In the Maryland of my youth, I often encountered black snakes. They were mousers, living in the fields and edges around our homes. These snakes were big, often 5-feet long and technically were called black rat snakes or pilot black snakes.

While they were feared, they actually didn’t chase or harm us, though we tempted them to. I whacked more than a few with a long stick on their backs, as a 6-year-old boy, and they did retaliate.

(0) comments

Welcome to the discussion.

Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.