It's Always Fun To Work Around These When Doing Brush Cleanup

[Miles86]

Thanks for the great photo. That's a beautiful copperhead. I found them a lot in Virginia where I grew up, they really were not agresssive. Can't stand people who kill all snakes just because. Think of all the rodents if there were no snakes.

 

[naturelover]

Never killed any snakes on purpose.

Was clearing a relatives overgrown property with the sickle bar mower and sadly cut up a couple copperheads. Hated that.

This property is littered with them though, one could find several there on any occasion. But they don't bother me or anyone else, so I let them be.

I did get made fun of though for wearing some knee high motorcycle boots with shorts, I looked like an alien, but figured no snake could bite through them.

Other than there, don't really see too many snakes around. They hide pretty well.

Did see a big snake strung across the road one time. I went into the other lane to avoid it, really didn't have time to see what kind it was. By the time I had gotten turned around, someone had done stopped and smashed it with a rock.

Why?


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[slowp]

Its the one you dont see that you have a problem with.:msp_unsure:

Actually, not. Statistics, and I can spend some time looking them up maybe, show that the folks who are bit in our fair state are usually young males who are playing or trying to pick up the rattler. Fingers and hands get bitten.

We got quite a snake talk from a doctor one year. He said that it all depends on when the snake last ate, or how much venom it has, on how bad the bite is.

However, we would dispatch any rattlers that came into our yard. I changed sprinklers in hip high alfalfa and seldom ran into any. If I did, the snake usually took off one way, and I went the other way. Rattlers will swim, I saw one in the creek (pronounced crick). My mom had a nice lab killed by a rattler.

Our dogs that I grew up with seemed to have snake sense. They were mutts. One would kill snakes. Our mostly beagle had a distinct snake bark. Maybe that's why my folks never seemed to worry when we little kids went off "to climb the mountain" in the snakey woods around my Uncle's place.

That's all my trivia.

 

[pops21]

Never saw a copper head here in WNC but I do know they are here. Dad accidentally ran one over with his mower here a few weeks ago. All I have ever saw is some MONSTER black snakes and lots of garder snakes. At one point I did have a ring snake as a pet that I found down by a creek. The snakes around here have to be hurting with all the RAIN! Very little sun or warm temps either.

 

[nmurph]

Never saw a copper head here in WNC but I do know they are here. Dad accidentally ran one over with his mower here a few weeks ago. All I have ever saw is some MONSTER black snakes and lots of garder snakes. At one point I did have a ring snake as a pet that I found down by a creek. The snakes around here have to be hurting with all the RAIN! Very little sun or warm temps either.

I came home a few weeks ago and the pool skimmer cover was off and laying on the deck. I went inside and questioned the wife and son (9YO). My son replied, "there was a ring neck in the skimmer so I got it out". Last year we were swimming at night and he said, "Dad, there's a snake in the pool". I looked around and didn't see anything. I couple of minutes later here comes a small ring neck swimming toward us (didn't like it even though I will catch snakes).

 

[cre10]

I go out of my way to kill them all

 

[exSW]

I don't kill snakes used to live in snake country and had to deal with them fairly often and yeah if one got salty I'd pop a cap in him but that happened like....never.Now if I lived around all those feral Pythons in FL and other spots I'd kill every single one I saw and wish I could find it's former owner as well.Funny thing after I came back to PA after years of living,working and going to school in the rural south it was years before I lost that sense of being on snakey looking ground.

 

[nmurph]

i go out of my way to kill them all

idiot!

 

[nmurph]

...feral Pythons in FL and other spots I'd kill every single one I saw

Yep...intruders should be shot, whether they be snakes or burgulars.

 

[CentaurG2]

I will take the snakes over a yard full on dog bombs any day. Nothing worse than pulling brush over dog landmines, except cleaning out the treads of your Whites with a scrench before you get back in the truck. Nasty.

 

[mattthompson]

People and snakes, what's the deal? I was clearing an old fence line where we are gonna plant some spruce trees and I saw a black snake, I didn't want to step on him and hurt him so I put the saw down and picked him up and carried him to the other side of the property and he didn't try to fight a lick. He was scared but I guess he knew he was gonna be safe. Secret is to grab the head and near the tail at the same time and hold firmly.

 

[gsrsol84mm]

Here is a picture another copperhead crossing the driveway. Had to scoop this one up and walk him back to the woods and let him go unharmed.
No, I did not grab him with my hands but rather scooped him up in a net.

 

[Guido Salvage]

I used to hunt on some property and would hit several copperheads a year while bush hogging. I had several strike at the tractor tires as I drove by.

What is worse is to hit unseen critters while cutting hay. I have hit snakes, turkeys, rabbits and deer.

I have encountered many snake in my years of trail running including rattlers. I have literally stepped over them, I would much rather come across a snake than a yellow jackets nest...

 

[gsrsol84mm]

Here is a beauty I found in front of the woodpile this morning. Scooped it up took it back into the woods and let it go. Didn't even strike when I had to move it with a stick into the net. They really blend in well with the brush and leaves. Going to make a point of keeping the front of the woodpile clear of leaves.

 

[jwp]

I saw an article about a young woman that was bitten on the side of the foot by a small copperhead. Her medical bills were only $50,000. Since I don't have that kind of money laying around, I don't want venomous snakes laying around.

 

[bert the turtle]

WE had one come through our yard a few years ago. My son nearly stepped on it. First venomous snake either of us had seen in the wild and we were both pretty excited about it. Took a bunch of pictures and then went back in to eat dinner. He is marginally better about wearing shoes now. I take a live and let live attitude with snakes. I like them.

I will admit that I used to take the same live and let live attitude in general, but on more than one occasion, a nest of yellowjackets didn't hold up their end of the agreement and ended up on the receiving end of a genocidal chemical attack. Now I eliminate them upon detection.

 

[Wood Butcher]

Here is a beauty I found in front of the woodpile this morning. Scooped it up took it back into the woods and let it go. Didn't even strike when I had to move it with a stick into the net. They really blend in well with the brush and leaves. Going to make a point of keeping the front of the woodpile clear of leaves.

Is that one getting ready to shed its skin? The eyes look rather milky is why I am asking, but it may have been if you used a flash when taking the picture also?

 

[Steve NW WI]

I used to hunt on some property and would hit several copperheads a year while bush hogging. I had several strike at the tractor tires as I drove by.

What is worse is to hit unseen critters while cutting hay. I have hit snakes, turkeys, rabbits and deer.

I have encountered many snake in my years of trail running including rattlers. I have literally stepped over them, I would much rather come across a snake than a yellow jackets nest...

Not a snake guy at all, luckily there are few snakes up here, and very few poisonous ones, just a few timber rattlers around the river valley. Found more than a few snakes sticking out of hay bales when stacking as a kid, especially from fields next to a swamp or pond.

The new disc mowers can be real hard on wildlife. Pheasants, deer fawns, turkeys, you name it, most can get out of the way of an old sicklebar mower, but a disc machine running twice as fast, they don't stand much of a chance if the operator isn't paying close attention.

 

[svk]

Glad I only have garter snakes up here.

Around the house I kill them as I don't want any snakes around the kids. Otherwise I let them go. Saw one back behind my shed yesterday and I was happy to let it pass as long as he keeps the mice out of my hunting gear.

 

[Guido Salvage]

A small one...