Snake encounter

[Sullyman]

My wife was cleaning up brush and saw a snake. She called me over and it was a copperhead. So off to the safe to get my gun. I searched for the shot shells but they were not in the safe. So off to the house I go to search for them. Finally I locate them in the dresser in the bedroom. Meanwhile she is keeping an eye on the MONSTER snake. I get the gun loaded and can see just the tail peeking out of the brush. BAM! I investigate………it’s still moving around………………BAM!............. Second shot………….still moving………………..BAM third shot…………..barely moving so one more for good measure………..BAM………….no more snake………………….Cleared away the brush and there it lays………….deader than a door nail. It took one shot for every 2 inches in length………….LOL……..my wife said burglars could loot our house, call a taxi and wait for it by the time I got the gun ready , found ammunition and come to the rescue. Next time I’ll just get a shovel and hit it with that….It was rather humorous, but I did get to do some shooting that weekend after all….

 

[Sport45]

Great story. I could almost picture the excitement of the moment. Got a good chuckle when I realized the length of the thing.

Shame you wasted 4 shot shells on it. Surely she had some kind of hand tool there for clearing brush.

 

[JERRY]

why werent you carrying your gun?

 

[Lloyd Smale]

sorry but if a copperhead was in my yard id be grabbing a 12 guage and the only reason a 12 is that i dont have a 10 guage!!!!

 

[Water-Man]

You saved the snake from all the struggles of growing up.

 

[sixgunner455]

Very funny story! Still giggling at the keystone-cops episode you just described.

Onliest snake I've killed on purpose, I used a square-nosed shovel. Cut its head off, scraped it up, and threw it in the trash. Little coral snake about the length of the copperhead you just killed, actually.

I thought about shooting one when I was hunting doves with my daughter once upon a time. It was a desert rattlesnake that was lying across a dirt road sunning itself. When I say, "lying across the dirt road", I mean, it was all the way across. There was about a foot of unoccupied real estate to the side of the road on the rattle-end, and a few inches on the sharp end, and he was about as big around as my wrist.

I thought about shooting him for his skin, since he was so stinking big, but, we just walked around the back end and went on our way. (I did have my shotgun aimed at his head while we did this). He s l o w l y lifted his head and looked at us, and just lay back down when we didn't seem to have any interest in him.

Only snake I ever thought about shooting.

 

[Milamber]

Reminds me of some people I knew in Wyoming. Hubby was in the shower and turns off the shower and goes to step out of the shower. He hears that distinctive rattle and quietly stepped back in the shower. Next he peers around the shower curtain and spots the rattler coiled up by the toilet. He shouts to his wife "there's a rattlesnake in bathroom", the wife opens the door and checks out the situation. She disappeared and return with a.357 Magnum. Snakes dead and they now have a huge hole in the bathroom floor! Hubby said he ears were ringing all day!

 

[USAF_Vet]

Haven't needed to kill a snake yet. Wife almost stepped on a rat snake in the yard this past summer. Big old thing. She shot him with the camera, and let him go on his merry way. Based on the pics it was close to, if not over, 5 feet long.

 

[jbkebert]

Love it. Would have been the same around my house.

We had a yote just loping acrossed a feild at about 150 yards. By the time i grabbed a rifle from the safe. Found the right box of ammo and got back outside a turtle could of walked over the horizon.

 

[garyh9900]

If I run up on a copperhead I generally just leave them alone.

 

[MCgunner]

sorry but if a copperhead was in my yard id be grabbing a 12 guage and the only reason a 12 is that i dont have a 10 guage!!!!

Jeez, them snakes must be huge man eaters....

Me, I'd just grab the garden hoe. Done it before. Might get me arrested to fire my 10 gauge in the middle of Corpus Christi.

 

[Earlsbud]

LOL! They will continue to move around long after they're dead. I picked up a headless Mojave Green rattler by the tail that I had dispatched. I was holding it over an old car hood that had been dumped in the desert. It kinked up and struck the car hood with enough force to make a very loud bang. Even though I had blown his head off it still scared the $^&#*! out of me!

 

[Fisherman_48768]

Years ago while I was visiting my grand mother in Mississippi she was weeding her flower garden and started yelling. Cecil come quick, snake, Cecil , big snake etc etc. My uncle's name was Cecil and grand ma had one of those southern accents that made Cecil sound like she was saying SEEEEEEEEEEEEEECelllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll. Grand ma kept yelling snake and Cecil all the while chopping with a hoe. By the time my uncle got there, grand ma had a 3 ft water moccasin chopped into 1" chunks. That was too funny knowing that she had been killing snakes all of her 70 yrs while living on a farm next to the Tombigbee slough.

 

[Flintknapper]

Unfortunately, we have quite a few C-Heads where I live. For the most part…I leave them alone unless they take up residence near the house or my shop.

I used to just relocate them…but I was walking my Daughter’s Dachshund in the front yard last summer (night time) and he was bitten on the paw by one.

Since then, I’ve had strict instructions (from my Wife and Daughter) to kill all venomous snakes that cross the fence line from the pasture.

Found this one recently down near my shop.




These two little ones were discovered (again) while walking the dog one evening.




This one came out from under a brush pile I was cutting with my chainsaw.




TIP: If you plan to kill a Copperhead (or any snake) with a chainsaw remember this…USE THE TOP PART of the bar to engage the snake!

If you use the BOTTOM PART…the chain is moving toward you and WILL pull the snake right around your feet.

Depending upon how “Manly” you are…you might just jump back, or maybe scream like a Girl, but in either case…you’ll use the top of the bar next time.

 

[sixgunner455]

Flint ... you are the only person I "know" who would have the experience to impart that particular piece of wisdom.

I was wondering, from the appearance of the corpse, if you hadn't just used the tool in your hand to kill that last one. I'm still laughing here, wiping tears. You are the man.

 

[garyh9900]

Those are some nice snakes... I find most people call any snake they see around here a copperhead. But those definitely are.

 

[jbkebert]

Flint

Does killing a snake with your chainsaw tend to dull the chain??

Nothing ticks me off like contacting the ground and dulling my chain faster than I can say darn.

 

[joebogey]

Flint

Does killing a snake with your chainsaw tend to dull the chain??

Nothing ticks me off like contacting the ground and dulling my chain faster than I can say darn.

Uh, who cares?
That's what they make chainsaw files for.

 

[paintballdude902]

ive gotten many with the .22 revolver. tons with the axe or shovel and a few with the shotgun.


i had a huuuuggggggeeeee water moccasin eating a fat rat one day while hiking the back part of the farm and when it saw me it stopped with the rat and start towards me.... that was the first kill i got with the m1 carbine.

it the snakes are within 100 yards of the barn, shop, house or 25ft from me and in my way they are dead. but im not going to go out of my way to find them or get to them

 

[Pacsd]

Biggest water moskin I ever saw was on Lake Calaveras south west of San Antone right after it was opened for public use. It was pulling two skiers and leavin a 3 foot wake. Honest injun.

 

[Sport45]

i had a huuuuggggggeeeee water moccasin eating a fat rat one day while hiking the back part of the farm and when it saw me it stopped with the rat and start towards me....

Are you saying it spit the rat out? I didn't know they could do that once they started.

 

[303tom]

Kill them all, snakes are evil...........

 

[41 Mag]

That's a pretty decent sized one there Flint, a lot like this one I caught out behind my tool shed at the farm. I was on the riding mower and this old thing was slowly making it's way across the freshly cut grass. I considered simply running over it but after thinking how long it had to have been around to get to over 3' long I simply relocated it to the creek bottom, to let it work things out with the hogs.




These are the ones I really like to see,



The latter two were under some old round bales keeping warm. They weren't too frisky in the 50 degree temps that morning. They are a couple of medium sized ones that we have found. I have had them up to around 8' when all stretched out. I usually find at least one up around my shed when I am keeping feed in there during the spring and summer, and let these ones be, as they really do cut down on the rat and mouse population around the house and such.

 

[lizziedog1]

Kill them all, snakes are evil...........

Do you know that some nonvenomous snakes kill and eat venomous ones?

Many, many years ago, some researchers offered cash to folks in Southeast Asia for live cobras. They needed them for the venom for research.

These poor peasants were all too happy to not only get rid of these deadly critters, but also make a few bucks on the side.

They did a great job of rounding up the snakes. They did too good of a job.

Within a few months rats overran their lands. They devastated their rice crop.

Yes, an occasional villager was killed by a cobra. Without the cobras, the whole village was starving to death. Throw in the plague and other diseases carried by vermin and all of a sudden the cobras don't look so bad.

 

[Flintknapper]

41Mag,

That was a "hoss" of a Copperhead, big thick one. He was charmed to live long enough to get to that size, also had been eating well apparently.

Good of you to relocate it. That one is a "Southern", we have the "Broadband" too, I am sure you do as well.

Agree about the Rat Snakes (aka Chicken Snake)...a very beneficial snake...but unfortunately a lot of them are killed when they show up around houses or outbuildings.

People get the Willies....over them because they get pretty darn big. They are a very docile snake however.

I've seen (and caught) some that were well over 6' while out mowing pastures, but the average I encounter is probably about 4'.