All things Snake - Boots to Bites
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KiotiKowboy
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Came across this thread and thought I'd just wake it up. As I'm getting ready to build on my acreage, this topic is of some interest to me. I now live in a woodsy residential, 1 or 2 acre lots, about 5 miles from my acreage and already deal with a copperhead from time-to-time.
I'll be paying special attention during the build to seeing all exterior surfaces are well sealed - siding, vents, doors, etc. I would also like to take some measures, if I knew what they were - lol, to reduce snakes around the house in order to protect my pets.
If anyone can contribute to this discussion, I'm very interested in what you've learned or done.
I'll be paying special attention during the build to seeing all exterior surfaces are well sealed - siding, vents, doors, etc. I would also like to take some measures, if I knew what they were - lol, to reduce snakes around the house in order to protect my pets.
If anyone can contribute to this discussion, I'm very interested in what you've learned or done.
txdon
Super Star Member
Make sure you have lots of exterior lights that shine where you will be walking.
(However the lights will attract bugs, which attract frogs, which attract snakes, but at least you can see them)
Do not landscape up against the house.
Keep grass mowed short and have wide walks.
Always watch where you walk and never put you hand anywhere where you cannot see.
I guess you saw the post with pictures from Oklahoma in the Texas Spring Summer thread in rural living.
"Cher stepped out the door Monday night at 9 pm to feed her dog ... One step out and she got bit by a rattle snake ... I didn't see it or find it but she said it was defiantly a rattle snake .. Spent the night and till noon in the hospital ... Dr call the bite a dry bite ... She is swollen up and very sore."
(However the lights will attract bugs, which attract frogs, which attract snakes, but at least you can see them)
Do not landscape up against the house.
Keep grass mowed short and have wide walks.
Always watch where you walk and never put you hand anywhere where you cannot see.
I guess you saw the post with pictures from Oklahoma in the Texas Spring Summer thread in rural living.
"Cher stepped out the door Monday night at 9 pm to feed her dog ... One step out and she got bit by a rattle snake ... I didn't see it or find it but she said it was defiantly a rattle snake .. Spent the night and till noon in the hospital ... Dr call the bite a dry bite ... She is swollen up and very sore."
Our last house was on some acreage and had a creek on it. We had a smell dog at the time and a area that was fenced in so he could go outside and us not have to worry about coyotes carrying him off. Turned out we did have to worry about snakes coming up. I ended up using Snake Away around house and shop and didn't have another issue.
deerefan
Veteran Member
One of the best snake controls is animals- cats and dogs. We have 2 sight hounds (whippets) and 2 outdoor cats. The hounds alarm us to snakes and will attack it if I do not quickly call them off. The cats silently stalk them, their behavior catches my attention. I keep the grass, especially around the house, mowed and try not to leave things for them to hide under or in.
I have never worried about them, in fact I dabbled in sacking for a few years at roundup competitions. Once activity starts around an area the snakes leave, they do not prefer humans for meals and being stepped on hurts. Remember snakes are cold blooded so by minding the temperature their location can be predicted. If a cool day they are out in the sun if the day is hot they will not be in the open for long.For Rattlers and copperheads Keep in mind their favorite food is mice and other such sized creatures. Look at where mice prefer to live. rock piles, lumber piles, under boards. Water loving snakes go for fish and frogs. Most bites are not fatal but are extremely painful. Keep in mind any boot most times will stop a copperheads bite but if you are Diamondback country only chaps and boots are effective because of the size of the snake, a snake can strike about 1/2 its body length. During competition I wore loose jeans with a set of bids over them and 16 inch boots. If bitten DC current helps. While the US doctors say it is bogus and does not work others have a different opinion Electic Shock on Venomous Bites & Stings - First Aid Venom Electric Shock
fordmantpw
Veteran Member
Don't use any large rocks for landscaping decoration either.
Find somewhere to buy a couple hundred black snakes and release them around your house. I have heard (don't know if it is rumor or true) that black snakes will keep copperheads away. If it isn't true, at least all those black snakes will eliminate the food supply for the copperheads so they won't have anything to eat.
Find somewhere to buy a couple hundred black snakes and release them around your house. I have heard (don't know if it is rumor or true) that black snakes will keep copperheads away. If it isn't true, at least all those black snakes will eliminate the food supply for the copperheads so they won't have anything to eat.
Larro Darro
Elite Member
A lady my wife got to know through election conferences lost her young son {4 or 5 years old} to a rattlesnake bite a couple three months ago. I forget which {Florida} county it was, but the boy was with his father working their melons when he was bit. I think he had other health issues, something about his immune system. A teenage boy here in Calhoun County got bit by a cottonmouth taking the trash out to the road. He was sick for a few days, but as far as I know, made a full recovery.
Back when we raised hogs on our woodland, they killed a lot of snakes. We would have a hog bit all along. Something about the fat around their face seemed to keep them from dying. They would swell up, but I can't remember one every dying. I've also noticed the more fat on a dog, the better his odds of surviving a snake bite. BIL lost his best Redbone to a rattler. {The dog was trained as a chicken dog, and since he was killed they have lost a lot more chickens to varmints}
The odds of getting snake bit, and of dying of it is so far down the list of things that can kill you, I give it very little thought. That said, I always look over logs before I step over. Most snake bites happen when you step on them or try to pick them up. Rattlers especially will leave an area with lots of people. They have learned that when they are seen, they get killed. Cottonmouths are a different breed, and have to be treated differently. Once in a while you will come across one who will do his best to get you. Anytime you are in swamps, always keep an eye out for them.
Larro
Back when we raised hogs on our woodland, they killed a lot of snakes. We would have a hog bit all along. Something about the fat around their face seemed to keep them from dying. They would swell up, but I can't remember one every dying. I've also noticed the more fat on a dog, the better his odds of surviving a snake bite. BIL lost his best Redbone to a rattler. {The dog was trained as a chicken dog, and since he was killed they have lost a lot more chickens to varmints}
The odds of getting snake bit, and of dying of it is so far down the list of things that can kill you, I give it very little thought. That said, I always look over logs before I step over. Most snake bites happen when you step on them or try to pick them up. Rattlers especially will leave an area with lots of people. They have learned that when they are seen, they get killed. Cottonmouths are a different breed, and have to be treated differently. Once in a while you will come across one who will do his best to get you. Anytime you are in swamps, always keep an eye out for them.
Larro
KiotiKowboy
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True, snake boots can be quite stiff. However, mine have loosened up with time and are now very comfortable. I could wear them all day without a problem. After trying on many brands, I settled on a pair from "Field and Stream."
tcreeley
Elite Member
Snakes are never a problem up here - nothing poisonous. The cats bring them into the house - ribbon, redbelly, and green snakes. Sometimes I scoop them up and get them out before they die. Other times they are on the kitchen floor.
