I've caught snakes many times, but I got started snake hunting one day in our pasture while looking for baby rabbits.  I didn't think I would get any luck, but I really wanted to try to find some. 

There is a concrete square in our pasture that the goats always climb on when they get out of their stalls.  I knew there was a hole in the concrete, so I decided to just look and see if there was a snake in it.  When I looked, you might have guessed, there was a snake!!!  I couldn't believe it!  I assumed that it wasn't alive.  I poked a stick at it.  It was alive! 

My brothers Kenny (the oldest) and Kyle (the second oldest) came down to where I was.  Kyle said they were going to help me find wild animals.  I wanted to keep my snake discovery a secret.  I covered the hole with my body, and soon they left.

I had to find a hook so I could catch the snake with it.  I went up to the house to find a hook.  I asked daddy where I could find some metal wire.  He gave me some, but it was not the right kind, so I asked my brother Kyle.  He asked me why I needed wire.  I still wanted to keep my secret, so I didn't answer, I just ran to find some wire so I could make a hook and catch that snake.

I went up to the house and met my mom at the door.  I told her my secret.  I knew she would not tell so that's why I told her.  She gave me a camera so I could take a picture of the snake.  On the way back down to the pasture in a grassy place near the garden, I saw what I was looking for- some wire to make a hook- but it didn't work because it was too thick.  Then I found some perfect wire, just right for a hook, so I made one with it and ran back to the snake hole.

When I got there, the snake was almost out of his hole!  I decided I didn't need the hook after all and that I could just use my hands to catch him.  Since the snake was afraid of my hand, he quickly shot back into his hole.  I sat by the concrete square waiting for a time when he would come back out so I could catch him.  I poked at him with a stick.  That didn't work.  So I sat and waited some more.  

I went on top of the concrete square so when the snake came out I would have a chance to catch it.  One time he did come out, but when I tried to grab him he went back in the hole.  He came out again.  This time, I brought my hand down very slowly and touched his head.  He didn't move.  Very slowly I wrapped my hand around his body.  Then I brought my other hand down around his body, and I fished him out of his hole.  He was around 2 feet long!

I walked through the pasture with my prize up toward the house.  The hard part was to keep it a secret from everyone but my mom.  It's hard to hide a big snake!  I got halfway up to the house when I saw my dog, Ranger.  I had to get around him without him seeing or smelling the snake.  It was hard, but I managed to get around him.  I went in the barn so nobody could see me or the snake.  Then I looked out a broken window just to make sure no one was watching.  When I thought all was clear, I climbed out of the barn through the broken window.  Ranger was still there, but I got around him again.

I got to the house and showed my mom the snake.  My dad saw it, too.  He said if I wanted to keep the snake, I had to have a place to keep him.  I brought him down to the shed, and my dad got a white bin from inside his trunk.  We put the snake inside.  I got some dirt and rocks and grass to make him comfortable.  Now I was ready to share my secret.  I told my brother Kyle about the snake.  I showed him the snake. 

I named my snake Rocky since I found him in the rocks.  I said I thought we should take him out for some fresh air, so we took him out.  We decided to show Kenny the snake.  He was mowing the lawn.  We shouted at him to get his attention.  We showed him the snake.  He turned off the mower and came to look at it.  We put him on the ground to see what he would do.  I didn't want him to get away, so we had to be careful.  I picked him back up and put him back inside his bin.

We had to get some food for Rocky.  He was a garter snake, so I thought of giving him some big worms.  We started digging worms for him to eat.  We found some and brought them to his bin to give them to him.  Then we went off for awhile. 

We went back later but he hadn't eaten the worms.  My brother Kyle said he'd probably eat them after awhile.  Kyle put an old window pane over the bin so the snake could have air and light.  He tried to put the snake in direct sunlight.  When he thought he got it in the right spot, we left the snake alone again.  When we came back, Rocky was gone.  He must have escaped through a crack in the window pane.  I felt a little sad that he was gone, but I thought it was just as well that he was a free snake.

So that's the story of how I got started snake hunting.  I'll never forget Rocky.  He was a very good snake!