I'm just curious

[PMA]

Kill this one in my front yard a couple of years ago. The snake was charming a rabbit. Killed the snake with a hoe. Thats my father holding the rattlesnake.

 

[weldingisfun]

Soundguy - "Your post is skewed to reflect negatively on gun use.. dispite that issue.. I'll post my opinion."
Lighten up my friend, no negativity intended, just honest curiosity. I'm a NRA Endowment Member and a proud "gun clinger".

Kossetx - Better let your little dachshund know that they say the the "third time is the charm".

Getting lots of interesting comments.

 

[AlanB]

I guess I use what is at hand. I don't normally carry a gun, but when the wife starts screaming from the vegetable garden I am bringing one.

My problem with snakes has more to do with identifying them. I am in the camp that would rather not kill a non poisonous snake, but snake identification is not exactly my passion, and would normally rather err on the side of caution.

We lost a fair # of chick's this year to at least one black snake. (15 or so) I am fairly certain it was a black or chicken snake as we lost one chick a night, and on about day 12 we got left a nice 4' long snake skin as a souvineer in the the chicken coop. Guess that meant he got too big for his britches

I think my dogs got excited though and wiped out my chicken population though, although we cannot quite be certain. Could be fox, possum, coyote, coon or hawk, but the bodies have started showing back up, usually in my dogs mouths with them playing catch which kind of makes me think they are the culprits.

 

[Egon]

Here in the Far Northeast we are fortunate to have no poisonous snakes among the five [I think] types of snakes found. Those we do have do not seem to harm us.

Reputedly we have some other snakes that climb walls but these are seen by only a few people who are bothered by them and get quite agitated in their presence!

 

[actionaj]

I like to set on the swing near my pond and shoot water snakes. Started out using a .22 but switched to my Gamo air rifle. Makes it a little more challenging since its slower to reload and you don't have to pick up any shell casings when your done. Sometimes when I am out cutting brush I will carry a double action .22 or my .45LC Ruger just for fun.

 

[CDsdad]

I used to would let a black snake slide. No more. We saw one in my field and my 3 year old wanted to catch it and use it as a whip, "like Indiana Jones" he said. So now I kill them all. We have to watch him, too. He's not afraid of much.

 

[Soundguy]

Soundguy - "Your post is skewed to reflect negatively on gun use.. dispite that issue.. I'll post my opinion."
Lighten up my friend, no negativity intended, just honest curiosity. I'm a NRA Endowment Member and a proud "gun clinger".

Considdering a gun is a tool just like a shovel or a hoe.. I just wondered why the last sentence seemed to sound so negative on choosing one tool over another.

I'm a NRA life member.

soundguy

 

[weldingisfun]

Soundguy - "Your post is skewed to reflect negatively on gun use.. dispite that issue.. I'll post my opinion."
Lighten up my friend, no negativity intended, just honest curiosity. I'm a NRA Endowment Member and a proud "gun clinger".

Considdering a gun is a tool just like a shovel or a hoe.. I just wondered why the last sentence seemed to sound so negative on choosing one tool over another.

I'm a NRA life member.

soundguy

Guess I'm just getting lazy in my old age. I don't have to clean a BFR or a shovel after using it. Guess I'm cheap too, BFR's and elbow grease don't cost anything. The end result, regardless of which tool is used, is that Ol' Mr. Noshoulders is gone, forever. Or, at least until his 14 brothers, 6 cousins and 5 buddies show up.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

To me, it's a matter of doing the humane thing. There is no reason for any being to suffer in it's own death, snakes included. One well placed shot minimizes suffering. How many of you really kill the thing one strike with a stick or a rock? I am not a PETA member, as a matter of fact am a former trapper. My sets were either drowning sets or I used conibears which snapped the neck. If I do trap again, I probably won't even use drowning sets anymore. I guess I'm getting softer as I get older. If fur prices bounce back which it looks like they are, I will resume trapping. There is no reason to bludgeon anything to death. I'm just curious, why does someone feel the need to beat something to death when there are easier more efficient methods? Just my humble opinion.

 

[Soundguy]

As I mentioned earlier.. no BFR's in my horse pasture.. and I'm much more likely to be carrying a firearm vs having a shovel within easy reach at any given moment.. unless I'm specifically working a task that needs a shovel..

soundguy

Guess I'm just getting lazy in my old age. I don't have to clean a BFR or a shovel after using it. Guess I'm cheap too, BFR's and elbow grease don't cost anything. The end result, regardless of which tool is used, is that Ol' Mr. Noshoulders is gone, forever. Or, at least until his 14 brothers, 6 cousins and 5 buddies show up.

 

[MossRoad]

To me, it's a matter of doing the humane thing. There is no reason for any being to suffer in it's own death, snakes included. One well placed shot minimizes suffering. How many of you really kill the thing one strike with a stick or a rock? I am not a PETA member, as a matter of fact am a former trapper. My sets were either drowning sets or I used conibears which snapped the neck. If I do trap again, I probably won't even use drowning sets anymore. I guess I'm getting softer as I get older. If fur prices bounce back which it looks like they are, I will resume trapping. There is no reason to bludgeon anything to death. I'm just curious, why does someone feel the need to beat something to death when there are easier more efficient methods? Just my humble opinion.

Well, it appears most of these guys are bad shots because we frequently see well ventilated snake pictures here. A hoe with a well places strike usually severs the head in one shot. I vote hoe.

I trap a lot of moles... over 250 in the last 5 years on my one acre. I started with the choker loop trap. It worked great, put made the moles suffer. I would frequently find them alive in the traps or even dragging the traps around the yard. I tried the plunger spike type traps as well. Couldn't tell if it killed the mole or not, because the mole would dig out from under it and go off somewhere in the tunnels. I finally resorted to the Out O Sight traps by Victor and they seem to kill very fast. Out of over 200 kills with that type of trap I have only had a few that were still alive. And those I would place on a stone and smash their heads with one blow of a shovel. Quick and out of their misery fast. No need to make them suffer.

 

[MossRoad]

... I'm much more likely to be carrying a firearm vs having a shovel within easy reach at any given moment.. unless I'm specifically working a task that needs a shovel..

soundguy

I've seen plenty of gun holsters buy no shovel or hoe holsters.

 

[Soundguy]

Yep!

soundguy

 

[weldingisfun]

As I mentioned earlier.. no BFR's in my horse pasture.. and I'm much more likely to be carrying a firearm vs having a shovel within easy reach at any given moment.. unless I'm specifically working a task that needs a shovel..

soundguy


As you can see from my pics, BFR's are not in short supply.

 

[aczlan]

on those who are losing chickens to hawks and varmints, my parents were having problems with hawks, foxes and the occasional skunk making off with chickens, however a year or so back they bought a handful of guinea hens, they are LOUD but they seem to do a pretty good job of scaring such critter off, they are also better than a dog for letting you know when something is amiss. since getting them they have lost 2-3 chickens, vs the 1-2 per month they were losing before.

Aaron Z

 

[jinman]

As you can see from my pics, BFR's are not in short supply.

MFRs and LFRs are everywhere too. Are you sure you don't live in Stony?

 

[Soundguy]

My neighbors are giving me fits over the roosters. so no g-fowl at my place.

soundguy

on those who are losing chickens to hawks and varmints, my parents were having problems with hawks, foxes and the occasional skunk making off with chickens, however a year or so back they bought a handful of guinea hens, they are LOUD but they seem to do a pretty good job of scaring such critter off, they are also better than a dog for letting you know when something is amiss. since getting them they have lost 2-3 chickens, vs the 1-2 per month they were losing before.

Aaron Z

 

[redneckford]

My neighbors are giving me fits over the roosters. so no g-fowl at my place.

soundguy

get some guineas maybe you will get some new neighbors?? they will love your roosters after that!!!!

 

[Soundguy]

After the lawsuit threats.. i doubt they are moving.. and would just threaten again if i got more loud birds..

soundguy

 

[AlanB]

on those who are losing chickens to hawks and varmints, my parents were having problems with hawks, foxes and the occasional skunk making off with chickens, however a year or so back they bought a handful of guinea hens, they are LOUD but they seem to do a pretty good job of scaring such critter off, they are also better than a dog for letting you know when something is amiss. since getting them they have lost 2-3 chickens, vs the 1-2 per month they were losing before.

Aaron Z

Well, I said chickens, actually 7 of them were Guineas. 1 Guinea survived, we are debating if he was the baddest or the scaredest of them all.