When I was younger, putting up hay, we had one farm down the road that was nothing but a big hill. We farmed the top with corn,sides with hay, but there were a lot of rock cliffs nearby.This place was swarming with copperheads. It was nothing to find 4-5 copperheads that slid under the bales after it was left in the filed for the next few days after each baling.

Preferred way to pick up hay was to hook the bale and roll it 90 degrees towards you to see in any were under the bale. An old single shot 12 gauge was clipped to the light bar of the International H, and every copper head got killed right then.

It was common to find dead ones that were baled up as we were feeding the dairy cows in the winter.
A neighbor friend got a few bales on year to put in his beagle dog boxes. I guess one was still alive because after it warmed up in the dog box, it bit the dog and killed it .I don't know how the snake got thru the baler knives an still lived, but when we went over the dog wa dying and the snake was still in the box.

Damn copperheads, you don't get any warning.

Last edited by saddlesore; 06/11/21.
If God wanted you to walk and carry things on your back, He would not have invented stirrups and pack saddles