Dana you may not have been doing anything wrong,...not consciously at least.
Just some suppositions. You were used to ball pythons and I suspect you expected the boa to behave like them. When it didn't you were surprised and a bit frightened. You said that right off the bat the snake nailed you in the face. THAT in itself is enough to make any of us nervous about handling it. Snakes can sense this and it contributes to the problem.
At one of the neighborhood pet stores here the girl in the reptile department is very obviously afraid of the ball pythons and they frequently strike at her. I can reach in and pick anyone of them up without problem. Having as Jay put it "a way with snakes" is something some just have and others have to learn.

Don't let it put you off boas. They don't all act like that. They really are great snakes. If you truly want to own one and are prepared to deal with it theres one out there for YOU!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

You are doing a great job Jay. Dont sweat it Dana...They can sense when you are afraid of them...he just took advantage...he is a cutie...Lyn

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Warmest Regards from Lyn

Be at ease Dana,,,as Merlin said, there's one out there for you. Snakes can sense apprehension.

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

I believe that's very true...that snakes can sense apprehension...I'm always a little nervous with Jack, my Okeetee corn juvenile, because he seems really strong and kind of jumpy. I think he senses that and as a result is still rather flighty...I'm pretty sure he lunged at me once when I reached in to get him and I hesitated nervously. It's getting better though the more I work with him. I'm getting a little less nervous that he'll jump out of my hand, and he seems a little less likely to do that. I've discovered that he likes to go look at stuff when I hold him, so I take him to see the fish tank, the magnets on the refrigerator, pictures on the wall, whatever I can find. He's too busy investigating to think about trying to get away, and I'm able to relax more with him.

I'm not nervous at all with any of our other snakes, and they're quite a lot calmer than Jack is. If I can just settle myself down whenever I hold him, I think he'll settle right down too.

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~Juliane~

I would like to thank everyone for their words of wisdom + kindness.
I do have a much smaller Red Tail Boa and maybe I can work with her while she's young.
I know in my heart I did everything I could for bullseye. I'm just glad Jay adopted him!
I agree with the fact that bullseye intimidated me and it did make me rather nervous just trying to get him out to feed him. And the fact that I was feeding him live rats may have made worse for me instead of better.
I have 5 out of 6 snakes that will accept pre kill; the only one that's NOT is Little Bit and that's only because she decided to eat like every month in a half. Once I get her on a regular schedule she will be eating pre kill as well.
Thank You everyone for the support you have given me!

I'm trying to post pics but the file is too large. lol

Thanks again everyone!

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3.3 ball pythons
1.0 red tail boa
3.0 dogs
55gals. of fish ( red belly pacu's + Oscars)
"The ONLY dumb question is the one NOT yet asked; unless you ask it 3x's"
Thank you---- Dana