I have a question, as all of us are about to hit the woods for various early seasons. What snake worries you the most? Here in coastal carolina cottonmouths are everywhere, your gonna see them, step on'um atleast once a week. We have copperheads and a handful of rattlers. Of all the snakes we have copperheads worry me the most, I dont think cottonmouths are inclined to bite or I would most likely be dead by now. Rattlers will warn you when your gettin too close. copperheads (or popper-leafs as they are called around here) seem to be just plain ass mean. Thoughts?
I'm with you, I don't think the copper heads are as posinous, but we gave a bunch of em and they are aggressive! I have darn near stepped on rattle snakes and they don't seem to care, but copperheads will jump at you.
I'm with you, I don't think the copper heads are as posinous, but we gave a bunch of em and they are aggressive! I have darn near stepped on rattle snakes and they don't seem to care, but copperheads will jump at you.
Allegedly this one was killed by a property owner here in Randolph County. My wife saw this on one of her facebook friend's page. I had to save the photo.
Last year my Brit sniffed a dead one killed by a farmer's plow. It was about four feet and had seven rows of beads on its tail.
Copperheads are the least venemous here in NC. More bites from them reported, but fewer problems when they do bite.
Keep liquid benadryl in your pouch or an epi pen.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Equismith/rattler.jpg)
Copperheads have the least potent bite and tough they never result in death that doesn't meen it isn't serious.I'm not sure what is meant by agressive but none of our North American snakes will come after you,intentionally.
Copperheads were blessed with natural camouflage and they use it by remaining motionless longer than most snakes.I have stepped beside them with no reaction.If stepped on or surprised,they will strike in rapid succesion.You have to be very close to get them to strike.
Most 8' or 10" leather boots will stop most snake bites.Big diamondbacks may go higher.Pants outside the boots give another layer of protection.
You just need to not sit or put your hands or feet any place you can't see.If you can do that,you won't have to worry about snake bites.Average strike distance is 1/3 the body length.Extreme strike distance is 1/2.If you can see 1-2' around your feet,you should be good.
Have you ever seen how some guys will hold a fish way in front of them so a little mackrel looks like a big tuna in the pictures?
That's what he's doing with that snake. It's not nearly as big as it looks. That's about what I'd expect from a picture found on Facebook.
Guy
We have timber rattlers and copperheads in my area but both are pretty rare in central KY where I live. I've never seen one. However, I'm careful when stepping on logs (never step over one because snake could be lying on the other side). I'm also careful in around large rock piles. A really good day to find snakes (before they hibernate) is after a soaking rain. They'll come out to get away from wet conditions. The vast majority of people who are bitten by venomous snakes were trying to handle them.
You leave them alone, they leave you alone. I'll bet we would all freak the hell out bad if we found out how many poisonous snakes we have stepped on, next to, or over while in our forays.
Mr. Noshoulders don't bother me much. Now SPIDERS, thats some terrifying stuff!
I went to the local store (the mayberry kind where all the old men sit out front) one day on the way to hunt. One of the men said I killed a snake the other day one the path over there. I asked what kind was it? He says, " Son theirs only 2 types of snakes, cobras and rattlesnakes they are all the same." LOL
I'm fascinated with snakes, been that way all my life. At one time, as a teenager, I had 14 snakes I kept in my room at one time, of course they were kept in aquariums. I have kept snakes and studied them for years. I would have loved to have been a herpetologist.
Anyway, we only have copperheads and timber rattlers in my area and I don't ever see any of those in the wild close to where I live.
Oh, Bud B., the "beads" in the rattles, as you call them, only indicate how many times the snake has shed it's skin. It has nothing to do with the snakes age, as is often thought by some, since a snake sheds more than one time a year, depending on how fast they grow based on the food supply. Each time a rattler sheds it's skin, it adds another rattle or "bead".
It never ceases to amaze me as to how many people see a snake and swear it was a poisonous pit viper. Around here, 9 out of 10 people who see a snake in the wild, claim it was a copperhead or a cottonmouth. And 9 times out of 10 it's neither one of those, but is usually just a black rat snake or just a king snake or maybe a common water snake. Actually, there aren't supposed to be any cottonmouths in central KY but I hear about average people "seeing" them quite often. I've been an outdoors person all my life and have never seen a cottonmouth in KY.
Sorry for rambling on but I'm kinda sensitive when it comes to snakes.
That Eastern Diamondback in pic was killed pretty recently in Screven Co, Georgia. North of Savannah. Fellow and his buddies were working on food plots and walked up on it. Was 6ft 6in long. You can see the full story on GON.com, with a couple more pics. And Guy, a 6ft 6in Eastern DB is a big snake whether held out front, to the side, above or below...... a impressive critter for sure !!!!
Froggy
i am not afraid of any snake.i love them.when i was younger i had dozens of snakes.we don't have any venomous snakes where i live now,but i did live in asheville nc when i was younger.i caught hundreds of copperheads.when you get the venom on your hands it itches and burns like stingweed.we really shoulden't kill them,but their hide looks so great on the back of a bow.
Never worries me - yeah here in eastern NC cottonmouths rule the roost - lotsa copperheads on the island - we have had issues with them at the station. Rattlers, canebreaks, are around - a 4 footer was killed behind the station.
Really think about how much time you have spent trompin around out there and how many times you had a bad run in with a venomous snake? dern near more likely to get hit with lightening.
J
seabass, you dont have to be scared to get killed - I like em too and will not kill one that is not near where any kids are known to roam, it is just easier to side step em - if I think kids will be about, dead snake - if venomous.
We have cottonmouths, timber rattlers, and copperheads in Southern IL I've seen timber rattlers pushing six feet in length. I've never cared for snakes. I'm not even fond of big worms:)
Took these photos this year myself.
The water snake is often mistaken for a cottonmouth. Here's a mating couple at Lake Brandt Marina in GSO.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Equismith/DownloadsfromKodak4262010005.jpg)
I walked by this guy three times before seeing him. Great camoflage. Right in my backyard woods.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Equismith/DownloadsfromKodak4222010023.jpg)
And this guy slid out of a hole while we were building a mountain bike trail in Uwharrie.
(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f94/Equismith/Uwharrie%20Trail%20Project%20with%20IMBA-SORBA/DownloadsfromKodak4172010369.jpg)
None were aggressive. The rattler never rattled.
As for my first post in this thread, the first word was alledegly. There's a reason I began it that way...
The only poisonous snake I haven't seen this year in NC is a coral snake. Never have seen one in the wild.
Hunt safely.
I have seen only 2 coral snakes in my life. both were in hyde county. I dont mind the snakes I can see its the ones I dont see that bother the devil outta me. last year had a black snake fall on my back while trackin a shot, thats 10 years off my life. I step on 3-4 cottonmouth a year.
My family has a small lease in Bladen County. I remember when I was younger, blood tracking deer in brush in early bow season in brush higher than my head on my hands and knees in the dark with Mag lights. The next day killing a rattler less than 50yrs from where we were a few hours before. We have serveral run ins with Rattlers and a few very large cotton's through the years.
I would be more cautious now fer sure. I dont bow hunt down there any more, so not really an issue.
Thinking about this reminds me of a funny story. James Collier, the man that owned the same farm my family leases. He passed away close to 5years ago now, cancer.
I took a friend hunting one weekend with me. We got off work on friday afternoon, gathered our stuff, stopped by the grocery store for some food and headed out. We got to the club house, finally, aroung 11pm. Now, the club house was and old chicken house. We converted one end of it into the club house. I say we, it was actually the elders in the family. They have been hunting down there longer than I have been alive. Anyway, walking under the breeze way was very dark. I walked in and felt my way to the pull string for the florencent light overhead. If anyone has turned on a florecent light in complete darkness, they know how it flickers before it comes on bright. Well, as it was flickering, I noticed something at my feet. Light comes on fully, and unmistakable its a rattler laying less that a foot away going between the trash can and the wall. I wish there could have been a NBA scout on site. I did a new record for the veritcal jump for a 6'0" white boy. Then once I was far enough away, I was glad there wasn't, because, I almost messed my pants. I then grabbed the shovel off wall and I proceded to kill the dead rattler. I realized his head was missing once I finished killing him. In fact it was no where to be found.
Fast forward the next day, James made his usual saturday mid morning rounds. He asked about the snake. He said he had killed the snake and left it. Because if you kill one and leave it laying around, that it attract other snakes so you can kill them as well. Looking back, I dont know how he kept a straight face. But he didnt so much as blink.
At his funeral, his family told the story of the rattler he set out at the club house to scare the guys, (yeah, ME). Thats when I found out that it is possible to laugh and cry at the same time. I wounder how many people he told about that story.
Sorry for the long story.
P.S. I killed a copperhead last hear at the base of my stand
(http://i442.photobucket.com/albums/qq149/mscampbell75/snake.jpg)
Awsome story! Thnaks for sharing.
I have more close encounters with cottonmouths than rattlers or copperheads. Never seen a coral snake in the wild.
I've never had a snake strike at me. I have never felt like a copperhead or rattlesnake even wanted to bite me. I have had several cottonmouths act aggressively. That being said the biggest cottonmouth I've ever seen just laid there as I walked by about 3 feet away. I didn't see him until I was in striking distance. He was not aggressive and just wanted to be left alone.
The 1st deer I shot with my recurve is a case in point about how I normally don't worry about copperheads. I was tracking my deer in the dark and the blood trail almost splashed on a copperhead coiled up in the leaves. I believe he was just trying to hide and hope I didn't step on him. I took note of the snake and continued the trail. After a few yards I lost the trail and went back to last blood next to the snake. He had not moved and I really believe he was more afraid of me than I was of him.
I can identify all but the coral snake fairly easily. However, this summer when a snake fell out of a tree in my backyard and landed on my head and shoulders before dropping to the ground I didn't care what kind he was at the moment.
If they made snake boots that went to my neck I'd buy them. Just for insurence purposes.
I have never come across an aggressive copperhead. The only snake I've had strike at readily was a black racer and an irritated rattler that I poked at with a stick (I know, the number one reason people get bit, messing with them......my stick was 8ft long though :D ). Ive tried the same with copperheads and all they wanted was to try to escape. Never had them strike even provoked. Well one exception was a small cottonmouth (could tell by the sulfer yellow tail as a juvie) that didn't want me within 10ft of it, even unprovoked, on ramp 49 at the OBX.
Ive stepped on two copperheads litterally, and watched my boss step across one at a perpandicular angle, and Ive had one between my legs at a parallel angle to where I was walking...none offered to bite.
I have seen rather agressive (DEFFENSIVE)cottonmouths that got a little irrate when I got too close.
The one rattler I have come across was mad as a hornet that I was anywhere near him, already coiled and rattling. Luckily I saw him at the last minute, but couldnt hear him due to the creek he was laying by.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e28/treednnc/rattler3.jpg)
QuoteOriginally posted by Bud B.:
The only poisonous snake I haven't seen this year in NC is a coral snake. Never have seen one in the wild.
I live in Louisiana, so I am used to wading around with snakes of all kinds, and I keep a close eye on where I step at all times.
I too, have never seen a coral snake in the wild, BUT I was fishing in a swamp one day and wading around flooded ponds in shorts and old tennis shoes. I was cutting through some flooded woods between two ponds and I stepped up on a dry knoll, and happened to look down, and I had stepped right on a freshly shed coral snake skin. Red on yellow will kill a fellow - or at least make a fellow go home and change underwear.
Found a sleeping rattler once, out in the evening when i guess he was out and it got cold, so he was all curled up on top of a rock. Poked at him with a stick and got no response, so.....
being young and stupid....I peed on him.
It seemed like the thing to do......problem is they wake up immediately......pissed off.
I ran back to the truck with only the very tips of my toes ever touching the ground. High speed.
It took me a couple hours to convince myself that it didn't scare me............
Never run across an agressive copperhead. Have come real close to a few cottonmouths that I saw because they were coiled, head slightly swaying side to side, with their mouth open. Can't say they were agressive, but they made no attempt to get out of the way either. If you are down wind, and know what you are smelling, its not hard to sniff out them nasty things either.
In the part of Missouri where I hunt we have copperheads but I have only seen a few(thankfully-those things give me a full-blown case of the creeps)and only know of 1 person who ever actually got bit by 1(young fella fell on 1 at a 3D shoot and it bit him in the small of the back-he was sick for a few days but ultimately he was fine, thankfully).
I am on the look-out for them but it would take more than a snake to keep from the woods in the early season.
Headed to SC in two weeks to hog hunt glad my chaps came today.Im not wanting to get bit.Snakes spook me. :scared:
Wow. That is why I live up here in the Great White North!
I'll take my skeeters, black flies, and -20 weather over poisonous things any day! I just hate the thought of them, let alone encountering one.
I respect snakes but dont think too much about them. I've been lucky I guess because in the last 50 years copperheads and cottonmouths have had plenty of oppurtunities to bite me. I have had 3 friends get bitten by a copperhead and believe me it caused some damage. My neighbor got bit on a finger and it shriveled up to not more than the bone.
Snakes can make you hurt yourself. Leave them alone & you're good. Don't be askeered. They're far better at rodent control than not.
This topic must have had something to do with it! I was bush hogging my dove field yesterday and ran a 38 inch copperhead out. Right next to the garden. I killed it because my 2 year old "helps" in the garden. And I do know the difference between banded water snakes and a copperhead. One more and i will have skins for a bow!
I was born and raised in Florida and have seen numerous coral snakes in the wild. I've seen lots of other venomous snakes there, too. In over 50 years, I've personally known 4 people that were bitten by venomous snakes. One was a forester for what is now Georgia Pacific that was bitten while hacking his way thru palmettos. One was Ross Allen, of Silver Springs fame, who was bitten milking a rattler. Another was a snake handler at Silver Springs that had a rattler bite him above his snakeproof boots. The last guy was trying to take a coral snake away from his dog, dog was fine, man was bitten. In the Boy Scouts we used to run and carry on in the underbrush all hours of the day and night. I guess we made so much noise, everything got out of our way. Here in Delaware we only have a few copperhead. In the 35 years I've been here, I've never seen one.
JustinNC,
Looks like from the pic that the Rattler is about to shed. The eyes have a milky look to them, also between the scales as well. It's a given that when snakes are about to , or in the process of shedding, that they are pretty nervous and jumpy, and are prone to strike at any movement that gets in the zone. Lucky you saw it !! Nice pic by the way.
Froggy
See a copperhead or so every year while bowhunting. I generally don't mess with them. Just let them go about their business while I go about mine. Have seen a couple of cottonmouths down east and they tend to have an attitude. Leave them alone too as long as do the same for me......Randy
j-dog,just because i'm not scared of them doesn't mean i'm not cautious.i wouldn't let them around kids either.i agree with you totally.btw good luck this season,steve
I was bit by a cottenmouth 5 years ago it had dry sockets,my luckly day,I seen 5 try to bite me over the years,had a copperhead hit my boots he got stomped to death,had a 6 ft rattler strike at me,landed at my feet,I had to stand on his head while he wraped around my leg got out my old timer pocketknife and cut his head off...his hide was 10 inches across..I RESPECT ALL SNAKES...
I don't like any of the venomous snakes, but I agree with nc recurveman - copperheads are just "plain ass mean". My propery has both rattlers and copperheads in abundance, so I worry about them equally. My biggest fear is a rattlesnake big enough that it would bite higher than my snake boots cover. How likely is that to happen?
Good thread! Like several others, I've been fascinated by snakes (and just about everything else) as long as I can remember. We're blessed to live in a world with such an amazing variety of life. And if it occasionally scares the bejeebers out of us, well that's part of the fun, isn't it?
I got hit by a copperhead once, but it was a dry bite. Couldn't blame him -- I'd inadvertently raked him up in a big pile of leaves with a steel tine rake. And I rake like it's a competitive sport. When I started picking up the leaves and stuffing them into bags, he hit me on the ball of the thumb. All I got from it was seriously puckered (and not in the thumb area).
We just moved away from the Texas hill country where I often looked for snakes. Found quite a few in the last three years, but not one single rattler. To hear folks talk, there's a 8 foot diamondback under every bush in Texas. Is there a connection between snake oil peddlers and snake boot salesmen? ;)
The first snake we saw here in coastal Georgia was this handsome little fella. I've never seen a coral snake in the wild, but this scarlet kingsnake can't be any less beautiful. That's my 13 year old daughter's hand. I'm very glad she has a sense of wonder about it all, too.
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c360/krf123/ScarletKingsnakeDuplicate.jpg)
knife river, that's one beautiful scarlet king snake! I've always wanted one of those ever since I was a kid. I have looked for them all my life here in KY, but have never seen one in the wild. They're not common at all here but there's supposed to be some here somewhere.
This is why i bought chaps.Our first hunt in Texas this is what leatherneck and myself ran into. (http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj10/longbowben/0043.jpg)
My wife was lookin at some of the pics on the thread here. She ask did I tell my now what story, I didn't so I'll tell it now. This was a couple years after we were married. Her uncle gave me permission to hunt the farm he tended, which nearly impossible to get. I helped during cabbage season for 2 years before I got permission. Anyway I was sitting in the stand, it was a real nasty 3-4 year old cutover next to the field. The only choice was a big oak spared by the logging company right over a fairly deep "mostly" dry ditch. I never took notice before, it had been a dry year and the bottom of the ditch had 2-3 inches of water in it. well I'm sittin in the tree doin may best coon impersonation, I start noticing ripples in the ditch......lots of ripples! By 7 O'clock there 6-8 cottonmouths having a party under me, 1 was truely massive. I called the wife told her how cool it was to watch all the activatey told her I'd be home for dinner blah blah and hungup. Phone vibrates minutes later, "Cleve if all those snakes are under you, how are you going to get down". Yea that was a good question. she called her uncle he brought the tractor out with the ditch mower and plucked me from half way up the tree. LOL.........the in-laws never get tired of telling that story at thanksgiving.........lol
No snake really worried me here in my area, until reading today's paper. There was a 11-foot Burmese python found on Sunday along the Wildcat Creek. My 52 pound son and I were canoeing and fishing just 4 miles upstream on Sunday. They think it was someone's pet that got turned out.
Here in So Cal I have seen quite a few rattlers. I have almost stepped on a couple of 3 footers. One was stretched across a trail and the second coiled in a trail. I was within 12 inches of the snakes probably closer to 6 inches, neither rattled. I don't think our rattlers would strike unless you actually provoked them or tried to handle them.
QuoteOriginally posted by Spectre:
... Mr. Noshoulders don't bother me much. Now SPIDERS, thats some terrifying stuff!
I hear ya on that, brother Spectre!
Oh yes, in response to the original poster: According to TradGang's own Bernie Dunn (ber643), " ALL snakes in N.C. are extremely dangerous....as they'll cause you to run into stuff and hurt ya'self!"
"My biggest fear is a rattlesnake big enough that it would bite higher than my snake boots cover. How likely is that to happen?"
I guess it depends on how high your boots are Sam.Timber rattlers/canebrakes don't strike from a high "s" position like diamondbacks so they usually hit ankle height or a little higher.You always have to be aware of terrain that might put the snake up a little higher than your feet.
Don't step over logs without making sure the other side is clear.When walking downhill,don't step over rocks or small ledges that might have a space for a snake to lay under,unless you can see it is clear.
Even with snake boots on,it is a good idea to be aware of what is around your feet.Just a hit on the boot could cause you to have an accident.Most of us would like to forego that kind of thrill.
Another point worth mentioning and something I learned a long time ago when snake hunting,when you spot a venomous snake you tend to get tunnel vision and rivet your gaze on the snake.I learned as soon as I located one to stop and survey every inch of the terrain around me before I made a move on that one.When you get in tunnel vision mode,it is very easy to miss seeing another snake.
I once spotted a yellow timber rattler in some rocks but he slid down a hole before I could get close enough to grab him.I got down on hands and knees and poked around where he went in,tried to move a few rocks and see if I could get to him.After a couple minutes there was a blurr in the leaves next to my left hand and a copperhead shot down the same hole the rattler went down.
I had riveted all my attention on the brighter colored rattler and didn't notice the copperhead,coiled next to him in the oak leaves.It held tight,using it's natural camouflage until his nerve gave out and he shot into that hole like a rocket.Lesson learned.
Just know that you will get tunnel vision when you see a venomous snake.Stop and survey your surroundings before deciding on a course of action.
Keep in mind that snakes are cold blooded.They aren't as active below 70 degrees and the hotter it gets the more fiesty they can be.In the fifties,they will be so cold they will be of little threat.
Just be very aware when the temperatures are 70 and above.Snakes actually can't take too much direct sunlight when it is hot like 80 and hotter.At these times they will be in the shade,underneath the edge of a rock slab or other
shelter that will protect them from the sun.On overcast days though,they can tolerate those temperatures and may be out and about.
Someone mentioned after a rain being a good time.Some of our best snake hunting days were after a brief thundershower on a hot day.Snakes that are holed up from the sun come out immediately to drink water droplets off rocks or foliage and to take advantage of the break from the heat.
When I hunted timber rattlers and copperheads,we never went out on windy days.They hate the wind and and seek shelter from it just like they do from hot sun.
If you learn a little about how snakes react to temperature and weather,you may find that half your days in the field may be non snake friendly days,even in the warm,early season.
I'm not as familiar with the Southeast but in the Northeast and many areas in the West,where snakes use communal dens,they will head to these dens in late August when night temperatures drop in the 50's or lower.This means most snakes will not be out and about over most of the country so you would be relatively safe unless you stumbled into a den and they aren't common.
Dens will be in rock slides or ledges,usually with a Southern exposure but may be East or west but never North.Another good potential den site is a big sawdust pile at an abandoned sawmill.These provide amazing insulation from the cold and many different types of snakes use them.They also are home to rodents and enough trees have been cleared around them so snakes can sun when they need to and they can get shelter from the heat as well.In September,be carefull around potential den sites.
Just a lot of rocks,doesn't automatically mean there will be snakes or snake dens.The undergound rock structure has to be such that there are small crevices that let the snakes get down below frostline to hibernate.In this country,that means more than 6'.All rock structures aren't created equally and only a select few are suitable for dens.Another requirement is water within a reasonable distance.
I suspect that in the Southeast,there aren't as many communal dens and a lot of snakes would den alone or with one or two others in rodent burrows etc.In the mountains,there may be communal dens in rock ledge areas high on ridges.
Anyway,just be aware and don't let the presense of snakes ruin your hunt.They aren't looking for you.They are just trying to stay cool or warm or get a nap and occasionally go on a hunt.A lot like me.Just be aware of where your feet and hands go and you will be fine.
I was deer hunting in about 78 or 79 with a shotgun and buckshot south of Reader, Arkansas,we got up and left home about 4 in the morning to get there I was way back on a old river slough,,,had a big frost on ground temp was in low 30's cold for that part of Arkansas,I got sleepy about 9am and found a dry place with bright sun hitting the ground so I lays down and falls asleep for about 30 minutes.Then when I woke up I felt something aganst my back.....I QUICKLEY rolled away and seen a huge watermoccian laying there...guesses he wanted my body heat that cold December morning....he got a load of doubleought buck...my lucky day again...