We have rattlesnakes here in Arizona. I don't want to kill them but I also don't want them in the yard with my dogs. This stick enabled me to catch one easily and hold it until the fire department came to relocate it. The handle is long enough that I was well out of harm's way from the angry snake striking at the handle, and it operated easily, even with my excitement and trepidation at grabbing the snake with it!

I realize relocation isn't great but it is better than getting out the gun with snake shot, or getting a dog or myself bit.

Just caught a third green Mohave rattlesnake in our yard. Even though we HATE handling snakes, since it's necessary to remove the venomous ones it's reassuring to have this reliable grabber on hand. It makes an unpleasant job much safer. If you lock the jaws you have to make sure both ends of the locking pin are engaged in order for the lock to hold. But otherwise this is a great tool and we would not be without it. If you need to ID a snake for safety's sake you can catch it and get a close enough look without endangering yourself. And if the snake is crammed into a tight spot and you can't go in after it, this tool makes it possible to make a catch safely. You can catch any part of the snake if you have to, and it will hold if used correctly (sometimes you can't grab the head due to positioning.) We're getting a second one for the garage, and we decided on a longer one (although they are heavy and a bit unwieldy if they're super long.)

It works well - several snakes could attest to that if they could ssssssppppeak. The only issue is the locking mechanism; it works, but it can be finicky if you don't practice - so PRACTICE before you need it! Otherwise it's strong and reliable, and has a long enough reach to avoid getting close to the serpent. It's been used successfully on snakes from 18-inches to 5-ft long, and except for the problem of lifting a heavy snake on a 47" inch long tube, it's worked flawlessly.

My wife had the honors of being the first to use this hook. I've used it twice since. We live in a suburban/rural-ish subdivision and quite honestly most of the people who live around us just chop the snakes up with a shovel and call it a day. I'm of the belief that there are some benefits to having the snakes around, just not on my doorstep, so I relocate them to the pond across the street. So far we have only encountered Garder snakes, but the sturdy construction and distance covered by this hook has given me the confidence to CAREFULLY relocate more dangerous snakes if the need arises. It would have gotten 5 stars but the lock feature of the hook doesn't lock. I think it may be a manufacturing slip-up or a one off problem because it looks like everything is there. Maybe I'm just too dumb to figure it out, but I still like the hook and believe me... if you have a pissed snake at the other end of the hook, you won't "accidentally" let the grip go so a lock is really not necessary.

Very handy tool to keep in my boat.. Moving Snakes, Picking up Duck Decoys, Moving small brush out of the way. Will grab and hold just about anything.