• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

My dog is in the same club as Zues.

Bowesmobile

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
204
Location
Powhatan, Va
Out walking Magnolia and about a quarter of a mile from my driveway she was bit by a copperhead. Got her right on her left lip. Poor girl, jumped 4' in the air! Probably sniffed it because she thought it was a stick! Well this stick bit back! Had to run her to the vet, and she's on a anti-biotic as well as some pain meds. Poor thing looked like she went a few rounds with Mike Tyson (only she has her ears still). It was more important to get my kids and wife far enough out of harms way that they didn't get bit. Or else it would have met the wrath of my .45 that I was open carrying (hope I've satisfied all the forum rules, lol). I added a picture of her from this morning. The angle doesn't show how swollen her mouth really is.
 

Attachments

  • Magnolia_post_bite.jpg
    Magnolia_post_bite.jpg
    12.4 KB · Views: 129
Last edited:

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
Sorry to her she was bitten. Hope she's OK.


I never understood shooting snakes. Except in water, swamp, or a tree, a handy stick or branch is enough. In the yard a hoe or shovel will end things swiftly. And, I don't have to explain gunshots, nor clean the gun. Seems like an excuse to just use the gun to me, but I also recognize there may be more to it than what I can think up.
 

Marco

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2007
Messages
3,905
Location
Greene County
Sorry to hear about your dog.. hope he recovers swiftly.
Twenty some yrs ago one of my APBT's got bite on the snot by a Mojave rattler...he swelled up and looked like a piece of cauliflower... luckily with anit botics he made a full recovery.


We were 4 miles from the car so I carried him out so he wouldn't cause more harm to himself and 20-30 miles from town and it was sunday, glad my vet was a close friend.

Locally a 6yr old girl (iirc) was bite on the ankle back in April or May by a cooperhead not once but twice, she lived.
After that incident I went out with a shovel each night over turning rocks and dead tree limbs for about a month.


Rabies is also on the rise here locally, darnnit!!!!!
 

Bowesmobile

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
204
Location
Powhatan, Va
Citizen,

I do not want to get within striking distance and it was a pretty big copper head. The forum rules state it has to be open carry related. Sooooo, I meantioned I was open carrying. It was a little big to kill with a stick and dang it all I forgot to carry my shovel, hoe, and rake with me on that 2 mile walk. But my nifty pistola was on my side and not concerning myself with the welfare of my wife and kids would have allowed me the opportunity to eliminate a potential repeat threat. Now I have to be mindful that there's a 5' copperhead roaming the woods by my house. So when and if I run across my new "friend" again I will make sure to give him a few new breathing holes. Something I wish I could have handled upon our first introduction. Had I greeted him before he greeted my dog I could have saved a vet visit! :banana:
 

peter nap

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
13,551
Location
Valhalla
Sorry to her she was bitten. Hope she's OK.


I never understood shooting snakes. Except in water, swamp, or a tree, a handy stick or branch is enough. In the yard a hoe or shovel will end things swiftly. And, I don't have to explain gunshots, nor clean the gun. Seems like an excuse to just use the gun to me, but I also recognize there may be more to it than what I can think up.

I think the biggest reason is most people don't like to get that close to them.

I don't kill them unless they're close to the house but in that case...I don't want them to get away.
A shovel or hoe work fine unless they wiggle back in rocks or under something, then you have to root them out to get a whack at them.

I use a 22 rifle because with snake shot it's as quiet as a pellet gun and if they do get in rocks or brush, I just shoot what I can see. A snake is all backbone so a shot anywhere mid body up will keep him in place, Then I just move what they're hiding in and kill it.
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
Citizen,

I do not want to get within striking distance and it was a pretty big copper head. The forum rules state it has to be open carry related. Sooooo, I meantioned I was open carrying. It was a little big to kill with a stick and dang it all I forgot to carry my shovel, hoe, and rake with me on that 2 mile walk. But my nifty pistola was on my side and not concerning myself with the welfare of my wife and kids would have allowed me the opportunity to eliminate a potential repeat threat. Now I have to be mindful that there's a 5' copperhead roaming the woods by my house. So when and if I run across my new "friend" again I will make sure to give him a few new breathing holes. Something I wish I could have handled upon our first introduction. Had I greeted him before he greeted my dog I could have saved a vet visit! :banana:


Makes sense.

(But, if you were walking along a road with fields on either side, you could have pulled up a fence post or telephone pole to whack the snake. And, a telephone pole would give you plenty of length to stay out of snakebite range. :D)
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
I think the biggest reason is most people don't like to get that close to them.

I don't kill them unless they're close to the house but in that case...I don't want them to get away.
A shovel or hoe work fine unless they wiggle back in rocks or under something, then you have to root them out to get a whack at them.

I use a 22 rifle because with snake shot it's as quiet as a pellet gun and if they do get in rocks or brush, I just shoot what I can see. A snake is all backbone so a shot anywhere mid body up will keep him in place, Then I just move what they're hiding in and kill it.

You sound like a man with plenty of experience killing snakes. :)
 

Bowesmobile

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
204
Location
Powhatan, Va
Makes sense.

(But, if you were walking along a road with fields on either side, you could have pulled up a fence post or telephone pole to whack the snake. And, a telephone pole would give you plenty of length to stay out of snakebite range. :D)

I am going to have to remember the telephone pole trick! Thanks! The fence didn't start for another 50 yards. To far out of reach...thanks for the advice though!
 

MamabearCali

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 1, 2012
Messages
335
Location
Chesterfield
As a person who has lived where poisonous snakes were VERY common (seen everyother day) we had a rule with poisonous ones. If it is the field it may lie, it if it in the yard (area where people are common) it must die. The rational behind that is that snakes are an important part if our ecosystem, however we cannot permit a poisonous snake to remain near where our children play. We are not crocodile hunters (and able to move snakes at will) so we must deal in deadly force when deal with poisonous snakes. Now a simple grass snake would just get moved with a stick to a wooded area
 

Bowesmobile

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
204
Location
Powhatan, Va
Black snakes are allowed to pass in the yard. Copperheads are not... Thats the rule at our house. Also stray dogs are not allowed in because of what they do to my chickens and ducks. Deer are allowed on a seasonal and tempermental basis. Those that decide to eat my garden are eaten themselves. Those that eat in the woods are welcome year round and will only be hunted with the appropriate weapon in the appropriate season.
 

The Wolfhound

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Messages
728
Location
Henrico, Virginia, USA
They make .45ACP shot shells

Some pistols (mine is one) will cycle reliably with them. The shot is #9 and does a much better job than the .22LR filled with #12. It is an option I have chosen more than once.
 

acfreddie

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2012
Messages
46
Location
richmond, va
If it is the field it may lie, it if it in the yard (area where people are common) it must die. The rational behind that is that snakes are an important part if our ecosystem, however we cannot permit a poisonous snake to remain near where our children play.

Makes perfect sense to me
 

Uber_Olafsun

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 9, 2009
Messages
583
Location
Alexandria, Virginia, United States
When I lived in California at my brothers t ball game a Mojave green came up to my step dad and tried to strike him. It hit the ball bag before anyone even saw it with a little kid pointing it out screaming. We backed everyone up and my step dad got in the car and ran back and forth on it about 20 times. The thing was flattened but still twitching. After the twitching stopped he used a bat to pick it up and toss it into the desert. When you don't have a shotgun a station wagon can fill in.
 

riverrat10k

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 24, 2008
Messages
1,472
Location
on a rock in the james river
snip

Now I have to be mindful that there's a 5' copperhead roaming the woods by my house.

snip


Should have tried to capture it.

http://www.goochlandgazette.com/index.php/news/article/woman_kills_near_record_length_copperhead/

"The reptile, which Dykers killed with a hoe, measured in at 46 inches long, about a foot longer than the average copperhead. The record length for that type of snake in Virginia is 48 inches. And the world record? Just a bit longer at 53 inches"

New world record in Powhatan!
 

Bowesmobile

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
204
Location
Powhatan, Va
Don't tell Bowesmobile! He can't carry a station wagon under one arm and telephone pole under the other. :D

Why not? I can carry both and the leash with my pistol on my hip, thank you very much! Are you making fun of me? lol

It might have been closer to 48" but I wasn't going to take my chances measuring it. "hello mister snake that bit my dog, can I please measure you so the internetz can know exactly how long you are. OUCH, now why did you go and bite me"! I do know that it was about as big around as my fist and not very friendly.
 

Bowesmobile

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2012
Messages
204
Location
Powhatan, Va
Citizen,

It's all in good fun!

Peter nap,

Didn't realize this until now but I mis-spelled Zeus's name. Sorry, didn't mean to do that! He's one cool dog and I have a lot of respect for him. :D

A quick update on Magnolia. The swelling is almost completely gone. There's just one red spot where she was bit on the lip. She has been more cuddly lately, lol. Which is a good thing if you know her. Here's a picture from this morning.
 

Attachments

  • Magnolia_cuddling.jpg
    Magnolia_cuddling.jpg
    32.5 KB · Views: 76
Last edited:

peter nap

Accomplished Advocate
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
13,551
Location
Valhalla
Glad she's getting better. Copperheads don't always release a full dose of venom. Sounds like this one gave a light load.

Zeus isn't particular how his name gets spelled.
He has to stay at the house when I'm hunting so he stood around looking snooty all day.:lol:

zeus-farm1.gif
 
Top