Snakes while hunting

[Flintknapper]

Around here, early bow season & squirrel season we have rattlers & copperheads, but their
numbers are dropping.
I never kill a rattler but copperheads are very aggressive on occasion so they don't get a pass.
My Grandfather was a Warden here back in the 40's thru early 60's & I went with him to catch
rattlers quite a lot. I would only be guessing as to the purpose but he never killed them, he sent
them somewhere like for venom research or something. I do remember one time I went with him
to clean out a rattler den that had shown up beside a local lake.
They were huge or I was to small back then but I haven't seen any that size any more.
I think the rattlers are beautiful but the copperheads beauty is diminished by it's aggression.

The rattlesnakes you have (Virginia) should be Timber/Canebrake Rattlers and they DO in fact get very large. So you are probably remembering them correctly. They are one of the more docile rattlers (as rattlesnakes go). I'd wager you are much more likely to be bitten by a Copperhead if in close proximity to either.

I don't know what it is about Copperheads that seems to make them (most) so quick to bite. Perhaps their relatively small size makes them feel vulnerable and therefor more apt to act aggressively. Who knows.

 

[I6turbo]

I have some special equipment that I like to have in hand to help me deal with that type of encounter.

 

[HowieG]

Maybe red Crocs are like a red flag to a bull?

Well, maybe, but they have never charged my red pickup.

 

[Paul7]

A hunting guide here in NM told me he once was dry struck (no venom) in the leg by a rattler, left a big bruise.

 

[Peakbagger46]

How much of a concern is it to you? In all of my years hunting I've never seen a venomous snake while hunting. I've seen a handful of non-venomous snakes while hunting. Fishing, hiking and camping in warmer weather I've seen some of both including one Rattler and a few Cottonmouths and Copperheads. The Rattlesnake was HUGE. He had to be close to 6' and was as thick as my forearm.

I'll give non-venomous snakes a pass in my yard, but I've killed 3 Copperheads.

Here in GA squirrel season starts in August and big game archery in mid September. During those months it is still warm enough here for them to be out as well as the 2nd half of turkey season. I try to be alert, but have never worn snake chaps while hunting. I do own some leggings that come to my knees and have worn them at other times, just not when hunting.

By the time rifle season starts in late October it is usually cool enough for them to not be out, at least here in the northern part of the state. I guess that is part of the reason I don't hunt as much during archery season. I'm wondering about the guys in more southern areas like Florida or South Texas where it rarely gets cold and snakes are active year round.

I get regular E-Mail from the DNR with hunting/fishing news and this video was posted on the most recent one. That is what got me to thinking about this.


Male combat between two large adult Northern Cottonmouths. - YouTube

No thanks, I’ll stick with our local mountain lions and bears quite happily.

 

[Gooseman69]

No concern in the east. I've stepped right over rattlers on countless occasions. Mistook them for dog poop. Leave them be. They'll keep your nasty mouse population down.

I hear they're aggressive in the west though.

They can be just as, agressive in the east although the western prarie rattler seems a bit more agressive then most

 

[9x56MS]

I have some special equipment that I like to have in hand to help me deal with that type of encounter.

View attachment 1032858

Those are 2 gorgeous Ithica Model 37’s.

 

[9x56MS]

I had a very unusual encounter with a poisonous snake last week while bowhunting. I got into my hang-on stand which was 15 ft. up a laurel oak and folded down the platform. There was a pigmy rattlesnake on the floor of the platform. I promptly stomped on his head repeatedly until he was mush.

I have never encountered a poisonous snake in a tree before in my 50+ years of hunting in the US. I did encounter a boomslang in Africa up in the tree branches when I hunted there many years ago.

View attachment 1027714

My Dad and I were fishing a local river in June for smallmouth bass. Dad was on one side of the river so I crossed the bridge to fish the hole from the other side about my 3rd cast Dad starts hollering to get out of there with the sound of the river loud in my ears I was having a hard time hearing him but I saw he was scared and kept pointing to the tree branch over my head. When I looked up I saw a snake wrapped around the branch slithering toward a birds nest containing baby birds. Took me a few minutes to see the rattles on its tail. If you have never seen a man walk on water you missed a showing that day. When we both got settled on the other side of the river we watched that snake eat everyone of those baby birds. Not a big rattler maybe 3 feet but big enough to scare the bejeezes out of me. Only time I have ever seen any kind of snake in a tree.

 

[Seedy Character]

Had a duck hunting partner, back in early 80s. Fat boy from Tennessee, good guy, but a bit full himself, sometimes. His one hang up e as snakes. Never seen anybody that afraid of snakes.

The place we duck hunted had a 300 acre lake that would be covered in ducks, especially in windy days. Lease rules were bank blinds only. The lake was deep and dropped off quick. We had a 12' lightweight john boat that we paddled out to pick up decoys and downed bird.

This saturday morning, the wind was 30-40 mph and mid 20s temp. We had several ducks downed and it was Tennessee's turn to retrieve. He had picked up the ducks and started back. About 20' from the bank, he has a huge cottonwood with a long limb out over the water. A 3' stick falls from the tree and lands in the boat, behind Tennessee. The other friend with us starts hollering snake. Tennessee jumps up and puts 3 loads of 3" steel 1s into the sticky, on the bottom of the thin aluminum boat.

In true ship's Captain form, he stood there and went down with boat.

 

[Turkeytider]

How much of a concern is it to you? In all of my years hunting I've never seen a venomous snake while hunting. I've seen a handful of non-venomous snakes while hunting. Fishing, hiking and camping in warmer weather I've seen some of both including one Rattler and a few Cottonmouths and Copperheads. The Rattlesnake was HUGE. He had to be close to 6' and was as thick as my forearm.

I'll give non-venomous snakes a pass in my yard, but I've killed 3 Copperheads.

Here in GA squirrel season starts in August and big game archery in mid September. During those months it is still warm enough here for them to be out as well as the 2nd half of turkey season. I try to be alert, but have never worn snake chaps while hunting. I do own some leggings that come to my knees and have worn them at other times, just not when hunting.

By the time rifle season starts in late October it is usually cool enough for them to not be out, at least here in the northern part of the state. I guess that is part of the reason I don't hunt as much during archery season. I'm wondering about the guys in more southern areas like Florida or South Texas where it rarely gets cold and snakes are active year round.

I get regular E-Mail from the DNR with hunting/fishing news and this video was posted on the most recent one. That is what got me to thinking about this.


Male combat between two large adult Northern Cottonmouths. - YouTube

I`m in GA too. No way I`m in the turkey woods without my snake boots. Having said that, the most dangerous thing in the woods ( other than some cretin with a gun ) is a tick.

 

[9x56MS]

My son was graduating from AIT in Augusta GA and had arranged a striper fishing trip on Clark Hill Reservoir on the Savanna river with Captain Mike Patrick. We were happily catching Stripers and hybrids as the sun rose over the east side of the lake behind us. The bite had slowed when my son said Dad look at that bass boat under the trees on the west side of the lake, the angler had jumped out of the boat into the water. Captain Mike said pull up the anchors as we have to go fish him out of the lake. I said can’t he climb back into the boat? Captain said he could but he won’t as there is a snake in his boat. I asked how he knew and he reached into the rod box and took out a snake hook. We motor over pull the guy into our boat while Captain Mike lifts the water moccasin out of the boat and throws it into the water. Guy tells us it fell into his boat when he pulled under the tree. Mike tells us this happens a couple of times a season.

 

[tws3b2]

Well, maybe, but they have never charged my red pickup.

Did most of my hunting. "33 years" in S C. September - January. Never had any concerns about snakes. Occasional black snake now and then. Snakes want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them. Don't Kill Any Snake Simply because You See It In the Woods. It's A Life. Let It Be.

 

[HowieG]

Did most of my hunting. "33 years" in S C. September - January. Never had any concerns about snakes. Occasional black snake now and then. Snakes want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them. Don't Kill Any Snake Simply because You See It In the Woods. It's A Life. Let It Be.

Well said. I get distinctly upset by people automatically killing snakes just because of some irrational fear. I don't want to get bitten, but I am not afraid of poisonous reptiles, just cautious. Well, actually not very cautious since I have captured them by hand.

 

[gspn]

During bow and early duck seasons in MS, running into cotton mouths is a routine thing. It happens a few times every season, usually with a fairly aggressive display on behalf of the snake. I've been struck at several times by a snake I didn't even know was there. One even hit my boot. I was standing still and had just whispered to a buddy that it absolutely reeked like a snake right there where we were standing, and BAM! The snake we could smell reached out and hit my boot. That one was a bit of a surprise. Other times I've had to find a way around a snake that was holding his ground, coiled up and showing me that "cotton white" mouth as a very aggressive display. I've not yet been bitten, but see them all the time and have been struck at by a few.

 

[Howland937]

I encounter garter snakes, black snakes, and once in a great while, a copperhead in my yard. I typically try to remove them to the field area across the road. If they cooperate, everything is fine. If they try to bite, they get smooshed. I don't want them in my yard.
Outside of my yard....in the woods, at the lake, or otherwise in their domain I generally avoid snakes to the extent possible. In fact, I can only think of one instance where I killed one in the wild. A water snake had grabbed a top water lure and hooked itself. Since I felt like I donated enough lures to the rocks and tree tops, I took necessary steps to retrieve it.

 

[Scout21]

I've run across a few Cottonmouths while squirrel hunting in the warmer months. They've always seen me before I see them and are already coiled up. I'm sure I've stepped right next to them without knowing, never had a problem.

I've found that people overexaggerate the aggressiveness of snakes, even the "ferocious" Cottonmouth.

 

[tws3b2]

I don't remember ever seeing a poisonous snake while hunting. Of course most hunting I've done has been in cooler weather when most snakes are not moving much. Snakes I have seen were not poisonous.
I will kill poisonous snakes is in my yard but in the woods or fields, no.

 

[TarDevil]

I used a shovel to scoop up a baby cooperhead in my garage, released it in the woods. Senseless to kill it. I'm grateful for it's diet.

Don't know if it's been mentioned (didn't read every post) but all three North Caroline rattlers are protected.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I've found that people overexaggerate the aggressiveness of snakes, even the "ferocious" Cottonmouth.

I've often wondered what people mean by "aggressive" when it comes to snakes. Snakes aren't out there actively chasing down prey, and most certainly are NOT chasing after other critters that out mass them by many a factor of 50 or more.

If they're approached, intentionally or accidentally, what they want is for you to go away and that's how they behave. If you do, their "aggressive" posture goes away. If you don't...yeah, they'll likely strike.

I mean, how would people treat a home invasion? Same kinda thing, really.

 

[TarDevil]

I've found that people overexaggerate the aggressiveness of snakes, even the "ferocious" Cottonmouth.

Massively. I watched a nature guide lay down beside a cottonmouth, his face less than a foot away. When he finished his talk, he stepped within an inch of that gaping mouth. The snake behaved exactly as the guide said... "It won't bite until handled."

 

[King Medallion]

My son and I went down to Texas last year hog hunting. We were on the lookout for rattlers, as we were told they may be about. An old combine sunk into the dirt looked like a snake hideout so we gave it a wide birth. On the way to our stand my son tells me he has to go, so ok, be careful. Wished I woulda waited for for him as the sight of what he explained 10 minutes later gives me the giggles even today. Said he squatted down to do his thing, when a WM dropped out of the tree above him, landed within arms reach beside him, effectively hastening the business he was attending to. Oddly, he did not immediately see the humor of the situation that I still laugh about thinking on it. The most excitement of the trip, didn't see a hog.

 

[illinoisburt]

Honestly the vast majority of snakes I've encountered have been non-venomous and just because it is dark colored or near water does make not one a water-moccasin or cotton-mouth. I do agree that lots of people are deathly afraid of snakes. It's probably best if you cannot positively identify a snake to give it a wide berth. We have plenty in central Alabama but given how few people get a serious bite versus how many people are enjoying the outdoors I'd say it's really not much to worry about. (Kind of like bears, only there a magnitude more snakes around.)

 

[Patocazador]

Regardless of where they are, I attempt to kill EVERY poisonous snake I see, especially cottonmouths. They definitely are aggressive and I have chased them through swamps with a machete. They have also chased after me. Don't underestimate them. Pygmy rattlers are the next most aggressive snake I've encountered.

I've never seen a copperhead as they don't occur here, just diamondbacks, timber rattlers, cottonmouths, and coral snakes.

 

[.38 Special]

Where I hunt in the California desert, rattlesnakes are very common. I've never had a problem with them and we tend to leave each other alone. Cooked properly, they do make a decent meal - there are almost no regulations on the take of most species in California - so I occasionally kill one to eat.

 

[drakecasey]

Did most of my hunting. "33 years" in S C. September - January. Never had any concerns about snakes. Occasional black snake now and then. Snakes want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them. Don't Kill Any Snake Simply because You See It In the Woods. It's A Life. Let It Be.

I see an occasional rattlesnake when I'm pheasant hunting early in the year. My hunting dog has gone through "snake breaking" and hasn't messed with one yet. My hearing isn't the greatest so I'm usually a bit too close for my comfort when I do hear them. I may startle a bit but I just take a few steps away and then keep going about my business. They serve a purpose, and I'd like to think that hunters are conservationists when it comes down to it.