Killed a copperhead yesterday BUT we are...

[jjmitchell60]

Went to clean up the mess, well some of it anyways, that my son's girl friend's father and uncles made at the house that belonged to their mother, the GF's grandmother. My son's GF owns all of it now including he land being she was on the deed as "survivorship" thus when her grandmother died it all became the young girls. Anyways, there is an old well that had a pump house in it that was used before county water lines went through the area. we decided to fill the well with as much of the "trash" as possible but found a 3' copper head in the old pipe. There were a few more in that pipe that we could not reach however I set them on fire with some diesel. I reckon the copperheads were at the well being it was a good 50 feet deep and stayed warmer than the weather outside the pump house. Now here is the kicker, we are officially not supposed to have copperheads or any poisonous snakes in out county!!!! Guess the one we killed and his buddies did nit get that memo form the KDFWR!!!

[hunter29180]

first you should have called someone, (game warden, DNR, sheriff, newspaper) to document those snakes. if they are " officially not supposed to have copperheads or any poisonous snakes in out county!" then someone needs to know! antivenom will need to be stocked close by, just in case! and they may be making a come back there...it was part of their habitat at one time..

SECOND!! SHAME on you if you dumped DIESEL fuel down the well! you just contaminated all the ground water for several counties!!

[JohnHenry]

NOW, for the real question .... Rattle snake is pretty tasty .... how does Copper Head baked in diesel oil taste ?

[howlnmad]

Ya done GOOD, kill em, kill em all. Did you happen to smell cucumbers in the area?

[Zane71464]

Not good, that's sort of odd. I know I heard on the news eairlier this fall, either in WV. or KY that a young girl out deer hunting got bit by a copperhead, late in the season. Matter of fact, I think they said it got her twice!
I'd call the DNR and let them know, maybe.

[Awtoman]

Originally Posted by Zane71464

I'd call the DNR and let them know, maybe.

I wouldn't. If they don't arrest you for killing the snakes, they'll arrest you for the diesel fuel, even if the well was dry.

Tom

[Zane71464]

Originally Posted by Awtoman

I wouldn't. If they don't arrest you for killing the snakes, they'll arrest you for the diesel fuel, even if the well was dry.

Tom

Well the snakes arent endangered but in hibernation, yeah the could. The diesel fuel.....wasnt thinking about that. They'd fine the tee-total hell out ya, FOR sure! (yep)

[mjp28]

Originally Posted by howlnmad

Ya done GOOD, kill em, kill em all. Did you happen to smell cucumbers in the area?

That's the FIRST thing I thought about, for those of you that might know some say the copperheads can give off a cucumber like smell when threatened. (some not all)

In scouts once our leader said "freeze" he smelled it, we all then very carefully got out of there. We were at a campsite in Western PA.

Also copperheads are found all over the north and most of the south USA, I don't know about way out west, and yes there are different varieties.

[Cleburne]

The only good snake is a dead snake, kill them all.

[Grizz]

I luv to eat me sum rattler!

[jjmitchell60]

Too cold for the cucumber smell and as to the fuel burning, way we did it they cannot say a word. KDFWR uses it to start controled burns. We plugged the pipe at well and poured fuel in the open end near the house which we need and will tear down. Mainly we just roasted them under ground! I have pictures of it, the copperhead being my son and I were handling it, and we have told KDFWR about them BUT they roll their eyes just like when we tell them we have seen or have pictures of Cougers/panthers/mountain lions or other animals that "officially" are not in this area. It is the limestone in the area that is supposed to keep the snakes away for some odd reason. Now the counties west of us and touching our county have documented copperhead and rattle snake populations. The county I live in is a border county of the blue grass region and eatern mountain region of KY. We actually are the fartherest county west to still be officially in Applachia here in KY. Our eastern end has some limestone formations but our western side has a lot limestone. This copperhead was in the western side of the county though which is odd! My Great Grandfather owned and lived on a farm on the Licking River which begins in the mountains of East KY. He would kill copperheads and rattle snakes from time to time that would wash down on drift piles on the river after a heavy flooding rain up river. Now I have been in areas in some counties that I will NOT venture, in warm weather, off the road on foot unless wearing my knee high snake boots. I have seen copperheads in clumps in places and yes they smell like nasty cucumbers (I hate the smell and taste of a cucumber by the way LOL). Actually I could have made some good money by digging up the line, dumping all the copper heads out, and selling them to a "handling church" that I know of in Powell County BUT that is highly illegal and if caught a good $10K fine. I have known people who do it though.

[todd51]

Never heard the limestone/copperhead connection before. All I know is that there was a lot of copperheads and limestone in Menifee Co. KY when I was younger. Been many years since I ran those hills but would bet the snakes are still there.

Here in Ohio if you have to kill a snake you better keep your mouth shut about it or you will pay the price.

[fordtrucksforever]

How is it that in Kentucky there is a county that is snake free? I find that very humorous. Did the democrats pass a bill to condone their freedom of movement? Did someone forget to mention it to the snakes? Or is ignorance of the law not an acceptable excuse for the snakes in question? Do they suffer the death penalty for failure to comply? Inquiring minds really want to know...

Do you know what model the snake was? More common in US are Southern, Eastern, and Broadband, (not to be confused with Verizon).

[gdmoody]

I spent a few of my teenage years in Lyon County, Kentucky, and I do surly remember Copperheads there.

[jim summers]

I HATE snakes i especially Hate cottonmouths

[mjp28]

Originally Posted by jim summers

I HATE snakes i especially Hate cottonmouths

We used to watch them swimming around the edges of the lakes especially in the brush, behind where I grew up, one lake was 4+ miles around, the other 10 miles around.

Luckily I never saw one real up close and personal.

[jlloyd73]

Some people believe that leaving a line of lime around your house, shed...or whatever will stop the snakes from coming in because it burns their belly......I don't know if its true though.

[mjp28]

Originally Posted by jlloyd73

Some people believe that living a line of lime around your house, shed...or whatever will stop the snakes from coming in because it burns their belly......I don't know if its true though.

Well I've heard using something like Comet cleanser (has bleach in it) around your house will keep many insects like ands out, sticks to their feet. I know some campers who used it.

Lime might work the same way....reapply after rains.

[hunter29180]

powdered lime is what works with any snake. it clogs up their breathing, and as a snake has no way to sneeze or blow their nose , they sufficate.

[brad87]

Yeah, they said for a very long time that cotton mouths didn't live anywhere near where I grew up in Indiana...I ran away from/killed/relocated forcefully more of those mean things than I care to count...

[mranum]

Originally Posted by brad87

Yeah, they said for a very long time that cotton mouths didn't live anywhere near where I grew up in Indiana...I ran away from/killed/relocated forcefully more of those mean things than I care to count...

We used to have them around here in Wis. to but I haven't heard of any for a long long time now. For years the DNR used to say there wasn't any cougars around these parts either. They've been seen occasionally for 15-20 years, but after one was shot they finally said well there may be some passing through.

[fordtrucksforever]

Originally Posted by mjp28

Well I've heard using something like Comet cleanser (has bleach in it) around your house will keep many insects like ands out, sticks to their feet. I know some campers who used it.

Lime might work the same way....reapply after rains.

Comet has borax in it. It works like sand paper on the exoskeleton of insects. Gets around their moving joints and grinds right thru.

Guess its the same as people getting old and their joints wear out...

[mjp28]

Originally Posted by fordtrucksforever

Comet has borax in it. It works like sand paper on the exoskeleton of insects. Gets around their moving joints and grinds right thru.

Guess its the same as people getting old and their joints wear out...

Comet's active ingredients are Sodium hypochlorite - Bleach and Sodium hydroxide - Caustic soda.

Works good in a pinch on bugs or a dirty sink.

[fordtrucksforever]

Think we both missed this one. I just read on a container of Comet with its active ingredient is sodium dichloro-s-triazinetrione dihydrate. Thats a mouth full. Its inert ingredients are calcium carbonate(chalk), sodium carbonate(washing soda or soda ash) and some other useless stuff. The warning label does not say anything about causing possible burns, which anything with sodium or potassium hydroxide(lye, potash or any number of other names) in any strength always has. I am sure one of those chemicals might find offense to small multi legged creepy critters.

[Old Grump]

I hope the trash your were dumping in the well was non toxic because that went right into the water table. The only way to plug an old well is with cement or bentonite.