Be Careful Snakes Are Out

[Carolina Tom]

Be careful when you are out hunting. I ran across this little fellow last weekend... blends in really well with the grass.

 

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[TrpnBils]

They like a black snake and rattler will beat their tail when annoyed.

Two of my corn snakes will do that too when they get fed...scares the crap outta ya if you're not paying attention!

 

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[Peyton Manning]

ok Mr. biologist: how do you have corn snakes? I live in cornfield heaven and have never seen one in the wild.
All I see here are garter and rat snakes- I would love to have more varieties

 

[Peyton Manning]

course there is my pet boomslang-cobra

 

[TrpnBils]

We don't have any wild here, but they're a common pet for snake people

 

[Peyton Manning]

I only have natural caught pets

 

[TrpnBils]

and I only have captive bred

 

[TNGUNS]

Have to admit the Copperhead is a beautiful snake. We see lots of them here but made me realize I haven't seen one all year. Getting to hunt very little with work, but unusual. See a few Timber Rattlers, but about a 10 to 1 ratio or more with Copperheads being most common. I have never worried at all about being in the woods with them out. I just use caution to not step over logs and going down ledges. It's the ticks I hate.

 

[roaddust66]

Copperheads den up. They all come and go from and to their den on a schedule. I have personally seen a copperhead and I stopped and looked around and there were copperheads everywhere. i was between them and their den and they were waiting for me to leave to head back into their den which was a radio tower with a block building that had a poured concrete slap floor. The foundation had erroded and the snakes had a den under the building. If you see one , be cautious , there may be more right there looking at you !

 

[Tnmountains]

We have lots of snakes here poisonous and non poisonous but I think the meanest is the common water snake. It looks a little like the copper head. Vicious bite. Gets to be about a fat 3 feet. I had one attached to my hand once. I caught it and was showing it off to some kids at a summer bass fishing camp we had for them. Had it behind the head and holding its body and when I went to toss it back in the water to let it go it reached around and grabbed my hand right as I released it. I of course went int a wild crazy dance flailing my arms with the snake attached the kids were screaming and running everywhere. I bled like a stuck pig. Those kids still say this is was one of their favorite memories from childhood We have lots of snake stories growing up in Tennessee. Be safe!

 

[TrpnBils]

We have lots of snakes here poisonous and non poisonous but I think the meanest is the common water snake. It looks a little like the copper head. Vicious bite. Gets to be about a fat 3 feet. I had one attached to my hand once. I caught it and was showing it off to some kids at a summer bass fishing camp we had for them. Had it behind the head and holding its body and when I went to toss it back in the water to let it go it reached around and grabbed my hand right as I released it. I of course went int a wild crazy dance flailing my arms with the snake attached the kids were screaming and running everywhere. I bled like a stuck pig. Those kids still say this is was one of their favorite memories from childhood We have lots of snake stories growing up in Tennessee. Be safe!

They have an anticoagulant in their saliva! Makes their bite look way worse than it is!

 

[pa plateau hiker]

As a biologist I have to speak up on this. THAT statement is entirely false, and speaks volumes about the amount of ignorance surrounding snakes in general. You're not the first person I've heard say this, unfortunately.

"Black snakes" (i.e. Black Rat Snakes, or less often, Black Racers -- 2 different but similar looking species) are oviparous...they lay eggs. Copperheads (and the rattlesnakes, for that matter) give birth to live young. These two reproductive strategies are COMPLETELY incompatible and it doesn't matter how many times they give it the ole "college try", they'd never, ever successfully reproduce. Don't believe me? The PA Fish and Boat Commission even addresses this on their website: Frequently asked questions - amphibians and reptiles

Also, South Park addresses species incompatibility in their episode "An Elephant Makes Love to a Pig"....having them cross breed is just as likely as the situation above: Link

I'm not a biologist, but I knew that statement wasn't true. I'm glad you set the record straight.

 

[hikeinmts]

I live/hunt in S. Korea. We have varieties of water snakes....easy to i.d., well rounded heads. And we have several poisonous ones, usually not large....less than a meter, and not too thick. The poisonous ones are always thicker than the non-p.
I was in the hills, close to the China Sea a couple of years ago. My partner shouted, "Look at that snake!!!" It was about one and one/half meters long. Thick as my forearm. I took it to be in the family of pythons or constrictors. But my bro.-in-law i.d.ed it, told me the name, and said it was a poisonous one. I don't like snakes, but this guy was beautiful. Light brown and yellow/dark yellow pattern. He knew we were there, but did not get nervous at all. And we didn't bother him. I'm of the same opinion as most I'm reading here: I'm in the snake's home area.....let them alone, unless they are extremely close to a village where a kid can become a victim.

 

[unfound]

true story: Last week a buddy of mine took a full hit in the back of his hand while moving a hay bale. He didnt see the copperhead until after the bite. said it felt like he got hit by a hammer when it struck. His hand swelled up like a softball and his arm was pretty swollen also. Farmer, tough as nails, never even went to the hospital. Swelling receded after about four days. He said the first couple days he had a lot of pain but it subsided. (I would have at least went to the ER.) plenty of them in our area, we see them basking on rocks all the time. Pretty docile for the most part, but startled unexpectedly the use what they got. Theres a spot were we fish with lots of rip rap that they like. (lotsa mice) we've seen as many as twenty laying around. as an added note: i know the difference between copperheads and water snakes, often mistaken here in PA. Anyone who's spent any serious time in the western PA woods has been closer to a copperhead then they'll ever know.

I had never heard a black snake would eat a copperhead. I have a picture somewhere of a black snake i caught 9' 4".

As OP said, just keep a look out, dont want to see anyone take a hit like my buddy did.

 

[lookindown]

If I see a poisonous snake, I kill it...I wasn't going to say anything because people will say Im wrong and ignorant. But what the heck, enlighten a dumb redneck...who knows maybe Ill go kiss a rattler when yall get through with me.

 

[RJ55]

No snake hugger here either, got popped by a Japanese hornet last week next to a hollow black walnut tree. Think I'll go back to that tree this week and try to make friends with them lol.

 

[penzfan]

Poisonous snakes get the 38 special around here. Period.

 

[Tnmountains]

I agree. No cross breading there. I have a picture somewhere I took of a pile of copper heads trying to mate a female The snake you do want around is the King snake. It will eat other snakes and is immune from the bite. They like a black snake and rattler will beat their tail when annoyed.

Speaking of which I jumped off the mower today and caught and released this King Snake. Pretty good size.

 

[kromar3336]

I go to a few timber rattler dens in order to photograph them. Should have been bit a few times almost stepping on them but lucked out. After 20 years of being lucky I bought chaps. Since taking up MDing I haven't had time to look for rattlers. I'll wear the chaps while detecting just in case lol.

 

[aquanut]

We have these in Florida. This one is 9'6" with two inch fangs and 22 rattles.

 

[Treasure_Hunter]

We have these in Florida. This one is 9'6" with two inch fangs and 22 rattles.

Now that would make me wet my pants if I walk up on it coiled..... Rattle snake strike range is usually 1/3 - 1/2 of its length so that beast could hit you 3-4.5+ feet away at least.