DuckSouth.com

Ok,guys,thought I'd share this with ya.Now that duck season is over,alot of you are die hard hunters just like me and will go to the next thing avaiable.There are alot of you on here who squirrel hunt.The title of this post says it all.Went Saturday afternoon with son and friend of my Dad's and was havin a pretty good time.We treed and headed to the tree.We were hunting a swamp near our home and well just never thought about anything but huntin.As we approached the tree,we had to jump over a small spring that is what's left to and old beaver dam.I had the tree in site and almost certainly had the squirrel spotted when I heard my 11 year old say"OMG Daddy".The tone of his voice told me something was terribly wrong.As I turned to look,I saw the biggest copper head moccasin I think I have ever seen in my 43 years.I had just placed my right foot within three to four inches of him and he just lay there.I was about two foot from him when I turned around.He died gracefully.It was about 4 in the afternoon and had started to cool back down.Only reason I can think of I'm still here.It scared me so bad,I had to sit down and thought I was actually fixin to have my first heart attack.We held it up to measure it by my son,who is about 4 ft.With the tail at just above his ear lobe level,the head was lying on the ground.We estimated it at about 3 almost 4 foot long and it was almost as round as my forearm.So,gentlemen,have fun,but,watch your feet on those warmer days.

we killed a copperhead last January in duck season. floating in the flooded backwaters of arkabutla. we saw another one the very next day. and you talk about fire ants...we saw MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS of em.

Must be glad it was a copperhead and not one of the nasties. You know, one of those huge water moccasins that seem like they were born pissed off at the world. Not a huge fan of either, but I'd almost rather try and put a copperhead in my pocket than walk within ten feet of a cottonmouth. Almost.

Glad to hear you're alright.

mottlet

Yeah these warm days have 'em movin'. I'm with you mottlet, those cottonmouths have a bad attitude. I very seldon kill one unless they really scare me and get too close. With turkey season comin up I'll start knockin' 'em in the head cause I feel like if I let him go he'll be the one I sit down on next time.........

Saturday in vicksburg, at my deer camp, I saw a hawk flying down the camp road with what appeared to be a stump-tailed cottonmouth(short but very thick). The hawk had him by the head and it was thrashing back and forth. I thought i was seein things.

Vicksburg, its awesome to watch them Redtails and Northern Harriers in the wrp fields. Its no telling what they will come up with. I have seen them with snakes, mice as well as cotton rats, birds and other things. Once I thought I saw one carrying a deer through the air but that turned out to be a mosquito instead of a hawk.

Killed a cottonmouth late January last year in about 30 degree weather with about 1/2"-thick ice on the water in the woods. A buddy of mine and I had broken ice to try to get some ducks that were hitting a spot behind us. I had moved on about 20 yards and came back to where I had previously been and where my buddy was standing in about hip deep water in the broken-up ice. He told me I needed to "warm something up" for him and moved out of the way to show me the head of a copper headed rattle mocassin (as my friend calls them) that was above the ice. The snake was moving very slowly and was headed back below the water right before I sent him to be with his long-lost relatives. That has me spooked!!!! (I hate those things!)

so how many here have actually been bit by one of them mocs...

i'll be the first...ME.. it wasnt fun and had to have surgery to straighten out my left index finger..

I'll go second........I've been hit twice, cottonmouths both times. The first time was on Hasuqua creek in Noxubee county. I was walkin thru some tall grass and he hit me on the bottom of my boot as I went to put my foot down. The second was in the Yockanookany swamp in Attala county, I had leggins' on that time but it scared me worse because I saw him before he struck, hit me right on the side of my ankle...........'bout soiled myself on that one........

KILL EM ALL. There ain't but one kind of sanke in this world to me--and they are all poisonous.

They are all Cottonmouthed water rattlers.

I hate em all. I would rather pull another gator out of a pond by his tail than walk within 10 feet of any of em.

got bit when i was about 4. hurt like hell. the only good kind of snake is a dead one. i won't even wear snake skin boots b/c i hate em so much

Papaw called them cotton-back rattle-mouths! Ain't much uglier than a big ole cotton mouth!

My daughter got bit on the foot when she was 4. Couldn't give antivenum cause didn't have the snake. Her little foot turned blue. Had a real anxious night, but luckily only one fang hit. She recovered fine. One night went out by my wife's chicken,ducks, pigeon pen with flip-flops on luckily stepped right on small copperheads head. Felt something mushy under foot jumped clear. Hate them SOB's.

I guess I did a little better than yall last year. I think we killed either 7 or 8 last duck season. It was crazy to see that many snakes in that cold temp. Most of them were cotton mouths but a couple were copperheads. One raised up like he was goin to strike at a decoy one day. And another day my brother just about put his hand right on one. I dont know what it is but nothin scares me more than Mr. Noshoulders.

I was wondering if anyone else here ever referred to them as "no-shoulders". I got one during the last 5 days of season this year. It was about neck high on me in the flooded buck brush, as I was walking out. Luckily, I have been blessed with a good snake spotting 6th sense. That could have been ugly, as I was alone. I am more deeply afraid of spiders than snakes, but I enjoy killing snakes all the same.

I REALLY enjoy taking my boat out in early Spring and shooting them with a shotgun. Typically on some of those first bright/warm days, when the snakes are out in good #'s, but won't readily retreat into cold water is the best time to do it.