One of the most venomous snakes in the world.

Without a doubt a copperhead.

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
One of the most venomous snakes in the world.

They are plenty venomous, but nowhere near the top of the list.

https://www.untamedscience.com...ds-deadliest-snakes/

It is the most venomous snake in my backyard.

That is a cool hatband

quote:

Originally posted by GA Gator:
It is the most venomous snake in my backyard.

You should change that to:
WAS the most venomous snake in my back yard.

I'd be out there with rakes, shovels and other implements of destruction looking for the other one. Then I'd be looking for it's friends.

quote:

Originally posted by Abn556:
If it's in your yard kill it. Don't take a chance that it will bite someone.

"

Sage advice. It’s a Copperhead. Dispatched one last week in my yard. I have a granddaughter. No debate. No hesitation.

quote:

Originally posted by maladat:
They are plenty venomous, but nowhere near the top of the list.

We have one from that list here, the Mojave rattlesnake. In this general area, the predominant rattlers are Western Diamondbacks and Mojaves, with most being the Diamondbacks. But in our specific area (must be climate or elevation), we see mostly Mojaves. They are aggressive, and deliver both neuro- and tissue-toxic venom. They resemble the Diamondback in pattern, but there are several tells to distinguish them. Usually they are greenish in color, but not always, and the black/white tail bands are a different pattern, but again not always. The best tells are two distinct features of the head.

According to a presentation given by our county herpetologist, there is no antivenom for copperhead bites. Took me by surprise. I don't plan on testing his statement. I would test my .410 Mossberg Persuader if I found a copperhead in my yard.

quote:

Originally posted by randyman:
According to a presentation given by our county herpetologist, there is no antivenom for copperhead bites. Took me by surprise. I don't plan on testing his statement. I would test my .410 Mossberg Persuader if I found a copperhead in my yard.

hmm ... Copperhead bites – do they need antivenom?

Set fire to that wood pile

In the wild, I would marvel at its beauty. Near my pets and family, terminate with extreme prejudice.

Bruce

Woodpiles are kind of hard to build. Takes a lot of work and sweat. The way to flush a copperhead or rattlesnake out of a pile of wood or brush is with gasoline. The kind you use in your car or lawnmower. For whatever reason, they don't like the smell and while maybe enraged, they come out fast. Then kill it real dead.

The last one I ran into while hunting got itself killified. My method was simple, a 12 gauge blast of #6 from a few feet away. The problem was that a 12 ga has the nasty habit of removing the head, neck, and a few inches of body. Think pink mist. On the other hand, its easy to skin that way. No risk of bite from the now dissolved head and fangs.

Did I mention that I don't like snakes? Slithery slimy critters that are better off dead. Lawn mowers do an adequate job, too. The doomed snake lifts its head and then gets a haircut for its efforts. Kind of noisy to remove the head with a shotgun when in a suburban neighborhood. Neighbors are a pain. Rural ones tend to understand as most don't really like snakes.

It's easy, just roll the snake over and evaluate