Originally published at: Try to spot the copperhead in this photo | Boing Boing
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Simple solution: pepper the whole area with a shotgun blast. That’s what my uncle has done for years when dealing with copperheads on his forest property.
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I killed six of them in and around my yard last year. Venomous pit vipers have no place in my grass or garden.
Black snakes are welcome.
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Do I get points for Cottonmouth?
We were walking in the woods in Florida a few years ago and happened on this guy. Also not aggressive unless you agitate them or step on them but if they insist on sleeping where I walk…
Nature is cool if you don’t intentionally screw with it. We love wandering around in the wild, we’re far from expert hikers but we do know enough to stay somewhat safe.
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I’m too lazy, where is it?
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TinEye results indicate this image originated April 2017. Some results show the snake in question encircled.
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Coincidentally, visiting my parents near Wichita, KS, and he just caught a big Red Side garter snake trying to eat a leopard frog that lives near his goldfish pond. (heard it called a plains garter snake. We took him to the lake last Saturday.
Then FB reminded me we did the exact same thing with the same kind of snake 3 years ago today!
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And the snake is still there? How long do they lie in wait to ambush us?
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It’s the brown thing in the middle. 
Copperheads do seem to be incredibly docile. I’ve encountered both them and rattlers numerous times in my life and the copperheads seemed extremely eager to get away quickly while the rattlers stood their ground. When I was a kid I was running down the steps to our old-school potato cellar (basically an underground brick bunker) and I must have startled one. It slithered right past my foot for two or three steps in the same direction before I did an about face and gtfo.
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How long do they wait?
Till they get you.
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Impressive photo.
We encounter rattlesnakes pretty regularly hiking in the hills/mountains in San Diego county. Generally, they just go off when the sense someone approaching. Twice for us, they did not. Once there was a very large rattler sunning himself across a trail, so we just tiptoed behind him. Another time, we came upon one that was molting and could not see and coiled up loudly rattling on a very narrow trail. We just turned around and went back the way we came. I tried to scare him off, but he was having none of it.
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Well, I’d be dead.
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Been there, done that. Not with copperheads, though.
Have a go.
West African carpet viper (Echis ocellatus). With the small ones, I was more or less ok. The big ones gave me some adrenaline when I spotted them.
Just FTR: the ones I spotted, I almost always spotted when I was far to close for comfort. Whatever you do in the African bush: wear proper garb. High boots. Long, robust trousers. Gaiters, in some circumstances.
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A trail guide along the Madre de Dios river responded to a questioning hiker who complained of not spotting any Jaguars or interesting snakes, “Si but many of them saw you this morning”. A bit later he pointed out Jaguar tracks less than 10 minutes. We had a brief but hard rain about 10 minutes prior to finding the perfect prints, no damage from the rain which would have pocked them up. Interesting thought. A man in Missouri was killed by a copperhead bite about 3 or so years ago. A small one was in a tent they were folding up and his kids spotted it. In trying to get it out it bit him. Despite getting out and getting to a hospital he had a pre-existing cardiac issue and died within a couple of days. Locally we have a twice a year road closing in a federal park to allow for snake migration from a swamp below to the rocky upper reachs of a bluff. Foot traffic is permitted and lots of folks with cameras are out taking pictures. Southern Illinois University biology students and staff are out frequently. Google LaRue-Pine Hills.
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Somehow we are adapted to spot them and I know I see them and get a jolt of adrenaline before I am conscious of seeing them. It reminds me of experiencing a big earthquake. Deep reaction before you know what it is about. What “hair raising” refers to. One time I did not see the snake but he rattled at me from near my right foot and my legs went weak and I took several long strides before thinking about it. My ancestors communicated with me … If you know what I mean.
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When I was in college, I went out for a run on a trail through the woods in the evening. Turned out, there was a copperhead migration going on. The trail was gravel and sand covered with pine needles. I was glad the snakes were moving pretty fast, because if they had been still, I would have stepped on at least a dozen. I encountered one particularly big snake that was slowly moving across the trail and just stopped to let it cross. A couple of other runners also stopped where I was. A third one came along as the big snake was almost across and didn’t wait. He picked up a log from the edge of the trail and threw it onto the poor thing and went on his merry way. So now there was an injured, angry, immobilized snake on the trail.
Asshole!
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Right behind you!
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My decision to never go outside again is vindicated. Take that, danger noodles!
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Similar thing happened to me when I encountered a polar bear. My body did exactly what it was supposed to do while my brain simply went, “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
Related to the post, I’ve always been sad that I don’t live places with reptiles like this. I love’em, but I know they’re deadly. I just like seeing them around. But I also don’t have good luck when it comes to seeing things like this. I’ve always lived around rattlesnakes and have seen less than 10 over the course of 40ish years. None since moving out west and I obliviously wander through their turf all the time.
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