inexpensive improvised rattlesnake and zombie killing weapon.

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I vote for the shovel. The PERFECT shovel, IMHO, could be made by putting the head of a Cold Steel SF shovel on a regular-length handle, then sharpening to a somewhat sharp edge with a file. The finished product might look like a spear with a broad blade.

You can gently scoop a reptile out of the way, you can thrust/decapitate with the point, or you can go all Texan Scott and use it like a poleaxe. If you plan to go the TS route, wrap the handle/blade area with a layer of thin, galvanized wire to reinforce it. IMHO, the Texan Scott method would be the most satisfying.

TS: Your post about the snake encounter had me howling with laughter! I think my response might have been similar if I encountered a snake like that.

As a backup, I'm really loving my little Yildiz .410 folding (!) single shot, from Academy for $129. It's 3.3 pounds, with a 28" barrel. Weight-wise, that's close to the old Snake Charmer, but with a much more conventional look. It's hammerless, so I keep it open until the moment of shooting. Close. Shoot. Open. Reload. Simple. I don't really need the safety with a gun this simple. Just keep it open until ready to fire.

Best wishes,
Dirty Bob
 
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I know some people are going to say I am nuts but hogs. Thats right, hogs. I grew. Up in south eastern Texas. We had 100ac. The house barns ect were in a 5 ac area. The hogs had free range but had there pens at the barn. No snakes, the house was fenced. . No snakes. The hogs ate the snakes, I was told the large fat are what kept the snake from having any effect on them. My sister lives on part of it with out having a hog and she has snakes. So you dicde.
 
Snakes

Maybe no one dies but it makes a very painful wound.I had a good friend who was bitten by a Copperhead and received immediate emergency care in a hospital ER. He was admitted and treated for several days and it got really bad and painful.The doctors had never seen a snakebite before.He ended up being transfered to a Level 1 trauma center where he spent several weeks . All in all it was an experience he could have done without. I don't like them either so every one that I come in contact with will be dealt with severely by me by what ever means available.:evil:
 
The wife killed a rattler with a Ford Expedition just last night on the way home......it went pop! She almost scored twice a mile down the way....but it changed directions at the last instant.
 
Get some large king snakes to eat the rattlesnakes. Fight fire with fire. :D
 
Do note that in most states it is illegal to kill snakes.

Not sure that THR is really about promoting illegal activities...
 
Saw something in the movie Machete recently. Danny Trejo ties several medical devices (scalpels and the like) to the end of a cord and uses it like a flail.

For someone with a martial arts background, especially, one or more light "beaters" on the end of a light chain would be capable of quickly ending the life of a snake: probably with a single blow, if it landed in the head or just behind it.

I would make the beater(s) of square steel stock, perhaps 1/2" square and maybe 4" in length. A lighter beater will be easier to control and may even hit harder, because it's moving faster. Some experimentation would be in order, to make sure. This anti-snake device would be similar to a Chinese nine-section steel whip.

Silly? You bet. I wouldn't want to be caught with this device, so I would use it only on my own land. Its one claim to practicality is that it can go in the pocket for carry. Otherwise, a hoe or a long stick or a shovel seems a better choice.

Submitted with a goofy grin,
Dirty Bob
 
xj,

I believe it's more accurate to say it's illegal to kill snakes that are not a threat- and considering how benificial they are, of course those are the only ones we should kill anyway...Here are a few of the state laws.

http://www.herpsofarkansas.com/Herp/Laws
http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Plants_Wildlife/ssss_snakes.asp
http://www.azgfd.gov/faq/LawsRegulations.shtml

Bob, years ago, I bought a lightweight cane for Byron, when he was recovering from a stroke. It was made of a high-strength but slightly whippy material. I found it too light for serious self-defense against humans or other large animals, but it would work fine for defense against poisonous snakes.

Again, native snakes are beneficial, and should only be killed if they're an immediate
threat.

John
 
JShirley said:
Again, native snakes are beneficial, and should only be killed if they're an immediate threat.
John
Click to expand...

100% agreement. It's often easier to avoid them on trails, etc, and they eat rodents. In the yard is another story. Friends have had rattlesnakes or copperheads on their porch, on their walkway, etc., but so far, we haven't had any poisonous ones so close to home. The cats once killed and dragged a harmless 3-foot-long snake in through the cat door and left it on the kitchen floor, though. My wife found it. :eek:

Regards,
Dirty Bob
 
Do note that in most states it is illegal to kill snakes.
Click to expand...

Those laws also come with the exception for where the homeowner is threatened. In the wild it is illegal, but exceptions are made for protecting livestock.
 
Do note that in most states it is illegal to kill snakes.
Click to expand...
What 'most states' is that??

Here in Kansas, a snake in my turf is a Rattlesnake, or a Copperhead.
Until I'D'ed and proven not guilty, after his head is cut or shot off!

If they are roaming around the farm house, barns, or yard??

Sorry snake, but you were a snake sneaking in the wrong place for a snake to sneak.


I have to laugh at the TV shows about the Florida snake wranglers rounding up poisonous snakes & 15-20 foot invasive species in peoples yards.

Here in these parts, a .22, a shotgun, or a shovel is cheaper then a 'Venom Treatment Regimen' at the ER for yourself, or your animals.

And my state law agrees with that.

rc
 
RC, in most states it is against the law to kill nonpoisonous snakes. Where do you find in your state law that it's legal?

According to Kansas State University, it's not legal. I'm interested to see the law you referenced. Research shows that there are at least 5 Kansas snakes on the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species list. Kansas law says you can kill them on your property IF you follow all applicable Federal laws and the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act AND make a reasonable effort to handle them without killing them. Killing any snake first and looking at it later is bad for the world and illegal. Even in Kansas.

John
 
That's the case in TN (where you are) but not true for other states.

Michigan and Ohio for example have fines and jail time as punishment for the killing of snakes regardless of 'threat'.
 
RC,

Better be very careful about what snake you kill since KS has many protected species that can land you a hefty fine. Those don't include rattlesnakes or copperheads, but "guilty until proven dead" is a foolish approach to dealing with snakes considering their beneficial role in controlling vermin.
 
RC, in most states it is against the law to kill nonpoisonous snakes. Where do you find in your state law that it's legal?

According to Kansas State University, it's not legal. I'm interested to see the law you referenced. Research shows that there are at least 5 Kansas snakes on the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species list. Kansas law says you can kill them on your property IF you follow all applicable Federal laws and the Kansas Nongame and Endangered Species Conservation Act AND make a reasonable effort to handle them without killing them. Killing any snake first and looking at it later is bad for the world and illegal. Even in Kansas.

John
Click to expand...

As someone who hates snakes... I would let nonpoisonous snakes go regardless of the law. Even without the broad ecobubble viewpoint, the more nonvenomous snakes there are to eat up the rodent food supply, the harder it is for the venomous snakes to find food.
 
Guys, the OP is about poisonous snakes and subsequent conversation is about poisonous snakes, it is not illegal in most states to kill poisonous snakes.

Additionally, "Nuisance Snakes" don't need to be poisonous, they just need to be a nuisance. Let's not pretend that people in this thread are going out and massacring snakes for fun.
 
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