Not MD related but a big fat surprise!!!

[MonkeyBoy]

Had family in town this weekend so we went to my Mom's for the Sunday morning "heart attack" breakfast... my nephew, sons and I decided to walk home.. there is an old bridge that is just a walking bridge now that we cross. I stopped and was checking the water on both side.. it is a haven for snakes. The creek in 15" from my Mom's pond, which has a little beach area setup for the kids to all play, so after having a couple of snakes and snapping turtles in it.. I am always on the watch for more.. well.. first side we look over there is a HUGE copperhead sunning on the rocks.. he bails into the water and starts down stream towards the pond... every bit of 3 + feet but a really fat one! I leave all snakes alone, unless they are too close to were the kids play... so.. long story short.. one less copper head in this world! So.. total tally for this year has been one cottonmouth, 3 footer but he had huge fangs.. I pulled them out and they were 3/4" and one copperhead.. if they are with in 100" or so of the play area.. sorry but they have to "go" They ironic thing is.. if you look at the habitat of the cottonmouth.. they are not "suppose" to be this far North in Virginia.. but that is probably 12 or so I have hot over the years. The one on the pond 4 years ago freaked me out.. the kids had all been swimming and playing there the day before... about 8 of them!! Ok.. so before I get flamed for shooting him.. I only do that if they are close to the house/pond.. we have kids from all over town that come there to fish and swim all summer and it is just not worth the risk... snapping turtle are bad enough.... but 3" foot copperheads... gotta go!!!

MonkeyBoy...

Hmm.. should I add that to my yearly finds? (1) Cottonmouth and (1) coperhead ;-)

 

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[tymcmurray]

You gotta love the fact that they are not too agressive.
The snake is probably blogging about the Human it
ran into down at the water today, and how he narrowly
escaped.

 

[treasurefiend]

My buddy's and I have had to clear out some on his place down in NC a few years ago, same thing - kids and poisen snakes don't make good friends. So the had to go.

 

[ivan salis]

my elderly female neighbor came over -- seems she had a nice fat 3 foot cottonmouth by her backdoor -- I went over -- oh man it was coiled up next to her AC unit laying next to it on the units slab --- so 12 gauge with #6 shot was out of the question -- So I took my trusty sword and speared him thru the body and then drug him off the A/C slab and pinned him to the ground-- then took a old style heavy duty lawn rake and pinned his head down (he was trying to bite like mad ) -- then I pulled out the sword and gave him the french "royal" treatment --off with his head --- in the wild --I tend to live and let live but in my back yard area gotta go --so sorry

 

[MonkeyBoy]

You gotta love the fact that they are not too agressive.
The snake is probably blogging about the Human it
ran into down at the water today, and how he narrowly
escaped.

"Narrowly escaped" ahh nope! 15 feet with a rifle... sounds bad I know.. but there are just way too many kids that play around there... mine own included.. so they all, hmmm... go on to that great snake pasture in the sky!

MonkeyBoy

 

[EDDE]

snapping turtles eat snakes

 

[MonkeyBoy]

My buddy's and I have had to clear out some on his place down in NC a few years ago, same thing - kids and poisen snakes don't make good friends. So the had to go.

I hear you! The youngest kids that play there are 3 and 4... you just can't explain anything to them!! "Ohhh, look at the snake with the pretty colors....." Man, I remembered this last night.. I "think" it was a friend of my sister's?? but her little boy kept telling her about the warms he caught.. 4 or so years old, had them in a big can... when she finally went out to look at them they were baby copperheads!! Still too small to really bite.. I'll have to ask her who and when, that was.... it was years ago.... damn... gives me the creeps just thinking about one of my kids doing something like that!!! ;-) Around here, "some" members of my household freak if a blacksnake is found... ;-) "Yes dear... the snake is gone" ;-)

MonkeyBoy

 

[MonkeyBoy]

my elderly female neighbor came over -- seems she had a nice fat 3 foot cottonmouth by her backdoor -- I went over -- oh man it was coiled up next to her AC unit laying next to it on the units slab --- so 12 gauge with #6 shot was out of the question -- So I took my trusty sword and speared him thru the body and then drug him off the A/C slab and pinned him to the ground-- then took a old style heavy duty lawn rake and pinned his head down (he was trying to bite like mad ) -- then I pulled out the sword and gave him the french "royal" treatment --off with his head --- in the wild --I tend to live and let live but in my back yard area gotta go --so sorry

I fully agree, they are actually amazing to watch.. when they are far, far away from houses and people!! but this is a walking bridge now.. and tons of people come down and use my Mom's pond.. or picnic next to the creek.. we get lots of bikers, pedal type, that stop there for a break.. people wade and play in the creek. I'm in an area that has been absorbed by the Washington DC metro area.. lots of people have moved out to the "country" and don't think about the danger. I grew up there until I enlisted at 17... and shot over 50.. either in the creek, on the rocks around it.. or along the stone wall that surrounds my Mom's property... only copperheads and Cottonmouths.. I've had people tell me that Cottonmouths don't live this far North, Loudoun County, Virginia... so.. I'll called them.. "hey, I have a dead one.. you want to come see his 3/4 " fangs.. nice olive green water snake with bog old fangs??" ;-) That usually gets them... and we have some friend that built a wading area in the creek about 100 yards down stream... three little girls play in it.... no guns in the house.. so I guess they will sit down and reason with the snake :-) Actually, this year I have only walked it twice, checking for snakes,, Cottonmouth the first time.. copperhead the second... hmmm... 100% for the year!!!

MonkeyBoy

 

[treasurefiend]

my elderly female neighbor came over -- seems she had a nice fat 3 foot cottonmouth by her backdoor -- I went over -- oh man it was coiled up next to her AC unit laying next to it on the units slab --- so 12 gauge with #6 shot was out of the question -- So I took my trusty sword and speared him thru the body and then drug him off the A/C slab and pinned him to the ground-- then took a old style heavy duty lawn rake and pinned his head down (he was trying to bite like mad ) -- then I pulled out the sword and gave him the french "royal" treatment --off with his head --- in the wild --I tend to live and let live but in my back yard area gotta go --so sorry

Yea, I use a 12ga with bird shot, that does the trick.

 

[Dirt Dobber]

I'm going outside now to lower the flag. (Smiling all the way) BTW Monkeyboy ,next time, just for fun when you "take care of snake business" could you check the eyes of that copperhead thats in the water. If round pupils its a common water snake. D.D.

 

[JP]

The cottonmouth in Florida is said to be an aggressive, territorial snake. I don't know if it is the same variety where you live. My grandmother when she was a child was fishing in a lake with her family. A cottonmouth, water moccasin, swam up to her and bit her. The thing is be careful around poisonous snakes, I would clear all of them out from the area where your children are just like you did, lead poisoning

 

[MonkeyBoy]

I'm going outside now to lower the flag. (Smiling all the way) BTW Monkeyboy ,next time, just for fun when you "take care of snake business" could you check the eyes of that copperhead thats in the water. If round pupils its a common water snake. D.D.

100%.. without a doubt... Copperhead.. ;-) I've popped tons of them at my parents house... lots of stones walls... base of a mountain.. they love it there.. even had them in the house before.. most of the water snakes we get here range from OD to brownish...

MonkeyBoy

 

[Dirt Dobber]

IN THE HOUSE! I couldn't take that and I thought Fire Ants were bad. Take care. D.D.