| Back in the late 60's my parents still owned a lot | | | | piece of wood. Inside this barb is a strong poison, |
| of property, in fact they owned over 350 acres, | | | | even stronger than a diamond back rattlesnake. |
| and milked roughly 75 cows per day. One | | | | Dad and I listed and we clearly heard 4 distinct |
| summer day I encountered something that I will | | | | whistles coming from the field above, soon we |
| never forget, in fact almost 40 years later the | | | | could see a snake come rolling down the field in |
| incident still remains strong in my mind. On a lazy | | | | our direction. Dad started up the tractor and |
| August afternoon I was out in a field with my | | | | waited a bit as the snake got closer, as it neared |
| dad, watching him work on the PTO shaft of a | | | | us, Dad moved the tractor forward just as the |
| tractor, when all of a sudden my dad hollered for | | | | snake passed by and flung it's self in our direction. |
| me to come to him. He had me climb up on the | | | | It missed both of us but the barb on it's tail had |
| tractor, and listen to something. Hear that whistle | | | | become deeply embedded in one of the large |
| he said, listen.... sure enough I soon heard what | | | | tractor tires, punching a hole into it, allowing air to |
| sounded like a wolf call, like when the teenage | | | | escape. Dad was quite upset, because the tires |
| boys see a pretty girl go by, they whistle at | | | | were very expensive and often were difficult to |
| them, will, this sorta sounded like that. The noise | | | | patch, so he climbed down off the tractor and |
| seemed to be coming from the top part of the | | | | killed the snake with a rock, while it was attached |
| field, which was a pretty steep hill. Dad, said, they | | | | to the tire. He pulled out his pocket knife and cut |
| do that a few times to try to lure people out in | | | | off the barb, for me to see. It resembled a spine |
| the open, or to come closer to them, before | | | | I had seen before in bullheads and catfish. I have |
| they attack. What is it? I asked dad, a hoop | | | | never seen a hoop snake after this incident, but |
| snake, he replied. Ive seen them twice in all of | | | | to this day some folks around this area still |
| my years here on the farm. They grow up to 5 | | | | mention them. I believe they are now very rare |
| feet long and are thicker than a normal snake, | | | | and seldom seen. Just like the small green grass |
| they crawl to the top of fields and lay there | | | | snakes that live here, my brother and I saw one |
| silently watching for farm animals or even humans | | | | years back, but never again. Some folks say |
| to wander into the fields below them. Once they | | | | there are no such things as hoop snakes, will they |
| spot a target they will start a series of whistling | | | | are wrong, I seen one first hand, and I still have |
| that can mimic a humans, this often causes the | | | | the barb that was embedded into the tractor tire |
| target to wander closer to the snake to | | | | back in the summer of 1969. You may publish this |
| investigate the whistling source. Then the snake | | | | article in your ezine, newsletter or on your web |
| will tighten it's muscles and will bend it's self into a | | | | site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and |
| circle or hoop shape, and being to roll down the hill | | | | without modification except for formatting needs |
| using its body and gravity to propel it's self | | | | or grammar corrections. |
| towards the intended target. As the snake is near | | | | Robert W. Benjamin has been in the software |
| the target, it leaps and thrusts it's tail at the | | | | business on the internet for over 8 years, and |
| victim, on the end of the snakes tail is a very | | | | has been producing low-cost software for the |
| sharp hook or barb that can pierce through a | | | | past 25+ years. |