The first time I heard that was in 1969 when I spent a HOT summer with my father outside of Ft. Worth TX.

We lived in a trailer park out in the middle of some huge cattle ranches and all us kids spent most of everyday hiking to a swimming hole in a creek a couple miles away and hanging out there.

I'd never seen a venomous snake before then, but that place was crawling with them. When told of that technique I quickly asked if anyone had done it, and the kid that said it just kind of shuffled his feet and "Naw", then a couple laughed and said "No Way!".

I asked if any of them knew anyone that did it, and they did name a name. He was an older kid, and a pretty tough character. Not the kind that'd be hanging out with punks like us. I met him before I went back home. I didn't ask him about that though. He looked to me like the kind of guy that might try that same technique on smartassed little yankees just for fun.