Why kill snakes?

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TarDevil

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Frequently in reviews of the Taurus Judge and similar firearms, I read about the effectiveness of these weapons in dispatching poisonous snakes.

River fishing is my first passion and in 20 plus years of wading shallow streams I have encountered a multitude of snakes, including all but one of North Carolina's poisonous species. To date, every snake took evasive action rather than being a problem for me. Contrary to some opinions, there is not one breed of snake in the US that will pursue or attack a human unprovoked. If I carelessly step on a snake and get bitten, a "snake defense" gun merely becomes a retaliatory weapon.

I'm not a tree-hugger, I enjoy hunting. But I've kept a variety of snakes in my home over the years as pets for my kids and I'm a little partial to them. Partial or not, snakes serve a very useful purpose - venomous or otherwise.

So... why promote these weapons as "snake defense" weapons?
 
why promote these weapons as "snake defense" weapons?
Because they are really good at killing snakes? Not all of us are snake people. I would not be happy with myself if I let one go and my son got bit. I will not go looking for them, but my family is more important than a Copperhead or Rattlesnake.
 
Probably because there's no other viable selling point. They are too large for CC, under powered compared to similar sized guns for SD.

They are best for small rodent&pest control.

How do you think they should be promoted of not snake defense? I don't see any other angle that makes sense, that would sell.
 
I have killed two copper heads in my back yard over the past 4yrs using snake shot. Though they were not aggressive, I could not risk having my children bitten by one while out back. I aggree they do serve a purpose but the risk of letting them live so close to us was too great of a risk.
 
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I would not be happy with myself if I let one go and my son got bit. I will not go looking for them, but my family is more important than a Copperhead or Rattlesnake.

For every one you kill, you can throw a rock far enough to find another just like it. Killing one particular snake isn't gonna help your family. Education and teaching your kids ways to avoid accidental bites is way safer than dispatching one solitary snake. My kids accompanied me to the river from a very early age.. and were instructed often and thoroughly on ways to avoid the dangers of snakes.
 
I have a 5 year old grand daughter and two 2 year old grand daughters living with me. I need no other reason to kill any venomous snake that crosses their paths.
 
My point, folks - and I certainly don't wish this to be a contentious thread - is that killing individual snakes isn't going to eradicate the species, nor will it make life any safer around your house. There's just too many of the critters around.
 
I have only seen one, a copperhead and I turned around and went the other way so fast I cant remember even thinking of shooting it.

All that aside though if it is in a populated area then I see nothing wrong with dispatching it.

BUT just know you can call animal control (or the like) and they will relocate it. At least they do around here.
 
Killing one particular snake isn't gonna help your family.
How can you claim that killing one snake about to bite a family member is not going to help your family...seriously.

Education will only get you so far. And nobody is trying to eradicate anything.

Snakes bite, S&W bites harder <-- haha.
 
...I've kept a variety of snakes in my home over the years as pets...
Me too. :evil: Bull Snakes are awesome and Pythons are sweet.
...snakes serve a very useful purpose - venomous or otherwise.
Absolutely, I agree.
So... why promote these weapons as "snake defense" weapons?
Because some people need to keep snakes off their property. For instance, my mom uses a .38 revolver with snakeshot when she rides the mower at the farm. She does it to rid snakes off for the sake of the little grandkids that come to visit and will eventually be running around.
...carelessly step on a snake and get bitten...
That's what she's trying to avoid for her grandkids. Before my parents had many grandkids, Dad and I would always catch bull snakes and release them in one of his barns to keep the rodents under control. Now that little kids are going to be playing around his place, it's time to wipe them out and use abandoned cats from the pound to control the mice.
 
killing individual snakes isn't going to eradicate the species, nor will it make life any safer around your house
But I won't have to worry about the one I DID take care of. I do the same for black widow and brown recluse spiders as well as black/brown scorpions. The many grey rat snakes and speckled kingsnakes living here help keep the baddies down too.
 
Youngda9 has the best answer to your question. It's easiest to sell a product if you can create the need for that product in potential buyers' minds. What is a super-short barreled .410 shotgun really good for? Not much, but if you visualize some generally feared/hated small-bodied animal as its rightful prey, you have an instant selling point.

And, lets face it, there's tons of folks out there who kill every snake they can, venomous or not, and always have with whatever tool is at hand. And it may be legal for them to do so, too. Tell them this "SnakeSlayer" will do it without dulling their favorite hoe or shovel, and you'll sell a million.
 
How can you claim that killing one snake about to bite a family member is not going to help your family...seriously.

If a snake is about to bite a family member, you're too late ad you're also likely to hit same family member if you shoot the serpent. If the family member is more than a foot away from that snake, it ISN'T about to bite anyone.
 
Youngda9 has the best answer to your question. It's easiest to sell a product if you can create the need for that product in potential buyers' minds. What is a super-short barreled .410 shotgun really good for? Not much, but if you visualize some generally feared/hated small-bodied animal as its rightful prey, you have an instant selling point.

Precisely.
 
I have a big old Eastern kingsnake wandering around that takes care of my snake problem for me.
OTOH my uncle owns a large piece of property which includes several manmade lakes stocked for fishing. Initially, the lakes were virtually infested with water mocassins, so he had to do what he had to do. For a while he had a chalkboard where he posted the number of water moc kills for the month. I remember it was over 100 in one month. Our weapon of choice was a ratty H&R .410 single shot. And, yes, culling the snakes definitely did work! Let them stay on the river where they belong!
 
Contrary to some opinions, there is not one breed of snake in the US that will pursue or attack a human unprovoked.

wrong. there is no opinion on this matter. an pinion would be "shooting snakes is wrong" Saying some snakes do or don't chase people is a matter of fact.

Tell that to my grandfather who literally had a rattle snake chase him after he narrowly avoided getting bitten by it for accidentally almost stepping on it. no warning like their usually is, it struck and hit the steel toe of his boot, "scared the dog water right out of me" his words exactly. He jumped away and the snake kept coming after him. Ran several yards, and the snake was still coming. So he ran further and lost it. The snake lodged a fang in the rubber of his boot, so he had the fang to prove it.

See the trouble is, most intelligent people would not provoke a snake on purpose. but it does happen on accident, and when this happens, they can become aggressive on occasion. And yes, killing a snake in your yard defiantly does help keeping it from making a home underneath yours.

I don't hate them, but I my self have had a venomous snake (could tell by the head) attempt to get in my boat.
That was unsettling, and if I had a Judge, that snakes boat terrorizing days would have been over.
 
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How can you claim that killing one snake about to bite a family member is not going to help your family...seriously.
Consider that from a practical standpoint. Unless you are within striking distance, you aren't in any danger from any snake, ever.

Look up the Tueller drill -- where it is proved that a man armed with a knife and standing 21' away can generally cross that distance and stab a skilled shooter before the defender can draw and fire a holstered sidearm --and explain how you'll outdraw a snake if a family member gets close enough to be struck?

So, we're pretty much left with the idea that these guns allow you to easily kill a snake that you've seen, which might have struck eventually.
 
Reason 1 alot of people bought these things and it's about the only realistic purpose of the things I remember A lady I knew saying she was going to get one so she cold "spray" it down the hall if some one came in
 
BTW, my father JUST learned of the Taurus Judge a few days ago. :confused: He got so excited about it, I'm almost certain that he'll buy one or two for snake killing.

He was not exposed to any form of hyped advertising either. A patient of his wanted to sell their Judge and my Dad had to call me up and gush about how he could put it to use!
 
I don't hate them, but I my self have had a rattle snake attempt to get in my boat.
That was unsettling, and if I had a Judge, that snakes boat terrorizing days would have been over.

As would your boat's effectiveness.

As to the rest of your story... I guess it's possible that an individual snake can be deranged and act out of character. But by nature, they are not aggressive nor do they pursue... there are far too many documented studies by qualified serpentologists to substantiate that fact.
 
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Sorry, but shooting a snake that's in the water isn't going to hurt my boat.

See, and as with all these things when someone is convinced, there is no convincing them other wise. Just because its not "normal" doesn't make it rare either. Deranged? I highly doubt it. pissed off? Most definitely. Seeing as how their was no warning, the snake was probably as surprised as my grandfather was.
 
Sorry, but shooting a snake that's in the water isn't going to hurt my boat.

I apologize. I understood you to say the snake was attempting to get in your boat.
 
I kill at least two or three copperheads in my backyard every year.
If I know a snake is nonvenomous I will give it a free pass, but since
I have dogs, a wife and a stepdaughter, I have to kill the venomous
ones. I do not want to have to take a trip to the emergency room
because someone stepped on a copperhead and got bit. It almost
happened to me about five years ago in my front yard. I was barefooted
and I felt something move under my foot. When I realized it was a
copperhead, I jumped backwards and ran to get the shovel under my
garage. The snake had disappeared by the time I got back. Blacksnakes
and kingsnakes are very welcome in my yard (they kill copperheads and
the mice that they hunt). I bought my Judge to help me deal with any
unwanted legless intruders and it accompanies me on freshwater fishing
trips.
 
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