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Not in the UP. Almost all of Wisconsin, Minnesota and Maine are also free of poisonous snakes.

I have used snake loads in 22,38,357,44mag and 45acp. The 44 capsules you load yourself are pretty effective on snakes. They're also damned good for old bulls that have decided never to leave the mesquite thickets. I guess you could put out an eye.I try to shoot them in the nose but with horse and bull moving who knows where I'm hitting. 2 or 3 hits have turned some rank turds around and they went right on to the corrals.
I have a 629 with a 3 inch barrel thats real handy horseback.

Fred

We have Massagua's, Prairie Rattlers and Timber Rattlers. They all merit killing, post-haste.

So far this year I'm up to seven rattlers. I dispatch them with my 1911 Colt Gunsite Pistol. One of my spare magazines are stoked with CCI .45 ACP shot shells. These cycle great through all my 1911's. Never had one not cycle. When I'm weeding, cutting brush and wood on the property I load the shot shells prior to starting work, along with putting on my snake gaiters. If I'm just out and about the gun is stoked with Federal 230 +p HST hollow points. When needed, I Tactical Load the shot shell magazine and run the slide while catching my HP.

My wife carries her Ruger LCR with the first two shots being .38 CCI shot shells. The rest are her carry loads. They also work well.

We live in northern Yavapai County, Az and I would rather live among rattlers than some people.

We have them in my area of S.E. Michigan....considered a "stronghold", as the snakes are considered "endangered". Have encountered a few while fishing (prior to being old enough for CC), and I will no longer hunt my dog in these areas until after the snow flies. We had a setter killed a year or two ago by rattlers in these "strong holds". One of the state parks is considered a "habitat", even though they have a butt load of hiking trails, picnic areas, etc.
....again, not until AFTER the snow flies!!!!

So is # 10 shot. I load it in .45 Colt, .44 Magnum, and .41 Magnum. Any of those with # 10 shot will flat take out a poisonous snake.

L.W.

I think i agree with you with that last comment, but in northern yavapai county it is sometimes hard to tell them apart.

I have loaded in all of those calibers pretty much the same way that Venturino suggested in his article. they work pretty good. What also works is a remington 1100 loaded with bird shot particularly after you reloaded a couple of times. I do hate snakes.

..snakes must like you guys.... I spent 11 years camping and hunting in Texas and think I saw a half-dozen snakes... I had a 30 acre place 50 miles east of Dallas and rarely saw a snake.

I have spent the last two months in the boonies of Idaho and yesterday saw my first snake skin...no snake just a shed...

Was going to buy some snake shot for my .41 Magnum and glad I didn't waste the money...

Mackay is always running into snakes...they must know he doesn't like them....

Bob

It depends greatly on where you are.

The first 18 years of my life I'd never seen a venomous snake in the wild. Moved to deep East Texas and within a week I'd been bitten by a copperhead. Seeing them and cottonmouths became very commonplace on our farm not to mention a litany of non-venomous ones. Over the next 20 or so years back in North Texas, again, no venomous snakes. Then I bought some land and built a house in a rural area and WOW...rattlesnakes everywhere, but it's very rare to see a non-venomous model.

You must have been out around Canton.

It really does. I don't know that I've ever seen a venomous snake on this place but about a mile from here, there's a stretch running north and south that is just full of rattlers. Always has been. We've farmed the area for generations, and my Dad talked about walking around during droughts in the 30's and hearing the rattlers down in the cracks buzzing.

I think I'll have to try this combination load soon: http://www.gunblast.com/Snake_Stopper.htm

Any of you guys tried flechette loads on snakes? Little pieces of cut wire instead of shot?

No but I'd like to fool with it. There are some Cuban frogs around that need punishment. Wife won't kill them, relocated them for awhile but they hopped back.

That is a violation of The Hague Convention!

Problem is, the CCI .38/.357 shot loads been gone for months at ZlGS and net sites. Had to resort to BB 150 HCWC loads x 2 on a roadside buzzer last month. Missed bad first shot.

I have had good luck with normal size snakes (2-4') with the crimped .22, but 10' is way too far . 4-5' much better and they just melt. I used to carry an air weight J-frame ..38 with two shot capsules first up. The second one usually came forward and locked up the gun from recoil. . So I went to a stainless 60. Not too bad but I have had the first up capsule slip forward from carry in the holster. A drop or two of super glue is recommed.

I am at the ranch a good bit on a metal Mule. A twenty guage, 20" single shot rests in an unzipped gun case just in front of the steering wheel across the dash, loaded with #8s. It works every time. For handguns, the judge or similar would be hard to beat.

Years ago, I knew an old rancher that had a ..45 Colt SAA without rifling ( yes, I know). He worked the ranch with shot shells first up. He said that if he needed hard lead, it would be close, and for that, it worked just fine. For distance, the trusty .30-30.

I'm with Venturo about the #12 shot.

Our snake sightings are down, but not gone. They seem to run in cycles.

Jack

..was only in Canton a few times to go to the flea market....

My place was in Greenville and as for hunting was just about everywhere but the Panhandle...

Bob

Used to shoot mice in an old refrigerator car with CCI LR shotshells out of a 4 3/4" revolver. You could see the pattern on the dust of that old makeshift granary. Past 10 feet, a mouse had a pretty good chance of escaping, even if centered with the pattern. Inside of 10 feet, it usually stopped them cold. The magnum shotshells added about a foot to that!