Snake!!!

[tomdinwv]

We went camping Monday thru Thursday at our favorite COE CG here in WV. (East Fork CG at East Lynn Lake) Quite an adventure. Tuesday evening, the wife got a couple of pieces of wood and threw on the fire. She was going back to get more and let out a yell. "Tom, there's a snake in the wood pile!!!". I grabbed my shovel, and went to investigate. I found a not to happy copperhead, coiled up and displeased with my presence. Did I mention he (or she) was NOT HAPPY. I disposed of the snake. In the next 36 hours we were there, we saw several more copperheads and a bunch of snakes in the water swimming that we didn't feel the need to find out what type they were. So just a reminder, in your travels this spring/summer, be careful and watch where you step. In approx 25 or 30 trips to this same CG over the last 5 years, these were the first snake we encountered there. Remember, we are encroaching into their territory when we venture into some of these nicely wooded CGs.

[down_home]

We don't have, here, in this part of Tn but to the east and west.
We do have Copperheads. I am concerned because we found one then the other day another shed skin at the garage entrance, where thy had scraped off their old skin on garage door tracks. They were neither one over 2 ft or so long but they were kinda fat but the tail did not come to a quick taper and end. Killed a small 2 1/2in black scorpion there too. First one I've ever seen in Tn.

[Bobbo]

I live in TN, near a river, and law or no law, any water moccasin (aka Cotton Mouth) I see will die a swift death. Those suckers are MEAN.

As an aside, the city I live in runs an off leash dog park in the river bottoms. They once found a Cotton Mouth nest under a stump right in the middle of the dog park. They killed them all.

[Francesca_Knowl]

D.E.Bishop wrote:
I skinned a rattler I had killed and found 8 babies in side almost fully developed.

:E

I had no idea...I've always thought rattlers came from eggs that developed after being laid!

[D_E_Bishop]

Not that many of us take the time to look but a female snake's tail is short and stubby and a male's is longer and tapered. Just FYI. I learned when I skinned a rattler I had killed and found 8 babies in side almost fully developed.

[MrWizard]

copperhead maybe..

cotton mouth .. NO

they are a southern water snake,

we have copperheads in Indiana.. more prevalent than rattle snakes

also more of NON-venomous 'look a likes' and the the real copperheads

[bill_h]

dbbls wrote:
You do know that killing a snake in most, if not all states, is illegal.

That varies from state to state, and even county to county, and also varies depending on the snake.

Example, some snakes, including some rattlers. are protected in AZ. And you need a hunting license to kill a non-protected snake in a hunting area. ...... In Iowa, you can only kill a rattler within so many feet of your dwelling, and it varies from county to county.

[derouen6]

Looks like a copperhead to me. Just killed one coiled up by the back door yesterday.

[Targa]

car2900 wrote:
Here is what greeted us the other day in the road in front of our campsite. I didn't know what kind it was or I would not have gotten this close to take the picture. When the ranger came to remove it he said it was a baby cottonmouth. I won't say what park we were in as I don't want to alarm anyone except it was in the Southeast somewhere.

Pretty snake.

[MarshaNichols]

I really don't care for snakes. I used to keep a king snake in my classroom and he was fine...but, I have killed a baby rattler but have also used my car to block other cars from hitting a large rattlesnake going across the road (yep, not near my house).

I am planning on going to Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Oklahoma this fall and snakes are the only thing I am worried about. I know I just need to be careful...but... :R

[stickdog]

Never met a pit viper other than in a glass case till we volunteered in Texas last year where we had the pleasure to meet all four varieties. Copperhead while weed whacking, rattler while walking the dog just stretched out across the two track, coral on a ridge top during a bird survey, and several cottonmouths down near the creek. None of them wanted anything to do with me nor me with them, they went their way I went mine, as it should be.

[Reader1]

DH also served in Vietnam and went through training regarding all the poisonous snakes, the worst being very small ones that would bite you between fingers etc. One of his first times in a foxhole, a 1 1/2 foot thin "snake" slithered down at him and he flew out of the foxhole. He looked back and it was an earthworm, which in S.E. Asia grow pretty big.

[empty_nest]

ANewCreation wrote:
I ABSOLUTELY HATE ALL...ALL SNAKES. For all you tree huggers 😉 this is going to be a painful post so just move along. I kill EVERY snake I see no matter how big or small or what kind they are. I hate them ALL! Stupid serpents! If they are in the street I run over them with my car and try to spin the wheels on their stupid heads :B. I have actually turned around to go back and run them down! I HATE them ALL! I will kill them with a shovel, golf club or anything that has a long enough handle. Even run them over on a riding lawn mower.

As far as them eating mice/rats, that's what traps are for. Again, I hate All snakes.

WOW! I guess you really hate snakes. 😉

[usmohls2]

Francesca Knowles wrote:

korbe wrote:

tomdinwv wrote:
............I disposed of the snake............. Remember, we are encroaching into their territory ...........

😉

:B

Their skin makes a good hat band, The rest ain't to bad on the grill.

[ANewCreation]

I ABSOLUTELY HATE ALL...ALL SNAKES. For all you tree huggers 😉 this is going to be a painful post so just move along. I kill EVERY snake I see no matter how big or small or what kind they are. I hate them ALL! Stupid serpents! If they are in the street I run over them with my car and try to spin the wheels on their stupid heads :B. I have actually turned around to go back and run them down! I HATE them ALL! I will kill them with a shovel, golf club or anything that has a long enough handle. Even run them over on a riding lawn mower.

As far as them eating mice/rats, that's what traps are for. Again, I hate All snakes.