was the first thing I looked at when the snake hit the ground. No bulge in the stomach anywhere.

I didn't mean to imply that the snake had "eaten" Earle, only that he may have killed him...and couldn't get him out of the void in the tree, or was trying to do so when I spotted him.

I am hoping that something has just "spooked" Earle out the area temporarily, but I have a very sick feeling in my stomach about this.

Maybe we'll get lucky though.

[Cookiemonster]

Well there's only one way to find out if that snake caught him off gaurd. Get up that tree Flint & give us a report.

Hoping for the best.

[Waorani]

And there's some reason you're actually proud of this accomplishment???

[flintknapper]

Originally Posted by Waorani

And there's some reason you're actually proud of this accomplishment???

Make your point...or get out of my thread!


What is there about this that anyone is supposed to be "proud of" you nitwit?

By what twisted thought process do think this is in any way an "accomplishment"?

I am simply conveying my concern for a baby squirrel I've nurtured for the last 6 weeks. Hope thats alright with you.



Edited with my apologies for an improper response.

[NorCal Cruiser]

Flint- best wishes for Earle. Hopefully he's just hiding in another tree.




Waorani- do some background reading- http://forum.ih8mud.com/hunting-fish...-squirrel.html - and then STFU!

[flintknapper]

Originally Posted by NorCal Cruiser

Flint- best wishes for Earle. Hopefully he's just hiding in another tree.



Waorani- do some background reading- http://forum.ih8mud.com/hunting-fish...-squirrel.html - and then STFU!

Thank you for the well wishes, I really appreciate it.

I hope that turns out to be the case, but I have a bad feeling about this.

[romegadave]

Gotta be careful where you tread man....this squirrel has friends from coast to coast--there will be a lot of response when others find out. Hang in there Flint....you know how animals are wary so we just keep our hopes that Earle will see you and show back up!

[lunyou]

well if earle did survive and I hope that he has maybe it is a sign that he is able to take care of himself and you won't have to worry about him as much.

Snakes kill to eat. The rat snake is a constrictor that would have consticted earle to death and then swallowed him. Not grabbed ahold with his mouth and then think about how to get him out of the hole......I think Earles chances are good.

lunyou

[macneill]

What a sad way to start the day.

My thoughts go out to you and Earle.

Heading to the Catskills now with the GCLC boys for some wheeling.

Hoping for some good news this evening.

[alex e]

Man I gotta go to Houston, but if he's not back by sundown tomorrow we start looking..........

[Landpimp]

I have my hopes up for Earle, them squirels got pretty good natural instinks and is prolly just hidding and laying low.

I know there are days I dont see my favorite squirel but he is back the next day.

nice work on the snake

[flintknapper]

Originally Posted by Landpimp

I have my hopes up for Earle, them squirels got pretty good natural instinks and is prolly just hidding and laying low.

I know there are days I dont see my favorite squirel but he is back the next day.

nice work on the snake

I tried this morning to get up high enough in the tree to look into the hole by strapping a small mirror on a pole, but I can't get the correct angle to see anything.

I am going to see if my Father in Law has a taller ladder than mine. I can deal with Earle being gone...if that is the case, but I can't stand not knowing.

I disliked having to kill the snake because generally... they do a good service around here. But I won't tolerate one trying to kill the squirrel I am working so hard to raise.

I just want Earle to reach adulthood and have time to develop a set of survival skills adequate to give him a fair chance at life. After that, mother nature can have her way with him (if she hasn't already).

If I can't get up to that hole to look into it, then that damn tree is coming down. I just need to know that Earle is or isn't in there.

[carboncycles]

Flint, hopefully Earle is doing fine somewhere else...bet he's a lot wiser than you take him for (seems kids always pretend to be dumb)

I'd hate to see such an old tree come down; possibly drill some holes and poke in a a bore light/mirror?

[alex e]

climbing spikes, calk boots and a rig/rope.....done.

[flintknapper]

Originally Posted by carboncycles

Flint, hopefully Earle is doing fine somewhere else...bet he's a lot wiser than you take him for (seems kids always pretend to be dumb)

I'd hate to see such an old tree come down; possibly drill some holes and poke in a a bore light/mirror?

I think you misunderstood. I am NOT going to cut down a 75 yr. old Water Oak over a squirrel. The tree I am talking about is a medium sized Hackberry tree (trash tree around here).

But, that won't be necessary now, as I have some answers.

See next post.

[Landpimp]

see next post ya say? well??????? good news I am hoping?

[flintknapper]

Update: Good news, Bad news!

Good news: Earle was NOT in the hole in the tree.
Bad news: I still don’t know where Earle is!

O.K…… so I’m worried sick all last night about Earle, wondering if the snake from yesterday had killed him in the hole in the tree or not. I was imagining everything from a strangled little body to him being stuck somewhere in the trunk of the tree.

Well…..time to get some definitive answers. I went over to my Father in Laws place and told him what I was up to. He said he had a 24’ extension ladder I could use to get up into the tree.

I hurried back with the ladder….and set it up. Prepared myself for the worst and up I went.


Got to the top fully expecting to see Earle’s lifeless body in the cavity of the tree.

Nope! Saw this instead.


Another damn snake!

So…I’m thinking, I will surely find Earle in the belly of THIS snake once I get it out of the tree.

Well…the hole is too small for me to reach into and the snake is not cooperating in terms of exposing its head. Also, these Chicken/Rat snakes are famous for biting... so ideally I’d like to catch it behind the head.

Down the ladder I go to fetch a stick. I find a green forked stick and go back up the ladder. I am hoping to twist the snake up enough to pull it part way out where I can grab it.

I’ve been bitten plenty of times by these rascals so it is not the end of the world if it happens, but I’ll “pass” on it if I can.

Stupid snake just will NOT come out of the hole despite my poking and prodding. Alright then, NO MORE MR. NICE GUY! I am going to find out about Earle even if I have to cut this tree completely down.

One last thing to try first! I went back to the house and got a plastic bottle of spring water. Put that sucker in the microwave until it was good and hot (not scalding...but hot). Went back up the ladder and doused the snake with the hot water.

Snake begins to see things my way and starts coming out of the hole.

Lots of mouth “gaping” and striking ensue…so I ease back down the ladder and wait on the snake. Finally, here it comes:


Snake makes it down to some bushes low enough where I can grab it (snake right before I nabbed it):



Snake shortly after I nabbed it:




New rule around the Flintknapper place:

Effective immediately, NO snakes allowed outside the pasture or woodlands.

ANY snake caught violating this order will be subject to swift and sure punishment.

Punishment to include severe beatings and possible death.

Anyway, I can now dismiss the idea that Earle met his demise in the coils of a snake, but I still don’t know where he is. I am hoping he has temporarily relocated after being “bumped” by these two snakes. I will expand my search for him this evening

[lowenbrau]

The suspense is killing me. I'll bet Earle found some hawt doe (is a female squirrel really called a doe?) to share his nuts with.

Here's hoping, anyway.

BTW, well done with the snake. I really don't like snakes.

[lunyou]

I bet those two snakes were going to mate.

Are(were) both of those snakes really as big as they look in the pictures? I once had a 5-6 foot black rat snake that lived in my dad's workshop........didn't have any mice or rats for a while.

lunyou

[alex e]

I bet he's on a short vacay.....I saw several melanistic squirrels on the slopes along I45 amongst the pines while driving South. Any of them could have been Earle on break.......

[Cuerno Largo]

You have the same rule about snakes as I do. I just don't want them up in my personal space. My wife just says kil them all, no matter if they are at the back of the property or in the yard.

[flintknapper]

Originally Posted by lowenbrau

The suspense is killing me. I'll bet Earle found some hawt doe (is a female squirrel really called a doe?) to share his nuts with.

Here's hoping, anyway.

BTW, well done with the snake. I really don't like snakes.

Its possible that Earle located another squirrel, but I have seen absolutely none anywhere around his 50 yd. long island of trees.

Now, that doesn't mean that he didn't hear another squirrel barking...and has gone to investigate.

My best guess...is that Earle is only 3 months old. I had him for roughly 6 weeks and I think he was about 5 weeks old when I found him. So....I doubt he is not breeding age, usually 10-12 months for males.

I went at sundown yesterday and walked his entire island of trees, then went down the fence line in the pasture looking for him, but didn't find him.

I will go the opposite direction this morning.

[flintknapper]

Originally Posted by lunyou

I bet those two snakes were going to mate.
Are(were) both of those snakes really as big as they look in the pictures? I once had a 5-6 foot black rat snake that lived in my dad's workshop........didn't have any mice or rats for a while.

lunyou

You are almost certainly right. Just as soon as I spotted the second snake in hole in the tree I pretty much knew what the larger snake from the day before was doing.

The breeding season for Texas Rat Snakes (aka Chicken Snake) in this area is just winding down (goes on through late spring).

There are many of them dead on the roads around here right now, owing to their increased traveling looking for a mate.

Eggs will be laid in June/July and the hatchlings should show up about August/September.

The first snake I killed was probably about 5' (about average size here).
The second...was decidedly smaller in girth and length, probably a bit less than than 4' and much thinner.

But they get much bigger in this part of Texas. There is an abundance of food for them here...I doubt there exists a better habitat for them anywhere else in the State. Rat snakes of over 6' are not at all uncommon...and they can attain quite a good weight as well. Normally, the larger ones will be seen while someone is mowing a pasture.