Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Damn Copperheads!

Yes, websterparish47, when I was a paramedic in Georgia we were taught that about 50 percent of bites from poisonous snakes were non envenomated. That is, the snake did not inject poison.
'Ol copperhead got scared and bit the guy but at the last moment realized he couldn't kill a human, or, if he did, couldn't eat him so did not release venom.
Among the three major species in America, the rattlesnake has the most poisonous venom, the cottonmouth is second, and the copperhead is third.
So, almost impossible for a human to die by copperhead bite.

My 32 pound dog got nailed on the forearm by a copperhead, took her to the vet. He loaded her up on antibiotics but did not administer antivenin. Said, it was nearly impossible even for a small dog to be killed by a copperhead.
It was nasty, the wound got laid open and festered for a week or more, really nasty, but then it healed up and my poor doggie was ok once again.

So, safe to say the mother in law will recover. I hope she does well.

By the way, if you are ever in a situation in which you fear someone was bitten by a poisonous snake, the number one symptom is swelling. Massive swelling.
I have seen a man who was bitten by a Georgia timber rattler, his forearm was the size of a football.

Massive swelling within 10 minutes. If you are dealing with a snake bite, and 20 minutes have passed and there is redness etc, but no swelling, you can relax. Get the dead snake if possible and head up to the ER, get a tetanus shot and call it a night.
No swelling no poison.

And, why should you be cautious about managing a snake bite? Because the antivenin is a powerful drug. Did you know that some people are allergic to antivenin? Did you know that some people die because they are given antivenin?

Be rational, and be careful about trusting your fate to the tender mercies of the docs and nurses in the ER.

Sorry to hear of this, hope she heals up quickly!

When we were kids rattlers were commonplace.
We never got bit and never had much fear of them, but copperheads still scare the bejeezus out of me.

Dogs are more valuable than any damn snake. Especially poisonous ones. Snake anywhere around or in the yard is DRT as the campfire likes to say.

I don't know why anyone would not kill the bad ones around the house.

You can let the others eat the mice.

I agree with Gunner on snakes! Here's a 15 second video of my favorite snake gun in action :

Kings get a pass here, in fact, a couple two or three live in and around our yard, copperheads, rattlers and cotton mouth/moccasins get an ounce and an eighth of 7.5's.

Sorry to hear this Bob. Prayers offered up. miles

I wish my MIL would get bit by one of them or a Cobra, Black Mamba or Gibbon Viper, just can find an importer to get one to California!

Best Wishes for your sons MIL.

that's a decent sized copperhead!

Well if its any consolation, she did manage to kill the literal Hell out of it! Only about a foot long. Lucky thing is she keeps our youngest grandson. He had been out playing in the same flower bed earlier. He was in napping so she figgered she could get some work done while he was asleep. Glad it wasn't that little turd chunkin' primate that got bit!!!

Yes that was a big snake. Here I am rooting him out from the lid of the propane tank.
See, Mrs. Mouse would go up in there and make a nest and have babies. Mr. Copperhead went up there for dinner, and just stuck around. This was the third copperhead I found up in there, so I got these snake tongs off of ebay for 45 bucks.




Here is the viper in the cooler. I put him in the cooler and drove him way out into the country and turned him loose. Hate to kill any of God's creatures if I don't have to.
Also got 2 king snakes and 3 corn snakes in that same lid to the propane tank. A corn snake is almost identical to the copperhead.
The best way to tell a poisonous snake is, the poisonous snake has a big broad head. Looks like an arrowhead. On the copperhead the head is about 2 times bigger than the body.
On the corn snake the head is the same size as the body.

Corn snakes, and king snakes eat mice and rats! You don't want to kill an innocent snake they are your friends.

That is a big copperhead. I've seen a lot around my area in SC but I don't remember ever seeing one that big.

I hope so as well. Had a girl I coached get bit. Her grand dad took her down to the stream on his property in his Gator. When she stepped out at the edge of the field she stepped on a copperhead. She missed the playoffs and I'm sure it cost her parents a small fortune for treatment as she did get a dose of venom. She was always a very quiet girl but she was tough as nails and came back the next season.

I told the other girls the snake died from biting her!

Doc Eyeball wants to know if you haul God's flys and skeeters way out to the country, too?

Never met a snake I liked. Hope she gets well soon.

Girlfriend has quit asking me to kill spiders or flies, I open the window and toss them outside.
A hornet gets into the house, I kill him, don't want to get stung. Don't like to kill any of God's creatures.

Prayers sent Bob.

Bob - sorry to hear this and praying she is OK. How is she doing?

Will say a prayer for her tonight before I go to sleep. Here's a tip my older neighbor gave us a few years back.....spray the garden with the hose before you go in to pick. Helps get them on their way !!

Best wishes for a positive outcome there Bob...