The need for a defensive weapon.... AKA Gun

Copperheads are one of the snakes with lower toxic venom. Humans are less likely to die from a Copperhead bite compared to other venomous snakes, but their bite hurts very badly. Normally, my advice to people who would call us was to simply leave them alone. They are on a hunt for prey and humans are not on their list. That’s good advice for most snakes in this country.

I never had to shoot one, but they can be led away from where they are. If you find a nest, I would throw a minnow net over them and relocate them. I don’t believe in killing a snake of any kind.

I did aid a fellow that was struck by an Eastern Diamondback. He was very fortunate that he was with a friend that was able to call for help very quickly. The snake bit and then slithered away very quickly. We were more concerned with getting the victim to the hospital and getting him some anti venom than we were to find the snake. The nurse said they used a lot to get his vitals back to normal. For some reason, I think he did lose a finger.

I read a book on venomous snakes shortly after becoming a Trooper. I read something that did make me stop and think. Most venomous snakes can strike their length. So, I came to the conclusion, if I would come upon one to get away from it and let it go on its way. Most snakes are seeking prey. If you come upon a nest of an adult, again, leave it alone and move on.
 
Pepper said:
When we lived in New Hampshire we had guns, belonged to a very social gun club, and I enjoyed it immensely. When I first moved there, the local paper had an article where the writer asked who was carrying in a very popular restaurant. Every single person was. I thought, "what kind of crazy place have we moved to?" NH averaged 4 murders a year then. I'm sure the crime rate is still pretty low. @Tommy?
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As of 2021, the FBI reported New Hampshire as having the lowest homicide rate in the country at 0.9 per 100,000. NH also has one of the highest rates of firearms ownership in the US and does not require a permit for concealed carry. Maine and Vermont are similar.

Glad to hear that you found a fun club to join, @Pepper :)
 
There's a pressure bandage which has little rectangles on it, when they stretch out to squares you have the pressure about right.
This is not a defence but it great way to deal with a snake strike.
 
I have delt with several snake bites over the years, one that was fatal to a 4 year old. If I come across a copperhead anywhere near our house, It stands a very good chance of becoming dead. Now I have caught and relocated several Rattlesnakes. If I come across a Black or King snake anywhere, and the opportunity presents itself, It too will get relocated... to our house. One time, stopped the ambulance, picked up 3 ft King snake and put it in a pillowcase to carry home. My partner wasn't to happy about it...... LOL......I have brought home dozens over the years.

911, Yes they do, But then again they like eggs to...
 
Happyflowerlady said:
When I went to school, almost every family owned some kind of a rifle, usually for hunting, as well as for family protection when needed. This was especially true for the people who lived out in the country.
In the fall, the high school boys who drove the family pickup to school usually had their hunting rifle in the back window, and it was never a problem back in those days.

I took the hunter safety course when I was in Jr. High,, and we had WW2 vets who ran the course, and though us kids gun safety, and how to shoot.
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Same here, back then we took the Hunter's Safety Course and pickups with rifle racks were a common sight.
 
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13yrs ago, back in 2011, my evening ritual of relaxing in the swing out back in the sanctuary was interrupted by a Copperhead.

It had been a peaceful evening up until just after sunset when I heard a commotion about 6ft behind where I was seated in the swing. Turning to look for the source of disturbance, I saw my buddy boy, Rowdy, wrestling with a Copperhead snake.

I secured Rowdy in the house and returned to investigate options of dealing with the snake. I could see Rowdy had injured the snake. There were teeth puncture marks in the body and the lower spine appeared to be broken. But that snake was "game" and still very active.

Had I not lived inside the city limits, I would have reached for a firearm without hesitation and always keep a firearm close by. While I considered relocating the beautiful snake, I felt the humane thing to do was dispatch it ricky-tick, before it crawled off any further and suffered with injury and perhaps infection.

Had I gone out to the shed to retrieve a shovel or hoe, I thought maybe the snake would have crawled off into some brush and hidden before my return. Reaching into my pocket and pulling out my razor sharp Opinel (always carry a sharp pocket knife), I took care of what needed done, in one swift movement.

Turning my attention to Rowdy, I could see swelling on the lower right side of his mouth and knew he'd been struck by the snake. I kept a close watchful eye on my buddy boy and after 30minutes, he began "drifting". Swelling had increased muti-fold and was going down into his neck as the venom worked it's course. I decided to get Rowdy to the emergency after-hours vet.

The vet on call that night was our regular vet, Dr Jennings. He suggested antivenin if I could afford it. Said it would be $850 for a 10ml vial. At the time, I could only afford one(1) vial. Rowdy got the antivenin and shots for inflammation and antibiotic. Rowdy was kept overnight at the vet clinic for observation.

Dr. Jennings said the protocol with humans was to give antivenin until the swelling goes down. I couldn't afford to do that, crossed my fingers and prayed. Furthermore, while I'd taken the snake to the vet along with Rowdy, Dr. Jennings said he didn't need to see the snake. He said the same antivenin is given for ALL venomous snake bites in North American ... with the exception of a Coral snake, which requires a different antivenin.

Next day I picked Rowdy up. He seemed much better than the previous evening when I'd left him there. Dr. Jennings sent us home with antibiotic tablets to be continued for a week.

Maybe it was the prayers or maybe it was the crossed fingers, but within 2days ... and $1500 later ... the swelling was completely GONE and Rowdy was back to his same ole self, absolutely as if nothing had ever happened.

Sadly, within the same year and unrelated to the snake bite, I would have to make a tough decision when it was found that Rowdy had very aggressive mast cell cancer that involved vital organs, caused him to be violently ill and unable to eat. Cancer sucks.

As @911 mentioned, Copperhead snakes are the least venomous snakes in North America. Adult snakes will "ration" their venom when striking so as not to "blow their wad" in one strike. Young juvenile snakes on the other hand, often release all their venom in one strike. That makes them possibly more dangerous than an adult snake. And around these parts, dogmen will often shoot their dogs up with a mega dose of Benedryl when a dog has gotten a snake bite, and call it a day. But I didn't want to take a chance with Rowdy. I wanted to give my buddy boy the very best care I could afford. Miss ya Rowdy. You were a good boy.

I don't care if you're walking or crawling, don't mess with my dogs. That's how we roll on the corner of Walk 'n Don't Walk.

4ZkBAkR.jpeg


9izQ1bD.jpeg


GkbDhv1.jpeg
 
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Naturally said:
13yrs ago, back in 2011, my evening ritual of relaxing in the swing out back in the sanctuary was interrupted by a Copperhead.

It had been a peaceful evening up until just after sunset when I heard a commotion about 6ft behind where I was seated in the swing. Turning to look for the source of disturbance, I saw my buddy boy, Rowdy, wrestling with a Copperhead snake.

I secured Rowdy in the house and returned to investigate options of dealing with the snake. I could see Rowdy had injured the snake. There were teeth puncture marks in the body and the lower spine appeared to be broken. But that snake was "game" and still very active.

Had I not lived inside the city limits, I would have reached for a firearm without hesitation and always keep a firearm close by. While I considered relocating the beautiful snake, I felt the humane thing to do was dispatch it ricky-tick, before it crawled off any further and suffered with injury and perhaps infection.

Had I gone out to the shed to retrieve a shovel or hoe, I thought maybe the snake would have crawled off into some brush and hidden before my return. Reaching into my pocket and pulling out my razor sharp Opinel (always carry a sharp pocket knife), I took care of what needed done, in one swift movement.

Turning my attention to Rowdy, I could see swelling on the lower right side of his mouth and knew he'd been struck by the snake. I kept a close watchful eye on my buddy boy and after 30minutes, he began "drifting". Swelling had increased muti-fold and was going down into his neck as the venom worked it's course. I decided to get Rowdy to the emergency after-hours vet.

The vet on call that night was our regular vet, Dr Jennings. He suggested antivenin if I could afford it. Said it would be $850 for a 10ml vial. At the time, I could only afford one(1) vial. Rowdy got the antivenin and shots for inflammation and antibiotic. Rowdy was kept overnight at the vet clinic for observation.

Dr. Jennings said the protocol with humans was to give antivenin until the swelling goes down. I couldn't afford to do that, crossed my fingers and prayed. Furthermore, while I'd taken the snake to the vet along with Rowdy, Dr. Jennings said he didn't need to see the snake. He said the same antivenin is given for ALL venomous snake bites in North American ... with the exception of a Coral snake, which requires a different antivenin.

Next day I picked Rowdy up. He seemed much better than the previous evening when I'd left him there. Dr. Jennings sent us home with antibiotic tablets to be continued for a week.

Maybe it was the prayers or maybe it was the crossed fingers, but within 2days ... and $1500 later ... the swelling was completely GONE and Rowdy was back to his same ole self, absolutely as if nothing had ever happened.

Sadly, within the same year and unrelated to the snake bite, I would have to make a tough decision when it was found that Rowdy had very aggressive mast cell cancer that involved vital organs, caused him to be violently ill and unable to eat. Cancer sucks.

As @911 mentioned, Copperhead snakes are the least venomous snakes in North America. Adult snakes will "ration" their venom when striking so as not to "blow their wad" in one strike. Young juvenile snakes on the other hand, often release all their venom in one strike. That makes them possibly more dangerous than an adult snake. And around these parts, dogmen will often shoot their dogs up with a mega dose of Benedryl when a dog has gotten a snake bite, and call it a day. But I didn't want to take a chance with Rowdy. I wanted to give my buddy boy the very best care I could afford. Miss ya Rowdy. You were a good boy.

I don't care if you're walking or crawling, don't mess with my dogs. That's how we roll on the corner of Walk 'n Don't Walk.

4ZkBAkR.jpeg


9izQ1bD.jpeg


GkbDhv1.jpeg
Click to expand...
Naturally said:
13yrs ago, back in 2011, my evening ritual of relaxing in the swing out back in the sanctuary was interrupted by a Copperhead.

It had been a peaceful evening up until just after sunset when I heard a commotion about 6ft behind where I was seated in the swing. Turning to look for the source of disturbance, I saw my buddy boy, Rowdy, wrestling with a Copperhead snake.

I secured Rowdy in the house and returned to investigate options of dealing with the snake. I could see Rowdy had injured the snake. There were teeth puncture marks in the body and the lower spine appeared to be broken. But that snake was "game" and still very active.

Had I not lived inside the city limits, I would have reached for a firearm without hesitation and always keep a firearm close by. While I considered relocating the beautiful snake, I felt the humane thing to do was dispatch it ricky-tick, before it crawled off any further and suffered with injury and perhaps infection.

Had I gone out to the shed to retrieve a shovel or hoe, I thought maybe the snake would have crawled off into some brush and hidden before my return. Reaching into my pocket and pulling out my razor sharp Opinel (always carry a sharp pocket knife), I took care of what needed done, in one swift movement.

Turning my attention to Rowdy, I could see swelling on the lower right side of his mouth and knew he'd been struck by the snake. I kept a close watchful eye on my buddy boy and after 30minutes, he began "drifting". Swelling had increased muti-fold and was going down into his neck as the venom worked it's course. I decided to get Rowdy to the emergency after-hours vet.

The vet on call that night was our regular vet, Dr Jennings. He suggested antivenin if I could afford it. Said it would be $850 for a 10ml vial. At the time, I could only afford one(1) vial. Rowdy got the antivenin and shots for inflammation and antibiotic. Rowdy was kept overnight at the vet clinic for observation.

Dr. Jennings said the protocol with humans was to give antivenin until the swelling goes down. I couldn't afford to do that, crossed my fingers and prayed. Furthermore, while I'd taken the snake to the vet along with Rowdy, Dr. Jennings said he didn't need to see the snake. He said the same antivenin is given for ALL venomous snake bites in North American ... with the exception of a Coral snake, which requires a different antivenin.

Next day I picked Rowdy up. He seemed much better than the previous evening when I'd left him there. Dr. Jennings sent us home with antibiotic tablets to be continued for a week.

Maybe it was the prayers or maybe it was the crossed fingers, but within 2days ... and $1500 later ... the swelling was completely GONE and Rowdy was back to his same ole self, absolutely as if nothing had ever happened.

Sadly, within the same year and unrelated to the snake bite, I would have to make a tough decision when it was found that Rowdy had very aggressive mast cell cancer that involved vital organs, caused him to be violently ill and unable to eat. Cancer sucks.

As @911 mentioned, Copperhead snakes are the least venomous snakes in North America. Adult snakes will "ration" their venom when striking so as not to "blow their wad" in one strike. Young juvenile snakes on the other hand, often release all their venom in one strike. That makes them possibly more dangerous than an adult snake. And around these parts, dogmen will often shoot their dogs up with a mega dose of Benedryl when a dog has gotten a snake bite, and call it a day. But I didn't want to take a chance with Rowdy. I wanted to give my buddy boy the very best care I could afford. Miss ya Rowdy. You were a good boy.

I don't care if you're walking or crawling, don't mess with my dogs. That's how we roll on the corner of Walk 'n Don't Walk.

4ZkBAkR.jpeg


9izQ1bD.jpeg
Click to expand...
 
Naturally said:
As 911mentioned, Copperhead snakes are the least venomous snakes in North America. Adult snakes will "ration" their venom when striking so as not to "blow their wad" in one strike. Young juvenile snakes on the other hand, often release all their venom in one strike. That makes them possibly more dangerous than an adult snake.
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What a beautiful dog, We have had many over the years, and being dogless the last few years hurts.
As I mentioned about the child, he was found crying at the edge of the woods in in his back yard. He had the misfortune of disturbing nest of baby Copperheads. The vision still haunts me.
 
Naturally said:
13yrs ago, back in 2011, my evening ritual of relaxing in the swing out back in the sanctuary was interrupted by a Copperhead.

It had been a peaceful evening up until just after sunset when I heard a commotion about 6ft behind where I was seated in the swing. Turning to look for the source of disturbance, I saw my buddy boy, Rowdy, wrestling with a Copperhead snake.

I secured Rowdy in the house and returned to investigate options of dealing with the snake. I could see Rowdy had injured the snake. There were teeth puncture marks in the body and the lower spine appeared to be broken. But that snake was "game" and still very active.

Had I not lived inside the city limits, I would have reached for a firearm without hesitation and always keep a firearm close by. While I considered relocating the beautiful snake, I felt the humane thing to do was dispatch it ricky-tick, before it crawled off any further and suffered with injury and perhaps infection.

Had I gone out to the shed to retrieve a shovel or hoe, I thought maybe the snake would have crawled off into some brush and hidden before my return. Reaching into my pocket and pulling out my razor sharp Opinel (always carry a sharp pocket knife), I took care of what needed done, in one swift movement.

Turning my attention to Rowdy, I could see swelling on the lower right side of his mouth and knew he'd been struck by the snake. I kept a close watchful eye on my buddy boy and after 30minutes, he began "drifting". Swelling had increased muti-fold and was going down into his neck as the venom worked it's course. I decided to get Rowdy to the emergency after-hours vet.

The vet on call that night was our regular vet, Dr Jennings. He suggested antivenin if I could afford it. Said it would be $850 for a 10ml vial. At the time, I could only afford one(1) vial. Rowdy got the antivenin and shots for inflammation and antibiotic. Rowdy was kept overnight at the vet clinic for observation.

Dr. Jennings said the protocol with humans was to give antivenin until the swelling goes down. I couldn't afford to do that, crossed my fingers and prayed. Furthermore, while I'd taken the snake to the vet along with Rowdy, Dr. Jennings said he didn't need to see the snake. He said the same antivenin is given for ALL venomous snake bites in North American ... with the exception of a Coral snake, which requires a different antivenin.

Next day I picked Rowdy up. He seemed much better than the previous evening when I'd left him there. Dr. Jennings sent us home with antibiotic tablets to be continued for a week.

Maybe it was the prayers or maybe it was the crossed fingers, but within 2days ... and $1500 later ... the swelling was completely GONE and Rowdy was back to his same ole self, absolutely as if nothing had ever happened.

Sadly, within the same year and unrelated to the snake bite, I would have to make a tough decision when it was found that Rowdy had very aggressive mast cell cancer that involved vital organs, caused him to be violently ill and unable to eat. Cancer sucks.

As @911 mentioned, Copperhead snakes are the least venomous snakes in North America. Adult snakes will "ration" their venom when striking so as not to "blow their wad" in one strike. Young juvenile snakes on the other hand, often release all their venom in one strike. That makes them possibly more dangerous than an adult snake. And around these parts, dogmen will often shoot their dogs up with a mega dose of Benedryl when a dog has gotten a snake bite, and call it a day. But I didn't want to take a chance with Rowdy. I wanted to give my buddy boy the very best care I could afford. Miss ya Rowdy. You were a good boy.

I don't care if you're walking or crawling, don't mess with my dogs. That's how we roll on the corner of Walk 'n Don't Walk.

4ZkBAkR.jpeg


9izQ1bD.jpeg


GkbDhv1.jpeg
Click to expand...
Naturally said:
13yrs ago, back in 2011, my evening ritual of relaxing in the swing out back in the sanctuary was interrupted by a Copperhead.

It had been a peaceful evening up until just after sunset when I heard a commotion about 6ft behind where I was seated in the swing. Turning to look for the source of disturbance, I saw my buddy boy, Rowdy, wrestling with a Copperhead snake.

I secured Rowdy in the house and returned to investigate options of dealing with the snake. I could see Rowdy had injured the snake. There were teeth puncture marks in the body and the lower spine appeared to be broken. But that snake was "game" and still very active.

Had I not lived inside the city limits, I would have reached for a firearm without hesitation and always keep a firearm close by. While I considered relocating the beautiful snake, I felt the humane thing to do was dispatch it ricky-tick, before it crawled off any further and suffered with injury and perhaps infection.

Had I gone out to the shed to retrieve a shovel or hoe, I thought maybe the snake would have crawled off into some brush and hidden before my return. Reaching into my pocket and pulling out my razor sharp Opinel (always carry a sharp pocket knife), I took care of what needed done, in one swift movement.

Turning my attention to Rowdy, I could see swelling on the lower right side of his mouth and knew he'd been struck by the snake. I kept a close watchful eye on my buddy boy and after 30minutes, he began "drifting". Swelling had increased muti-fold and was going down into his neck as the venom worked it's course. I decided to get Rowdy to the emergency after-hours vet.

The vet on call that night was our regular vet, Dr Jennings. He suggested antivenin if I could afford it. Said it would be $850 for a 10ml vial. At the time, I could only afford one(1) vial. Rowdy got the antivenin and shots for inflammation and antibiotic. Rowdy was kept overnight at the vet clinic for observation.

Dr. Jennings said the protocol with humans was to give antivenin until the swelling goes down. I couldn't afford to do that, crossed my fingers and prayed. Furthermore, while I'd taken the snake to the vet along with Rowdy, Dr. Jennings said he didn't need to see the snake. He said the same antivenin is given for ALL venomous snake bites in North American ... with the exception of a Coral snake, which requires a different antivenin.

Next day I picked Rowdy up. He seemed much better than the previous evening when I'd left him there. Dr. Jennings sent us home with antibiotic tablets to be continued for a week.

Maybe it was the prayers or maybe it was the crossed fingers, but within 2days ... and $1500 later ... the swelling was completely GONE and Rowdy was back to his same ole self, absolutely as if nothing had ever happened.

Sadly, within the same year and unrelated to the snake bite, I would have to make a tough decision when it was found that Rowdy had very aggressive mast cell cancer that involved vital organs, caused him to be violently ill and unable to eat. Cancer sucks.

As @911 mentioned, Copperhead snakes are the least venomous snakes in North America. Adult snakes will "ration" their venom when striking so as not to "blow their wad" in one strike. Young juvenile snakes on the other hand, often release all their venom in one strike. That makes them possibly more dangerous than an adult snake. And around these parts, dogmen will often shoot their dogs up with a mega dose of Benedryl when a dog has gotten a snake bite, and call it a day. But I didn't want to take a chance with Rowdy. I wanted to give my buddy boy the very best care I could afford. Miss ya Rowdy. You were a good boy.

I don't care if you're walking or crawling, don't mess with my dogs. That's how we roll on the corner of Walk 'n Don't Walk.

4ZkBAkR.jpeg


9izQ1bD.jpeg


GkbDhv1.jpeg
Click to expand...

What a story, Jim! Rowdy such a bold strong looking boy. Beautiful dog...
How you must miss him so very much. Thanks for sharing~
 
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Warrigal said:
We have lots of snakes in Australia, many venomous and at least one, the tiger snake, can be quite aggressive to the point of chasing you if disturbed. Still, we don't immediately reach for a gun to deal with them. We call in a snake handler to catch and remove them safely.

If your only tool is a hammer then every problem looks like a nail.

​

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It would take a snake handler hours to get to most copperhead areas in the US. Because they'd have to fly there.

But even if wildlife services are local to you, they can't respond in a timely fashion. You're gonna wait 30 minutes to an hour.
 
Perhaps we have more snakes than you do. Or perhaps it is because reptiles are protected species in Australia that we have more snake handlers over here. Snake handlers will come to your home to remove snakes for you. They will be relocated and released where they will not be a problem to humans.
 
Warrigal said:
Perhaps we have more snakes than you do. Or perhaps it is because reptiles are protected species in Australia that we have more snake handlers over here. Snake handlers will come to your home to remove snakes for you. They will be relocated and released where they will not be a problem to humans.
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In some areas in the US, police and fire departments give snake handlers (or experts) priority when they're hiring new officers and staff.
 
Rakaia said:
You would have to have amazing gun control to kill a snake with a rifle or a handgun,
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There's snake shot loads, even for .22s

You best have some fire power close at hand where we lived

It was quite remote
and bear, big cats, and wolves cruised thru on a steady basis
Then there was the 2 legged varmints

All the above would scatter at the blast of my 12 gauge into the air
 
Rakaia said:
There are no snakes in New Zealand so we called it bird shot. My grandfather kept an old .22 just for the bird shot, he said it wore out the rifling.
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No snakes in New Zeeland?!
Now, THAT's a country for me

I hate snakes
All snakes
They give me the creeps
Even how they move.....'slither'

They don't have to be venomous to cause me to scream like a little girl, just by the sight of one

That's what I so liked about our mountain cabin up near Crater Lake
The 'soil' was mostly pumice from Mt Mazama
Snakes hate pumice
 
Is the USA the most dangerous country in the whole wide world?? I doubt it - I am sure some wise old owl has already written one out and posted it on wiki. How about the country in the news atm killing tourists? RIP. Keeping guns in circulation breeds uncertainty ; willingness to use it as a first option and always feeling like a cowboy/girl etc. Get over it and join the rest of non- gun world?
 

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