# Are Cottonmouths small game?   They are to The Kid... ?



## Railroader (Jun 11, 2021)

Scored his first moccasin yesterday with his .410 and a load of #8's...



Look close, too many holes in this one for a hatband...

Now, this snake did not die in vain.  I took the opportunity to point out the triangle head, slit eyes, fangs, pits, and layed him out in places to show just how well they blend in.  These important lessons are hard to teach safely with a live one...

We respectfully put him in a place where the coons could get him overnight.  We checked this morning, and sure enough, not a trace.

The Kid commented that he was glad the moccasin didn't go to waste...


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## Cool Hand Luke (Jun 11, 2021)

You done good on that lesson. Better than a bite for sure


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## Nicodemus (Jun 11, 2021)

Railroader said:


> Scored his first moccasin yesterday with his .410 and a load of #8's...
> 
> View attachment 1085014
> 
> ...




While I don`t kill em, I commend you for teaching your son the ways of Nature. One thing I`d like to correct you on, if I may. Forget the triangle head, because a banded water snake can flatten its head out to mimic a pit viper. All the other traits are good to go.


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## Railroader (Jun 11, 2021)

Thanks Nic, I'll pass that along...

This guy was inside the "Gun Line" near the house.  Can't allow no pi'sonus ones inside the gun line... ?

And BTW, he's muh gran'boy...


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## Hillbilly stalker (Jun 11, 2021)

Interesting info. I really didn't know,

https://www.wistv.com/2019/09/23/state-laws-prohibit-killing-snakes-georgia-south-carolina/

This is where "don't ask don't tell" really applies.


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## Railroader (Jun 11, 2021)

That is interesting, and I didn't know it either...Friendly snakes get a pass, unless Mz. RR finds em.



'Cause law don't go, round here...


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## furtaker (Jun 11, 2021)

That eye stripe gives away a cottonmouth.

Our late friend Germag on here taught me that.


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## Son (Jun 11, 2021)

No cottonmouth is safe around me. They are a nasty snake. I've been bitten twice, once in the 1960 while frog gigging. and once in the 1990's, while snorkling by a small one that was in a crack in a log. Largest I've killed, and measured with a tape was 5' 2" long. That's a whopper.


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## antharper (Jun 11, 2021)

Great lesson , even though I don’t kill them I don’t look down on ones that do . When I was that boys age in the woods with my .410 nothing was safe , especially a snake !


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## ddavis1120 (Jun 11, 2021)

Nicodemus said:


> Forget the triangle head, because a banded water snake can flatten its head out to mimic a pit viper. All the other traits are good to go.



In my neck of the woods the yellow bellied water snakes are even harder to distinguish than banded snakes because their coloring is so close to the moccasin population.  They flatten their heads and you have to get close and personal sometimes to figure out what is just ill tempered versus what is downright dangerous.


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## Nicodemus (Jun 12, 2021)

Old Yapper said:


> My wife's grandson conducting "funeral services" for a big copperhead he blasted as it was trying to bite his dog's little puppies who were nursing.
> Good riddance in my opinion.
> View attachment 1085029




Do you have a better picture of that snake? How long was it?


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## NCHillbilly (Jun 12, 2021)

Old Yapper said:


> My wife's grandson conducting "funeral services" for a big copperhead he blasted as it was trying to bite his dog's little puppies who were nursing.
> Good riddance in my opinion.
> View attachment 1085029


I would about kill for the hide off that thing. Very interesting pattern on it...


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## Hooked On Quack (Jun 12, 2021)

Old Yapper said:


> My wife's grandson conducting "funeral services" for a big copperhead he blasted as it was trying to bite his dog's little puppies who were nursing.
> Good riddance in my opinion.
> View attachment 1085029




Goot Lawd, I didn't know they got that big !!


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## Old Yapper (Jun 12, 2021)

Hooked On Quack said:


> Goot Lawd, I didn't know they got that big !!


Biggest one I ever saw.


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## Railroader (Jun 12, 2021)

Old Yapper said:


> Biggest one I ever saw.



Me too...Dang!


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## Nicodemus (Jun 12, 2021)

Hooked On Quack said:


> Goot Lawd, I didn't know they got that big !!




That`s because it was probably a Northern water snake. The pattern was off a little for a copperhead. That`s why I asked for a better picture.


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## NCHillbilly (Jun 12, 2021)

Nicodemus said:


> That`s because it was probably a Northern water snake. The pattern was off a little for a copperhead. That`s why I asked for a better picture.


It's got a wierd pattern , but I think it's a copperhead. Even has those dots between the hourglasses. It's a biggun, all right. I killed one back in the 80s that was 48" long. I chopped its head off with a shovel while it was striking at me. Never saw one anywhere even near that big before or since. The next biggest one I've ever seen was over a foot shorter. I made a hat band out of it.


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## Hooked On Quack (Jun 12, 2021)

First thing that came to mind sure wasn't a copperhead, what few I've run across aren't nowhere near that big.


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## mguthrie (Jun 14, 2021)

NCHillbilly said:


> It's got a wierd pattern , but I think it's a copperhead. Even has those dots between the hourglasses. It's a biggun, all right. I killed one back in the 80s that was 48" long. I chopped its head off with a shovel while it was striking at me. Never saw one anywhere even near that big before or since. The next biggest one I've ever seen was over a foot shorter. I made a hat band out of it.


We killed one on a job site once that was 42” long and big around as a soda can. It was under a stack of studs we were using. It’s a wonder my lumber toter didn’t get bit


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## NCHillbilly (Jun 14, 2021)

mguthrie said:


> We killed one on a job site once that was 42” long and big around as a soda can. It was under a stack of studs we were using. It’s a wonder my lumber toter didn’t get bit


The big one I killed was on a jobsite, too. There was a den of them behind a rock retaining wall that we were re-doing. We killed six altogether, if I remember right. They were all normal sized except that one.


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## bfriendly (Jul 25, 2021)

That’s a good looking G kid ya got there railroader! Great pose with the gun too! You gonna have a bunch of good times with that boy!


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