My first encounter of the year so far. I apologize for the poor quality, but I was driving
around an area I usually take to try and spot some snakes, and I didn't have my camera
with me, so I snapped a quick one with my cell phone. When I first saw it from the window
I thought it was a Water Moccasin. It was in an area where I've seen several Cottonmouths
in the past two / three years. I stopped and snapped the picture and then checked it to
see if was alive and it was. I realized when I got close enough to him, it was a Banded
Water Snake and not a Moccasin. I got the hook out of the truck to get him out of the road
and placed him on the grassy bank of this marshy area where this strip of road is located,
and the sucker crawled back to the center of the road. I got him on the hook again and
placed him back a little further on the bank, and low and behold, this guy crawled back
into the road again. I was determined I was going to keep this one from getting run over
today, so the third time, I just launched him into the middle of the marsh. He was probably
back in the road sunning shortly after I drove off, but all you can do is give 'em a chance.