# Poisonous a.k.a. Venemous Snake Killing



## FireMedic380 (Aug 15, 2008)

There is a thread on here trying to justify an opinion of how many hunters are stupid, ignorant, and uneducated about harmful (to humans) snakes. I am interested what the general opinion is in a statistical sense.

Do you kill poisonous/venemous snakes when you encounter them in the woods? Not your yard or passing them on the highway. Thanks.


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## FireMedic380 (Aug 15, 2008)

I'm pro death penalty on the matter!


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## CAL (Aug 15, 2008)

FireMedic380 said:


> I'm pro death penalty on the matter!



Likewise!


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## CPiper (Aug 15, 2008)

To create a poll to "justify" ignorance and hypocricy by asking other sportsman/hunters to support your view is silly and immature.

There is no way to justify killing a snake unless the snake needs to be killed for identification purposes if it bite someone.

This poll will show the number of people who need to be educated.
It will also show the number of hunters who SAY one thing but do another.


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## Fishin & Hunting (Aug 15, 2008)

I hate snakes, but I will not kill the non poisonous ones.

And I know I should not kill the poisonous ones, but I just feel safer knowing that they aren't around any more.


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## Jay Hughes (Aug 15, 2008)

CPiper said:


> To create a poll to "justify" ignorance and hypocricy by asking other sportsman/hunters to support your view is silly and immature.
> 
> There is no way to justify killing a snake unless the snake needs to be killed for identification purposes if it bite someone.
> 
> ...



Are you the VP for PETA?  

Just kidding!  

There is only two kinds of snakes.  A chicken snake and a rattlesnake.  If it doesn't have a chicken in it's mouth, then it's a rattlesnake!


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## Shane Dockery (Aug 15, 2008)

Jay Hughes said:


> Are you the VP for PETA?
> 
> Just kidding!
> 
> There is only two kinds of snakes.  A chicken snake and a rattlesnake.  If it doesn't have a chicken in it's mouth, then it's a rattlesnake!


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## ldw308 (Aug 15, 2008)

my huntin partner says only two kinds also 

rattlers and cobras

if it don't rattle , it's a cobra !!


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## dawg2 (Aug 15, 2008)

Around my house: Dead.


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## dawg2 (Aug 15, 2008)

FireMedic380 said:


> There is a thread on here trying to justify an opinion of how many hunters are stupid, ignorant, and uneducated about harmful (to humans) snakes. I am interested what the general opinion is in a statistical sense.
> 
> Do you kill poisonous/venemous snakes when you encounter them in the woods? Not your yard or passing them on the highway. Thanks.



Got a link?


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## Toxic (Aug 15, 2008)

I don't kill non-poisonous, I eat rattlers, so I kill the big ones and leave the little ones (snake managment) but cotton mouths are the snakes that get the birdshot for other reasons. This is only to cut down on there numbers around neighbors pond were kids swim.


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## holton27596 (Aug 15, 2008)

I do the same as Toxic. A big rattler is hard to beat for good meat. I let the little ones crawl.


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## Booner Killa (Aug 15, 2008)

I guess I'm ignorant stupid uneducated and whatever else you called me then cause if he's venemous, he's a dead dude. PERIODI know, I know, I'm an idiot.


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## Bitteroot (Aug 15, 2008)

My ignorant butt doesn't kill anything that is not going to get eaten!  Buzzards gotta eat, same as the worms!


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## Randy (Aug 15, 2008)

I would say most of the time.


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## slightly grayling (Aug 15, 2008)

Poison is ingested or adsorbed....venom is injected.  I let'em live.


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## Lead Poison (Aug 15, 2008)

FireMedic380 said:


> I'm pro death penalty on the matter!



I've heard the remarks; totally disagree with them about those of us who kill snakes not being true sportsman.

I agree with you 100% on killing venomous snakes and I consider myself an ethical sportsman.


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## Jody Hawk (Aug 15, 2008)

I kill venomous snakes but probably shouldn't. I've had two rattlesnakes within striking distance and neither one tried to bite me. I think we'd be surprised at the ones we walk past and never knew they were there.


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## Randy (Aug 15, 2008)

But God said:

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the ****ation of Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----


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## pnome (Aug 15, 2008)

Not out in the woods.   That's where I want snakes to be.   

Near where children might be playing? That's a different story.


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## CPiper (Aug 15, 2008)

Randy said:


> But God said:
> 
> Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the ****ation of Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----



And we think the rag head muslims and islamists are extremists.


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## CPiper (Aug 15, 2008)

pnome said:


> Not out in the woods.   That's where I want snakes to be.
> 
> Near where children might be playing? That's a different story.



The voice of reason begins to shine. 

My 11 year old son found a rattle snake in the woods a few weeks back. The snake had 7/8 of a squirrel in it's mouth.
My child did exactly what I have educated him to do - backed off and called for me to come.
By the time I got there, my 13 year old daughter and 2 other teenage males that were with us had gathered to see the snake. 
The snake spit the squirrel and slithered off in the opposite direction of us.
I tried to get him to shake his tail - in an effort to educate them on what it sounds like - but he was shy and wanted to get away from us.
I made the kids turn around and then made the snake slide off a few more feet and when he came to a stop I had them turn around to see if they could eyeball him - none of the kids could find him - educating them on snake camo.
This is what hunters are suppose to be doing - educating.
If I had killed the snake the ONLY thing they would have learned is to kill snakes. I am too wise to have to kill a snake so I could miss an opportunity to pass my passion for the wildlife and habitat onto my children and their friends.


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## RJY66 (Aug 15, 2008)

I leave em alone in the woods....not that I ever see many in the first place.   I don't think that people who kill them are particularly "unethical", but I do think they are ignorant for the simple fact that the best way to get bitten by a snake is to mess with it.


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## CPiper (Aug 15, 2008)

Just because you can do something, does not mean you should do it.
Just because something is legal, does not mean you should do it.

For those of you who hold yourself to a "Higher Power's Authority", what do you think "He" thinks when you kill a snake "just because"?


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## CPiper (Aug 15, 2008)

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=224736


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## Greg Tench (Aug 15, 2008)

If  its poisonous....Hes history.


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## Howard Parker (Aug 15, 2008)

*snakes*

I agree Greg!


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## Ram 2500 (Aug 15, 2008)

It is illegal to kill a non-venomous snake in Georgia. As far as the others go do what Snake Master Steve Scruggs says "Leave that snake alone".


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## MonroeTaco (Aug 15, 2008)

I've encountered hundreds of venomous snakes in the woods, never killed one and have never been bitten by one. My dad and I used to relocate the mocassins and copperheads from the creek behind the house to undeveloped areas deep in the woods.


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## doublelungdriller (Aug 15, 2008)

CPiper said:


> The voice of reason begins to shine.
> 
> My 11 year old son found a rattle snake in the woods a few weeks back. The snake had 7/8 of a squirrel in it's mouth.
> My child did exactly what I have educated him to do - backed off and called for me to come.
> ...



PEOPLE LIKE YOU GET BIT BY SNAKES PLAYING WITH THEM TRYING TO MAKE IT RATTLE YOU NEED TO JUST GO AHEAD AND  THEN BE DONE WITH IT.


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## 99Roadking (Aug 15, 2008)

Unless they are trying to get me, I let 'um go.


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## camotoy (Aug 15, 2008)

If Its In The Woods I Am In And I See It First !!!!dead !!!!!call Me What You Want I Seen First Hand What They Can Do !!!


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## bullgator (Aug 15, 2008)

CPiper said:


> The voice of reason begins to shine.
> 
> My 11 year old son found a rattle snake in the woods a few weeks back. The snake had 7/8 of a squirrel in it's mouth.
> My child did exactly what I have educated him to do - backed off and called for me to come.
> ...



As long as you were educating them, why didn't you show them how to kill it for the identification purposes mentioned in post #4.


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## SWbowhunter (Aug 15, 2008)

Would you kill a venomous snake on a WMA?


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## pnome (Aug 15, 2008)

SWbowhunter said:


> Would you kill a venomous snake on a WMA?




I've had the opportunity and I let him go about his business.


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## Jay Hughes (Aug 15, 2008)

CPiper said:


> To create a poll to "justify" ignorance and hypocricy by asking other sportsman/hunters to support your view is silly and immature.
> 
> This poll will show the number of people who need to be educated.
> It will also show the number of hunters who SAY one thing but do another.




According to this, I guess there are more stupid, ignorant, and hypocritical people on this forum than not.  

We are stupid, ignorant hyprocrites for not sharing his love for one of God's "most beloved creatures".  

According to this man, this is what we are, we just might as well face it, case closed! 

If I believed that, I would be all those things and more.  Forgive me for not having great passion for snakes.  If you like'em.  Fine, do what you want to, but don't think that by coming on a forum and calling people names is going to do anything for your PETA campaign.


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## Jay Hughes (Aug 15, 2008)

I've got an idea.  Maybe you should start your own campaign.  You could call it PETS.

"People for the Ethical Treatment of Snakes"

Our motto is "Love at first Bite."


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## JD (Aug 16, 2008)

This is what I do to venomous snakes and it happened a couple of hours ago when my wife and kids were walking from the neighbors house. It was right by the driveway where my kids play.


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## Cleankill47 (Aug 16, 2008)

I'll kill 'em and eat 'em, if they're particularly aggressive toward me or somebody I'm with, or if a certain type (rattler, copperhead) is extremely overpopulated. Besides, the skins look really nice tanned, and the meat is scrumptious...

Unless I need to catch them alive, which is a different thing altogether.

Other than that, I leave 'em be. They're a part of the balance to, you know....


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## LLove (Aug 16, 2008)

i have a kid a couple dogs and a cat..

if they're on our land, they're dead. period.


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## Canebrake (Aug 16, 2008)

I came up on this canebrake in my picture last month.  I defenitely would have stepped on him if he hadn't let me know he was there.  He was close to 5 ft. long.  Looking back, I wish I would have killed him to get a measurement, a nice skin and a nice piece of meat for the skilltet..... but I let him go.  He was back in the woods and wasn't bothering anyone.  On the other hand, if they are around the house, dog kennel or near the ladder stand......they get the 410!


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## FERAL ONE (Aug 16, 2008)

i truthfully enjoy seeing them. i have been looking hard for some to photo but have not been successful this year. i would have loved to have seen that copperhead, it sure was a pretty one. i guess i understand around someones house but i just don't understand killing one in the wild. they are fascinating critters to me.


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## chuckb7718 (Aug 16, 2008)

As I posted on another thread...If it's poisonous, I mean venomous, I'll kill it as fast as I killed the Black Widow I found the other day! You know, the one under the lip of my wife's Geranium pot, that wasn't bothering anyone, with a sac full of eggs?


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## Fish_Bone (Aug 16, 2008)

I will kill every venomous snake that crosses my path.  Can't imagine how I would feel if one of the kids or dogs got bit after letting one go.

I also kill all the armadillos and coyotes I see.  Is that unethical?


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## doublelungdriller (Aug 16, 2008)

JD6565 said:


> This is what I do to venomous snakes and it happened a couple of hours ago when my wife and kids were walking from the neighbors house. It was right by the driveway where my kids play.



amen, and a congrats to you.


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## TJay (Aug 16, 2008)

I generally don't kill them.  I bad snake in camp or around the house has got to go, but chance encounters in the woods or on the roads they get a pass from me.  They are just a part of the environment.


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## bobcat (Aug 16, 2008)

I guess some have never been hit by a poisionous snake . I have on two occasions . Thank god for snake boots .My 6 yr old hunts with me on occasions and theres no way i would let a venomous snake keep crawling if i can help it . The less snakes there are the less chance him or anyone else has of getting bit . My worthless 2 cents worth .!!!!!!!!!!


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## riskyb (Aug 16, 2008)

kill them b/c we have kids and other hunters in camp and hunting


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## thomas williams (Aug 17, 2008)

Kill them all except a king snake. I'll kill a king snake if it's near the house. The only good snake is a dead snake!!!

I don't understand some people on here talkin about if they see them in the woods that they won't kill them, because there not hurtin anything. Well, would you kill a coyote if you saw one in the woods? It's not hurting anything if it's off in the woods, but it could come up to your house or someone else's and hurt someone. A snake could do the same thing.


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## j_seph (Aug 17, 2008)

CPiper said:


> The voice of reason begins to shine.
> 
> My 11 year old son found a rattle snake in the woods a few weeks back. The snake had 7/8 of a squirrel in it's mouth.
> My child did exactly what I have educated him to do - backed off and called for me to come.
> ...


So what happens tommorrow when your kid is running through the yard and the same snake as above happens to be laying in the path where your kid is running at and he gets bit?


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## GA DAWG (Aug 17, 2008)

If I see em and have a chance to kill them.They are DEAD!!!!!! No matter where I see them Woods,yard,highway,tree or ANYWHERE..


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## cmghunter (Aug 17, 2008)

I may be ignorant,dumb or stupid.But if it's poisonous it's gonna die.Why would you even think twice about letting it live.If you knew you or your children were going to be in the same woods with the critter again.Also i would be thinking about it every step i made before daylight..


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## woody10 (Aug 17, 2008)

The one you let pass today maybe the one that kills you or your dog tomorrow..kill all poisonous snakes


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## bigrob82 (Aug 17, 2008)

i have a king snake that stays in my yard it is like a pet he does not bother nobody but any time i see those nasty ones i killem dead i just think back to the garden of eden and what that one caused


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## elfiii (Aug 17, 2008)

Venomous snake?

D.R.T.


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## davidf (Aug 18, 2008)

i relocated this litte timber rattler last thursday from my yard to the woods when i went to check my hog traps.


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## j_seph (Aug 18, 2008)

You Are Krazy!


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## DYI hunting (Aug 18, 2008)

I will relocate them if they are near where people would encounter them, if not, I let them be.


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## doublelungdriller (Aug 18, 2008)

just killed a timber rattler again yesterday in the road with the truck. six buttons


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## RJY66 (Aug 18, 2008)

Look it is really kind of simple.  Let's take the emotion out of the deal and look at it realistically.  

Most people kill snakes because they are afraid that they or someone else will get bitten.....correct?  Statistically, the odds of you or your kid or whomever getting hit by a snake are less than that of getting struck by lightning, falling out of your treestand, getting in a wreck on the way to the hunting club etc.  Life is filled with much greater risks that we daily accept without thought.  

There are a lot of reasons for this.  Snakes like any other animal have the instinct to eat, procreate, and survive.  That is about it.  It is not in their best interest to "attack" a human because it is too big to eat and giving away its postition threatens its survival.  So, 99 times out of 100, the snake just "let's you walk".   Also, most snakes tend to be nocturnal.  

Looking at it from a risk/reward standpoint, you killing a snake because you think it might bite you or someone else is not a good deal.  Its like buying 5 lottery tickets instead of one to improve your odds of winning.  The odds are already so great against winning the lottery or getting bitten by a snake that any improvement is insignificant and imeasurable.   Rather than decreasing the risk of bite, what attacking a snake does is greatly increase the odds of a bite.  Even if you shoot it with a gun which seems to me to be the safest way, if you pick up the "dead" snake to get your picture made so you can post it on GON and get your attaboys, the "dead" snake can still bite on reflex.   "Snake lovers" who attempt to "relocate" them, that puts the risk of bite off the charts.  

Arguments about what redeeming qualities snakes have, stewardship, while valid, stir up emotions.  People get their redneck up and get all "my grandaddy killed em, my daddy killed em and bygod I'm gonna kill em"!  Hey whatever.  Do what you have to do.  It ain't something I'm losing sleep or friends over.   Just go into the deal knowing that when you mess around with a snake for any reason, statistically you are doing the equivalent of driving drunk or walking around in a thunderstorm carrying a big metal pole......greatly increasing the odds of a very low probability event occuring.

I'd prefer not to see any fellow hunters get bitten.....so that is why I wasted my time typing all this.  

Comparing this to killing coyotes has merit in a way.  I view a yote as an invasive species that kills fawns and turkeys.  If rattlesnakes did this, my view of their place in the grand scheme would probably be different.  If I get a good shot at a yote and feel like wasting a bullet, I'll take the shot.  However, the number of yotes killed by deer hunters does not mean anything in the long term picture as far as getting rid of them.  The only way to get rid of them is a campaign of poisoning, the same way our ancestors got rid of wolves in this part of the country.   That's not good for a lot of reasons so we are stuck with them.  

Shooting yotes and keeping their population down a little might even be counterproductive to our desire to see them all gone.  It may even HELP them by keeping them from getting too thick and more succeptible to a disease which might wipe out the whole pack in a given area.  Often times, trying to "manage" nature is fraught with unintended consequences.


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## CPiper (Aug 18, 2008)

j_seph said:


> So what happens tommorrow when your kid is running through the yard and the same snake as above happens to be laying in the path where your kid is running at and he gets bit?




It cant be the same snake .... My yard is in Clover, SC, and the snake was in Bethune, SC .... 90 miles difference. Snake dont migrate that far.  

IF one of my children or grandchildren were to get bit, Id have to deal with it. It would be a bad thing, but, not the end of the world. I would not hold it against all of the other snakes in the universe, nor would I start a campaign to kill all the snakes in the universe. 
My children spend alot of time in the woods, and I take the time to edcuate them that it is their priority to conserve and protect all forms of wildlife - not just to kill deer, turkeys and snakes - to be a COMPLETE conservationist.


Me be a member of PETA? That was a pitiful attempt at humor. 
I could care less what any member of PETA thinks. Them folks is CrAzIeR then my X-Ma-In-Law. I do however care what NON hunters think. Hunters are the minority in every state in America, and it is what the NON hunters think and PERCEIVE that lays the way for many rules and regs going forward with the muti-cultured society we have now - particularly in the southeast!!

And how come non of you snake killers can come up with anything better then:
1. Are you a member of PETA?
2. Children and dogs play in my yard
3. My Grandpappy kilt em and so will I

????

How come you cant answer my question about snakes being an "indicator species" and what impacts there are when we eliminate or reduce their numbers?

You guys are so concerned about the kids and dogs as it pertains to a snake - there are some MOST serious health concerns when it comes to rats and mice!! Look at the BIG picture - dont get snake tunnel vision - that would be closed and/or narrow mindedness!  

If a snake is in your yard, could there be a reason? 
And you'd rather have rats/mice then a snake?
Is there more health concerns associated with rats/mice than snakes? 

I am holding out hope by this poll that someone's mind can be changed so their actions in the field will change.
Alot more hunters allow snakes to live then what I would have bet or imangined - GOOD for you!!

I challenge ALL of you that call yourself a hunter or outdoorsman or sportsman to edcuate yourself on the how and why you need NOT to kill snakes.
To SAY you love the wildlife and nature and to SAY you are concerned about the habitat and then kill a snake means you SAY one thing and do another - which is, by YOUR own actions and words, iggnorant and hypocritical, and no amount of smoke and mirrors will change that simple truthful fact. 

IF you love deer and turkeys and are concerned about the places they live, you'd do well to educate yourself on how and why you need to NOT kill snakes.


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## Paymaster (Aug 18, 2008)

pnome said:


> Not out in the woods.   That's where I want snakes to be.
> 
> Near where children might be playing? That's a different story.



Exactly!!!!!!!!!!


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## CPiper (Aug 18, 2008)

Paymaster said:


> Exactly!!!!!!!!!!



Another voice of sanity and reason!


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## Fish_Bone (Aug 18, 2008)

RJY66 said:


> Statistically, the odds of you or your kid or whomever getting hit by a snake are less than that of getting struck by lightning, falling out of your treestand, getting in a wreck on the way to the hunting club etc.



I respectfully disagree.  This may pertain to the average American but not to the outdoorsman such as people on this forum.  Go through the posts pertaining to snakes and snake boots.  You'll be suprised how many hunters here have been bit.

Okay, I agree that the coyote analogy  is not apples to apples.  How about spiders.  Should I let the venomous ones such as black widows and brown recluse live in my garage, well house, barn because they eat a lot of bugs that cause diseases?  No, I kill all I see, but the banana spider (non-venomous) gets a free pass....unless I walk into his web.....I hate that!

Bottom line is I'm not going to take a chance with an animal that has the ability to kill (or hurt) me, my family, friends or pets.  And the few that I kill each year will not affect the species.


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## Doc_Holliday23 (Aug 18, 2008)

I kill venomous snakes because that means less of a chance of me getting bit by one.

I also step on ants, swat flies, and spray wasp nests with poison.


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## puredrenalin (Aug 18, 2008)

99Roadking said:


> Unless they are trying to get me, I let 'um go.




Yepper, meeee toooo!!


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## Paymaster (Aug 18, 2008)

CPiper said:


> Another voice of sanity and reason!



Last one I Murdered was easing into the local elementary school playground. His hide now adorns some one's wallet. CPiper, sure appreciate you educating all us hicks.


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## CPiper (Aug 18, 2008)

Fish_Bone said:


> Bottom line is I'm not going to take a chance with an animal that has the ability to kill (or hurt) me, my family, friends or pets.  And the few that I kill each year will not affect the species.



Does your view apply to animals only - what about vehicular accidents? You and your family have a greater chance of getting injured or killed in a vehicle accident on any given day then ever being snake bit.

A buck deer has the ability to hurt or kill you - through direct physical contact and both buck and doe deer have the ability to hurt or kill you in a deer/auto collision.

The amount of time (man hours) spent in the woods by all hunters compared to the number that are bitten is just not even close to being comparable - not even close.


And what if everyone had the thought process that "the few I kill makes no difference"? 
Any species that became extinct got that way one at a time - and man has always been the DIS-balancer (cept for the t-rex and the other dinosaurs).


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## doublelungdriller (Aug 18, 2008)

i'am going to kill every venomous snake i see no matter where he is


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## CPiper (Aug 18, 2008)

FishBone .... read this ....

Only about 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, and only 12 snake bite victims die. Assuming that the current population of the U.S. is approximately 295,734,134, only .0024% of the population is bitten by a venomous snake, and only 000000041% die! Okay, now let’s contrast the death rate from snake bites with some bizarre causes of death. On average, 67 people are killed by lightening each year in the United States, and 13 are killed by vending machines falling on them! Therefore, it is 5.6 times more likely that you will die from lightening than a venomous snake bite and almost equally likely that you will die from a vending machine falling on you. To top this off, if you look at how the vast majority of people are bitten by venomous snakes each year, the likelihood of getting bitten might be even smaller than the numbers listed above. In the late 1980’s, some doctors at the University of Southern California Medical Center analyzed 227 cases of venomous snakebites that spanned over a decade in time. They found that approximately 44 percent of the bites occurred during accidental contact, such as unintentionally stepping on the snake. Interestingly, more than 55 percent of the bites were caused by victim's intentionally grabbing or handling venomous snakes. Out of this 55%, approximately 35 of the victims were intoxicated. From their analysis, the doctors concluded that the typical victim of a venomous snake bite is male, under thirty, and has a blood-alcohol concentration greater than 0.1 percent when he is bitten.


PayMaster .... I is a hick too .... the worst kind .... one that wants to be edcuated, and has had his stubborn thick head re-made up many a time.


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## Paymaster (Aug 18, 2008)

CPiper said:


> PayMaster .... I is a hick too .... the worst kind .... one that wants to be edcuated, and has had his stubborn thick head re-made up many a time.



I'm hearing ya Brother. I used to kill any snake with prejudice, however I take the live and let live attitude with most of them now. I have not intentionally killed a harmless snake in 40 years or more.Our area is booming with timber rattlers. I see a dozen of them or more in the road every year, and last year one was on the drive of the school ,in the evening, headed to the play ground and I could not allow that with good conscience. I make use of any animal I kill,be it snake or deer. The 7 segment rattles are in a friend fiddle and the hide was used.


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## camoman1 (Aug 18, 2008)

*kill them .*

I will try to see what kind it is before I kill it , but if I get close to it before I see it and it scares the mess out of me. 
It has to go . sorry I do not like them any of them .
I bought a 410 pistol just for them !


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## j_seph (Aug 18, 2008)

Cpiper, I can respect your opinons on venomous snakes wheather I agree w/ you or not. I have stepped into a pile of Timber rattler a few years back 5 foot to be exact. Thank god it was to cool of a morning, and it did not move..........until I shot it. I lost 5 years off my life from that encounter and a good pair of drawers So I ask that you respect those of us that feel the same as I do about these venomous snakes.


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## Fish_Bone (Aug 18, 2008)

This is why I like this forum.  I can engage in a controversial conversation and not be blasted for my views (most of the time).  This is a great debate.  Unfortunately I feel this can be put in the same category as religion, politics and abortion.  

CPiper, you and I are the extremists on this issue.  Obviously neither of us are going to budge.  Believe me, I respect your position but please respect mine.  The kids are not the woodsmen that we are, *YET*.  Our labrabors don't know the difference between venomous and non-venomous snakes.  I will continue to educate the youngins and let them make there own decisions, but I'm still gonna wack all the DANGEROUS snakes on my property.  Even though I'm male, over *40* with a blood-alcohol level over 0.1 percent.


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## notnksnemor (Aug 18, 2008)

This is a good discussion topic.
As long as it stays a respectful discussion....Good job so far.


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## Fish_Bone (Aug 18, 2008)

camoman1 said:


> I bought a 410 pistol just for them !



I got one, too.  3" Stainless Taurus Judge.  Great gun!


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## GAnaturalist (Aug 18, 2008)

I don't want venomous snakes on my hunting land because I hunt with hounds, and the one in my avatar has been bit already, she did not look good afterwards, but got over it. 

It is legal to kill venomous, and that is no accident.

Around my house are feral cats, they hunt while I am sleeping. Really cuts down the snake population.


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## jamie.brett.sr (Aug 19, 2008)

I would only kill a snake if it was in my yard or if I see it in the woods. Anywhere else and I let em' go.


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## j_seph (Aug 19, 2008)

jamie.brett.sr said:


> I would only kill a snake if it was in my yard or if I see it in the woods. Anywhere else and I let em' go.


Glad to know you let those city snakes live


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## formula1 (Aug 19, 2008)

*Re:*

All you hunting hicks out there, of which I am proudly a member, keep up the good work. Poisonous snake injury and death is way down thanks to us.


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## RJY66 (Aug 19, 2008)

CPiper said:


> From their analysis, the doctors concluded that the typical victim of a venomous snake bite is male, under thirty, and has a blood-alcohol concentration greater than 0.1 percent when he is bitten.



Hey look a snake!  Hold my beer a second!


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## ambush80 (Aug 19, 2008)

j_seph said:


> Cpiper, I can respect your opinons on venomous snakes wheather I agree w/ you or not. I have stepped into a pile of Timber rattler a few years back 5 foot to be exact. Thank god it was to cool of a morning, and it did not move..........until I shot it. I lost 5 years off my life from that encounter and a good pair of drawers So I ask that you respect those of us that feel the same as I do about these venomous snakes.



"I stepped into it, it didn't do anything to me, so I shot it."

Weirdest thing I've ever read here.


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## j_seph (Aug 19, 2008)

Snake Was Curled Up In Some Grass And I Stepped Into And On A Pile Of Snake I See You Have Been Around Here Since April Of 08 So It Is Understandable That Was The Weirdest Thing You Have Read Here Before


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## hoyt84 (Aug 19, 2008)

I kill every rattler and cotton mouth I see. Say what you want, but it makes me feel better! The fewer their are the less chance me or my bird dog will run across one.


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## thegaduck (Aug 19, 2008)

*Well*

Bad Snake= alive
Good Snake=DEAD


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## CPiper (Aug 19, 2008)

Heck ya I respect ya'll's opinion! I might step on a few toes, and raise some eyebrows, but at the end of the day, I want to be your Friend.  

FishBone .... next time you kills a snake, think about ol CPiper!


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## j_seph (Aug 19, 2008)

CPiper said:


> Heck ya I respect ya'll's opinion! I might step on a few toes, and raise some eyebrows, but at the end of the day, I want to be your Friend.
> 
> FishBone .... next time you kills a snake, think about ol CPiper!


Heck Cpiper next time you catch one holler at me and I'll come by and show you the proper way to release it


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## Fish_Bone (Aug 19, 2008)

CPiper said:


> FishBone .... next time you kills a snake, think about ol CPiper!



Believe me, I will!


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## Hogtown (Aug 20, 2008)

In the woods, I leave them alone.  Put up a stand last weekend with a 4' Timber rattler coiled up and rattling about 15 feet away.  He/she finally calmed down after about 10 minutes of us working.  It was still there when we left.


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## CPiper (Aug 20, 2008)

10/4 ... My purpose in life is to create chaos and confusion ... I glad I could spread some of it your way.


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## BKA (Aug 20, 2008)

CPiper said:


> Heck ya I respect ya'll's opinion! I might step on a few toes, and raise some eyebrows, *but at the end of the day, I want to be your Boyfriend*.
> 
> FishBone .... next time you kills a snake, think about ol CPiper!



Pervert


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## gr8 8 (Aug 20, 2008)

You know the person that got bit by the big poisonous rattlesnake had the same odds of getting bit as you just pointed out, and the people that get struck by lightning every year you know what there odds were the same as mine and yours but it happens they get bit and struck.... 

the less snakes the less the odds or getting bit, thats how you get the odds better


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## CPiper (Aug 20, 2008)

Hmmmmm ....  BKA referred to the gay lifestyle in his post ... and has had a reference to the gay lifestyle in his signature for sometime now .... I wonder what he is trying to tell us?  

You need to try to be more discrete when coming out of the closet BKA.


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## BKA (Aug 20, 2008)

CPiper said:


> Hmmmmm ....  BKA referred to the gay lifestyle in his post ... and has had a reference to the gay lifestyle in his signature for sometime now .... I wonder what he is trying to tell us?
> 
> You need to try to be more discrete when coming out of the closet BKA.



I'll work on that Piper....


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## Tailfeather (Aug 20, 2008)

Man up and quit being scared of a little snake. And you call yourself outdoorsmen?


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## BKA (Aug 20, 2008)

alrighty then.......


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## BKA (Aug 20, 2008)




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## Slings and Arrows (Aug 20, 2008)

MMMmmmmm! Rattler nuggets!


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## CPiper (Aug 21, 2008)

He was talkin to you BKA .... you and all the rest of you snake killers.  Pansies!


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## BKA (Aug 21, 2008)

I killed a black snake just this morning......had a blast!


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## JohnK3 (Aug 21, 2008)

I'll kill any rattler I see.

I'll also skin'im, gut'im, cut'im up into chunks and fry'im up, then EAT the belly-crawlin' varmint.

You see, they're venomous, not poisonous, so I don't have to worry about getting poisoned from eating the snake.


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## BowanaLee (Aug 21, 2008)

First off this poll excludes half the snake killing going on here.   ...(Not your yard or passing them on the highway) 

No one wants a friend or family member hurt but it seems to me most of the killing going on here is killing just to be killing. Contrary to popular belief venomous snakes are not evasive species and belong in our ecosystem. I don't have to kill everything I encounter in the woods, venomous or not. Its all part of the outdoor experience to me. We better enjoy it while we have it because one day very soon, it may be gone !

I'll probably catch some flak from this one but I let em walk !   ...er crawl !  but sometimes I play with em first.


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## Canebrake (Aug 22, 2008)

Well said!  Killing one or two venomous snakes or coyotes isn't altering the local population in any significant manner.  When a hunting club takes out 3-4 yotes a season, that leaves more food & habitat(carrying capacity) for the remainder of the population.  The female coyotes are in turn healthier and produce more offspring the following year.  Same goes for most species...including venomous snakes.


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## redlevel (Aug 22, 2008)

Great!!!   Snake controversy!!

I run bird dawgs.  Have you ever seen a bird dawg stick his nose right on a snake?  Have you ever seen a bird dawg's head swelled up nearly three times normal size?

I might not be making a significant dent in the population by killing those half-dozen or so rattlers a year, but, by golly, none of those I kill will bite my dawg!

Had a good learning experience with my 26 y/o daughter yesterday.  We were riding the golf cart in a field and ran right up on a nice looking black rat snake.  She asked if it was poisonous, and I said no.  She asked how to tell.  I explained, and told her that she would know it if one were venomous.  She said there had been no doubt about the rattlers she had seen.  I explained that even though snakes, and particularly I think, rat snakes have been identified as just about the worst nest robbers of quail eggs, I still let them and other non venomous snakes go. 

Less than five minutes later, I was looking down at something in the cart and heard a squeal and a sharp intake of breath.  There he was.  A big old timber rattler.

Dead snake.


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## contender* (Aug 23, 2008)

CPiper said:


> FishBone .... read this ....
> 
> Only about 8,000 people are bitten by venomous snakes in the United States each year, and only 12 snake bite victims die. Assuming that the current population of the U.S. is approximately 295,734,134, only .0024% of the population is bitten by a venomous snake, and only 000000041% die!



The problem with this survey is that it takes into account the ENTIRE population of the US of A. The problem being only a fraction of that population visits or is regularly in an area where they would encounter a venomous snake.
I'm no genius and am not sure how someone could come up with accurate numbers here but these ain't them.


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## Johnny087 (Aug 23, 2008)

I'm with the uneducated... Rattler is dead

I was leaving the buckmasters banquet last night and there was a 5' timber rattler right next to my truck door in the parking lot.. he had to go


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## j_seph (Aug 25, 2008)

http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?p=2519654&posted=1#post2519654


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## BookHound (Aug 25, 2008)

I have no problem killing one if it is on my property.  I don't want my dog or niece/nephew (they live next door) to stumble on one and be bitten.  Other than that I don't really care as long as they mean to leave me be.

Mark


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## rumcreek (Aug 25, 2008)

If I see a snake I kill them regardless of what kind it is or where it is !!!!!!


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## CPiper (Aug 26, 2008)

rumcreek said:


> If I see a snake I kill them regardless of what kind it is or where it is !!!!!!



Why the frowny mad face rumcreek? I thought snake killin made you happy? Are you dazed and confused? Cant settle the snake conflict within yourself?


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## hoyt84 (Aug 27, 2008)

One mama and twelve babies!


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## shaggybill (Aug 29, 2008)

Wow, what's the story there, Hoyt?


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## doublelungdriller (Aug 30, 2008)

hoyt84 said:


> One mama and twelve babies!



then that would be 13 dead snakes if i saw them.


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## DannyW (Sep 3, 2008)

Sorry, they are dead if I see them. If poisonous snakes were eliminated as a species I would not miss them one second. Any natural imbalance it might cause could easily be cured with rat traps.


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## BKA (Sep 3, 2008)

I shoot all snakes.........in the head


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## Muygrande (Sep 3, 2008)

Cpiper, 
I respect your snake love, I despise them. I killed a 5 footer last Sunday 1 mile from my house at my club. My wife killed a 6footer in my yard last night righ out from my carport!!  I got bit by a Water Moccassin in 1987 while fishing or leaving the pond if you will. Been struck at when I trained dogs on a plantation as a kid twice with boots on. Have a friend in Americus who was bit by a rattler outside his house one night. Then one year later almost exactly, near the same bush, _"BAM"_ bit again by another rattler!!!! I am scared slam to death of a snake and love the analogy _"Theres only two kinds of snakes, Rattlers and Cobras!!"_ GENIUS in my mind!!
.
I take the Marines stand point, "Kill 'em all let God sort them out!!"
I've been a serious deer manager since 1989.  I think running deer with dogs is terrible for overall herd health and condusive to un-needed pressure on a herd but I won't fault you for your love of it, since I noticed your quote in your signature line.
If someone will take a real poll of outdoorsmen, you'll find those results of your are way out of touch with reality!
In my case with my luck I need to be playing the lottery regular!


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## Ta-ton-ka chips (Sep 3, 2008)

FireMedic380 said:


> I'm pro death penalty on the matter!



I take it you must be voting for Obama too!


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## Lead Poison (Sep 3, 2008)

Muygrande said:


> Cpiper,
> I respect your snake love, I despise them. I killed a 5 footer last Sunday 1 mile from my house at my club. My wife killed a 6footer in my yard last night righ out from my carport!!  I got bit by a Water Moccassin in 1987 while fishing or leaving the pond if you will. Been struck at when I trained dogs on a plantation as a kid twice with boots on. Have a friend in Americus who was bit by a rattler outside his house one night. Then one year later almost exactly, near the same bush, _"BAM"_ bit again by another rattler!!!! I am scared slam to death of a snake and love the analogy _"Theres only two kinds of snakes, Rattlers and Cobras!!"_ GENIUS in my mind!!
> .
> I take the Marines stand point, "Kill 'em all let God sort them out!!"
> ...



I love this post.


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## Lead Poison (Sep 3, 2008)

Ta-ton-ka chips said:


> I take it you must be voting for Obama too!



I'm pro death penalty and would NEVER vote for NObama.


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## firebiker (Sep 4, 2008)

*Snake relocating ?    now that takes a idiot
If its venemous its DEAD, the snake you move today may bite your family tomorrow *


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## tdot527 (Sep 6, 2008)

i kill em if they're in my yard but if im in the woods im in there yard so i leave em be


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## iowa-boy (Sep 6, 2008)

unless near home and being a menis to me and family, i let them live. right know we have a black snake taking care of our little chipmunk problem and i am glad.plus there cool.


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## Lindseys Grandpa (Sep 9, 2008)

I catch all the king snakes i can and release them in my yard (drives my wife crazy) we have lived on our land with a pond in the backyard for 7 years and i have not seen a single poisonous snake in that time , i have released app 15 king snakes during that period. I kill poisonous snakes if i am in a area i will coming back to. Just because he didnt get me today dont mean he  might not tomorrow.


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## tinytim (Sep 10, 2008)

FireMedic380 said:


> I'm pro death penalty on the matter!





Fishin & Hunting said:


> I hate snakes, but I will not kill the non poisonous ones.
> 
> And I know I should not kill the poisonous ones, but I just feel safer knowing that they aren't around any more.



Yep, that's me!


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## DoeMaster (Sep 10, 2008)

Doc_Holliday23 said:


> I kill venomous snakes because that means less of a chance of me getting bit by one.
> 
> I also step on ants, swat flies, and spray wasp nests with poison.




Same here!!


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## FX Jenkins (Sep 10, 2008)

I relocate em...
from the living, to the dead...
now I don't go out of my way to kill a pison snake...
but if we cross paths...
I bust its head...

this is kinda like a poem ain't it...


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## Rangerboats (Sep 10, 2008)

If it would hurt me I hurt it back....if it wouldn't i leave it be.


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