Henry Rifle Forums

While wife and I walking Buster this morning along the woods edge near the road. Wasn't moving and we left it alone. Can't discharge my pistol in the city. Now had it been on my trails down at my range....he'd be done! Copperhead.

I hate snakes.

when it comes to snakes, I have a long standing take no prisoners attitude

I've lived in "snake country", meaning venomous snakes country most of my life. Just been a matter of awareness and following a few simple rules.

Right now, though, no venomous snakes where we live. Wisconsin has two rattlesnake species in far SW corner of the state in the Mississippi bluff country. One of them, the Eastern Massasauga, is so rare as to be listed as endangered. No venomous snakes in the rest of the state.

You needed that 25 caliber pellet rifle

Been snake bitten once. Never again! I see it, it dies if I have to use a stick.

Hope I don't see another one! When down at the range walking along the trails I'm always looking around where I'm walking and never pick up any debris before moving it with a long stick. In the winter and early Spring I walk along the trails in that woods here at home along the street but keep my eyes open. I don't go thru there in the Summer or Fall though.

Copperhead bit tina in the bottom of her foot four times. She was working barefoot in her flowerbed in the spring, weeding, and stepped on a juvenile.
Stomped it into copperhead paste.

Foot, ankle, lower leg ballooned up, turned colors, pretty painful. Many drugs given. Two days in the hospital. I had me a t-shirt made:

My wife is meaner than a snake..
She was bitten by a copperhead.
It died.

“Can't discharge my pistol in the city.” That’s why God made rocks.

I've seen few of those buggers in my area of VA. My wife panics when she sees one and I just let them go there way. Most are just passing thru and are no problem. But a few years ago we had one take up residence under our front deck. He went to the happy hunting ground.

Paul

I have posted this picture in the past. Look hard at this nice picture. It will show you why the copperhead is a dangerous little shite.
This is why we make noise walking in the grass, and kick things before we pick them up.


When y'all have had time, I'll post the second pic revealing the sneaky little beggar.

Lower left. Sneaky bastard.

You'd be surprised
Anyone else or do I post the answer

Never came on a copperhead. Stumbled across too many diamondbacks. Not hard To avoid. One swam across the lake while I was walking with my mom. Nope! Go the other way.

BrokenolMarine wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 24, 2021 7:58 pm

You'd be surprised
Anyone else or do I post the answer

Starts at the very bottom left and body continues up to center of picture. That"s in a sunny spot now imagine you are walking along a shade covered trail! Wish there were snake detectors like metal detectors you could carry along a trail to sweep in front of you. Very hard to see those things!

A winner, the big boy does start at the bottom left and run up the center. His head is just above and to the left of the red line.
I wouldn't have seen him, and I was looking, if he hadn't moved.


Earlier this year in Oklahoma, a small rattler had somehow gotten in the garage and was sleeping in a loop of ropes stored on a hose rack on the wall of the garage. He struck at me when I went to store another rope on the rack. Luckily he had become entangled in the ropes and his strike was short.


There are several types of poisonous snakes in Oklahoma, he was near the top of the list. Since I had ONE working hand at the time, Ms. T dispatched him and removed him from the garage and disposed of him where the dog couldn't get to him. Unlike Virginia where it's illegal to kill snakes, you can dispatch them in Oklahoma... with some restrictions.

I have not seen many poisonous snakes here, although there are many in NC.
I DO see quite a few black rat snakes though and I leave them alone. Good rodent control. Not aggressive either.

Man, you guys and your snakes……ugggh.

I believe the only venomous snakes here are rattlesnakes and they aren’t very plentiful where I live. In fact, I have only seen two in all my time afield, both times hunting Chuckars. Once on the Snake River breaks and once in central Washington. Funny story on the Snake river encounter, I was hiking back to the truck completely exhausted (this is very steep country) and I almost stepped on a coiled very small rattler. He buzzed me and I found a nice reserve of energy and back pedaled uphill at a very quick pace. I could have shot him with my shotgun but I figured I was trespassing on his/her place so I just gave it a wide berth.

I get the occasional garter snake here at home but they are harmless. Here’s a pic of what I think is a bull snake. An organization I’m active with does public range (DNR land) clean ups and while doing a cleanup I picked up a piece of plywood and found this guy underneath. It was early spring and still pretty cool and it was pretty still. A bit later I brought a couple of kids up to see it and it was starting to wake up.

When we were living in Texas, we were walking through town. I was ahead of my parents ready to cross an alley way. There was a huge snake in front of me, it had to be 2.5 to 3ft long. It was a darker color, I was frozen in front of it. I remember my dad running in front of me and beating it with a board.

On a separate note, Miss T is a total bad a$$! She needs my avatar!

These guys are easy to mistake for moccasins. Especially when you are looking them in the face underwater just a few feet away.