I was riding my bicycle in front of our home, and was almost attacked by...a copperhead :/ of course I paniced and was unsure how to get off my bike, and kill it with out it getting me first. it had already lunged at me and missed me by mere inches. and was going after the neighborhood cat. my worst thought was we could not catch it before the kids got home from school. I called my husband on the phone, sicne I had my cell phone with me, and told him to come kill it. after about 20 minutes of trying, it is no longer a snake. I am just worried now that there might be a nest if it was this far up in my yard... has anyone else had this happen before?

wow, thats crazy, never happened to me around my house there arent many snakes or anything..

You ugly evil wench, i've contacted PETA and you'll pay for this. :D

Copperhead... yikes! Im just glad it didnt get you Stormy. IW wouldnt be the same. For you and your kid's sake, I hope there is no such nest.

Yeah, I've run across a copperhead or 50 in my time. They have no fear -- crazy snakes. I'm glad I don't live in snake territory anymore. Hiking in the trails and backcountry of the south you learn that they are VERY prevalent.

If you killed it, I'm sure you are aware that they will slither and crawl around for hours after they're dead -- especially if you take a hoe or mattock and take their head off (my preferred way of offing the little buggers). You should put something around the slithering dead body to contain it and to keep the family kitty from doing what family kitties do (play with it).

Make sure you know what kind of snake you're killing. I'm sure you do, just mentioning it. I've seen someone kill a black snake out of ignorance -- which really sucks since they will hunt copperheads for you.

[ 09-24-2004, 04:27 PM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]

it was self defense [img]tongue.gif[/img] and I actually wasn't the one who killed it ;)

Yeah, Stormy...they're all over down here in Georgia.

But I do my best *not* to kill them when I can avoid it.

I know some people have a horrid fear of snakes, but my mother has had several in her yard over the years and I've learned to not be afraid - just be respectful.

Unless you find any more in your yard, it was probably just a passerby and not a nest, but check around fallen logs/limbs and leaf litter where they like to hole up - but poke around with a looooong stick.

When my mom had 3 or four in her yard of varying sizes, we figured a "momma" copperhead had nested.

Instead of killing them (they at least eat voles, moles and field mice as well as chipmunks (which have caused a great deal of damage to my mother's yard over the years) and other little critters), I go out and "wrangle" them. You can use a long stick and a pillow case. For a couple of smaller ones, I got them into a mason jar with no trouble.

I then "relocated" them to an uninhabited area by one of our creeks.

But I fully understand your reaction to it. I'd kill it in a heartbeat if it were going after someone or a pet.

[ 09-24-2004, 04:42 PM: Message edited by: Lady Sedai ]

the only reason we did kill it other than it was going after the cat, is because there are alot of young kids around here, and most do not know how dangerous these snakes are. and we knew it was a deadly snake by the coloring and shape of it's head, I was just not sure of the type. my husband was the one who told me it was a copperhead. of course when you are worried if it has bitten you, the last thing you think of is what kind it is ;) I would not know how to live anywhere else though TL, this has always been my home, it has just been years since I saw a snake up close. but like my neighbor and husband both said, because we live by a marshy area with a creek bed behind us, it is not going to be the last one we see either :( I just hope my kids are not as crazy ads I was at their age...I once picked up a baby copperhead by the tail and carried it around like that for awhile.....then gave it to my mom and told her it was an earthworm :D and it never bit me....

How did she react?

did you know that a decapitated snake can still envenomate (sp??) victims for hours after it's dead? and that a snake can fit into any hole or crack it can squeeze it's head through (wich can be very small since their jaws aren't fused like ours)?

where I grew up the only snakes around were piddly little garter snakes that have no venom and are maybe a foot or so long. I never saw one though, and have never seen a rattle snake, which can be found just an or so south of where I live now. I like snakes, but I'da probably freaked out too if one just completely caught me by surprise like that. hell, I react that way to an ant crawling on me, but those buggers are just gross.

[ 09-24-2004, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: spydar ]