He was climbing into the children’s playground, scaring some people who didn’t know he was not venomous. I took him with me on my walk for an hour. When I released him in the back of the park, he didn’t want to let go & squeezed tighter. 
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What sort of snake is it?
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Western Gopher Snake. Adult size - 6 - 7 ft. This one is about 5.5 ft. Lots of razor-sharp teeth but no venom. Friendly if you handle him so he knows you aren’t going to hurt him.
Another larger one in the same park:
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I remember bailing a 5’ Black Racer when I was a young teen driving the bailer for my dad.
The story was The Older Cousins in the Hay mow threatened to quit while screaming an hour later.
I could see it hanging out of a bail as the wagon was taken from the field to the barn. Dad just chuckled.
My uncle was careful not to harm it with the forks when he unloaded it to the Mow.
We all had a big laugh later. It was cut in half by the bailer, but they don’t want to die.
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When I was around 10, my dad told me to go in the back yard & see the snake he killed with a shovel. He thought every snake was venomous. He felt bad when I told him it was a
California Banded King Snake - harmless.
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Great pic glad I saw this , love snakes and had no idea they stayed that calm once caught but again great pic .
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I recall when they came out on the market and as you know now they come in countless color morphs .
They were plentiful in the 70’s / 80’s but not now .
As you know they eat venomous snakes .
Going back years for years I had an Arizona Mountain kingsnake and albino Ruthven kingsnake . kept them separate of course .
I love snakes, a friend has a few & it’s always nice to spend an afternoon with her.
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Do you know what types , I ask as very much into nature ?
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I know she has a smallish retic & a king snake. Both about 4 -5 feet & I cannot remember what the others were.
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Oh wow a retic as you know no joke of a snake .
I recall when albino retics came out in the late 70s they cost about 20k and now so cheap as retics breed like hamsters .
As you know banned in Florida because they are a real issue but people still keep them and sadly reality is impossible to eradicate in Florida due to connecting canals , marsh areas .
I have in the area corn snakes , ring neck , black racers , garters , water snakes but tegus ( Green Ameivas ) have taken a toll on them .
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Re: Staying calm. Some people are afraid of being bitten, so they’ll grab a snake by the neck basically choking it. Of course that will make him feel threatened & he will struggle to escape. I calmly pick him up near the middle & let him move through my hands. I’ve handled 25 wild snakes & never been bitten. When I was a kid, I had a Boa (10 ft.) & a Burmese Python (12 ft.). At the time, I had no idea how large they would get - especially the Python - and how big their meals would have to be. Unlike dogs & cats, snakes can’t live on processed food like kibble. They have to eat the whole animal. They were both very calm & loved to be handled. I gave both to the zoo who provided a huge enclosure.
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That is amazing .
Boas are ok but most pythons become aggressive , yours was not ?
I recall when they first hit the market how expensive then cheapest snakes going other then morph colors .
As you know snakes USED to be " popular " but not in last 10 to 15 years might be due to price of rodents , chicks .
There was talk some time ago which I found insane to introduce sterile honey badgers to the Everglades but thankfully never happened .
‘‘Florida’s invasive python crisis has sparked bold ideas – but this one might top them all. In a daring ecological experiment, one of nature’s most fearless predators, the honey badger, is being considered as a biological counterforce.’’
The Python was aggressive at first. The guy I adopted him from kept him outside, didn’t interact with him & tossed him a rat now & then. He just had the snake for a conversation piece & didn’t take care of him, the cage was filthy, moldy water & had no temperature regulation & the snake had mites on him which I drowned by soaking him in the bathtub. He would hiss as soon as I put my hand near him. I worked with him (with thick, arm-length gloves). After a few weeks, I could just reach in & he’d crawl up my arm - no hissing & I could trust him near my face. But when he reached 13 ft, I gave him to the zoo. Most people who want a Python now get a “Dwarf Retic;” they don’t get that large.
I got the Boa from a pet shop & he was tame from the beginning. But he had a very aggressive food drive; the store owner warned me to be careful when feeding him - use tongs or drop his food in & close the cage immediately. He was right; when I fed him, he’d grab the rat before I closed the cage door. He also told me to keep all other animals away from him. He escaped one night in the store & ate a very expensive Persian Kitten.