COPPERHEAD SNAKE TALE

This afternoon while putting out some deer corn and on my return walk back to our home, I opted to use another trail.  I started to climb up an embankment and heard a very pronounced and loud "snap" type of sound and upon investigating further,  I saw a good-sized copperhead snake ready to strike.  I was about 3 or 4 feet from the snake and the snake was about as long as our copperheads get around here, somewhere around 37 to 39 inches in length.  I found a rotten but stout piece of a cedar tree and gave him one well-placed hit across his head followed by a couple more for "INSURANCE."

This is the first full grown snake I have seen outback having cut the back yard (field) that is too rough to mow with the riding mower at least four (4) times this season due to all the rain using a Commercial model Robin weed trimmer.  I was hoping most of the copperhead snakes had found a much more pleasant home but guess I was wrong in that assumption.  Our two Grand Boys enjoy playing in the yard and field and copperhead snakes will definitely strike if something violates their safety zone of which their poison can be deadly, especially to a child.   Therefore, I have no mercy on them but do not harm King Snakes and other non-poisonous snakes. 

Of course the season for snakes is still here for a couple more months depending on the weather but the ground nesting yellow jackets I stirred up with the weed eater did leave too good whelps along with their stingers implanted in my hide.  Image a 250 lb. fat man running backwards fastened to the weed eater with a shoulder strap attempting to fight off about 50 to a 100 of them.  They probably took specialized combat flight training somewhere out in Miramar, California by the way they were precision buzzing such a large escaping target.  I finally got loose from the weed eater and made a mad dash for the deck and set the World Record for shoes and clothing removal and there were about half a dozen of them still trying to sting my clothing although I was long gone from them.

Well fun is over, got to skin the snake....just kidding, I am going to donate this one back to nature.  I have skinned numerous snakes in the past for their hides and was once struck by a rattlesnake that had his head chopped off with a bush axe in the process of skinning him out for the hide and meat.

COPPERHEAD SNAKE STRUCK BUCKET

NOTES: The initial sound I heard was the snake striking the 5-gallon bucket that I was "toting" and when I located him visually, he was back into the coiled/strike position.  That was too close for comfort.  This event happened on September 2, 2003 before our opening Annual Archery Season.  Pix below of the snake with his mangled and crushed head:

This was one of my short story emails that I sent out way back when as a Word Document attachment and just now got around to putting it on here and had difficulty locating the archived image file.

Web posted on 03-09-13 by Bill aka Mickey Porter and written sometime in December, 2003.

COPPERHEAD SNAKE TALE EARLY 1980s

Back in the early 1980s, The Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge here in Anson County, NC located off highway 52 N between Wadesboro and Ansonville, NC opened a archery hunting season and allowed you to scout the designated bow hunting area a week or two before the actual hunting dates.

I vividly remember while walking on a heavily used deer trail one morning that both of my feet/legs locked down; e.g., did not move on their own.  I knew that something was immediately wrong and looked around and observed a copperhead snake coiled within striking distance and ready to strike.  I had a walking stick in my right hand me and gave him a well placed hit across his head that put him out of commission.  The snakes head was glowing like a fresh minted copper one cent coin and that is what drew my eye to his location so quickly.

I am thankful to God for His protection, grace and mercy and give Him, the Praise, Honor and Glory through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior in all things! 

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-16-2022.