What do u know about Copperhead snakes?????

[shekrazee]

i'm sorry to disagree with you about the vipers. i've been living in the country all my life and have dispatched many copperheads. my weapon of choice is a shovel or hoe. the most likely is a motor vehicle as they cross into a road. there's no mistaking a copperheads coloring, or their body and head. they love warm sunny spots, viny thickets and places they can snag mice, baby birds, etc. they love barns especially under bales of hay where they await hapless mice or careless horse feeders. my dad caught a glimpse of something one morning when he went to feed the horses in my place because i was late for school. he took the pitchfork and turned over the bale of hay and a huge copperhead was coiled underneath. he was so shaken he emptied a whole clip shooting at it eventually killing it. carefully pulled it out of the barn with the pitchfork to measure a 42'' COPPERHEAD. two weeks later he killed another one in the same spot that measured 36''. copperheads that size were very mature, they seldom reach that length. over a period of many years we ran across them on a regular basis, slithering across the road, sidewalk, driveway, in the yard. there was always usually a shovel, a hoe or some implement of death that could be used to disable and kill the snake. we drastically reduced their population on our farm, even though one would occasionally cross our path, it never lived to harm anyone or anything. one evening with mother was taking a walk with our staffordshire terrier, he got bitten on his flew while he got between the snake and mother because she didn't see it even on the asphalt driveway. after the melee she screamed for daddy and he ran down and killed the snake and grabbed the dog and found the puncture marks and squeezed as much venom out of pepper's lip and immediately took him to the vet. we always felt like it was better to kill one than let it go about it's merry way and take a chance it would eventually bite an innocent victim.
a copperhead is not a snake to be trifled with the young have bright yellow tips on their tails and will strike at anything. and one to develop a sixth sense about. always be aware that there are areas they are likely to be and carry a staff when you ambulate on your property. wear good boots or shoes and watch where you're walking. watch where you put your hands, don't pilpher around in piles of leaves, honeysuckle, ivy covered tree trunks, a favorite resting place, walk quickly through tall grassy areas. in the south you can be sure they're there, under fallen trees, rotten leaves. they've fallen into swimming pools and usually can't get out or will swim until they get into the skimmer, look before you reach into one to clean it out, and if you think you see something bobbing along the edge of the pool, check it out before you get in. i turned into Jesus one evening after i came upon a SNAKE IN THE POOL, AND yes you know it was.

the worst part is they blend so well with fallen leaves even when you're looking right at them, unless they move you don't see them. oh, and they do climb trees and stretch out on limbs, i've seen them fall out of trees into creeks.... i'm 62 now and my days of raking and rambling are pretty much done but i'm still moving about with my eye's ever watching for reptiles. i've been fortunate to have only come in contact with garden snakes in my mulch piles and an occasional and welcome king snake, oh and any snake will bury in a warm mulch pile especially if it sits there for a while, but they'll be on the bottom where the heat is.

if you step on one or come in contact with one and get bitten. TRY YOUR BEST NOT TO PANIC AND STAY AS STILL AS POSSIBLE AND GET HELP IMMEDIATELY. unless you know what you're doing, don't get near one or if you know an individual that is EXPERIENCED in their dealings with snakes get them quickly and let them kill it.