My Saiga scored its first kill

[GBob01 0]

Just scored my first clean kill with the Saiga.410.

Wife was walking in the backyard and saw a "huge snake". Came to the patio door yelling for me to grab my gun and come outside to get it. Grabbed the Saiga and found the bastard trying to make a run...er,crawl for it. Took it's head off.

3-31/2 ft water moccassin.

 

Some cold weather we're having; the snakes are still active.

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Just scored my first clean kill with the Saiga.410.

Wife was walking in the backyard and saw a "huge snake". Came to the patio door yelling for me to grab my gun and come outside to get it. Grabbed the Saiga and found the bastard trying to make a run...er,crawl for it. Took it's head off.

3-31/2 ft water moccassin.

 

Some cold weather we're having; the snakes are still active.

Picture of this evil creature?

[dayanx 1]

toss it on the bar-bi?

[Bayoupiper 738]

Great!

That's one less of the motherf*ckers breathing!

 

Keep it up!

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

I'll believe it was a water moccasin when I see pics. I'm sorry. You don't know how many hundreds of times I have seen people who are afraid of snakes, misidentify them and call them either water moccasins or copperheads. In fact I use to raise copperheads from birth just to have the opportunity to show people what they really do look like. I would love to have had a pet cottonmouth as well but they are not very good at surviving in my neck of the woods, just a bit too far west here in Wake Co, NC. Still though, you would not friggin believe the number of totally harmless banded watersnakes and even garter snakes I have seen people kill out of fear and label them moccasins.

[Superhawk138 202]

I'll believe it was a water moccasin when I see pics. I'm sorry. You don't know how many hundreds of times I have seen people who are afraid of snakes, misidentify them and call them either water moccasins or copperheads. In fact I use to raise copperheads from birth just to have the opportunity to show people what they really do look like. I would love to have had a pet cottonmouth as well but they are not very good at surviving in my neck of the woods, just a bit too far west here in Wake Co, NC. Still though, you would not friggin believe the number of totally harmless banded watersnakes and even garter snakes I have seen people kill out of fear and label them moccasins.

Same thing around here. People always call a brown water snake (Nerodia taxispilota) a cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus)

I've had my share of snakes over the years everything from garter snakes to reticulated pyhtons, anacondas, and rattlesnakes. I don't like hearing of people killing them unless they present an immediate danger. If not let them crawl away.

Brown water

 

Cottonmouth

Edited December 23, 2007 by Superhawk138

[22_Shooter 1,560]

I used to catch snakes all the time when I was younger (and still sometimes now) just for fun, and let them go. In my part of NY, the most common is the Garter Snake, but one time, I caught this snake that kinda looked like the Brown Water snake in SuperHawks post. It had similar markings, but it was out in the woods, and when handling it, I had some kinda white stuff on my hands. Someone told me it was a Milk Snake, but I have no idea.

[Superhawk138 202]

I used to catch snakes all the time when I was younger (and still sometimes now) just for fun, and let them go. In my part of NY, the most common is the Garter Snake, but one time, I caught this snake that kinda looked like the Brown Water snake in SuperHawks post. It had similar markings, but it was out in the woods, and when handling it, I had some kinda white stuff on my hands. Someone told me it was a Milk Snake, but I have no idea.

It was probaly a water snake of some kind. All water snakes have a musk gland that they secrete a foul smelling fluid when they feel threatend.

[Bayoupiper 738]

Down here water moccasins are everywhere!

And yes, many many people cannot tell the difference especially between a yellow bellied water snake and a moccasin, but I sure as hell can!

I was bitten by one when I was 12.

Never been so sick!

 

So, if I could dedicate my life to making the water moccasin an endangered species, I would!

[Bvamp 604]

yeh it was a milk snake, shooter. you have to only watch out for northern rattlers and copperheads up in NY.

[GBob01 0]

Sorry no pic. After killing it he was tossed into the lake; turtles will eat good tonight.

 

Definately a moccasin. I've been an amatuer herpetologist since I was a teen. We have several kinds of water snakes around here; yellow belly, banded, broad-banded, diamond back (easily mis-identified as a mocc), along with kingsnakes, corn snakes and many others including copperheads (although I have not seen one here yet). The lake behind my house is crawling with all of them. I don't, and won't kill any non-venomous snakes. In fact if it were just swimming by, I would have let it pass. Unfortunately for this one it was up in the yard near the wood pile.

In fact I have my pet (juvenile) Speckled kingsnake here next to my computer. One of my pets growing up was a reticulated python, that was donated to the local colleges biology lab when I entered the Army. Monty was 15 feet long at the time.

 

Will, our yellow belly watersnake here is typically a gray to greenish gray color, I find those easy to tell apart.

It's the diamondback that is the closest to the mocc in size, shape and color. Most of ours here are very dark brown, and patterns are almost indistinguisable.

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Ok good to hear it bro. Sorry if I came off a bit skeptical. From what it sounds like you can fully understand. Snakes serve a very important role in nature and if everyone killed every snake they saw it would not be a good thing. Sometimes turtle food is good if you have a venomous snake population encroaching on a residence...or the other way around...

My last copperhead I rescued (actually a pair) from this guy who called me up and said to come over quick or he was gonna Glock em! I got over there with my hook and bag and found a pair of 3 foot adults mating in his wood shed. Took em home and kept the female til she gave birth do a whole mess of live squirming babies. It was cool to watch. Baby copperheads have a little bright green tip on their tails they use as a lure to get their first meals, kind of like an Anglerfish. It was wild seeing those little guys all coiled up in their little separate cubicles, all doing their little "fishing" technique. A friend of mine who is an accomplished artist, and has made a living off her work for the past 25 yrs, got inspired by them and painted a picture that I now own, which hung in the Louvre in France at an art festival she was invited to.

Snakes are cool.

I've had Red Tail Boas, lots of Burmese Pythons (used to breed them and sell the babies to pets stores) 15 foot female (Cleo)and 12 foot male(Monte), had some Retics, an Anaconda, just about every native non venomous snake in my area, and

almost got a cobra once but that fell thru...(wife said hell no!)

In fact I'm getting ready to adopt an 8 foot Retic that was raised in the local museum. He should be a good one. A lot of them are real snappy.

 

 

Oh yeah, almost forgot...that guy who called me about the pair of copperheads...he called me again a couple months later when he saw a baby one IN HIS HOUSE! I went over (for the LAST time!) and found six of them behind a book case in his living room

[22_Shooter 1,560]

It was probaly a water snake of some kind. All water snakes have a musk gland that they secrete a foul smelling fluid when they feel threatend.

 

Even though it was out in the woods, with no water near by? Maybe it traveled from a pond that is about a mile away, I dunno.

 

yeh it was a milk snake, shooter. you have to only watch out for northern rattlers and copperheads up in NY.

 

Thankfully, I've yet to see any rattlers or copperheads.

 

he called me again a couple months later when he saw a baby one IN HIS HOUSE! I went over (for the LAST time!) and found six of them behind a book case in his living room

 

I don't mind snakes at all, but that's just creepy.

[GBob01 0]

No offense taken Cobra, I know alot of people that couldn't identify a snake properly even with a field guide in one hand, and the snake in the other.

The only problem I have with them being in my backyard is my dogs. They love to play with a snake when they find one. Just a couple months ago I had to rescue a garter snake that my lab was playing catch with. I just don't believe that he would treat a moccasin any differently, until it was too late. And as much as I hate to say it, I do like my dogs alot more than any ol' snake.

 

I wouldn't want to find any copperheads in my house either. They do live in my neck of the woods, but like I've said I've never seen one here yet. The neighbors claim they have, but for all I know they mis-identified a braod-banded watersnake as one. Coloring is almost the same, but the pattern is in reverse; and I've seen plenty of them here.

[dayanx 1]

a Python named Monty. LOVE IT.

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

True true...

Just a few months ago we were out back by my pond and my Shepherd rushed into the tall grass behind where I was standing, then jumped back about six feet and started whining and rubbing his face all over the ground. At first I thought he had found one of the many wasp or yellow jacket nests back there. Upon closer inspection I saw the telltale signs of what had just happened. He had two bleeding punctures about 3/4" apart, right square on his nose. I carefully parted the grass and there that bastard was still coiled up with his tail vibrating. That was the first snake I killed in probably 20 years.

 

 

He probably saved my ass because I could have easily stepped back a couple of feet and got nailed but I think, in fact I KNOW he will be a lot more tactful next time he comes acrosss a snake in the wild. He used to be curious about my Cali King but now he jumps when he see a damned extension cord.... lol.

 

 

You are so right about how people can misidentify snake with it right there in their hands. My freind got bit on the hand once by a small copperhead while attempting to catch it live. He luckily only had one fang for some reason.

Well he killed it and took it with him to the local emergency care center and the stupid ass "doctor" there told him it was nothing to worry about, only a non venomous snake of some sort,(dude I think he actually called it a friggin Boa!) and sent Tony home with some motrin.

Well by the next day his whole arm looked more like a leg so he went to the hospital where they told him it was too late to do much but take a few antibiotics and wait it out. Lucky for him he only got a half dose from that baby copperhead.

I know my dog's one tough booger though since he managed to take a full hit right in the face and shoook it off after a few days. We did get him to a vet right away though.

[Afrikaner 2]

Good score on the snake.

We had massive problems with "rinkhals" and black mamba's on the farm. The Rinkhals (some type of cobra) was not really a major issue- I'd leave them alone for the most part. They were not very aggressive. The Mamba's on the other hand - emptied the mag of whatever I had on it, reloaded and emptied again. I'm shit scared of them.

We had one city slicker (he was in one of the army's recce units during the border war) visit the farm. While there we ran accross a snake. He casually walked up and caught it. He had a proper hold on it an all that, but after he picked it up, I saw what it was. I had to help him put that puff adder down while he was holding it. They are nasty fast.

I've never had run ins with rattlers or moccassins of any kind. I know most of them have a hemotoxin like the puff adder, but that's it. Are they aggressive or passive?

[GBob01 0]

Glad to hear your dog pulled through it alright. What did the vet do for him? Anti-venom for a dog?

 

Actually my first thought when my wife called for me, was that it was probably a false alarm. When she said "huge snake", I was thinking S.black racer or kingsnake. We're visited quite often by them, and I love having them around the house.

 

The kingsnake I have for a pet now will be turned loose out here next spring. I rescued him in our warehouse where I work. My co-workers were about to kill it when I came up and picked it up. They all thought I was crazy, but I knew what it was right away. He's grown about two inches in the 2 1/2 months I've had him. He probably eats better now than he did in that warehouse, living on a diet of anoles and geckos that I catch here at the house. Think he's about ready for some pinky mice.

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Good score on the snake.

We had massive problems with "rinkhals" and black mamba's on the farm. The Rinkhals (some type of cobra) was not really a major issue- I'd leave them alone for the most part. They were not very aggressive. The Mamba's on the other hand - emptied the mag of whatever I had on it, reloaded and emptied again. I'm shit scared of them.

We had one city slicker (he was in one of the army's recce units during the border war) visit the farm. While there we ran accross a snake. He casually walked up and caught it. He had a proper hold on it an all that, but after he picked it up, I saw what it was. I had to help him put that puff adder down while he was holding it. They are nasty fast.

I've never had run ins with rattlers or moccassins of any kind. I know most of them have a hemotoxin like the puff adder, but that's it. Are they aggressive or passive?

 

M mbas?

 

Umm yeah...that's a whole world of different right there! Those bad boys are totally nasty and quick! Where do you live?

I can see letting the cobras slide. They are usually quite passive from what I've seen. Never seen em in my yard though! Wow that would be awesome!

We have puff adders here though. I remember my dad catching one and showing it to me when I was a little kid. It was cool watching him get all puffed up.

 

We've got eastern diamondbacks here that grow as big as anywhere in the world. I've got some pics around here somewhere...They are the most deadly around here. Most of them live to the east and to the west of where I am, fortunately...I say fortunately for my dog and because I know I wouldn't be able to leave them alone...LOL. They are pretty passive and won't actually chase you but they will stand their ground if they feel threatened. It's a good thing they make so much damned noise in the process.

Now cottonmouths on the other hand can be very aggressive, especially in their favored environment.

Copperheads usually turn tail and slither away to cover.

 

Here's a huge Eastern NC Rattler!

 

 

Here's another big one...

Edited December 23, 2007 by Cobra 76 two

[GBob01 0]

Wow, that one must have been feeding on cats, dogs and the neighborhood children. I've never come across a snake that big in the wild

[Afrikaner 2]

That's a big sucker for sure!

I grew up in South Africa - we had the nasties there. Black/Green mamba, Puff adder, cape cobra, rinkhals then add hippo and croc on top of that. Lions were never an issue - there are very few of them left and they are mostly in the nature reserves. Leopards did pay us a visit once or twice. Took the neighbor's dogs and nearly got me one night. Of them all, the black mamba scares me most. Man, those suckers are aggressive!

[joelrod47 373]

The adders in Africa are far different than the puff adders here in North America...... They are highly venomous !!

 

Whats called a puff adder here in the States is actually a hog-nosed snake, completely non-venomous. They have some very amusing characteristics !!! They'll puff out their necks and flatten them out, stand vertical, and sway back and forth like a cobra!! Also, if that doesn't work to scare you away, they'll get their tails in some leaves or sticks and act like a rattler !! If that doesn't work to scare you off, they fall over and turn their ol' white bellies up and play dead !! I've turned them back upright, only to have them turn back over with their bellies up !!!

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

The adders in Africa are far different than the puff adders here in North America...... They are highly venomous !!

 

Whats called a puff adder here in the States is actually a hog-nosed snake, completely non-venomous. They have some very amusing characteristics !!! They'll puff out their necks and flatten them out, stand vertical, and sway back and forth like a cobra!! Also, if that doesn't work to scare you away, they'll get their tails in some leaves or sticks and act like a rattler !! If that doesn't work to scare you off, they fall over and turn their ol' white bellies up and play dead !! I've turned them back upright, only to have them turn back over with their bellies up !!!

Yeah I've had a couple of pet hognoses. They lose most of their defensive tricks after being in captivity a while but they are really fun to run across in the wild. I especially like the little cobra dance! Pretty cool snakes. I had forgotten they were the same thing. They mainly eat toads. Not to many of God's creatures can do that.

[Afrikaner 2]

yeah a puff adder is a mean piece of work. Not very aggressive, but stupid fast. Once you pick it up, you had better kill it, or it will strike when you put it down. We had a girl get bit on the toe by a little puffer at night. She was dumb enough to walk to the showers in flip-flops. She thought she had stepped in a thorn. She lost the toe -was fairly lucky. I have not heard of anyone in "rural" africa surviving a mamba bite. I knew that on the farm, a mamba bite meant the end. It was quite a whiles away from town.

Wish I had a Saiga .410 for snakes there. My uncle had a FAL, aunt had an Uzi and then there were the regular hunting rifles and stuff.....this was back in the day when we were allowed to own FA weapons as long as a member of the homestead was in the "Kommando's" (reserve force).

[Koliadko 207]

Glad to hear your dog pulled through it alright. What did the vet do for him? Anti-venom for a dog?

 

 

They gave him Cephalexin, Tramadol, Prednisone and Benadryl.

[Cobra 76 two 2,677]

Glad to hear your dog pulled through it alright. What did the vet do for him? Anti-venom for a dog?

 

 

They gave him Cephalexin, Tramadol, Prednisone and Benadryl.

...and pumped a whole bunch of fluid into him. He actually had "water bags" you could see and feel moving around under his skin.

[Twinsen 86]

Glad to hear your dog pulled through it alright. What did the vet do for him? Anti-venom for a dog?

 

 

They gave him Cephalexin, Tramadol, Prednisone and Benadryl.

...and pumped a whole bunch of fluid into him. He actually had "water bags" you could see and feel moving around under his skin.

Why? Does venom dehydrate?

[HateTheSnow 29]

Why? Does venom dehydrate?

Hemotoxins destroy blood and tissue, which can cause a loss in blood volume and lead to shock. IV fluids help replace the lost blood volume and also provide a delivery system for administering medications. Setting up IVs are pretty standard for medical treatment, a lot of times just as a precaution, but it sounds like this pooch was in pretty bad shape.

 

Great thread guys, loved the stories. The wife came in when I got to Cobra's story about his dog. She saw the picture of the snake & the dog, so I had to fill her in. The little animal lover actually had a tear come to her eye

[22_Shooter 1,560]

Here's a huge Eastern NC Rattler!

 

 

Here's another big one...

 

 

WTF!! I wonder how much those beasts weighed.