Snake Time!

"jminer" (jminer)
08/19/2020 at 12:45 • Filed to: None

I just went out to pick some tomatoes from my garden and nearly gave myself a heart attack.

I walked around to the side of the bed and something moved under my foot - looked down and I was standing on a rather large copperhead! AHHHHH!!!!! Next is a heart attack and me jumping back like 6 feet.

While I give myself a quick check to make sure I haven’t been bit this dude scoots over next to the house and tries hiding behind my downspout. Quick assessment and he’s about 4 foot long and nearly 2 inches around - a big one.

I love snakes, but these guys don’t get to live near the house. Every other snake native to Missouri gets a free pass on my property but these dudes. When my wife was a kid she got bitten by one and barely survived it plus the antivenom so they get treated with extreme prejudice. I usually encounter 3-4 a year on my property but this one was less than 10 feet from my garage door!

DISCUSSION (27)

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > jminer
08/19/2020 at 12:49

Cotton mouth?

E90M3 > jminer
08/19/2020 at 12:50

Kinja'd!!!

Must have forgotten.

E90M3 > jminer
08/19/2020 at 12:50

Kinja'd!!!

Must have forgotten.

TheRealBicycleBuck > jminer
08/19/2020 at 12:56

I’ve dealt with several snakes around the house, including a couple of cotton mouths. As you say, most get a free pass and usually a toss over the fence into the acreage behind us. The poisonous ones are a different story.

jminer > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
08/19/2020 at 12:59

This was a Copperhead - cottonmouths only live in a couple places in Missouri and I’m too far from the a large body of water for this to be one of them.

jminer > E90M3
08/19/2020 at 13:00

Throughout most of my property I watch where I walk, but I was picking tomatoes right next to the house so I didn’t...

I encountered one earlier this summer when mowing the grass, looked down and the push mower passed just over it and there it was between my feet untouched...

jminer > TheRealBicycleBuck
08/19/2020 at 13:05

Yep - we encourage the other snakes as they keep down the bug and rodent population but these guys get shot.

This guy was in front of the house not long ago. About 6 feet long, he got shooed off the road so noone ran him over but otherwise unmolested.

Kinja'd!!!

i86hotdogs > jminer
08/19/2020 at 13:06

My city slicker dad was walking around my college house one weekend. Went to kick what he thought was a stick. I never saw him run so fast in my life. Cute lil garter snake.

jminer > i86hotdogs
08/19/2020 at 13:10

Ha! I grew up in rural Missouri and loved snakes so I can identify them all pretty quickly, used to keep garter and green snakes in my pocket to screw with my sister and mom.

When I was young and saw a snake it was first identify then if not a copperhead dive into the bushes or grass after it and catch it. Got bit a few times but also caught (then let go) a lot of snakes.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > jminer
08/19/2020 at 13:15

We only get Garter snakes here. Targa saw one the other day and it freaked her out. I guess, somewhere deep down in the DNA, the fear of snakes is still there.

i86hotdogs > jminer
08/19/2020 at 13:16

Oh yeah, after laughing for what felt like hours, I caught the “stick” and showed my dad the little guy that spooked him so much.

There arent many in metro Cleveland, almost caught a few

Sovande > jminer
08/19/2020 at 13:20

My grandfather used to mow his grass on his property with a 22 rifle in a sheath on the side of the Cub Cadet. He was always quite a site: Small guy with a straw hat, light blue speedo and a pair of low top chucks and a gun slung across the little riding mower.

MoCamino > jminer
08/19/2020 at 13:24

I have lived in Missouri almost all my life. Spent a lot of time on rivers and lakes when I was a kid . Most snakes get a free pass, due to their propensity for eating mice. (I accidentally ran over a 7 ft black snake with the lawnmower last summer. I almost cried.) But copperheads and cottonmouths? Nope, sorry, it’s time for my best Joe Miner impersonation and off come their head. (Yeah, I went to UMR, too.) Venomous = a danger to me, my wife, and kids = goodbye permanently.

Glad you didn’t get bitten. My understanding is a copperhead ‘ probably’ won’t kill a healthy adult, but they will put you through a world of hurt.

kanadanmajava1 > jminer
08/19/2020 at 13:36

I like snakes but my yard is completely reptile free (unless my pet tortoise gets some yard time) . I live in a way too populated area for snakes .

The majority of our snakes are common European vipers. Quite small (less than one meter long ) but still venomous. The grass snake is our second most common snake but they are quite rare . They are a bit larger than the vipers but non venomous. The third one is the smooth snake and it’s a non venomous relative of the grass snake. It’s smallest of the bunch but lives only on our largest island.

W e also have slowworms but they aren’t snakes . They are legless lizards and smaller than our snakes (but larger than our two species of legged lizards ) . They are of course non venomous. Here’s one.

Kinja'd!!!

jminer > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
08/19/2020 at 13:37

Yeah you’re far enough north I wouldn’t expect many reptiles to be around.

jminer > Sovande
08/19/2020 at 13:38

That would be quite a sight! I’ll admit I’ve mowed with a 22 revolver before for this same reason though.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > jminer
08/19/2020 at 13:39

You’d be surprised. We have rattlesnakes and everything here in the desert regions of BC and AB

jminer > MoCamino
08/19/2020 at 13:42

Oof on the black snake! I came across this guy a few weeks ago on my road and spent like 15 minutes convincing him to move off the road while directing cars around him!

Kinja'd!!!

So am I! After I made sure I didn’t need an ambulance ride I went inside and warned the Mrs that a shotgun shot was coming. I t likely wouldn’t have killed me but definitely would have sent me to the hospital for a shot of antivenom and probably a few very unpleasant days working it all out of my system.

jminer > kanadanmajava1
08/19/2020 at 13:45

Le gless lizards are awesome !

I’m lucky enough to live out in the sticks on 2 acres of woods with much more adjoining it so there are snakes, lizards, birds and mammals everywhere. The occasional downside is that I have to shoot a copperhead every now and again.

Actually had one end up in my basement once, that was a very unpleasant hour to deal with him.

jminer > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
08/19/2020 at 13:46

I learn something new every day! I thought it was too cold for them to survive a winter up there.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > jminer
08/19/2020 at 13:52

It gets cold, but we still have a few (googling says 3 types of rattlers). Cool thing about Canada being so big is that we do have a (limited) amount of desert.

Kinja'd!!!