Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Copperhead on the Propane Tank

The southerns, as I said are slimmer, often lighter in color and the hourglass bands will be broken about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way down. In some areas Ive found both....

One that could have been that ones twin bit the wife's poodle on the nose. She lived about 3 hours. They don't get a second chance around here any more.

Most snakes I leave alone. Copperheads and rattlers are killed on sight.

I am from central Georgia, where we had plenty of copperheads, along with rattlesnakes, and lots and lots of water moccasins in the Oconee River swamps.
Up here in the wilderness of the NC mountains, no rattlers or water moccasins. But we do have copperheads.

Like someone said, I have had quite a few snakes on my propane tank. Have hardly ever seen a snake on my 48 acres, on the ground.
See, Mrs. Mouse likes to build a nest on top of the propane tank. The snakes climb up there to eat the mice, and then they stick around.
I have caught 2 corn snakes and 3 black snakes under that propane tank lid.
One time, there was a corn snake and a black snake up there together, I'm not sure what they were up to but I think it is illegal here in the Deep South.
Gotta be careful with the corn snake, color is almost identical to the copperhead. The tell-tale difference is, the corn snake's head is the same diameter as the body, where the copperhead has the arrow head shaped head, and is about twice as wide as the body.

Over the years I have killed 2 copperheads that I caught on the tank but it bothered me.
I just don't like to kill one of God's creatures if I can help it.
So I got my snake tongs off of ebay. Now it is "catch and release."

Funny you mention that. I'm pretty sure we have both around here. I killed one week before last that I am sure was a Southern, but the biggest I have ever encountered over in Harlan was marked up like the pictures I saw of a Northern.

The wildcard, was one I killed in a marijuana field in Knott County, (Eastern Kentucky) that was so dark that it looked to be black, all but the head which was as bright copper colored as a new penny. After I shot it to doll rags, I was able to see the hourglass markings on it's dark hide, but I've always been the shoot first type when it comes to serpents.

I don't mind snakes in the main, fondled one today as a matter of fact. There's a few I truly despise however and copperheads are near the top of the short list. Next time, back up about 50 yards and shoot the propane tank with a .30cal tracer. There ain't no exit like a blaze of glory.

To each his own, my friend. As a Kentuckian, I have to say that anyone who uses the handle of Simon Kenton is alright by me.

I was interested to learn, as a kid, that Simon Kenton was a tough son of a beech, and contemporary of Daniel Boone.

Good luck with your catch and release regimen.

How do you keep a bird dog alive down there?

Went out to address my dogs barking the other night - been a lot of skunks around lately, and the smell of the last one they killed had just about gone away. Turned out to be a huge rattler just outside the gate to their yard. We just don't see those around here, especially against my office wall. I grabbed my pellet gun because it was close, but I don't think it hurt him much. Damn thing had an industrial strength rattle, loud buzz for sure. Slithered off before I could get the .410 and kill it. We are in the city limits and not really supposed to shoot firearms, but if I see that one again I will shoot him, then call the police and turn myself in. Scary, don't want to bump into him in the dark.

I love Oregon.

I've not been a city policeman in many moons, but if I got a call of shots fired in the limits and pulled up to find that someone had bumped off a heavyweight champion Rattler, I gotta give a BYE to the shooter on that one.

Be careful in your yard.

Pretty snake. But they bite my dogs and I kill every one I see around the yard/house.

I sure find that hard to believe. We have 220 year old family owned property down the road and we find several on a monthly basis. However, I am not questioning what you do not see Unto Those Hills.

Maybe they do not cross the road!!

Nice copperhead. Have not seen one on my property just around the corner from you. Seen rattlers in East TN, Haywood county and Transylvania County. In the woods they get a bye as long as they are off the trail. At home, no.

Right on, byc; if that snake bites a human, they'll be in for a world of hurt & copperheads don't give any warnings, they just bite.

BIL got bit a couple of years ago by a rattler.........he was damned lucky he didn't lose his hand or worse.

I kill every damned poisonous snake I see.

MM

Speaking to the serpent in the Garden, God says, �And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel� (Genesis 3:15)

Killin one would be pretty OK in God's eye..

For me, venomous snakes are the Devils creatures and I shoot them on sight.

All the liberals... almost as bad

My wife ran over one about this big at the mail box a few years ago. Since then I have seen one other large one and quite a few babies/small ones. The little ones freak me out a little because I know the adults are around somewhere. The little one can be pretty darn aggressive as well. They get more active during daylight hours this time of year, so watch yourselves when out and about.

Oregon has plenty of venomous snakes as well as liberals. They just don't tend to live in the same areas.