Could I hold it any farther from my body? I hate snakes. HATE. Like a little girl, I squeal when I'm near one. This one I shot after we found it under the sink in the farm house. I mustered the courage for this pose, then quickly dropped it on the ground & rushed inside, where it was safe. Some thirty minutes later we came out again & it had gone, the last bit of tail slithering in a nearby hole. It had still been ALIVE when I was holding it. Never again. Next time I chop the head off!