SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (KGUN) — Bill Schumacher remembers first catching a snake in the backyard of his home in Minnesota as a child. Now the reptile enthusiast is catching snakes around Cochise County and re-homing them in a remote area of the county.
“About eight years ago I saw all these people posting on Facebook ‘oh I got this rattlesnake and it’s dead'," Schumacher said. "I’ve been dealing with snakes for over 45 years— keeping venomous and non venomous. So I’m like hey give me a call, I will come and get them.”
And that's how he got his nickname — 'The Snake Guy'.
Cochise County residents call Schumacher when they have a snake on their property they need to have removed. Commonly the calls he gets are for rattlesnakes.
Since the start of 2023, Schumacher had removed and released 75 snakes. He and his business partner Patrick Shaughnessy use a snake stick - which has clamps on the end to grab the snake and keeps the reptile at a distance — and a bucket to house the snake until it can be put in a tank.
“I just basically take my snake stick, go down, pick it up and put him in my bucket," Schumacher said.
The disabled veteran gives the snake one last meal and then releases it back into the wild, far away from people. Sierra Vista animal control and other local law enforcement call Schumacher when they get calls about snakes so he can help remove them from the property.
Schumacher and Shaughnessy provide this service to the community at no cost. They strictly take donations only to help cover the cost of food for the snakes and gas.
“I’d rather have safe people, safe pets and safe livestock than charge somebody," Schumacher said.
When Schumacher isn't on a call, he's helping to educate the community about snakes. He said kids aren't typically afraid of snakes—they are taught to fear them.
“Education is a wonderful thing," he said. "You got to teach them snakes are good but they also can be dangerous. And that’s the best way I can teach them.”
Schumacher has three snakes — Luna, a python; Buzz, a western diamondback; and Cuddles, a mohave — that he keeps as pets and uses for educational purposes. He takes these three snakes to schools and the park for children and adults to learn more about the reptile we have in the state.
“A lot of these kids haven’t heard a rattlesnake, or seen one," Shaughnessy said. "So with catching one and them being there you can actually give them some insight as well.”
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
