just got a tip on a NC forum about now being their mating season and that they are more 'out and about'.

not sure how many states there are in , or what regions , but they are in my area and thought you guys should get a heads up.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/copperhead-1.htm

These are some nasty creatures and get mad quick.  They will bite without warning.  The bite probably wont kill you but its very painfull according to a couple of friends that have been bitten.

I have seen about a dozen of these snakes this year while fishing around ponds.  I even had a couple of them crawl next to me within a foot, needless to say I moved away slowly and got out of its way.

I try to always wear boots when shore fishing, especially if walking through high grass and weeds or around fallen trees and I always carry a cellphone so I can call for help if needed.

i almost always wear sandals. even when its cold , i just throw on socks  ;D

from what im reading , they generally dont inject much venom when they bite out of defense , but they can put in enough to make you not able to use that limb. even though its a rarity , i would hate to take that chance.

im not scared of snakes , i just give them the respect they need and hopefully they give me that in return.

The problem with copperheads is that it's not the ones you see you have to worry about. It's the ones you practically step on and you don't even know they're there until you're bit.

We have them at our house.

Saw one sunning himself on the garage window sill last year.

So far, they stay to themselves and don't bother us.

But just to make sure, I stay out of the woods and leaves and take a flashlight with me when I go out of the house out at night and to pick up the newspaper in the early AM.  

The problem with copperheads is that it's not the ones you see you have to worry about. It's the ones you practically step on and you don't even know they're there until you're bit.

I know....I stepped over 3 coiled copperheads year before last getting to a fishing spot...didn't know they were there until I turned around to go back because I couldn't get through the mud.  With a rattler you can atleast hear when you make them mad, but if you are close enough to a copperhead to smell cucumbers, then you're already too close.

Right after the hatch is a really bad time for copperheads back home, lots of dogs die from baby copperhead bites.  They don't discriminate or hold any venom back, whether you're big or small, you get it all.

The real reason the baby snake bite is more deadly is the same reason it is for baby rattlesnakes.  When they are first hatch the venom is pure and is not diluted yet so it is many times more potent than a 1month old or older.  They don't have much but what they have has been estimated to be 1,000 times as deadly.

Man, I thought this post was going to be about the old Mitchell Copperheads.  I loved that baitcasting reel.

Copperheads really seem to mind their own business unless you step on them. Here is a great site about snakes found in NC:

http://www.herpsofnc.org/herps_of_NC/snakes/snakes.html

That's why I 'pack heat'.

[movedhere] General Bass Fishing Forum [move by] five.bass.limit.

My fishing partner came out of the woods with one dwinging from her mouth... Luckily it had a fish in its mouth. And even more luckily my fishing partner is my dog

I havent seen many copperheads here in WNC but we have caught about 10 timber rattlers in the last month or so. We usually kill them, so they dont bite the horses and cows. I do have a 26'' skin tanning right now.

Leave them alone.  They won't borther you.

This Topic was moved here from General Bass Fishing Forum by five.bass.limit.

funny...isn't this pertinent where it was originally posted as it pertains to Bass Fishing... : :-?

anyways whatever

In texas the timber rattlesnake is on the endangered species list, so you can't kill them, but the copperhead isn't so if they get around me they are dead.  Leave them alone and they won't bite you, well no not if you see them ahead of time and walk way around them but the next person that doesn't see them because they are a perfect match for the pine needles and leaves they are always around, he gets bit good, nope not going to happen by the snake I see, cause he gets a lot of shot or a shovel split.

i just give them the respect they need and hopefully they give me that in return.

Then wear shoes better yet boots! lol

here is another bit of info about the snakes here in NC.

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/venomousnake.htm

Here is my rule on snakes. I have a 4 year old and usually come across them when mowing or weed eating. Mr. Snake has 10 seconds to be positively identified as friend or foe. If it is not established in 10 seconds its curtains!! I don't play with no snakes! I live in a somewhat rural area and have a creek in my backyard. I truly believe I only have copperheads to worry about. Although my best friend lives on top of the mountain above my house. It is 1/2 mile as the crow flies.

I was told along time ago that rattlesnakes mate for life and they may split up for several days but always track each other back down. My friend on the mountain has killed this year a 52' a couple days later in almost the same place a 54' a 36' week before last and a 40' last week in the same area as the 36.

The NC Aquarium in Manteo has a Canebreak rattlesnake on display there. It was the first one I have seen in person and not on TV. That thing is so big it will give you nightmares!