Deep Diving Copperheads

[patchestc]

last time i went fishing in the altamaha, a big fat snake swam up to my boat. after i introduced myself properly, i smacked him across
the face with my fishing rod. he took the hint and went away.
i try not to kill 'em if i can help it.

 

[potsticker]

Good job patch, once you get his attention hes likely to make himself scarce. Ive handled all species of north american snakes, i feel comfy if i have the upper hand, if i dont i feel all warm and squishy.
I had an incident with a particularly nasty cottonmouth on a lake called lake iamonia, just across the Ga., Fla. line. I was in my bass boat the water had risen and we were able to fish the cypress swamps. I was sitting up front with running the trolling motor, my cousin in the back. A loud thump in the boat followed immidiately by a loud splash. I looked around to see my cousin floating in the water. I rushed over to the back to help when i noticed a large cottonmouth, lying in the floor of the boat, he had that white mouth open and it was swaying like a cobra. I just grabbed the net and scooped him up and tossed everything overboard. After retrieveing my cousin, i got to the net and it was empty. The snake had bailed out of the tree limbs hit my cousin on the back and had fallen in the boat, he said the snake can have the boat, he was so scared he could have just walked back.

 

[Rem270]

Good job patch, once you get his attention hes likely to make himself scarce. Ive handled all species of north american snakes, i feel comfy if i have the upper hand, if i dont i feel all warm and squishy.
I had an incident with a particularly nasty cottonmouth on a lake called lake iamonia, just across the Ga., Fla. line. I was in my bass boat the water had risen and we were able to fish the cypress swamps. I was sitting up front with running the trolling motor, my cousin in the back. A loud thump in the boat followed immidiately by a loud splash. I looked around to see my cousin floating in the water. I rushed over to the back to help when i noticed a large cottonmouth, lying in the floor of the boat, he had that white mouth open and it was swaying like a cobra. I just grabbed the net and scooped him up and tossed everything overboard. After retrieveing my cousin, i got to the net and it was empty. The snake had bailed out of the tree limbs hit my cousin on the back and had fallen in the boat, he said the snake can have the boat, he was so scared he could have just walked back.

Great story, I'm literally laughing out loud. I'm sure it wasn't funny at the time for your cousin but it's pretty funny now!! I know what you mean about having the upper hand. If you see them first and keep clear it ain't a big deal, but if you get surprised by them it ain't too fun!!

 

[bowbuck]

I know two good ole boys from college, who were fishing down in Ware county and a cottonmouth fell into the jonboat they were in. They had apparently had one too many and the guy in the back pulled out a .45 and emptied it into the snake and the bottom of the boat. It was an ancient wooden boat his grandpa had on the pond and it sank like the Titanic. They had to swim to shore and lost all their tackle. To hear them tell it is absolutely hilarious. Glad I live and fish in North Georgia.

 

[GA DAWG]

Lots of people have no clue as to what kind of snakes they see or kill. I hear of bunches of cottonmouths killed up here in north ga every year. We all know they aint none up here. Hear all these people killing copperheads while fishing lol... What they are killing is just a water snake... Not saying this one was but thats what most are.

 

[GA DAWG]

Who says we "all know there aren't any up here"?
I have a place in southwest Atlanta, where in the springtime, I will bet you $1000 that you will not walk 200 yards through it in a pair of shorts and tennis shoes without getting hit by a cottonmouth.
I know, I know, that old saw about "they dont come above the fall line". The guys who think that have been reading too many textbooks....the cottonmouths don't read those books.
Thank you.
Douglas

I'd have to come see them. I dont believe what I dont see and I've never saw one in north ga. WATER SNAKES YES, COTTONMOUTHS NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

 

[potsticker]

Well we all use to think cottonmouths lived below the fall line. A line roughly from savannah to south of macon to below west point lake. Most still believe in that as i havent seen one in lake west point but harding, a few miles south is full of them. We may want to change our thinking with armidillios seen as far as gainesville. Gators(large one) abouve 285 in the hooch. Remember we use to catch 10lb trout in lanier.

 

[dog1]

copperheads

I live in Wilcox County and have always hunted, deer, hogs, squirrels, up and down the Ocmulgee river. We have a good variety of snakes around here. Diamond Backs, timber ratlers, cotton mouths, and the copper heads. I've never seen a coral snake but they say they are here. On the river, the most common to see is the common water snake and occasional cotton mouth. On dry land in swamps I hunt it's common to see copperheads. I had one bite an old dog of mine on the nose (beagle) a few years ago and her head really welled up. I found her in my shop later and didn't think she would make it thru the nite, but by 10 p.m. she was at the door scratching to get in. My young beagle had the snake cornered next to my porch when I drove up and I killed it, that's how I knew what bit the old dog.

I've got an old military buddy that lives just a few miles out of Athens, Ga. He has been coming down here to hog hunt with me for several years, normally comes down in January or Feb. Even when it's could, first thing he wants to know before driving down is, how many snakes I've seen. I try to tell him to just act like they are furniture and walk around them, needless to say, he dosen't buy that attitude.

I've killed two diamond backs in my yard, one was 71 inches, and the other was 65 inches, they were dispatched immediately.

I've walked within inches of the copperheads (before I saw them) and they have never seemed aggresive to me, however, I don't mess with them.

dog1

 

[GAnaturalist]

In general copperheads and other pit vipers rarely dive. 3/4ths of their body will float on the top of the water. The only time the would dive is to get a fish in shallow water, and that is usually just water moccasins. I know because I have been a venomous snake handler for 20 years, worked as a DNR ranger for 5 years, and specialized in doing venomous snake programs all over the state.

Georgia's non venomous water snakes will swim with only thier head portion sticking up out of the water, and will dive to great depts and hold their breath for over 10 minutes. Generally that is how you tell the difference at a glance (when they are in the water) between venomous and non-venomuos. The cat eyed/slanted pupil method does not always work. A venomous snakes pupils will dialate out to round pupils when the light is low. Trust me.

-Timber ratter below, named "Bitey"

-Copperhead bite, Charlotte Medical Center.

 

[GAnaturalist]

Oh, never seen Agkistrodon piscivorous conanti in North Georgia either, never, and never will except for in my enclosers.

 

[potsticker]

Im your huckleberry. I once thought id never see a armidillo north of perry but you see em run over on the roads as far as gainesville. While im not a gore guy, i think we are in a warming trend and animals will follow, alligators in the hooch. Reason for all the panther sightings in ga.

 

[KILLDUX]

What is the farthest north someone has seen a gator. I used to live in Statesboro and saw them a lot on the Ogeechee. Now I am in Perry and have not seen one yet on the Ocmulgee, but I am told that they are there. I have seen them at Houston Lake Country Club.

 

[potsticker]

Chattahoochee river last summer above I-285 a goodun. the snake thing still is a farce because copperheads will swim but not below the water. The only real swimmer below the water is a banded water snake, can and does feed under water. Queen snakes can do the same and may look like a cottonmouth. Ive caught small bream that upon netting had a watersnake trying to eat it. Ive seen on golf courses, after a hard rain, seen kingsnakes trying to kill and eat copperheads. I think and stand by the thought that the deep diving snakes were water snakes and would love the opportunity to have said snake bite me!

 

[GA DAWG]

Their was a gator in dawson county on dawson forest last year. It was in a box but thats pretty far north lol !!!!!!

 

[MustangMAtt30]

In general copperheads and other pit vipers rarely dive. 3/4ths of their body will float on the top of the water. The only time the would dive is to get a fish in shallow water, and that is usually just water moccasins. I know because I have been a venomous snake handler for 20 years, worked as a DNR ranger for 5 years, and specialized in doing venomous snake programs all over the state.

Georgia's non venomous water snakes will swim with only thier head portion sticking up out of the water, and will dive to great depts and hold their breath for over 10 minutes. Generally that is how you tell the difference at a glance (when they are in the water) between venomous and non-venomuos. The cat eyed/slanted pupil method does not always work. A venomous snakes pupils will dialate out to round pupils when the light is low. Trust me.

-Timber ratter below, named "Bitey"

-Copperhead bite, Charlotte Medical Center.

Is that you in the hospital? If so what was it like to get bit by a snake? Painful? Scary?

 

[GAnaturalist]

It smart a little.

Just kidding, it still hurts sometimes 20 years later, It is hard to bend my finger, and it gets worse in cold weather. It felt like a lighter under my finger, a constant intense burn. No upset stomach, or passing out, just burning. They gave me morphine 6 hours after, and I woke up in the ICU because they could not give me antivenom since they thought I could be alergic to horses. Back then most antivenom was made from horse serum. Now they use CroFab. long story. The picture was taken on the 5th day in the hospitol, so I looked much better, but under the bandages all my skin was gone except for some remaining under the finger. They were going to amputate, but I started showing signs of good healing.

Anyway, copperheads and water moccasins have hemotoxic venom, it destroys skin and muscle tissue, and is very painfull. Some rattlesnakes and all coral snakes have neurotoxic venom, which attacks the central nervous system, and has been know to be less painfull, but totally lethal. Sometimes there is less damage to the skin, uncontrolable muscle spasms, that eventually effects other important muscles that you don't want to sieze up like your lungs and heart.

so.... yea it hurt. It is uncomfortable to type this, physically.

 

[Son]

Believe me, I've seen copperheads on the bottom of the Flint River, and in some swift water.
Was bit in Chickasawhatchee Creek on the middle joint of the first finger. One fang got into the skin. It stung like a bee and turned black in a day. Took almost a year for the discolored nail to grow out. Joint still gets stiff at times.

 

[BowanaLee]

With the exception of coral snakes, another way to distinguish poisonous snakes is they have a single row of scales below the anal slit.
Non poisonous have a double row.This works for young and old.

 

[Scouter]

Maybe it is me. Reading thru it all and looking at the pictures, noticed one more difference between the water snake and the copperhead. The copperhead has an hour glass on its skin. The middle of the hour glass is on the backbone while the wider portion is on the side of the copperhead. The water snake has the large portion of the hour glass on its backbone and the narrow piece on its side, opposite the copperhead.
In a panic mode, not sure I would think to look for the difference. Same principle with the eyes.

 

[lkn4deer]

Minnow bucket

I was fishing for crappie when I was in highschool,and we were catching plenty. The turtles started eating the crappie which were on a stringer,so we put the crappie in a five gallon bucket we were using for the minnows.I was fishing in the bucket for another minnow,looked down into the bucket and saw a watermoccasin with a crappie half way down his throat.I jumped back and he did too,right back into the pond.