First Snake of the year

[txdon]

very interesting info. didn't realize they predated on other snakes like the king snake. have read although very poisonous, their heads are very small and they almost chew their prey. to a human, this means between the fingers or toes. never encountered one....thx for the info & image.

That's what I though also until I saw 1/2 of the 4 finger round copperhead sticking out of it's mouth. They can open their mouth pretty wide - use caution around them - One was striking at my dog and his mouth was opened wide enough to grab my wrist.

Below is that coral snake - my dog is harassing it, and the copperhead (dead) that it spit out.

 

[big bubba]

That's what I though also until I saw 1/2 of the 4 finger round copperhead sticking out of it's mouth. They can open their mouth pretty wide - use caution around them - One was striking at my dog and his mouth was opened wide enough to grab my wrist.

Below is that coral snake - my dog is harassing it, and the copperhead (dead) that it spit out.

had no idea they were aggressive. copperheads certainly are. as i mentioned earlier, certainly a reason to do away with them around the house, esp w/children around....in the wild, though, even on my farm, i just let them be. working with above the ankle boots are a good safeguard as many snake bites are on the ankle area.

 

[txdon]

The coral snake was not aggressive but irritated that my dog interrupted it's meal. All it tried to do is get away and only made strikes at my dog when the dog tried to bite first - defensive strikes. Its still out here somewhere I hope eating more copperheads.

 

[big bubba]

The coral snake was not aggressive but irritated that my dog interrupted it's meal. All it tried to do is get away and only made strikes at my dog when the dog tried to bite first - defensive strikes. Its still out here somewhere I hope eating more copperheads.

wise move on your part...your thinking is certainly among the minority, most would just blow the snake away. at least that's the thinking in my part of the woods.

 

[txdon]

The theory that feral hogs decrease the snake population has failed.

I think we are snake infested I have seen 3 more snakes (a coach whip and 2 copperheads) the last three days and this morning my dog was bit by a copper head. Her snout has doubled in size. This is her 3rd strike, I hope she is not out yet.

 

[Dftodd]

My son had a baby copper head strike his foot last night. He was lucky that it didn't puncture his skin. Just had some venom on his foot. He's currently rethinking his usual of wearing flip flops in the yard at night.

 

[Depmandog]

My son had a baby copper head strike his foot last night. He was lucky that it didn't puncture his skin. Just had some venom on his foot. He's currently rethinking his usual of wearing flip flops in the yard at night.

I would say your son is a very lucky young man!!!

 

[Dftodd]

I would say your son is a very lucky young man!!!

That's what we said too. His son got nailed last year while on a walk with his momma. 17 doses of antivenom and four days at children's. We were thinking we were gonna be in for a repeat.
We have an old jack russell terrier that kills snakes. He'll grab them in the middle and sling them around like a pair of nun-chucks. It's the craziest thing to see it. It's been 14 years he hasn't been bit once so far.

 

[crackerjack222]

The theory that feral hogs decrease the snake population has failed.

txdon, I think you just need a few more feral hogs..... come on down and we will load you up with porkers.:laughing:

 

[txdon]

The theory that feral hogs decrease the snake population has failed.

txdon, I think you just need a few more feral hogs..... come on down and we will load you up with porkers.:laughing:

40 free range ferals is not enough? I would not mind but my neighbors might. My dog is recovering, the swelling is starting to go down. After she got bit I had a hoe on it and she yanked it out from under the hoe and threw it, luckily away from me. It came into the yard bitting so it had to be exterminated. It was a big'un - 40".

Dftodd - glad you son is doing good after that miss - I would still be in shock.

 

[Scott65]

You folks talking about living in places without these creatures, I wouldn't know what to do. Growing up all my life in west Texas, it's just a way of life I suppose. I've been fortunate enough to be in a rural setting much of my upbringing, and now later in life I've gotten married and purchased land and moved back to the middle of nowhere. Life is exciting when you know you might die from a 1/2 inch long squishy little bug, ha.

I don't have a picture of the first snake of the year. It was a foot long bull snake, laying in the window of the back door of the old farm house we're remodeling, with his tail draped over the doorknob. The second one was this one, sitting about 2 feet outside the front door of the motorhome (home while we're remodeling), on my way to work:



Pretty much all of the worst nasty creatures that people always talk about, they are everyday occurrences here. Black widows, brown recluse, wolf spiders, scorpions, cottonmouths (that the idiot kissed), rattlers by the thousands, skunks, porcupines, mountain lions... I guess we don't have bears though

I see nearly all of those, nearly every day. I love Texas.

The only reason I killed the one in the picture, as they eat other snakes, is my wife has 2 new young ankle biter dogs that are curious about everything. They would be scarred for life. I was late for work and didn't have time to relocate it, so it had to go.

 

[Scott65]

Oh and I forgot about these little fellas. Tons of these. Huntsman spiders. If you put one in the palm of your hand, it would come closer than you'd like to filling it up. But the most dangerous part about them is the human trying to get away in most cases. They like to live in the eaves of the house. I leave them be, they eat lots of things much worse than themselves.

Couldn't find my own pictures, here's one from Google. I'm on my phone, I don't know how it's going to look full size.


Edit: The glare in the picture reminds me of a cool fact. The eyes are so big that at night out in the fields you can shine a light around, especially with the new led lights flooding the market, and it twinkles with all of these spiders everywhere. One of these days I'll manage to get a good picture of it

 

[polkwrangler]

been killing water moccassins here in florida...over the weekend shot a fat 4 footer....never seen them like this before its a weekly thing

 

[Gary Fowler]

amazed at how much fuss grown men make over a snake. if it's venomous in your immediate living compound w/wife & children or grand children, sure kill it. but never understood the compulsion to kill them just because they are a snake. i find the attitude toward coyotes are the same. guess it's a guy thing i must have missed out in life....btw venom has many uses in medicine...but my attitude is among the minority, so i'll just play the devil's advocate. my feeling is that if something is not directly threatening you, just leave it alone.

That is the law abiding way at least here in Arkansas. It is illegal to kill any snake here including venomous unless you are in life and death situation with it. Kind of like a human intruder in your home, unless you fear for your life, leave him be.
I don't always follow the law when it comes to snakes.

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

Wife found this milk snake under the couch last week while looking for one of the kids Lego characters. She was not too fond of the freeloader.



He was wrapped up in the frame of the couch and I couldn't see his head. So I put on a silicone hot mit on and grabbed a plastic tote.



The snake wasn't impressed with my wrangling skills but he should be pleased that he's back outside to catch mice and other small vermin again.
Must have been 3 to 4 feet long. I didn't stretch him out to measure though.

 

[RDrancher]

I would have been buying a new couch...My wife would've unloaded the 12 gauge on it!

 

[Wild Bill the 2nd]

I could hear hear high pitched "calls" from the garage.
My co-workers are convinsed that I bought and planted the snake in order to be a hero. All that to put me in a good light in order to agree to me buying a new tractor.

Im not that smart to think of that, it just worked out that she agreed to the tractor purchase that night...

 

[big bubba]

That is the law abiding way at least here in Arkansas. It is illegal to kill any snake here including venomous unless you are in life and death situation with it. Kind of like a human intruder in your home, unless you fear for your life, leave him be.
I don't always follow the law when it comes to snakes.

didn't realize this thx for pointing this out in my own state. i completely understand someone doing away w/copperheads, rattlers & cottonmouths in their living space esp w/children,etc. just not shooting them for sport. wearing above ankle boots & being mindful turning things over, ect, can avoid a lot of hazard. although i'm careless when it comes to snakes, have never been bitten in all my years here, understand it is not a pleasant experience...

 

[FredH]

Rarely do We have any snakes around Our house anymore . Pretty much thinned out the nesting areas . But these 2 Non-poison garden variety types did not get the idea to stay away from next to Our House and in Our sprinkler valve box thus they were exterminated . Chased them twice out into the field last weekend and Early this morning , My 4 y.o. Grandson came off the end of the deck and there laid the biggest of the 2 . Dispatched him and then this afternoon , Same place , laid the other 1 . He was dispatched also and flung out into the field for the night critters to feed upon .
Usually , the non-poison type are just chased off , but these 2 did not get the idea , so Bye Bye . Although non-poison , can still bite , thus with My 4 y.o. Grandson here , No mercy .

Fred H.

 

[Dftodd]

Had to make a flying trip to the vets last night. My jack russell terrier got too close to the business end of a copper head. Poor little guy's face was so swollen