Determining the differences between venomous snakes and their harmless and beneficial look-alikes is now easier with the help of this book. This is a quick, informative and reliable guide to assist you in identifying the small percentage of snakes that pose a real threat. This is a carefully researched 160-pages of detailed information on the natural history of each species and subspecies of venomous snakes. Color-coded range and region maps and full-color photographs provide a complete and accurate guide to all U.S. venomous snakes and their non-venomous imposters. Within these pages you will find education and information about snakes that dispel myths and misconceptions and offers a great appreciation for these fascinating creatures. --
Mike Roux, Outdoor Guide Magazine, Early Summer 2005Guide book teaches about venomous snakes and their mimics Killing every snake that might cross your path is not a great idea. Killing harmless snakes is hurting the environment. Now there is a great new book from Stoeger Publishing Company that teaches you about the venomous species and the harmless snakes that look like their dangerous cousins. U.S. GUIDE TO VENOMOUS SNAKES AND THEIR MIMICS by Schott Shupe is a great addition to your collection of identification books. --
Jim Foster, South Padre Press, March 31, 2005New Guide to Poison Snakes Handy for Outdoor Enthusiasts Anyone who lives in a rural area or who ventures afield for hunting, camping, fishing or other reasons needs to have basic knowledge about venomous snakes, and a number of guides to them have appeared over the years. Unfortunately, most directed at the general public tend to cite only the four main groups: rattlers, corals, copperheads and water moccasins ("Cottonmouths"). There is wide variety within these divisions, and many non-venomous species superficially resemble some of the dangerous ones. The books that delve into much detail, particularly those with good color photos, tend to appeal more to professional scientists and serious amateur naturalists than they do to Joe and Susie Sixpack. (Maybe we'd better call them Charlie and Claire Hunter here...)
There has been a real need for a book easily used by hunters, campers, anglers, Scout leaders, and others who aren't interested enough to spend maybe $60 on a snake book, but who may need detailed photos and text to enable them to identify snakes encountered in the field. If such a book could also function as a really good field guide for the enthusiast, and sell for a modest price, the world would be a better place.
Well, the world just improved! Stoeger, famed for the Shooter's Bible gun annual, has just released US Guide to Venomous Snakes and their Mimics. How important is it? Considering that the broad category of rattlesnakes alone contains some 62 known species and over 80 subspecies, one can see that it is important to identify which one of them has bitten someone. This is especially crucial when similar looking species differ significantly in venom.
The color photos are clear and profuse, adding greatly to the ease of identifying the reptiles. The different geographic zones in which certain species are found are well defined, and the author admits that there is some overlap at the fringes.
US Guide to Venomous Snakes and their Mimics is a profound new work that will be of interest to outdoor enthusiasts of every kind, to doctors and wildlife professionals. -- Jim Williamson, The New Gun Week, April 10, 2005
Shupe has spent much of his life "tracking" snakes to their varying lairs, and passes that information on to readers. -- Glenn Ayers, NC Times News, August 14, 2005