Snakes?

[stevep111]

The only two snakes in Tenn you have to avoid (other than polititians) are water snakes and Copper Heads. Though the Rattle snake is more dangerous the water snake and Copper Head are aggressive snakes and will actually seek you out to bite if you get too close to them. The Rattle snakes will either rattle or will be gone before you get to them. Please don't kill any of them though. They do a great service to keep down the rodents. You will mainly see Water snakes around creeks so avoid them and Copper Heads are aggressive in the spring and hide during the day during the summer months. If you encounter a rattle snake, if at all possible leave it where it is unless it is in your house or near kids. These snakes are very sensitive and can sometimes die if they are moved to another location. They have a hard time with orientation and have a difficult time finding food. If you live on a farm you will see a lot of black snakes, garter snakes and black racers along with various rat snakes and such. I hunted the woods of Tenn for several years and never had a problem with snakes. If you know where they usually hang out then try to avoid the areas and you should not have a problem either.

[pineywoods]

We have creeks all through our property near Johnson City. Would a cottonmouth find its way into a farm creek?? We have twin grandsons, so this is a concern.

[Kitties of Domination]

Originally Posted by pineywoods

We have creeks all through our property near Johnson City. Would a cottonmouth find its way into a farm creek?? We have twin grandsons, so this is a concern.

Cottonmouths prefer lowland areas. Johnson City is probably too high in elevation, IMO.

[farmerandpoet]

thanks to all who gave information on the snakes of eastern tennessee, very informative, agrees with hiknapster on the picture of corn snake, pretty. No I don't think we could ever kill anything, just wanted to be safe. definately printing all the links to keep handy!

[farmerandpoet]

Originally Posted by William Sold

Farmer/poet,

Yes, there's snakes in TN, but it depends on some common knowledge of how they live, where they live, and how they react to minimize encounters. If you heavily traffic where they do, chances are increased, and vice versa. Most TN snakes are known as being nonagressive, meaning they will hide and avoid contact if at all possible first, striking as a last measure. Where did you see the two bears? If it was in the wild, state parks or such, then one can expect a much higher frequency of seeing a bear, though general daily encounters with bears are very, very low. Same as snakes, though there's obviously a lot more snakes. Brush piles, old stump holes, large rock crevices in warmer months can spot you a snake, so avoid if possible. If you live in more remote areas with minimal human impact, up your odds.

I understand your dislike, as it's common, though the benefit of snake activity usually far outweighs the dangers. Use the link below to see our dangerous snakes in TN, and how to spot them. Good news is, they're all very distinctive by sight, so being able to determine their threat level is relatively easy. Copperheads have hourglassed backs and often truly have a copper colored head, rattlesnakes live up to their name and usually rattle when near, and cottonmouths (more predominantly west) are very unmistakable.

As far as getting rid of them...try to avoid if at all possible. This is when the highest number of snakes bites occur, in trying to move, transport, or kill. If you walk up on one, simply move back slowly in the same direction, chances are, they'll move in the opposite. I've owned several snakes (8 foot ball python, 6 foot blood python, co-owned a 10 foot burmese python), and good rule of thumb to remember, they can only strike roughly 1/3 of it's body length. So a 6 foot wild snake, very rare in TN, can really only strike a 2-2.5 foot length. Steering clear of a strike zone is typically very likely. If you do find yourself at a close encounter and feel threatend, any long object or stick is your best defense, and your goal is turning the snake in an opposite direction (first 1/3 of it's body) to give enough time to retreat. If you must or feel the need to kill it, aim for the head and head only, a snakes body is very damage resistent. All this said, most snakes will be in the wild. If you do however find a snake in a livable human area, especially with kids around, if it can't be identified, it should always be removed or killed. Contacting a professional is your best bet if you have time, or a shot gun works well to do the job! But again, their natural value and purpose is great, so this is always my last option. If your sceenname suggests you will be farming or living on one, then up your odds of seeing a snake, though the majority will be harmless. Corn snakes and gray rat snakes will be definitely your largest you're likely to see and at glance can appear menacing. Corn snakes are very docile to humans, and often a farmer's best friend, or well raised pet for the adventurous youngster. They keep all the annoying critters out from eating crops, so be nice to corn snakes!

Poisonous:
Snakes of Tennessee
All snakes:
SNAKES OF TENNESSEE

You are like a walking encyclopedia of the snake subject, THANK YOU so much, extremely informative, appreciate all the information.

[calitotennesee]

Water snakes. . .oh dear, if you fish or waterski, is there a chance of running into one of these?

[Servpro Will]

Theoritically? Yes. Likely? No....
Most watersnakes, especially those you'll find in the lake, use shallow, rocky water as their hunting ground, but spend most time on land, in the banks, or on rocky shores. Yes, they cruise the water looking for small prey, but if you're skiing, you'll be way too far away from the bank (hopefully!) to encounter any. Now fishing on the other hand, can be a different story. If you're on a boat and fishing shallow water coves, rocky banks (which you should be), spend enough time on the water and you'll likely see a snake or two gliding through the water. However, it'll most likely not be poisonous, as copperheads really prefer to not swim, and the cottonmouth is a western TN species. If they are somewhat close to the boat, a quick smack on the water with the fishing rod usually serves enough warning to start heading in the opposite direction. If you're walking the bank fishing, our chances are upped, as you're entering their hunting grounds. Rocky banks, overhanging branches, hollow logs, stump beds, are all good hiding places. If you're walking, juast make sure and make enough noise to let them know you're coming, but not too much as to scare away the fish!

Long story short, if you're on a boat, I wouldn't worry about it at all, and take no extra precautions, unless you're in shallow water near the shore. Then just keep an eye out for moving sticks.....

[calitotennesee]

Thank you for the information. You are very informative.

At times water skiing requires sitting in shallow water to get started. Will this be a problem?

[kamoshika]

Originally Posted by pineywoods

We have creeks all through our property near Johnson City. Would a cottonmouth find its way into a farm creek?? We have twin grandsons, so this is a concern.

There's almost zero chance of that happening anywhere in NE Tennessee.

...the water snake and Copper Head are aggressive snakes and will actually seek you out to bite if you get too close to them.

Like cottonmouths, I think of them as being "defensively aggressive." Compared to most other snakes, they're not as fearful and thus less likely to back down from an encounter, and they're more apt to strike. But if you simply back away from them, they won't mess with you.

Water snakes. . .oh dear, if you fish or waterski, is there a chance of running into one of these?

Yes, especially while fishing. They're nothing to be concerned about, however. I've seen many in and near streams and never had any problems with 'em. Though not as shy as some of TN's snakes, they're not looking for trouble, either.

[IngleDave]

There was a chicken/rat snake on the trail behind our building the other day while walking. I told my friend to stand back as he's not too fond of the creatures. As the snake emerged from the grass onto the gravel path, I put my walking stick gently behind his head and, like I'm prone to do, picked him up. He measured almost 5 feet, pretty amazing. He wrapped his whole body around my forearm so I told my friend, "you may need to help me unwind this thing." "Okay, I will, but I'm NOT going to like it." He didn't have to, I unwound him myself.

These types of animals are very docile and don't spook easily. I even tried to get him to strike at the stick to show how they do it, but he wasn't interested. He was very calm in my hands, but I still kept his head confined between my thumb and forefinger. They have quite strong jaws and can pinch pretty hard. The only other thing is that they have very small, but sharklike teeth which can actually come off in your skin and are a bit tough to get out. So, don't let them bite you. They really don't want to, unless you handle them improperly. So, I put him down and off he went to police the area for mice and such.

My recommendation for those worried about snakes is to study up on the subject, learn what the dangerous ones look like and understand their habits and habitat. But, run of the mill snakes. Yeah, they'll startle you, but they certainly out to get you. Don't go willy nilly and start banging things at them trying to kill them. That's just barbaric and unnecessary. So there. Oh yeah, I found a little green snake on the path the other day. Yep, I had to pick him up too. He got a little peeved at me and started with the icky defense smell...so I put in a tree and let him climb away. On a lighter note, I saw a possum and found a turtle.