why would a snake not go away?

transman731

transman731

get your shift together
Joined
Mar 13, 2010
Location
Raleigh, NC
last night i got home from work around 9:30, ate my dinner and watched tv for a few minutes. getting ready to go to bed and the last thing we do is walk the dogs. my wife takes the rat terrier and i take the rotti. i get about 10 feet off of the back porch and i stepped on something(it made a noise like a wet shoe sliipping off a log) i took another step and turned around to look at what it was, and to my amazement it was a big snake. i yelled to my wife to take the dogs in the house while i figured out what it was.
the closest thing to me was a grass rake and a garden rake, i poked at it with the grass rake and it struck at the rake,but didn't try to move to go away. i let it sit for a minute and poked it again and it struck again and scared the crap out of me, so i then grabbed the garden rake, with one good shot i slammed the rake through his body(and broke my damn rake handle), i then walked around the house and got a shovel and cut his head off.
if the wife hadn't seen it or known about it, i may have escorted it into the woods and left it alone but with her knowing and seeing it, i had to make a decision. it was either kill the snake or move.
i couldn't tell what it was, i just knew it wasn't a black snake, by its coloring it was either a water snake or a copperhead and in the lighting conditions my only option for it was death.
the snake is about 4ft long and about 2" in diameter . my question is why didn't the snake leave when given the opportunity, and how far should i expect to see water snakes from the pond?
ai218.photobucket.com_albums_cc317_putzarerequired_snake.jpg
 
It may have just eaten a big meal, makes them sluggish for awhile. Depending on food supply they could range a good ways from a pond.
 
It either just ate and was lethargic, was waiting on a food source that it had been stalking, or mating season has arrived. I can't enlarge your pic to identify but it sure is fat!
 
we have been in this house for almost 4 years, it's only the 3rd snake i've seen. the first was a black snake, who like the heat off of my 4wheeler and decided to curl up under it while i was fishing, the second was unidentifiable as i seen him while cutting the field and he escaped in the tall grass. i really didn't want to kill him but like i said, if i didn't the wife would be looking for a new house today. i'm amazed that we haven't seen more snakes here, we have 11 acres, 7 of them are wooded and a 1 acre pond, so i guess i should have expected to see them more frequently but being so close to the house just threw me off my game.
 
Looks like a large Corn Snake, they're generally docile and make great pets. Water snakes tend to stay near water for safety. Copperheads and WaterMoccosins are mean and will stand their ground and coil and strike if messed with. Your wife should'nt worry too much as most snakes will retreat if you let them and water snakes generally aren't aggressive unless you're a fish or frog! they do often look like Moccosins and lot's get killed by peeps who think they are.
 
Maybe it had rabies?? :p

I've only seen 1 corn snake that big. But it squirmed off like all hell when I tried to catch it.
 
it's only about 200 ft from the pond, if i could have gotten a clearer view things would have been different. it was 11:00 and the grass he was in was a lot higher than the lawn normally is. (the rain has not let me cut the grass for the 2nd week in a row) but the wife will be cutting it after work, whether it's raining or not
 
It was in defensive mode. When the defend themselves they will not turn around and leave. Could have been pregnant or had a nest near bye. I used to keep large boids...most snake behavior is pretty similar
 
mommucked said:
Your wife should'nt worry too much as most snakes will retreat if you let them and water snakes generally aren't aggressive unless you're a fish or frog!
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you say that as if you think that women can actually be rationalized with when it comes to snakes. Good luck with that.
 
I think some peeps think all snakes are deadly and chase and bite peeps all the time. Most are gentle creatures that prefer to flee from threats and Copperheads are the main ones to look out for around here and usually easily identified. I definatly would'nt sell the house because you see some snakes, snakes are everywhere and can show up about anywhere. My wife don't like snakes but she has held several Worm, Ringneck and Greensnakes I've found in our yard and now is not as afraid of snakes as she once was.
 
I am always surprised at how many snakes I find in my yard.. I kill about 3 or 4 a year.. ( wife sees them they have to go)

and if I don't get them my small dog will.. so far this year she has killed 1 snake, 1 chipmunk, and 3 rabbits..
 
I watched a 2 1/2' black snake climb up a 6' vertical wall in my backyard earlier this week. The wife and I were on the patio and one of our Siberian huskies circled it for an hour. It finally climbed up the wall and slithered into the neighbors yard. Since my dog basically kept it at bay, I didn't really feel like killing it. Plus at midnight, I didn't want to chase it around the yard in the dark (we could see it from the patio light).

Must be that time of year, snakes are out.
 
i dont think it's a corn snake, def not a copperhead. i saw the exact same snake out at the neuse river while i was fly fishing a few years ago. i turned around and not 10 feet from was a snake that looked exactly like yours sunning himself on a rock. talk about a pucker moment. i've seen a lot of snakes out there, but none that close to me. he also wouldnt move, i poked him with my fly rod so i could see how long he was and he just laid there.

i have a pic of it somewhere. he was bigger than the one above.

and my wife is the same way about snakes, i've tried to explain that they do more good than harm, but she doesnt care. i just leave them unless she's with me. if they're poisonous i try to get them to leave.
 
transman731 said:
there is no rationalizing with the wife when it comes to snakes, being that is was dark and in tall grass the only way i was going to get any sleep was the death of the snake.

on the plus side, the last thing she said before we went to sleep was, " we should get a gun"
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You can't rationalize with the wife on snakes BUT you can rationalize her to mow the yard whether it's raining or not??? Sir, you must teach me thy ways.
 
i just got home from playing golf(she gave me the day off while she went in to run the shop) and the grass was mowed. i was going to get upset with her for closing the shop early but when i came down the drive the yard looked good so i left it alone.
i saw a 6ft black snake on the course today,it must be that time of year.
 
what was the shape of the head?What did the eyes look like?Did it curl and strike? Did it have fangs?
 
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