Cal Easom owns and operates Easom Small Engines in the center of downtown Sebastopol, but Easom also keeps a hobby of relocating snakes with Grab U One Outfitters. The group collects snakes from properties and releases them in safe locations away from people.
Easom opened his store in 1999, expanding from his family’s hardware store which opened in 1939 and has been in business for 78 years It sits directly across the road to Easom’s mower and small motor shop.
A two year student of ECCC’s drafting and design program, Easom enjoys fabrication of boats and utilizes a boat he built when ‘grabbing’ snakes on the water.
Easom said that he has played with snakes as long as he remembers. His first pet snake he said, “was a black and yellow garter.” Easom said he brought his garter snake to school in the fourth grade to share with the class and was sent home.
Easom said that the group does not kill any snakes and wants people to not be afraid of snakes.
“If a snake isn’t a direct threat, don’t kill it. They are important for the ecosystem,” Easom said. “Snakes eat pests and bugs, and king snakes will eat venomous snakes.”
Easom said that he and his group do not relocate non-venomous snakes unless they are inside a house as they are no threat to people. When capturing a venomous snake, they will utilize whatever improvised tools they can fashion from what is around them like a stick, to pin the head of the snake down before retrieving it. They transport the snakes in rubber containers with vents.
All original members of the Grab U One crew are active law enforcement members.
Easom said he became involved with snake retrieval with Jimmie Nichols via a common friend who brought him onto their team for the charity snake wrangling event, The Jared Howington Annual Snake Grabin’ Rodeo on Lake Washington in Chatham, MS.
The snake rodeo was begun in honor of nine year old Jared Howington who was battling brain cancer and was a fan of the snake wranglers and a follower of their facebook page.
Easom said, “the snake rodeo drew awareness and raised money for cancer research.”
Cal Easom is an energetic, young business owner who is finding his call to adventure outdoors.
