cheap and light snake gun?

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Evertime something like this comes up [how to kill a snake] I see those posts about leaving them alone, or there is no reason to kill a deadly snake. Well I have always responded the same way. I live in the mid south and we have rattlesnakes and copperheads that are somewhat common here. Like a previous poster said, no dangerous snakes when he was growing up but now lives 5 miles away and they are quite common near his house.

OK, now my point as to why I have and will continue to kill any dangerous snake I find on or near my 30 acre rural property. Reason 1-9: my nine grandchildren, reason 10: my wife who likes to garden, and reason 11-13: our dogs who are an important part of our family too.

I could walk around or avoid a copperhead that I might notice while I'm mowing or clearing a trail, but those important others [see reasons 1 - 13 above] that live here may not have the option. I do not hate snakes but they are not important members of my family, nor are they welcome on my property. You want them on your property, fine. Your choice. On my property its my choice.
 
Those Cobray/Leinad derringers are useless unless you duct tape one to the end of a long stick and beat a snake with it. It is a POS gun.
 
lemaymiami said:
9mm Andrew was 1992, our last hurricane was 2005, Wilma. Not only have the rabbits disappeared -also the racoons now and possums as well. The 38 mile run from the front gate to the ramps at Flamingo used to be something to be very careful while driving before daylight - now the only roadkill you'll see in that entire stretch are either birds or reptiles - no small mammals at all.... Wish it weren't so, I can't imagine what bobcats, hawks, owls and eagles are eating...

Never thought I'd miss those darned racoons...
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Wow, incredibly sad. We used to night cruise (not what it means today) that old back road in Big Cyprus that is now a tourist attraction :-( (Not Jane's Scenic Drive, but that's all 'popular' now too. Used to just be fishermen and birders).

I'm an ex-park ranger. I was in the 'Glades last winter, was thrilled to see such a strong comeback by the crocs. Did some birding, but wasnt in the park at nite.
 
bassdogs said:
Evertime something like this comes up [how to kill a snake] I see those posts about leaving them alone, or there is no reason to kill a deadly snake. Well I have always responded the same way. I live in the mid south and we have rattlesnakes and copperheads that are somewhat common here. Like a previous poster said, no dangerous snakes when he was growing up but now lives 5 miles away and they are quite common near his house.

.
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Some snakes, like timber rattlers and copperheads, den up in groups. They usually disperse in the spring but times like that, you'll see alot. And there will just be more close to those locations.
 
Bullseyebob;

If the snake is a pit viper, here's something an old boy showed me many years ago. Use a .22, shoot once in a safe direction, then put the muzzle to the snake. They home in on it. Now then don't wait for it to strike, your reflex's aren't fast enough by about a week & a half compared to the snake. It'll just line up & you shoot.

900F
 
Anyone know a better way to kill a venomous snake that is inside the house besides a hoe? Maybe some custom snake shot that will kill the snake without damaging anything else. I do not want to go through what we went through today again. My Mom went down into the basement to the deep freezer and came running back up the stairs yelling snake!!! So Dad got the hoe and I grabbed my hickory walking stick and put my boots on and went to find the snake that had moved since she seen it. We found it near the big door but before dad could get the door open it slithered under a pile of boxed up clothes and a trunk. He got under the trunk and we had to move everything that was around it and still had not got a good look at it to see what it was yet. While getting out from under the trunk with a long piece of molding I am glad I took the time to put on my boots which are snakeproof boots. It struck my right boot and hung on for dear life. I stepped on it behind the head with my left boot and Dad used the hoe to remove it from my right boot then removed it's head. The snake was about 3 feet in length and about 1 1/2 in diameter. Since the snake was a cotton mouth we figure it came out of our small stock pond that is about 150 feet from the house. Next project when it cools off some more drain the pond and fill it in and relocate it further from the house.
 
Kuyong_Chuin said:
Anyone know a better way to kill a venomous snake that is inside the house besides a hoe? Maybe some custom snake shot that will kill the snake without damaging anything else.
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Ummm...

Shooting a gun inside the house is typically not a good idea. You COULD use shot shells in a rifle or pistol, but there's no guarantee that the tiny shot won't damage anything else or that it will kill the snake. And there's always the risk of injury from all that tiny shot bouncing around the room as well.

Do what you did...only be a wee bit wiser about how you go about it next time in an effort to maximize your distance from the critter while you're trying to find it.

Good to hear nobody was hurt...and darn good thinking about the boots!
 
I have not in my 66 + years living here in the USA, Key West Florida to the Great Lakes, and from Outer Banks to the Santa Monica pier, have I seen a snake that I couldn't kill with a stick. Especially one that was big enough to eat me.

Yes I know that there are some species that have been introduced into sub tropical US that can kill and eat a man. If you put yourself into that food chain you better be prepared.

The fear of legless reptiles is self preservation instinct that has all but ran it's course in humans.
 
Good thing I live in one of the few areas of the US that has no venomous snakes. I hate snakes and wouldn't hesitate to kill any I run into outside of the safe area of west of the Cascade Range in Oregon & Washington. The ones in my known safe zone don't bother me. It must be imprinting or something because the first year of my life was spent in dangerous rattlesnake area which my grandmother killed 20-25 rattlesnakes in her yard that year I was living there. Also I got attacked by dogs in my baby carriage and a few other times when I was growing up, no I did not provoke them so I don't particularly like dogs either. How does a 4 month old baby in a carriage provoke a dog? Also I have a hearing loss from birth and can't hear rattler's either. Anyway I would rather shoot first and look later when the damn thing's are dead. And don't get me started on the two rattler's that chased me in the water.The only good snake (or dog) is dead one, they apparently have not liked me since the day I was born and I sure don't don't like them.
 
Gaucho Gringo said:
Good thing I live in one of the few areas of the US that has no venomous snakes. I hate snakes and wouldn't hesitate to kill any I run into outside of the safe area of west of the Cascade Range in Oregon & Washington. The ones in my known safe zone don't bother me. It must be imprinting or something because the first year of my life was spent in dangerous rattlesnake area which my grandmother killed 20-25 rattlesnakes in her yard that year I was living there. Also I got attacked by dogs in my baby carriage and a few other times when I was growing up, no I did not provoke them so I don't particularly like dogs either. How does a 4 month old baby in a carriage provoke a dog? Also I have a hearing loss from birth and can't hear rattler's either. Anyway I would rather shoot first and look later when the damn thing's are dead. And don't get me started on the two rattler's that chased me in the water.The only good snake (or dog) is dead one, they apparently have not liked me since the day I was born and I sure don't don't like them.
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Just FYI...the snakes we have west of the mts are mostly 3 species of garter snakes and *they eat slugs.* All the rest in the state, even rattlers, eat vermin, like rats and mice.

As for dogs, they are called 'man's best friend' for a reason. I'm sorry you missed out on that experience.
 
Funny how things work out...I've never had a problem with any snake (venomous or not)... The closest I ever came to problem snakes as a boy were cottonmouths in north Alabama ( I did a lot of woods running as a kid, both hunting and fishing solo). The cottonmouths around the TVA system are a bit more aggressive than I'd like - but I still was able to avoid them.

These days, working in the Everglades most days, the spreading pythons are such bad news that I intend to kill every one I find (they're not very obvious, though... I've only seen three in the last five years). What has become obvious is the terrible damage they're doing to the wildlife in the 'Glades... They have no known enemies and are silent death at night for small animals (and larger ones when they're big enough...). Wish it weren't so (and that the Park was more interested in their complete eradication...).
 
think you can get a cobray derringer in .410 fairly cheap but I can't say it would be enjoyable to shoot
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My snake gun is a Bond Arms in .410/45Colt. The .410 is a lot easier on you than the .45; even with 1/5 ounce slugs. 000 buck and birdshot is no big deal at all.

I will kill every venomous snake I see. If you are out for a hike and your grandchild or dog gets ahead of you and becomes snake bit, you may come around to a thinking similar to mine. It hasn't happened to me, but we do have Great Basin rattlers around here.
 
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panzercat, that was my first thought but i read cci snake shot comes apart in the gun. i guess i should buy a pack to try.
 
Kuyong_Chuin said:
Anyone know a better way to kill a venomous snake that is inside the house besides a hoe? Maybe some custom snake shot that will kill the snake without damaging anything else. I do not want to go through what we went through today again. My Mom went down into the basement to the deep freezer and came running back up the stairs yelling snake!!! So Dad got the hoe and I grabbed my hickory walking stick and put my boots on and went to find the snake that had moved since she seen it. We found it near the big door but before dad could get the door open it slithered under a pile of boxed up clothes and a trunk. He got under the trunk and we had to move everything that was around it and still had not got a good look at it to see what it was yet. While getting out from under the trunk with a long piece of molding I am glad I took the time to put on my boots which are snakeproof boots. It struck my right boot and hung on for dear life. I stepped on it behind the head with my left boot and Dad used the hoe to remove it from my right boot then removed it's head. The snake was about 3 feet in length and about 1 1/2 in diameter. Since the snake was a cotton mouth we figure it came out of our small stock pond that is about 150 feet from the house. Next project when it cools off some more drain the pond and fill it in and relocate it further from the house.
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A garbage can is your friend. THere isnt a snake in North America, except maybe a large coachwhip, that you cant just pop a garbage can of some size over. And then safely remove it.

It's going to be very rare to see a snake out in the open in home also.Believe me, they want to avoid you as much as possible. Cottonmouths, a hot coachwhip, they have no 'sense' and panic easily, you might see those in the open but I've never heard of them inside buildings.

Rat snakes, bull snakes...they look a bit like rattlers but arent venomous or aggressive....and they eat rats and mice. Those you find in barns, sheds, etc.
 
Fella's;

I beg to differ. Bullsnakes can be aggresive, they didn't get that "bull" in their name for no reason. No, they aren't real pushy, but upon occasion they can be.

900F
 
CB900F said:
Fella's;

I beg to differ. Bullsnakes can be aggresive, they didn't get that "bull" in their name for no reason. No, they aren't real pushy, but upon occasion they can be.

900F
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Ah. What damage can they do to a person?

A bullsnake will not attack you. If you grab it, it might bite you. Wash well with soap and water.

They are called bullsnakes because they suck in air and puff up when threatened. They also rattle their tails. It's all about scaring off a threat.
 
I hear from neighbors all the time about the copperhead problem in central VA. I have yet to see one on my property. I have two large (4ft) black snakes resident and they make lunch out of copperheads. Problem solved.
 
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