# I Saw a Copperhead (Snake)! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 10, 2010, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594 "2010-06-10T00:12:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/21 "2010-06-11T00:54:53Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Shucky durns! > I real man would have snaped it like a whip and made it’s brains shoot out. > :rolleyes: Yup! I, on the other hand, would have screamed like a girl and died right then and there. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/22 "2010-06-11T01:02:48Z")
I just stand twelve feet away and take the entire mag of a pistol to kill it. 🙂 1. This forum requires that you wait 60 seconds between posts. Please try again in 7 seconds. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/23 "2010-06-11T01:22:32Z")
My FIL raised snakes, including venomous ones, the whole time my hubby was growing up. At any given time, he’d have forty snakes or so, on shelves, in the summer kitchen. (Now he only has a rattlesnake and a gaboon viper). Once, when hubby and I were living in the country, on about 30 acres in the Appalachians, FIL said to me “If you’re ever out mowing the grass and you see a copperhead, catch it for me, will you?” I just looked at him. And then I said, “Uhhhhh, no”. I figured if he wanted one that bad, he’d have to catch it himself. Now, 10YO **mudgirl** has three pet snakes, but they are all constrictors, not venomous! Hubby and I agree she is _way_ too young to be dealing with venomous snakes! (We also agree that his father is _way too old_ to be dealing with them, but that’s a different post!) ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/24 "2010-06-11T01:57:16Z")
A long time ago when I lived in the country my boyfriend would tell me not to go to the river bottoms alone because there was a five foot long rattler down there. Later when I told this to a co-worker she just laughed and said “He just said that because that’s where he hid his stash.” ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/25 "2010-06-11T02:36:49Z")
A few weeks ago an acquaintance of mine (boyfriend’s boss’ wife) was bitten by a copperhead when she was moving some logs in the backyard. They caught the snake and took it to the hospital with them. She had to get 4 anti-venom injections. My boyfriend asked me to guess how much that snakebite cost her at the hospital. I guessed around $8000. Well the anti-venom was $8000. Each. Total cost of her visit was just under $30000. Peter (boss) turned the snake loose when they got home. (That was before they got the bill!) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/26 "2010-06-11T02:42:50Z")
Emergency rooms ask you to not bring the snake with you. That sounds terribly expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/27 "2010-06-11T14:58:25Z")
I would suggest the OP avoid returning to that area. Or, phrased musically, _You better stay away from Copperhead Road._ ---
**Author:** ![Generic\_Userid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9fc29f/32.png) [@Generic\_Userid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Generic_Userid)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/28 "2010-06-11T18:20:57Z")
What’s with all youse guys wantin to shoot/kill/maim a snake? Or, alternatively, run away screaming like a little girl? Venomous or not, if the snake ain’t hurtin you, why you scared of it/want to kill it? I think y’all must have some deep-seated emotional problems if you feel you can’t let this li’l critter live it’s life in peace. I see venomous snakes regularly when I’m hiking, I just go around them. They can’t hurt you if they don’t bite you, and if you don’t step on them, they generally won’t bite you. I don’t wanna get stung by wasps any either, but I don’t run away crying every time I see one or advocate wiping them out just because they possess the ability to sting me. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/29 "2010-06-11T18:32:16Z")
> [@Generic\_Userid](#): > > What’s with all youse guys wantin to shoot/kill/maim a snake? Or, alternatively, run away screaming like a little girl? The copperhead I killed was near my wife’s car where she might step on it. The cotton mouth hung out near my water garden into which I often stick my hands. If they hang out elsewhere on the five acres, I have no problem with them. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/30 "2010-06-11T19:34:32Z")
> [@Generic\_Userid](#): > > What’s with all youse guys wantin to shoot/kill/maim a snake? Or, alternatively, run away screaming like a little girl? Venomous or not, if the snake ain’t hurtin you, why you scared of it/want to kill it? I think y’all must have some deep-seated emotional problems if you feel you can’t let this li’l critter live it’s life in peace. > > I see venomous snakes regularly when I’m hiking, I just go around them. They can’t hurt you if they don’t bite you, and if you don’t step on them, they generally won’t bite you. I don’t wanna get stung by wasps any either, but I don’t run away crying every time I see one or advocate wiping them out just because they possess the ability to sting me. Any venomous snake can kill you dead just by looking at you. And all snakes are venomous. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/31 "2010-06-11T19:57:14Z")
> [@SoulFrost](#): > > Any venomous snake can kill you dead just by looking at you. And all snakes are venomous. Certainly a safe assumption for people, if not snakes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/32 "2010-06-11T20:03:03Z")
I dislike snakes. Vile Servants of Set! Karana loves them not. Bast loves them not. Typical sequence of events when Oak encounters a minion of Set: 1. SNAKE! 2. BANG! 3. What kind was it? I dunno…Oak blew the head off. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/33 "2010-06-11T20:16:32Z")
Typical sequence of events when Plant encounters a snake: 1. Snake! 2. BANG! 3. BANG! 4. BANG! Continue until magazine is empty or snake is hit. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/34 "2010-06-11T20:27:39Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > FIL said to me “If you’re ever out mowing the grass and you see a copperhead, catch it for me, will you?” I just looked at him. And then I said, “Uhhhhh, no”. Just wanted to thank you as I found this exchange exceptionally amusing! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/35 "2010-06-11T20:44:50Z")
But copperheads are such sweethearts. You practically can’t get them to bite unless you’re being stupid. We keep a colony of them at my lab. A dozen copperheads all tangled up with each other. It’s cute. I open that cage all the time, and have never had one look even slightly interested in biting me. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/36 "2010-06-11T21:02:26Z")
You never stepped on one getting out of your car, either. 🙂 What do you do with them in your lab? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/37 "2010-06-11T21:08:08Z")
One of the old-school naturalists uses them for educational presentations. He’s had them for quite a while. No research is conducted on them. Now, his water moccasins live alone, and they by-God like it that way. They’ll strike the glass when you enter the room. Mean little shits. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2010, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/38 "2010-06-11T21:22:01Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > One of the old-school naturalists uses them for educational presentations. He’s had them for quite a while. No research is conducted on them. Now, his water moccasins live alone, and they by-God like it that way. They’ll strike the glass when you enter the room. Mean little shits. 🙂 I can just picture you walking into the cottonmouth room, clicking on the light, and noticing out of the corner of your eye that their tank is _empty_… There’s got to be a Larson cartoon in there somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/39 "2010-06-12T01:52:56Z")
> [@SoulFrost](#): > > There’s got to be a Larson cartoon in there somewhere. I was thinking Stephen King. ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594/40 "2010-06-12T02:00:41Z")
> [@Generic\_Userid](#): > > I don’t wanna get stung by wasps any either, but I don’t run away crying every time I see one or advocate wiping them out just because they possess the ability to sting me. I do. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-a-copperhead-snake/542594.md?page=3)