I Hate Snakes

[thumper113]

I hope you don't put your faith on cottonmouths not biting in the water to save your life.  They can and do. 

Back when I was a teen we lost a stringer of crappy to them.  They were biting the fish and trying to swim off with them.  We lost 6 nice crappie because of the fang holes in them. 

And like many other snakes, cottonmouths will den up.  I've never seen the mess of them or balls as described here, but a pest control company I worked for cleared 38 of them from under a house.  They brought in a snake guy who crawled in and caught them one by one.

The owner of our company had been in the business for more than 30 years and he'd never seen anything like it.

I hate cottonmouths.  Only snake I've seen that will go out of its way to pick a fight.

[Duke0313]

Several years ago a young man of 21 years was walking along a lake on the edge of St. Louis. Somehow he fell in the water. Right into a mass of Cotton Mouths. Don't know if it was a nest or what but the news report stated he was covered with bites. As you might expect he was dead when they found him.

Myth; I challenge anyone to produce a verified example of the dreaded "nest of cottonmouths".

also consider that cotton mouths cannot strike under water, and are severely slowed while swimming.  At the waters edge, perhaps, but not in the water.

Don't you believe it! Cottonmouths CAN indeed strike while under the water! This is an old wives tale that has caused more than a few unfortunate souls to be bitten.

[KIMBER45]

Several years ago a young man of 21 years was walking along a lake on the edge of St. Louis. Somehow he fell in the water. Right into a mass of Cotton Mouths. Don't know if it was a nest or what but the news report stated he was covered with bites. As you might expect he was dead when they found him.

Myth; I challenge anyone to produce a verified example of the dreaded "nest of cottonmouths".

also consider that cotton mouths cannot strike under water, and are severely slowed while swimming.  At the waters edge, perhaps, but not in the water.

Don't you believe it! Cottonmouths CAN indeed strike while under the water! This is an old wives tale that has caused more than a few unfortunate souls to be bitten.

Yes they can. If snakes can't bite underwater, how do they catch and eat fish ?

[Swampman]

Very few have ever seen a cotton mouth since their range is very very limited.

       Not sure where you came up with that.  Their range is rather extensive, encompassing most of the south.

Exactly just the south.  Most people have never seen one.  They don't know a water snake from a cotton mouth.

[SHOOTALL]

Very few have ever seen a cotton mouth since their range is very very limited.

       Not sure where you came up with that.  Their range is rather extensive, encompassing most of the south.

Exactly just the south.  Most people have never seen one.  They don't know a water snake from a cotton mouth.

Guess I'm lucky , one of the places I shoot is about 300 yards from the Great Dismal Swamp and I have seen cotton mouths , copper heads , rattle snakes and several I don't know what they were . BTW "just the South" ? like what else matters ? 

[Brett]

Very few have ever seen a cotton mouth since their range is very very limited.

       Not sure where you came up with that.  Their range is rather extensive, encompassing most of the south.

Kimber, Appears that your map needs a little tweaking.  This is straight from the NC Dept. of Natural Resources.


http://naturalsciences.org/sites/default/files/files/documents/research-collections/Venomous_Snakes_of_NC.pdf


 

[Spirithawk]

Several years ago a young man of 21 years was walking along a lake on the edge of St. Louis. Somehow he fell in the water. Right into a mass of Cotton Mouths. Don't know if it was a nest or what but the news report stated he was covered with bites. As you might expect he was dead when they found him.

Myth; I challenge anyone to produce a verified example of the dreaded "nest of cottonmouths".

Well, if you have the energy and am so inclined then research old news reports in the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper for the 70's and you should be able to find the article about the young man's death. Sorry I can'r remember the exact year. The incident was in all the papers and broadcast on chamnnels 2, 3 and 11 news on tv. I can't recall the name of the lake but it was on the north east edge of St. Louis within sight of the Hwy 270 bridge over the Mississippi. A friend, who was a police officer at the time and helped retrieve the body, showed me the exact spot where it happened. So, if it was all just a myth then folks sure went far out of their way to spread it!

[SHOOTALL]

Floods often move snakes to areas they have not been seen before .

[mannyrock]

  The NC dept maps looks fairly accurate, but it cuts their range a little too much to the South.  Water mocassins were and still are common in Fairfax County, VA, directly south of D.C., especially in and around the swampy man-made lakes.   Saw one last summer at Burke Lake.  Also saw many in the Occoquan River area.  (I think this river may be the little black squiggle marked on the NC map, near the top of VA.)
 
   Lived in Memphis for 28 years, and my God, when it rained heavily, they would come out from the creeks and onto the swampy ground of the public rifle range at Shelby Farms Park  (2,000 acres, in the City limits, and yes, public shooting ranges.)  They were thick, brown and very aggressive.  The rangemaster would shoot them point blank with a handgun, primarily at the 100 yard mark, and drape their bodies over one of the target frames.  It was a scarey thing to walk out in that mushy area to check your targets.
 
Mannyrock

[mannyrock]

 
   Wait a minute, somebody is seriously contending that there no such things as nests of copperheads.  Oh come on, give me a break.
 
   No, I don't have the newspaper clipping.  But back around 1970, there was a large man-made lake in Richmond, near the James River.  Brown and muddy.   It was open to the public for swimming and had several large sliding boards.  (Next time I see my cousins from Richmond, I'll ask them the name.  I think it was Lake Chesterfield.)  On opening day, a boy struggled to be "the first" to go down the slide.  He did, alright, into a nest of copperheads.  Lots and lost of bites.  Dead within minutes of getting him out of the water.  I was 17 at the time and it really shook me up.  I was staying at my cousins house in Richmond for the summer when it happened.  I vowed never to swim in a lake again.  I never have!
 
Regards,  Mannyrock

[mcbammer]

Over   the   years   weve   had   hound   dogs   bitten  and   its   a sight   to   see   when   their   head    swells   3  times   its  normal   size  .   They    somehow   managed    to   live    thru   it  .   

[keith44]

a sea snake is not a cotton mouth, and while they can clamp down and bite, they cannot strike underwater

[mcbammer]

I  dont   know   if   a   cotton   mouth   strike   under   water .   But    I    was    done   on   a   creek    fishing    and    noticed my    stinger    of   catfish     trying    to    pull   lose  .  picked   up    the    end   and   a   cottonmouth    was   clamped   down    with   a   mouthful   of    catfish .

[Spirithawk]

We definitely have our share of them here in southern Missouri. A few years back I had a close call with one. I had just crossed a creek and as I stepped over a log it felt like I got punched hard on my right hip. I know, my mistake, I should have walked around the log rather than step over it.  Anyhow, looking down there was a Cotton Mouth coiled and ready to strike again. I quickly killed it as I didn't have much choice. It is amazing how hard they hit you.  I just knew I was in deep trouble as I was alone and miles from home and have serious heart problems. I pulled my jeans down and there on my hip was a fist sized bruise already forming. I was puzzled because there were no fang holes to be seen. Then I realised what saved me. I had my keys and a pocket full of change which blocked the bite. I haven't seen near as many Cotton Mouths as I have Copperheads and Rattlers but they are definetly here. Several years ago a young man of 21 years was walking along a lake on the edge of St. Louis. Somehow he fell in the water. Right into a mass of Cotton Mouths. Don't know if it was a nest or what but the news report stated he was covered with bites. As you might expect he was dead when they found him.

http://www.ehow.com/info_7857968_difference-between-copperhead-water-moccasin.html

I don't need an aticle to tell the differance. I've lived 58 years among them and telling the differance was a lesson taught  me  years ago. I know well what a common water snake looks like too as well as Blue Racers, King snakes, Hog Nosed snakes, Ground snakes, Green snake and Garden snakes. Experience is a much better teacher than just reading about them. Once you've seen a venemous snake up close and personal you tend not to forget what they look like.

[Nuke41]

   Wait a minute, somebody is seriously contending that there no such things as nests of copperheads.  Oh come on, give me a break.
 
   No, I don't have the newspaper clipping.  But back around 1970, there was a large man-made lake in Richmond, near the James River.  Brown and muddy.   It was open to the public for swimming and had several large sliding boards.  (Next time I see my cousins from Richmond, I'll ask them the name.  I think it was Lake Chesterfield.)  On opening day, a boy struggled to be "the first" to go down the slide.  He did, alright, into a nest of copperheads.  Lots and lost of bites.  Dead within minutes of getting him out of the water.  I was 17 at the time and it really shook me up.  I was staying at my cousins house in Richmond for the summer when it happened.  I vowed never to swim in a lake again.  I never have!
 
Regards,  Mannyrock

http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/waterski.asp
 
If you find proof otherwise please post it.
 
 

[Spirithawk]

   Wait a minute, somebody is seriously contending that there no such things as nests of copperheads.  Oh come on, give me a break.
 
   No, I don't have the newspaper clipping.  But back around 1970, there was a large man-made lake in Richmond, near the James River.  Brown and muddy.   It was open to the public for swimming and had several large sliding boards.  (Next time I see my cousins from Richmond, I'll ask them the name.  I think it was Lake Chesterfield.)  On opening day, a boy struggled to be "the first" to go down the slide.  He did, alright, into a nest of copperheads.  Lots and lost of bites.  Dead within minutes of getting him out of the water.  I was 17 at the time and it really shook me up.  I was staying at my cousins house in Richmond for the summer when it happened.  I vowed never to swim in a lake again.  I never have!
 
Regards,  Mannyrock

http://www.snopes.com/critters/snakes/waterski.asp
 
If you find proof otherwise please post it.

I think most of us believe what we've seen with our own eyes over something someone sitting in an office somewhere writes. Not to mention that things on  Snopes have been questioned and found wrong many many times.

[streak]

a sea snake is not a cotton mouth, and while they can clamp down and bite, they cannot strike underwater

Tell that to some of those guys years ago that were doing seismic work in the Indian Ocean and sometimes had get into the water to repair equipment!

[SHOOTALL]

So why can't a snake strike under water ?  Some snakes can propell themselves very well in/under water so they don't need to coil to strike and some strike and use their fangs to capture prey .

[Victor3]

Victor3
Off Topic: Could you post about the boiling and deboneing. I didn't know that was part of the process. When I fry them, bones in, the meat I could eat was about like a pencil of each backstrap.
-
 "Recipies Wild Game or Not"  would appreciate your knowledge, includeing your recipies.  thanks, ear

 I've cooked them various ways over the years but have found that simmering for an hour (just enough water to keep the meat covered) with a lemon squeezed into the water makes the meat tender, less gamey and easy to pull more from the bones.
 
 IIRC, there are a few recipes already in the "Recipies Wild Game or Not" forum. I use the meat as a substitute anywhere one might use chicken or beef.

[52bagman]

Not going too deep into the weeds, A cotton mouth will float with body high in the water, a regular water snakes body will be mostly submerged with only the head sticking out.

[JBlk]

There is a reason why the snake and wolf populations were reduced.I am sure that the creator has a reason for them but they do create a hazard for the general population.I would be happy to donate my share to .anyone so inclined to receive them.

[nw_hunter]

I grew up in Tennessee with Copperheads and Rattlers everywhere.  I now live in the only state that does not have snakes.  Don't need to worry about snakes when wading through tall grass or brush.

I thought you folks in Alaska had the infamous (Snow Snake) The deadly one, that crawled up."You Know" and froze you to death!

[keith44]

a sea snake is not a cotton mouth, and while they can clamp down and bite, they cannot strike underwater

Tell that to some of those guys years ago that were doing seismic work in the Indian Ocean and sometimes had get into the water to repair equipment!

cotton mouth snakes in the Indian ocean?? I doubt that

[keith44]

So why can't a snake strike under water ?  Some snakes can propell themselves very well in/under water so they don't need to coil to strike and some strike and use their fangs to capture prey .

SOME can, just not the cotton mouth, something to do with the muscle structure and how they tend to be head up in the water instead of being neutrally buoyant.  Also the fast motion of a strike with the fangs out or forward cause too much resistance in the water for this snake.  On top, or out of the water is another matter.

[streak]

a sea snake is not a cotton mouth, and while they can clamp down and bite, they cannot strike underwater

Tell that to some of those guys years ago that were doing seismic work in the Indian Ocean and sometimes had get into the water to repair equipment!

cotton mouth snakes in the Indian ocean?? I doubt that

Somehow keith44, either you or I got sidetracked on these post!
I am referring to sea snakes in the Indian Ocean!

[Duke0313]

Well, what do you refer to as a "strike?" A cottonmouth can and WILL bite and inject venom under water. I've seen it...completely ruined a boy scout camping trip when I was 15. One of the boys had always been told that a cottonmouth won't strike under water so he stuck his leg in the water to kick at one and (surprise, surprise) he was bitten and envenomated...UNDER WATER! He went to the hospital, the camping trip was cancelled and we were all driven home.
Never saw him again, but I heard he lost a couple of toes afterwards.
That was July 1978 on the Mulberry River in Arkansas.

[keith44]

so all the snake had to do as the boy was kicking was open it's mouth and bite...


striking and biting are very different,  a strike is an aggressive move, where the bite is defensive in that the snake does not move its body but the bitten person or thing is very close to the snakes mouth and usually moving toward the snake.

[SHOOTALL]

A snake can move very agressive in water , I have even seen them coil ready to strike as a boat passed and on one trip one almost made it in the boat as it struck at the boat , paddle changed his mind.

[chefjeff]

In NC, if you kill a rattlesnake,a wildlife resource officer can give you a ticket.We have three kinds of rattlers I know of on the coast. One found nowhere else in the world.Also copperheads,real cottonmouths.Used to be a couple "red on yellow-kill a fellow", but I've not heard tell of one in 25 years.

[mcbammer]

Lets   see   some   snake   pics.