Poisonous Snakes!

[HillbillyPapa]

I just had to kill another poisonous snake yesterday! It was another full grown copperhead. Our dog Aussie- had it at bay, and was making an awful racket out next to one of my outbuildings. I automaticly knew it was either a snake or a coyote out there around her food bowl. Soos--- I chambered up my trusty 22 single shot stevens as I was going out the door.
I shot it 2 or 3 times, and finally chopped its head off with a hoe.
This is the 3rd one I have killed pretty close to my house this year, and the warm weather isn't even completely over yet!
Has anyone else been having problems with a more than usual year of Poisonous Snakes? ::)

[gypho]

Nooooooooo...... matter of fact I've hardly seen any, which is rare for us. Normally, our Jack Russells have killed at least 4 grown cottonmouths (stubtails) and brought them to me to trade for a t-bone.... but this year, they've been pretty scarce. Maybe the snakes have figured out my JR's will eat'em alive? LOL

Was picking jalapenos the other day.... well last week..... a 6- or 7-inch ground rattler was in my biggest bush..... had to chase him out so I could gather the peppers..... dogs never saw him though, they were chasing each other and he slithered off.... ::)

gypho

[hillbilly_mom]

We've seen about the same number as usual around our place. We've had more chicken snakes though. :( They keep eating my eggs.

[Ozarks_1]

Fewer than usual at our place here in Arkansas - one chicken snake and two copperheads this year.
Last year was about three times worse.

[Star1pup]

The darn things are protected here in Ohio. One guy got fined when he showed a dead timber rattler around. It had been killed by a falling tree. ???

[hillbilly_mom]

He needs to keep a few hogs around to eat the evidence. ;) Chop the head off, burn it and feed the rest to the hogs.

[Star1pup]

A poisonous snake in my backyard is definitely an endangered species.

[riverdog]

The drought here,( E TX) has kept some on the move. Killed two large copperheads in my yard and a cotton mouth fled my front porch two weeks back, couldn't get to the shotgun fast enough. An elderly neighbor lady calls almost monthly to come shoo away or kill snakes in her yard. Friendly's get a pass, the poison one's Remington Express.....to many small dogs. My neighbor lost two dachounds to copperheads last year. Don't feed good rattler meat to the hogs, garlic and butter 'em. Larpin good!!

[gypho]

Love rattlesnake... last time I had any, I'd killed a 6-footer with about 9 buttons --- HUGE --- skinned him out at work, sent the hide home with a friend to tan for me... and ate that bad boy that night. I fried him. MMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!! He was tasty!!!

(Kids loved our meal that night, we had rattlesnake and shark, and they still talk about it....)

gypho

[riverdog]

Yepper yu are right. Never had shark...

[gypho]

I will say this for shark....... it's my second favorite fish.... after GAR..... and tied with bass or white perch.... and before catfish.... YUMMY!!!

gypho

[riverdog]

Good runnin buddy of mine makes great Gar patties. I like them better than salmon patties. Guess cause the meats fresh. We catch a lot of them on the bayou in E Tx. Most folks just throw them away, what a waste....

[edva]

Yes, there has been a definite increase in the number of copperheads this year around here. Last week I had to kill three adult copperheads three days in a row. The first two were on the back steps outside the kitchen door and the third one was up next to the kitchen door sweep on the threshold.

I spotted the first two before stepping on them. The third one caught me by surprise and I almost stepped on him. I closed the kitchen door so quickly that I caught him under the door where he remained until I dispatched him. They were all sunning themselves.

Yesterday, I started down the outside steps into the basement and another full-sized copperhead was up against the outside wall next to the bottom step taking a snooze. Each time I was able to get to the shop and grab my machete. Maybe I should keep it closer to the house.

This time of year I expect to see an increase in snake activity as they prepare to go into hibernation. What is strange about this year so far has been the absence of black snakes. I haven't seen very many and have been told that black snakes keep copperheads away.

I've only seen a couple of timber rattlers this year, but you can believe I'm taking a few extra moments to check around my tractor and mower before getting on, and am very careful where I put my hands when working on logs, on water tanks, in the basement, or in the shop. Killing four poisonous snakes in one week tends to make me a little more cautious than usual.

Most of the year I wear calf-high work boots when working in the field or in the woods. Probably a carryover from my younger years of working in Nebraska rattlesnake infested wheat fields. Also, find myself wearing leather gloves more often thinking a copperhead's mouth is too small to bite through and get a finger or side of my hand. But those little devils can be very aggressive.

None of this snake activity has been reported to my dear city-raised spouse, but I did caution her to watch where she steps when walking outside and to the car because there has been an increase in snake sitings. She'd go ballistic if she knew that a copperhead tried to get into her kitchen. Even the word "snake" scares her. We're talking about "standing on the kitchen chair" kind of fear of snakes.

Maybe its time I invited my neighbors six Jack Russell dogs over for a visit.

Ed