Copperhead and a new bag

M

milani74

Joined
Feb 15, 2009
Messages
1,237
Hi all. Went on a hike today and came across this little guy.
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I am almost positive this is a copperhead unless someone else knows for certain it is not.
Also received this today in the mail from Dylside. Thanks man! Gonna use it for a day pack.
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Did you smell it? I've been told that copperheads smell like an old cornfield...I don't really think so but they do have a distinct smell. Once you learn that smell, you'll automatically know to look for one.

David
 
chewbacca said:
They say the little one's venom is worse than the adults.
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I don't think it's worse than a adults,the way I've heard it explained is that most snakes only release their venom to kill something to eat.Adult snakes know that they can't eat a human so they either don't release their venom or at least not as much.A young snake is doesn't know that so they're more likely to release a more lethal dose.Either way,they are better left alone.
 
beau5278 said:
I don't think it's worse than a adults,the way I've heard it explained is that most snakes only release their venom to kill something to eat.Adult snakes know that they can't eat a human so they either don't release their venom or at least not as much.A young snake is doesn't know that so they're more likely to release a more lethal dose.Either way,they are better left alone.
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I have heard similar things about young venomous snakes. The thing that I was really concerned with was my two boys were with me. In fact, it was my youngest (age 5) that saw him first. It was good that the weather was slightly cold as he was moving sluggish.
On a good note, I was very impressed with how my son reacted to the situation. Very calm and cool yet he listened to me and stepped away slowly.
By the way, with these being essentially silent, how can you prevent from accidentally stepping on one except to make a lot of noise when you walk?
 
Echo4v said:
Did you smell it? I've been told that copperheads smell like an old cornfield...I don't really think so but they do have a distinct smell. Once you learn that smell, you'll automatically know to look for one.

David
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I did not smell anything like that to be honest. It was raining and had rained a lot the previous night so I dont know if that had anything to do with me not being able to smell it or not.
 
That is a copperhead, you can tell by the arrow shaped head that most vipers have. There is a hognose snake that is colored identical to the copperhead, we used to scare our mothers with them all the time.

I have never heard of people smelling copperheads, but you can smell cottonmouths (water mocassins or whatever you call them locally). I have seen guys do that, smell something and a few minutes later you would see one. I have also seen cottonmouths skip on top of the water chasing people, happened to me.

Copperheads are dangerous because they are usually in secluded areas and you find them at bad times, like picking up fire wood. They are usually considered the least aggressive North American viper.
 
milani74 said:
By the way, with these being essentially silent, how can you prevent from accidentally stepping on one except to make a lot of noise when you walk?
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One of the benefits of a walking stick or hiking staff. Lleading with the staff tends to scatter the small creatures hidden in the grass and leaves.
 
You really can't avoid these type snakes entirely in the woods, try as you might. Walking with a heavy foot ususally gets the more timid varieties scattering out of one's way on a trail. But Timber Rattlers, Copperheads, and Water Moccassins think they own the ground they sit on and defend it as such. They are not the type of snakes that run and hide, because they know they don't have to!

Using a hiking staff or set to walk with is good because one will proceed your front leg ususally in a natural stride on the trail, thus giving the snake the first thing to strike at. A defensive strike of that nature can be what is considered a 'dry bite' as in not much if any venom injected. But should the snake strike a second time, and they do this in rapid fashion when threatened, then the second bite is a pretty venomous one in my book. That said, treat every bite as an injection and seek medical attention!

Watching where you place your feet and hands in snake territory is imperative! Teach your sons never to step over a log without looking, nor reach a hand up onto a ledge they can not see onto. Most snake bites in camps tend to be from gathering firewood, and tend to be on the hands, or calves of the leg because one is not paying much attention to their surroundings.

Some snakes have an odor about them, but like you mentioned, it may be hard to detect after a fresh rain.

Having been snake bit a few times by non venomous snakes I can tell you it's painful as in a hornet's sting, not a honey bee's. I worked with snakes for a number of years, and had a bite maybe once a month. It seems caviler to say that, but I was handling approx 40 snakes in a day during an 8 hour work day.
 
Check out his green tail. That is a little juvie. IN THE US, on the east coast, most venomous snakes have a cat eye pupil. Copperheads have a distinct "copper" look to their eye as well, and have two distinct dots on the top of their head.

You really can't tell by the shape of the head, because some poor little watersnakes will flatten their heads out to look bigger.
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Is venom worse than adults?

Best quote I've seen:
As an aside, it is often said that getting bit by a juvenile snake is worse than being bitten by an adult because the venom is more toxic. In a general sense, venom from a juvenile does have a greater proportion of toxic components, so drop for drop it does tend to be more toxic. However, the amount of venom injected is positively related to the size of the snake - the bigger the snake, the more venom it can inject. So overall, the bite from an adult snake will probably be worse.
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-Kyle Ashton
 
Some great info here. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge. I know general information about snakes but nothing too specific.

As per the norm, one of the reasons I keep reading these forums!
 
I can definitely attest to the smell of a Water Moccassin. I learned to recognise that smell when I was a kid.
Being aware of that odor helped me avoid trouble several times through the years.
 
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