Went to my place last night. I have not checked the camera after the ant removal. About 10:30 I was getting tired and entertained going home when a coon appeared! Splattered it with the 375! Went to the feeder to remove it and scanned the ground for ants. Two foot from the coon under the feeder was a pile of curled up rattle snake! It wanted to leave but I did not want to mess with it in the future. Try hitting a moving snake with a revolver in one hand a flashlight in the other. It was 40 inches long! After reviewing the camera there was a pig showing up! Maybe soon!

quote:

Originally posted by Live Oak:
Went to my place last night. I have not checked the camera after the ant removal. About 10:30 I was getting tired and entertained going home when a coon appeared! Splattered it with the 375! Went to the feeder to remove it and scanned the ground for ants. Two foot from the coon under the feeder was a pile of curled up rattle snake! It wanted to leave but I did not want to mess with it in the future. Try hitting a moving snake with a revolver in one hand a flashlight in the other. It was 40 inches long! After reviewing the camera there was a pig showing up! Maybe soon!

My solution for feeder rattlers was a revolver with 3 snake shot and 3 social/hunting rounds. Still works here on the farm for rats and snakes around the chicken pens and barn.

Brother Shelton has the right of it!

During snake season, I practically live with a Ruger Bisley .45 Colt on my hip with the first two chambers loaded with shot.

This one was right in front of the house yesterday evening...

Mark

218 bee
IMHO, they look better with that ugly head blown off!

We have copperhead issues here and do as you guys have described. During snake season (11 months of the year, it seems!) we keep revolvers loaded with 3 CCI snake shot and 3 traditional loads. We've never seen a rattler on our place, though folks have killed them just 3-4 miles from here.

I have been running around this place (when it was still semi brush free) for ever! I knew rattle snakes have been seen here but not by me. Copper heads yes, a time or two. Respectful is the correct word for my approach to venous critters! I almost let this one go! When you put corn on the ground 365, sometime it does not get cleaned up, rats and mice will hang out. I suspect this one may have been passing through or it might have set up shop. I did not want to have to deal with it when I was least expecting it. I may look into shotshells. I loaned my Contender to one Granddaughter and I a 45/410 barrel for it. Its not a compact as a revolver but it is better to 15-18 yards with 7 1/2 shot!!!!

My first wife had been bitten twice
by prairie rattlers. Take it from me
it's not something you want to deal
with. Even being married to a victim!

She'd wake up in the middle of the night
with nightmares and start beating hell out
of me in my sleep. That lasted 4 years.

Best to solve the snake problems before it
creates a real mess for you or others.

For snakes up to 4-5 feet I'd rather have a
shovel than shot. Those monster Texas rattlers
I'd rather just see pictures of. Been around
lots of places where they were and have never seen
one.

Eight of us drivers went out to a well site
to bring back a load each of left over pipe.
Most of us walked down between the joints on
the ground banging and moving them around etc.
Only the gin truck operator and one driver
stayed to finish up the last few joints. The
driver was bitten. Snake I heard was over 8' long
and had been under there the whole time.
Plumb spooky being one that had stepped thru the holes.

George

I don't know what calibers 'snake shot' is sold in. I like to carry a .38 while hunting, and was wondering: would .38 Special be plenty, or would it be like throwing cracked corn at them?

Thank you.

Re: snakes

quote:

I don't know what calibers 'snake shot' is sold in. I like to carry a .38 while hunting, and was wondering: would .38 Special be plenty, or would it be like throwing cracked corn at them?

Snake shot comes in a few of the common pistol calibers and 38 is common for both 38 and .357 Mag. Same for 44 calibers. It is for close range use rather than long range sniping. It is quite effective from just beyond the striking range of most American snakes.


I grew up in the Texas Panhandle killing snakes (mostly rattlers and water moccasins) with a Daisy pump BB gun (a BB in the head usually gets their attention and is usually fatal), .22 rifle (also head shot - always fatal) and then with M18 .22 revolver (head shot again - they often pose for you when preparing to strike). Also some 20 gauge shotgun kills when they provide a shot. We kids saved the rattlers at first but after it became routine, we gave them away. I do NOT like poisonous snakes!

I'm not as scared of them as some guys but don't like being startled by them. I had a buddy deathly scared of snakes. We Were working the rec yard at a prison. We would sneak in rubber rattlers and put them in the drawer in the Sgt.'s shack. When he went in to heat up his lunch you would hear a little girl scream and on entering the office he would be about six or eight rungs up the observation deck stair. We had to quit because he had a couple of mild strokes and 1 heart attack. Thought he might die from our shenanigans. But you could say catch as you throw a coiled phone cord and he would sound like a little girl screaming. Do it too often though and you might get thumped. He was medium height and quite lean but fast as a snake, pardon the pun. Had to share that as I miss the coot and now I miss work now and then. Be Well, Packy.

quote:

Originally posted by Live Oak:
I have been running around this place (when it was still semi brush free) for ever! I knew rattle snakes have been seen here but not by me. Copper heads yes, a time or two. Respectful is the correct word for my approach to venous critters! I almost let this one go! When you put corn on the ground 365, sometime it does not get cleaned up, rats and mice will hang out. I suspect this one may have been passing through or it might have set up shop. I did not want to have to deal with it when I was least expecting it. I may look into shotshells. I loaned my Contender to one Granddaughter and I a 45/410 barrel for it. Its not a compact as a revolver but it is better to 15-18 yards with 7 1/2 shot!!!!

That .45 Colt/.410 Contender is sure enough "hell on wheels" when it comes to hosing snakes from a respectful distance. The She-Wolf taking care of business a couple of years ago...

quote:

Originally posted by crshelton:

quote:

I don't know what calibers 'snake shot' is sold in. I like to carry a .38 while hunting, and was wondering: would .38 Special be plenty, or would it be like throwing cracked corn at them?

Snake shot comes in a few of the common pistol calibers and 38 is common for both 38 and .357 Mag. Same for 44 calibers. It is for close range use rather than long range sniping. It is quite effective from just beyond the striking range of most American snakes.


I grew up in the Texas Panhandle killing snakes (mostly rattlers and water moccasins) with a Daisy pump BB gun (a BB in the head usually gets their attention and is usually fatal), .22 rifle (also head shot - always fatal) and then with M18 .22 revolver (head shot again - they often pose for you when preparing to strike). Also some 20 gauge shotgun kills when they provide a shot. We kids saved the rattlers at first but after it became routine, we gave them away. I do NOT like poisonous snakes!

You saved them for eating?

When I was younger, I would meet some friends at a ranch on the north coast inland to hunt squeaks. Every time we went there we shot at least 1 bell worm. I would carry a S+W snub nose 38 with #6 copper plated reloads in shot capsules. It worked quite well at 4 feet on an almost black 5 footer that I almost stepped on.