Had to be done

Hard to tell scale from the pic but that appears to be a good size one. Even the fat ones around here are usually only 18 to 20"

There's two that hand out by the pool in my creek on this limb that overhangs it. I assume that they are fishign for minnows.
 
tknife said:
I've killed plenty of rattlers in my yard. In the wild I leave them be, but your backyard is different. nice pics too.
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+1 on that. On the trail, I detour for them. In my yard, I do not.

BTW tknife, like your avatar, Arrogant B is my favorite brew.
 
I was bitten in the 5th grade and took 8 hrs to get to the hospital, i turned out fine. and i only weighed 100lb at the time, so shooing it away shouldn,t have been 2 risky.

p.s. yes, it was a copperhead and i spent three days in hos. with a leg as big around as my head in intense pain. all in all though, it wasn't 2 bad.
 
I've met a couple of dysfunctional, snake fetish freaks in the past, but once you get away from places like San Fransisco and out into the real world snake lovers get few and far between. It is with good reason that most mammals have a natural dislike of snakes.

In AZ, there is no shortage of them, especially the Western Diamondback. They even sell snake heads at the truck stops as souvenirs. They get run over on the roads all of the time. On the trail they make a good survival snack, and if you kill one, either you or something else will eat it in short order. Learning how to quickly and reliably kill one with a rock is a good survival skill.

So, PETA can KMA on this one.
 
I like snakes...I like to see them in the wild...just another sign that things are working well behind the scenes if thier venemous i Don't mind as long as we cut eachother a wide birth....I do have a little boy however and if they were lurking around in places he might get his little hands and feet....it's belts and bar-b q's all around...I wouldn't hestiate to eat one in a survival sit either. but for the most part we have an understanding.
 
I have relocated several black snakes this season for reasons mentioned by Runningboar, mice, rats, and vermin.
It's getting to be routine, each year, I grab them up, and take them for a long walk, 50% of the time they return, but, weeks later. They must have "homing" instinct like birds? At least for short distances.

Found one curled up in one of our birdhouses!! Too scrunched in there to do much, but I pictured him getting psotioned with his mouth at the entrace hole, like in the cartoons. Snakes do love to eat songbirds, and that is where my dilemma lies, we have feeders and birdbaths placed around, which brings in birds (goldfinches, bluebirds, pheebies, etc), but, with the additional birds, come the snakes.

Copperheads smell like cucumbers, no joke. Especially if there is a nest/den close by, you can pick up a wiff of them pretty easily. I have located them this way several times.
I wouldn't think kindly of having one near the house, between adults, kids and pets it's not worth the risk factor, even if it is a small one.
Not worried about anyone EFFing with them, but, more, inadvertantly stumbling on them, their nest and having a very painful experience.

There is a way I feel safe handling venomous snakes, and that is at a distance, namely using a "snake lasso".About a 6 foot stick, wrap a piece of cordage around the "bizness end" to serve to hold the "loop" piece of cordage. It's like the sticks that animal control uses for dogs.
SnakeLasso.jpg


This gives you a way to secure the snake without ever getting within striking distance. :thumbup:

To relocate, place in a tall garbage can with smooth sides. Only a very large snake could climb out, so, don't try to transport a 20 foot Anaconda ;)

If you have cordage and a stout stick, I like 6 foot length, you can make a "snake lasso".
 
ChuckB_III said:
I was bitten in the 5th grade and took 8 hrs to get to the hospital, i turned out fine. and i only weighed 100lb at the time, so shooing it away shouldn,t have been 2 risky.

p.s. yes, it was a copperhead and i spent three days in hos. with a leg as big around as my head in intense pain. all in all though, it wasn't 2 bad.
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I'd like to spare my younger brothers that experience if at all possible:)
 
I have killed copperhead in my yard as well but in the wild I leave 'em B, no need to risk a family member getting bit that day or in the future knowing you just shoo'ed him off ..Good job ,great knife !,I would have skinned him though!
 
Remember some snake species can still bite you and inject you with poison when the head is removed from the body for up to an hour. We call the ranger to come round and get ours as a lot of snake species are protected here. If the rangers not on hand for you - you did the right thing. Never try to capture it yourself like some here suggest.
 
I would submit he had to get a lot closer than anyone of us would suggest, in order to cut it's head off.

I did NOT suggest that anyone capture a snake, I said there is ONLY one way "I" feel safe doing so.

My point being, keep them well far from striking distance, even if you are going to dispatch the snake, you need not get too close.**

I my line of work, years ago, we had to "move" snakes from outdoor equipment. We couldn't shoot them, or we'd destroy our electronic equipment. You certainly don't want to poke or prod a snake, right?
Hence, we used a lasso.

**Don't mess with venomous snakes unless you absolutely have no other choice.
 
The wood pile the snake was living in was no more than fifty feet from our house, and about ten feet from our fire pit where we roast marshmallows with fire wood from said pile. I used a piece of wood about four feet long to kill the snake, I cut its head off for good measure.
 
In NY state all snakes are protected.Though if you have little kids around it might be SSS ! Otherwise leave them alone .
 
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