Shows how really dumb I am about snakes, I thought it was a Copperhead <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" />! My wife and I see snakes all the time in Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, but don't really bother to find out what kind they are. We just usually keep on driving by (it's illegal to kill snakes in Missouri) or walk around them with a WIDE detour! As far as I am concerned, ALL (well ok, mostly) snakes are poisonous.

I love snakes!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Great looking snake. He does not look like he wants any friends though. I worry about my dog getting hit by a rattler. My backyard is right up against a wash.

bigtuna4 knows something about snakes...I say Cotton Mouth...which is kinda the same as a water moccasin as I understand.

I do know that H2O moccasins will try and chase a boat out of the water.

Actually we(bigtuna4 and my BinLaw) tried catching one with a cast net last weekend, never cought it.

Several years back I was tube fishing and had one come towards me. I tried the tap at the water with rod tip and all that did was make it come straight at me. Needless to say, the snubby with snake shot worked on the snake and made my tube loose air.

It wasn't aggressive at all compared to the other water moccasins I ran into in the past, it didn't want anything to do with me and took off fast. If it gave me any problems I had this .22 pistol on me....so I could have easily took care of him.

Truth be told, I would have killed it if I could have.

These are the ones we have in the desert. I love snakes also btw:

Western Diamonback Rattlesnake


Sidewinder


Western Shovel Nose (Adult average size is usually between 25 and 43 cm)

I would have separated his head from his torso...I cannot even begin to tell you the number of Moccasins I have dispatched in my career... Surveyors in Florida run upon these very often... My machete fixes them right up..... a snake can strike 1/3 his body length... I just use my 24" machete...(that's blade length) I have killed a rattler over 7' with a folding knife...just because I ran my mouth...I do not recommend this...

Doc

Welcome DocSavage! Surveying in Florida must suck!
I've done some surveying out here but it's fairly easy since most of the land has remained untouched. I have seen nails from the early 1900's that still look new!

Down here in FLA....we keep them CottonMouths as pets. The St Cloud Serpentarium extracts venom for research and medical processes. George VanHorn was my mentor for a years internship for my HOT permit. We now collect every Big venomous species we find for him to process.