Black Mamba

[Mark458]

We saw a black mamba crossing the road when I was in Limpopo last month, but we didn't kill it.

 

[dchum]

I don’t think think this will make for a good hunting video…

Sounds boring and redneck.
Why would anyone want to watch you shoot a snake?

I’m blunt, I know.

 

[Firebird]

This is Africa podcast last week with Ph Ross Johnston had a good bit of snake discussion. Ross is apparently a man who appreciates his snakes. A very good story about a “pet” mamba he kept indoors and much more.
I’ve seen several huge constrictors killed on camera and honestly would not seek out that kind of footage nor care to see it again, but that’s me.

 

[mark-hunter]

I was told by a previous P.H that we could hunt black mambas in S.A no problem. We even spoke to the taxidermist and he said he would mount it. But after doing some research it appears to be highly illegal in all parts of Africa? Can anyone chime in on this as I would love to get one anywhere in africa if legal.

I attached internet wisdom.
Maybe can help in your research.

What is your hunting show? I would like to taka a look.

 

[mark-hunter]

As a side note, when I was sailing to china and south korea, they were selling the snake wine.

Oriental version of mexicam warm in tequila.
Not sure what that wine is, though.

To this day i still regret i did not buy this.

It is also being sold online.

Pics from internet.

 

[Andrew62]

We saw a black mamba crossing the road when I was in Limpopo last month, but we didn't kill it.

I pray pretty frequently on a safari that I don't see a snake of any kind. Over the trips I've made I have seen 7 or 8 poisonous snakes, and I never saw a PH kill one.

 

[Flbt]

I have watched videos of snake hunting for the ratter round up
And a few for snake handling church’s.

And I would say there some interest in it
The history channel has the gator hunters snake hunting in fl. And there was a show about rattlesnake hunting for hides and round ups.

Killing venomous snakes yea I would watch it.
Hate venomous snakes lost dogs and livestock to them including a very good cow horse

 

[steve white]

Maybe you cannot legally hunt one or not, but that doesn't change the fact that the only good black mamba is a dead one.

BTW, I cannot envision a more terrifying charge than to anger a mating mamba and have it come weaving for you at full speed!

 

[8 x 60]

Just finished a couple of Capstick books (Audio) . In one of them there is a chapter about Black Mamba. Enough to dissuade any sane person from messing with them. Ymmv.

 

[HookMeUpII]

Saw a puff adder in RSA (which is another thing to watch out for) but no mambas. One of the guys in our group did and they said it was terrifying. 6' long and slithered away, thankfully, at a speed you can't even imagine. Combine that with the fact that they can stand, and move, on only like 50% of their body, no thank you.

That's the only thing that really scares me there.

 

[Letzhunt]

Saw two black mambas and one puff adder on first trip to Limpopo. the mambas were in the road right next to camp....they are no longer with us. The adder was at the heal of the PH who was 4 steps in front of me. That one is still out there.
Thankfully my last trip to Eastern Cape I saw zero snakes!

 

[Mark458]

I saw a black mamba in Limpopo first week of August this year and saw a cape cobra last September in the Free State. I've seen a total of six mambas, two puff adders and one cobra on my 13 trips. A whole bunch of pythons as well to go along with the venemous snakes.

 

[8 x 60]

@TR Alternatively, if you are set on serpentine shenanigans, how about a day out fishing with us?
You never know what you might catch ! (I even hooked a cow once, 60 miles out in the Indian Ocean, but that's another story)

BTW No antidote for Elapid venom, but very docile creatures out of the water with small fangs at the back of their mouth. But they ain't no Black Mamba.

There are plenty of them too

Saw me dog messing with something at the high tide mark one time back in January, this fellow;

He was messin' with this;

Stranded by the receding tide looking dead as a dodo and as dehydrated as half-done biltong.
It was anything but.
A proper wriggle-stick !
A swift fling into the sea and it went its merry way.

But you can keep your Mambas !!

 

[jdemocko]

The smile is fake as hell, I didn't want any part of that snake.

 

[DLSJR]

I never kill any snake unless there’s a good reason to do so. Bad karma and once you understand that all snakes, including Black Mambas, want to avoid you as much as you do them; you realize there’s got to be a reason to kill one beyond simply your fear of them.

About a week ago in Mozambique, we had a very large Forest Cobra cross the two track while we were off the truck looking at some buffalo tracks. He was longer than the road was wide. A couple of the trackers were within 10 feet of it when it crossed the road and nobody bothered anyone. We left it alone and it left us alone. I tried to get closer to get a good look at it, but it crawled off into heavy grass so we left it to go about it’s day.

Your fear of snakes is not a valid reason to kill them.

 

[JM]

It is illegal to kill, capture, or harm wild snakes in South Africa. Snakes are protected under provincial nature conservation ordinances and environmental laws, and killing them without can lead to criminal fines or imprisonment.

Thats interesting, better get the memo out, From Sudan to South Africa I have never seen a snake spared while in villages. In the bush, maybe 50% of snakes are spared and walked around but I have seen hundreds of snakes killed sometimes for no reason. I almost stepped on a cobra coming out of the shower in Mvolo last April, I yelled snake! And before I could get my camera set up the snake was in a thousand pieces.


On a side note, I don’t kill anything for no reason. Snakes included .

 

[JM]

As a side note, when I was sailing to china and south korea, they were selling the snake wine.

Oriental version of mexicam warm in tequila.
Not sure what that wine is, though.

To this day i still regret i did not buy this.

It is also being sold online.

Pics from internet.

View attachment 790084

I would have so bought that for the bookcase!

 

[Flbt]

I never kill any snake unless there’s a good reason to do so. Bad karma and once you understand that all snakes, including Black Mambas, want to avoid you as much as you do them; you realize there’s got to be a reason to kill one beyond simply your fear of them.

About a week ago in Mozambique, we had a very large Forest Cobra cross the two track while we were off the truck looking at some buffalo tracks. He was longer than the road was wide. A couple of the trackers were within 10 feet of it when it crossed the road and nobody bothered anyone. We left it alone and it left us alone. I tried to get closer to get a good look at it, but it crawled off into heavy grass so we left it to go about it’s day.

Your fear of snakes is not a valid reason to kill them.

It’s a snake reason enough.
Live stock,dogs and kids all reason to kill them

 

[pigsticker]

Not sure why you want to flirt with that kind of disaster...I got chased off of a termite hill by a very big mamba when I was in Namibia, they move so very fast. It scared the ever loving shit out of me and it took me a long half hour to get my heart rate back down. I don't mind snakes, but that one is a no go for me.

 

[mark-hunter]

Mamba I saw in 2017, first week of September, Namibia: