ENVR How To Keep Snakes Away?

bbbuddy

DEPLORABLE ME
I have more than once pinned a Rattlesnake behind the head with a forked branch, then cut the head off with a pocket knife. Then buried the head.
 

Sherrynboo

Veteran Member
I just pulled another 5 footer out of my chicken coop and made it spit out the egg it had just swallowed. Then I turned it loose for the dogs to terrorize. I'm pretty sure it got away as I haven't seen the carcass anywhere. Hope it learned a lesson.
 

pauldingbabe

The Great Cat
I just pulled another 5 footer out of my chicken coop and made it spit out the egg it had just swallowed. Then I turned it loose for the dogs to terrorize. I'm pretty sure it got away as I haven't seen the carcass anywhere. Hope it learned a lesson.

Damn!

Going to teach that lesson good too!

:xpnd:
 

AlaskaSue

North to the Future
My grandson, 3, visited my place - he’s only lived in Florida, and his dad and mom keep him savvy.

Walking around the property with me we got to a high grassy area and he grabbed my hand, asking, “Snakes? Snakes?” Good for him to ask; and I loved telling him there are none here, so no worries. Just keep an eye out for the moose ;)
 

patriotgal

Veteran Member
1. rake the leaves in the yard in the winter before:
a) snakes come out of hibernation
b) before your start futzing in the yard.

2. Keep the grass mowed and weeds around the house cut back.
Think of it as a kill zone that allows birds and other critters to see them and eat them.

3. Wear shoes and gloves.

4. I have never killed a snake that died without a struggle.
Shoot em and they still strike and snap. Don't shoot yourself in the foot.
Chop em and they still strike and snap.

Not going to tell you how to kill a snake because I do not want to be required to write a over long legal disclaimer to relieve myself from legal liability when you get bit.
If you use a weapon that blows their head into pieces, they will stop striking. Ask my 5 yo grand. He loves to show the bullet scar on the deck where papa shot the cotton mouth that was after the grand. The kid will even show you the exact spot in the yard where the biggest piece of snake head landed. :)
 

SurfaceTension

Veteran Member
I killed one at the basement door last weekend with a 22 shot shell out of a 1911-22. Surprising effective. I keep one of these rounds at #2 in the mag; two quick racks, point & click, snake deleted.

1685584132834.png
 

shane

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Had rattlesnake problem at place in West Texas, but after getting four cats, that we kept exclusively outside and did not over feed, they'd promptly cleared out all the mice & lizards all around the house and then we saw no more snakes.

Unfortunately, they'd later gotten picked off after 4 months by some predator up here, probably coyotes, bobcat or mountain lion, though some say fox tear into them here, too, and so now I stumbled across our first snake since then just this morning, a venomous eastern black-tailed rattlesnake (Crotalus ornatus)...

350662968_644643477063644_1262739191105150713_n.jpg

Never boring!

Panic Early, Beat the Rush!
- Shane
 

KFhunter

Veteran Member
Northern Idaho, which is very different in many ways from the rest of Idaho does not have venomous snakes either.

Uhhh

I wanted to say timber rattlers, but they’re prairie rattlers or western rattler , interesting they’re not in N Idaho
 
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raven

TB Fanatic
Snakes are a hard target to aim at. Big snakes are easier. Small snakes are tough.

When I was a kid, my uncle held a rattler down with a shovel and let me shoot it with a 22. I shot it in the head - no effect.
Shot it a couple more times in the head - nothing. Uncle hit the shovel with his boot heel and cut off its head - that did it.

I was sitting in the back yard a couple years ago and heard the war start over at the neighbors.
Bam, bam, bam, bam.
Snake in an outside cabinet. Oh, he finally killed it but that cabinet had a bunch of holes in it.

So yes, if you know how to handle a firearm and have shot shells go for it. Plan on leaving divots in your deck, sidewalk, etc. Don't shoot your toe off.

P.S. Snakes climb. I've seen em hanging on window sills and out of trees. Just because you have potted plants on a shelf, does not mean they can't get there.

P.S. The favorite food of the copperhead is cicadas - those thumb size brown crunchy lava things that crawl out of the ground at night, climb about half way up a tree and then leave their shell and sprout wings. So running around barefoot under the trees at night is not advised.
Since you know they start out as grubs in the ground,
another preventive measure is the application of a grub killer on your lawn.
 

CaryC

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Snakes are a hard target to aim at. Big snakes are easier. Small snakes are tough.

When I was a kid, my uncle held a rattler down with a shovel and let me shoot it with a 22. I shot it in the head - no effect.
Shot it a couple more times in the head - nothing. Uncle hit the shovel with his boot heel and cut off its head - that did it.

I was sitting in the back yard a couple years ago and heard the war start over at the neighbors.
Bam, bam, bam, bam.
Snake in an outside cabinet. Oh, he finally killed it but that cabinet had a bunch of holes in it.

So yes, if you know how to handle a firearm and have shot shells go for it. Plan on leaving divots in your deck, sidewalk, etc. Don't shoot your toe off.

P.S. Snakes climb. I've seen em hanging on window sills and out of trees. Just because you have potted plants on a shelf, does not mean they can't get there.

P.S. The favorite food of the copperhead is cicadas - those thumb size brown crunchy lava things that crawl out of the ground at night, climb about half way up a tree and then leave their shell and sprout wings. So running around barefoot under the trees at night is not advised.
Since you know they start out as grubs in the ground,
another preventive measure is the application of a grub killer on your lawn.
LOL I've been shooting snakes with a .22 pistol ever since I was a teen. But like yeah, not on a deck, or something like that. Shot a Chicken Snake a couple of years ago with a 9MM, one in the yard, and a black snake down in the bottom, one shot head gone disappeared.

Then I was like: you have got to be the dumbest person, using high priced defender bullets on a snake. So took out the Ruger .22-45 again.

But like I said I've been plinking since I was a kid. .22's were cheap, and so was the peppermint candy we shot, in the air. If you think I'm bragging, I'm not, my cousin makes me look like a cheap knock off. I do a slow burn every time we go shooting.

But also like you said you don't have to be a competition shooter to shoot snakes (I'm not) and those shot shells would be very good.

A question though: Will those shot shells rack through an automatic? If not, then best purchase a revolver.
 

pauldingbabe

The Great Cat
Had rattlesnake problem at place in West Texas, but after getting four cats, that we kept exclusively outside and did not over feed, they'd promptly cleared out all the mice & lizards all around the house and then we saw no more snakes.

Unfortunately, they'd later gotten picked off after 4 months by some predator up here, probably coyotes, bobcat or mountain lion, though some say fox tear into them here, too, and so now I stumbled across our first snake since then just this morning, a venomous eastern black-tailed rattlesnake (Crotalus ornatus)...

View attachment 416388

Never boring!

Panic Early, Beat the Rush!
- Shane

Look at the huge head on that sonofabitch....

Wow!
 

33dInd

Veteran Member
Yellow sulphuric powder
Spread around your fence line
Left over leaves. Rake em up
22 bird shot
In a pistol on your hip

I got two chihuahuas.
Both have been bitten by copperheads $2000 vet bill.
Usually the snakes won’t give a full venom dose.
But…..
 

KittyKatChic

Senior Member
Encourage opossums to hang around. Or go hunt a couple black snakes and release them around your property. They WILL NOT tolerate a copperhead. It has become apparent that my old black snake didn't make it through the severe winter of 2021. She hasn't been seen since and I think I need to go find a black snake to bring home. She was a good one. Used to lay in the garden with me while I worked and wait for a tomato or watermelon. =(
 

Kennori

Contributing Member
Snake-Load is available in a few calibers. Converts your handgun into a mini shotgun. Hitting a snake on the move is surprisingly difficult, you wouldn't hunt ducks with a AR.
 

rob0126

Veteran Member
I popped a non aggressive snake with a high power pellet rifle.(spring loaded)

As for an aggressive, Id use a firearm to keep your distance.

A shovel would be my next choice next to the push mower turning it into confetti.
 
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