Got Copperheads?

[OK Hog Shooter]

I've got a "farm" in central OK that's mostly heavy native timber, lots of deadfall and rock outcrops, full of mice, woodrats and bunnies. Great snake fodder and perfect habitat for bull snakes, rat snakes, king snakes, black snakes, copperheads and timber rattlers. In the 6 years I've had this acreage I've seen one copperhead and one rattler. I haven't seen any snakes at all this year to date. I've had a fascination with snakes since I was a kid and can pretty well identify them all, which serves me well as I've built almost all of my trails by hand using a chain saw and axe. All the snakes I've seen while working deep in the woods have been non-poisonous. If there was an adundance of copperheads and rattlers I should have seen more.

 

[DeadAye]

I've posted this before, but I'll do it again.
A Scoutmaster friend of mine was showing the Scouts how to pick up a CopperHead without getting bit. He got bit. It was July 4th. The bite was more like a scrape on the web part of his thumb.
I saw him again at Christmas. His hand was the size of a football and looked TERRIBLE !!!
He said it was much better.

Leave the snakes alone!

 

[sparkgap]

This is a good Missouri snake. This is at the 67 Gun Club in Farmington. We have no mice in our buildings and I'm told they kill copperheads.

I believe this Black Snake would go 6-7'.

Bob

 

[Bullet Bob]

This cute little fella was sunning himself outside my garage today when I opened the door to take out the grill.

I used a push broom to gently move him toward the woods before my cat came out and noticed a new toy. It was about 3&1/2 - 4 feet long. He (or she for all I know) was funny. A couple of times he would raise his head - not to strike, but seemingly to say "hey man, what's the deal?".