if I had time to look for and find an adequate stick to bash a snake, it would be far enough away for me not to worry about anyway. it's those times in the thick stuff that you have to put your foot down somewhere youre unable to see that I worry about esp if you know there are poisonous snakes in the area and are trying to move about stealthy and quiet
Nacho,Most of the time a snake knows your near and will move away.Unless it just fed or is in the process of sheading it blind and will be agressive.As a woodman it is also your job to watch for them.One of the things you never do is put your hand were you cant see and never step right over a log.If you do step on one they will bite.In Carlos's insodent that is kinda rare for a snake to stay while your walking up on it unless weather is cool and there not moving good.You dont want to go around and kill all the snakes you find if you do you will have other things you dont want overpopulating.Mother nature has a way of keeping them in check. Hogs and dillers will keep a snake population in check also black snakes will eat any rattler it comes across.I promiss you you have walked past many and never knew they were there,there not out to get you most all snake bites happen from people messing with them or handling a "dead" snake.Those pics of Carlos holding that snakes head and messing with it was not a smart thing to do.And yes that rat shot will do just fine.Just keep your eyes open and you will be able to avoid most problems.always rember if you smell cucumbers look around and move away.Rattlers will release a muck that smells like that. Good luck and have fun in the woods.Dont make it to hard or it wont be fun anymore :rock_on
Amen brother
My honest opinion is if you need to shoot a snake why not just use the gun your hunting with? Unless you don't want to damage the skin.I really never had to kill any snake that I couldn't avoid if I wanted to.And if you get bit it I wouldn't be worrying about switching guns to kill it. I see absolutly no problem with shooting rat shot out of a pistol to kill a snake,just no good reason to carry for that purpose.
just get a stick. grab it and git r done. i shot mine cause i needed to shoot something out there already.
Once when I was a young kid I was hanging off a sapling dropping a deuce in the woods when I looked down and there was this giant diamondbackcopperheadedewatermocacoral snake trying to bite me in the bisquits.I reached down so quick and snapped that things neck then realized I forgot the TP.So I skinned it out and wiped with it's hide all using my free hand that wasn't holding on to the tree. True story.
Nacho,Most of the time a snake knows your near and will move away.Unless it just fed or is in the process of sheading it blind and will be agressive.As a woodman it is also your job to watch for them.One of the things you never do is put your hand were you cant see and never step right over a log.If you do step on one they will bite.In Carlos's insodent that is kinda rare for a snake to stay while your walking up on it unless weather is cool and there not moving good.You dont want to go around and kill all the snakes you find if you do you will have other things you dont want overpopulating.Mother nature has a way of keeping them in check. Hogs and dillers will keep a snake population in check also black snakes will eat any rattler it comes across.I promiss you you have walked past many and never knew they were there,there not out to get you most all snake bites happen from people messing with them or handling a "dead" snake.Those pics of Carlos holding that snakes head and messing with it was not a smart thing to do.And yes that rat shot will do just fine.Just keep your eyes open and you will be able to avoid most problems.always rember if you smell cucumbers look around and move away.Rattlers will release a muck that smells like that. Good luck and have fun in the woods.Dont make it to hard or it wont be fun anymore :rock_on
Amen, clearly I have a bias towards the scaly critters, but I nearly stepped on 6 rattlers this past season at Green Swamp. They are all still alive. I understand when they are in residential areas and other high traffic areas, but when I'm in the little habitat left for them, I let them be. You'd be better off to invest in snake chaps than carry a pistol with rat shot anyways. It's fairly unlikely that you'll see the snake at all until it bit you, and the odds of being able to pull a pistol while standing within striking territory, and not enticing a strike isn't too good either.
I have shot many snakes with .38 spcl shot shells. Anything less than 10 yards is a dead snake with that load. I do want to invest in some for my .40 s&W.
I don't shoot as many snakes as I used to. However, I will shoot every one I see around my feeders.
