I shoot snakes at ground level with 9mm often, I'm worried about ricochet.

[Sunray]

"...snake shot..." Shot fired out of a rifled barrel flies in a spiral and usually has large holes in the pattern. If you're going to kill out of an irrational fear of snakes(just like mine), use a long stick or a shotgun.
"...in my backyard..." Different thing if Kaa is in the yard. Friend of mine was living in rural CA, long ago. Found a rattler behind her toilet when she was cleaning the bathroom. Could have sworn I heard the scream from Toronto.
"...I've woken up on the ground with..." Kaa was just trying to keep warm. Snuggled up to you for that reason. Mind you, if you didn't sleep where you fall down, the issue wouldn't happen. snicker.

 

[jojo200517]

Killing something just because it posses some vague danger is the whole point. This isn't a question about a snake in your kids bedroom, or in their sandbox in the backyard. We're talking about snakes that are just living in the wild, and people killing them just to kill them, while breaking the law in the process.

So it'd be ok for him to shoot it if it was in his house? I mean if your so against killing it call animal control, in fact that would probably be easier than blasting a hole in something in your house.

How far out in the wild are we talking, he said on gravel roads and stuff, usually don't find those in the real wild.

Its not like anyone is saying "humm i'm going to go hiking and kill every single snake I can find and maybe a few other critters for ****s and giggles too." If anyone can't see that snakes pose a danger, no matter how vague or perceived that it is a danger that needs to be dealt with, they deserve to get bit by a few snakes and see if this changes the opinions they have.

Plenty of OK and even a few cuddly critters out there are endangered or illegal to kill however if you are confronted by one you will have to make a decision in how to deal with it. My decision still stands on snakes and it is to shoot the creepy slithery things, to me there no different than any other rodent.

This has went WAAAY off topic, but Sunray is right shot does funny stuff in rifled barrels, if anyone is considering shot shells they should see how they pattern at a given distance

 

[oasis618]

Killing something in your bathroom is waaay different than killing something out while you are running. Whether it be a snake in your path or a deer in your field...I have a Safeway down the street and they have plenty of food and snakes don't enter my house. Hunting is of the past and killing snakes for family protection means you are living in their territory so either way, you are the dangerous one, not them. Lets arm wild animals with firearms and then I'll start "hunting". A fair fight is always fun and you know for a fact that hand to hand combat with wild animal of your stature will result in your loss. I'm just saying.

 

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Well I'm not going to go as far as to crticize hunting. That at least serve some form of purpose, as most hunters eat what they shoot, and are barred from killing more than they will actually use. I don't view killing snakes in the wild just because you want them dead in the same way.

 

[2RCO]

Killing something in your bathroom is waaay different than killing something out while you are running. Whether it be a snake in your path or a deer in your field...I have a Safeway down the street and they have plenty of food and snakes don't enter my house. Hunting is of the past and killing snakes for family protection means you are living in their territory so either way, you are the dangerous one, not them. Lets arm wild animals with firearms and then I'll start "hunting". A fair fight is always fun and you know for a fact that hand to hand combat with wild animal of your stature will result in your loss. I'm just saying.

If you eat meat someone killed it at some point so I don't really see how you can be anti hunting since it is likely more humane than some aspects of factory farming. In honesty I'm not a huge hunter and when I do hunt I eat what I shoot and have issues with folks killing game for the heck of it. But seriously unless you are a Vegan you really have no ground to condemn hunting.

 

[M&PVolk]

Oasis618...by your logic, if someone comes after me with a knife, I shouldn't defend myself with a gun, as a gun against a knife isn't a fair fight, right? How about if you accidentally take the wrong exit off the interstate and wander into a bad area? Would you have the right to defend yourself, or are you the dangerous one for wandering into someone else's territory and deserving anything you get?

The problem is, you lump dangerous animals into some kind of protected status thinking they have no desire to hurt you. How do you know that? Newspapers are rife with stories of animal attacks of all kinds that were not only unprovoked, but initiated by the animal. Some animals have been known to hunt humans. There is no such thing as established behavior of animals, they are all individuals and unpredictable.

A venomous snake within striking distance of me may or may not strike, but the poison on hand could be every bit as deadly as a hoodlum with a knife approaching me. I take action accordingly. If you can't understand that, too bad.

As to living rurally and hunting being a bad thing, I couldn't disagree more. To me, it is people gathered together in huge urban areas that is unnatural and dangerous, breeding crime and danger from the human predator. It's great that you have a Safeway near your house for food, but I dare say that the urban environment has drained people of the common sense acquired when one has to be self reliant. A good hunt might teach you some lessons about the nature of things and how things actually work in the wild. I bet it would be a far sight different than what you've always heard from your environmentalist friends.

 

[SweetKnuckles]

Effects of Western DiamondBack on 65 lb. German Shorthair Pointer








Slideshow of the event:
SnakeBit







The hound says tally us up as a vote for snakeshot

 

[Sport45]

How about if you accidentally take the wrong exit off the interstate and wander into a bad area?

I guess you're supposed to shoot every bad guy you identify.

Would you have the right to defend yourself, or are you the dangerous one for wandering into someone else's territory and deserving anything you get?

Is the OP "defending himself" against the snakes or just exterminating them?

I think this one is about ready to be locked down

 

[M&PVolk]

I haven't run with the man so I don't know. All I know is he is on his property, which reasonably alters the equation of threat level.

 

[Ben86]

Who here would support me going through the woods and shooting deer, and just leaving the corpses there on the ground?

Seriously you are equating shooting deer to shooting snakes? Good lord.

Sweetknuckles, did that dog live? Poor thing.

 

[JShirley]

I am VERY disappointed in some of you.

IF you disagree with someone, debate their point or faulty logic. DO NOT attack them. Please review the THR Code of Conduct if you are unclear about this.

If someone violates the Code, please just hit "report post" and let us know.

As far as what works against snakes, if you can handle running with a light stick, they tend to work better against snakes, and have reduced risk downrange. A single round of rat shot, followed by your typical defensive load, might also be a reasonable compromise.

Thanks to those of you who kept your head and manners here. For everyone else, please do better in the future.

John