Copperhead eastern shore?

[mauser58]

Don't forget if you smell cucumbers then a copperhead is somewhere around the area.

Didn't think that was true but learned different up at Broad Creek BSA's Camp Spencer.

Also learned at my Aunt's and Uncle's cabin on the lower Broad Creek while fishing the piers of the 623/Flintville Rd bridge that Copperheads are excellent, fast swimmers that are attracted to a stringer of fish or minnow bucket.

When fishing down south, I heard that water snakes especially Cottonmouths could be attracted by livewell water recirculation but never experienced it first hand but a lot of guys would keep a pistol with snake shot in their tackle box or on the boat.

Last week I was doing my daily morning drive to the water at work. I see so many snakes in the shore and on the rock wall. One morning a huge snake was fighting with a 10" fat healthy catfish it just caught. It was dragging the catfish onto the rocks out of the water so it could not fight. Dang snake was like 6' long and had ahold of the catfishes head and teeth sunk into its skull. I grabbed my phone to take a pic and it went into some rocks. That catfish was twice as thick as the snake. They stretch their mouth right around them and slowly swallow. I have had two occasions where I looked back and had a snake following my stringer of fish clipped to my waist. I was wading waist deep and trout fishing.

 

[remrug]

I have hunted and fished all my life from Garrett Co to Snow Hill and never came across a copperhead. I hope that streak continues. I did find a rattlesnake in Green Ridge sunning on a back road. I got out and checked it out.....definitely a rattlesnake. Since then,I wear snake boots anytime I am turkey hunting in warm temps. I am not afraid of snakes,but with the boots on,I can just walk on anywhere and not worry about getting bit.

I think a lot of people mistake northern water snakes for copperheads. They are similar so I can see why it can happen.
Then there other people who see any snake as a copperhead.I was shooting 3d and a guy told me "Dont go over there !!! Two copperheads are fighting."
I definitely had to see that. It was two blacksnakes mating.

 

[joppaj]

I think a lot of people mistake northern water snakes for copperheads.

They can look remarkably similar. Add in the fact that both have a reputation for being ill-tempered and it's an easy mistake.

 

[308Scout]

I have hunted and fished all my life from Garrett Co to Snow Hill and never came across a copperhead. I hope that streak continues. I did find a rattlesnake in Green Ridge sunning on a back road. I got out and checked it out.....definitely a rattlesnake. Since then,I wear snake boots anytime I am turkey hunting in warm temps. I am not afraid of snakes,but with the boots on,I can just walk on anywhere and not worry about getting bit.

I think a lot of people mistake northern water snakes for copperheads. They are similar so I can see why it can happen.
Then there other people who see any snake as a copperhead.I was shooting 3d and a guy told me "Dont go over there !!! Two copperheads are fighting."
I definitely had to see that. It was two blacksnakes mating.

I've been suprised at the number of "ID this snake" threads on MDS that always seem to ask "is this a copperhead?". Yep, usually ends up being a watersnake or juvenile ratsnake. I used to be in a snake ID group on FB before I quite social media. Was a common mistaken ID there as well.

 

[Odarlin1]

My niece lives near Parsonsburg and she was bitten by baby copperheads a few years ago while she was out gardening. She was hospitalized while they gave her anti venom. The anti venom cost outrageous. I can't really remember the cost but something like $25,0000 a treatment?

 

[308Scout]

My niece lives near Parsonsburg and she was bitten by baby copperheads a few years ago while she was out gardening. She was hospitalized while they gave her anti venom. The anti venom cost outrageous. I can't really remember the cost but something like $25,0000 a treatment?

That sounds about right. IIRC, Crofab (the antivenin for North American Pit Viper bites) averages $3-4K per vial with multiple vials generally used in treatment.

 

[CMSGT]

It's illegal to kill any snake, venomous or not, in Maryland. Yes, the state has prosecuted this, as recently as 2015.

4 Fined For Killing And Grilling Protected Rattlesnake

Four young men from Glen Burnie have been fined $200 each for killing and grilling a timber rattlesnake in western Maryland.

www.cbsnews.com

Catch me if they can. venomous snakes have no place in and around my property. Don't want to take the chance of me or a family member getting bit.

 

[newmuzzleloader]

A co-worker just showed me pictures last week of a baby copperhead he found by his house, Baltimore County in the Fullerton area. He relocated it to some weeds nearby. That is NOT what I would have done with it but he doesn't have 3 grandsons 2yrs old and younger.

 

[DeadInside]

I think a lot of people mistake northern water snakes for copperheads.

Also Eastern Hognose, Corn Snake, and Eastern Milk Snakes are often mistaken for Copperheads.
Copperheads (and Timber Rattlers) are Pit Vipers and have a heat sensing pit between each eye and nostril as well as vertical pupils unlike non venomous snakes.

 

[Doco Overboard]

This piece of woods we have has a couple tidal branches that run up through it.
Freaking place is loaded with snakes.
Those brown/greenish water snakes and what not.
Bet a dollar to a donut anybody that wanted to crawl around through that shit hole could come up with a few copperheads if they wanted to.
Yesterday evening when the tide was going out there was some big ass large-mouth making their way out to the Nanticoke.
At first I thought they were snake heads but they weren't, lunker bass. You could see them coming right on through near the top.
Earlier on in the day, evidently the youngins found a dog back in there that couldn't make its way out. They told me it had briars wrapped all up around its neck from struggling through those cripples. Some sort of small bitch lap dog mutt thing. The owner said it was gone for over a week.

We've been going through these woods on the mid shore our entire lives.
Theirs copperheads around, like other posters communicated I think many snakes are misidentified but they are around.
You'll find them near the rip rap and bony shore line fill, in the woods at or near cripples where theirs low veg and a lot of times near the roadside.
When you go through that stuff, you should carry a walking stick to poke in front of you especially where you cant see the ground through the grass and low briars.
No Sh!t right?

 

[OMCHamlin]

Catch me if they can. venomous snakes have no place in and around my property. Don't want to take the chance of me or a family member getting bit.

A co-worker just showed me pictures last week of a baby copperhead he found by his house, Baltimore County in the Fullerton area. He relocated it to some weeds nearby. That is NOT what I would have done with it but he doesn't have 3 grandsons 2yrs old and younger.

That guy above, railing about "it's again the lawah!" Let me give you some guidance (you'll find it fundamentally repulsive though, I bet);
1. Shoot
2. Shovel*
3. SHUT UP**

*Optional, depending on location
** This is the most important of all, and where most people fail in this critical three step process, avoid the desire to run here (or anywhere) and post about how you did it, m'kay?

 

[MunkMaster]

My neighbor in Wicomico claims he just killed one on his property. So I got that going for me.

 

[Waingro]

I've been suprised at the number of "ID this snake" threads on MDS that always seem to ask "is this a copperhead?". Yep, usually ends up being a watersnake or juvenile ratsnake. I used to be in a snake ID group on FB before I quite social media. Was a common mistaken ID there as well.

This 100%. Copperheads have such a good pattern on them 99.9% of the time they are crossed you didn't know it. We only have two known venomous snakes in md. The other being timbers. We don't have "watuh mockasins" =) Common water snakes yes. They are harmless

 

[lazarus]

Don't forget if you smell cucumbers then a copperhead is somewhere around the area.

Didn't think that was true but learned different up at Broad Creek BSA's Camp Spencer.

Also learned at my Aunt's and Uncle's cabin on the lower Broad Creek while fishing the piers of the 623/Flintville Rd bridge that Copperheads are excellent, fast swimmers that are attracted to a stringer of fish or minnow bucket.

When fishing down south, I heard that water snakes especially Cottonmouths could be attracted by livewell water recirculation but never experienced it first hand but a lot of guys would keep a pistol with snake shot in their tackle box or on the boat.

Huh, I learned something new. I didn't realize copperheads could swim. I've seen cottonmouths a few times swimming rivers and creeks. I had some swim up on the rocks my son was fishing from, though it didn't slither up them (he was about 4 feet about the river), but that was a fun "oh crap" few minutes.

I've seen copperheads only a few times. Mostly when I was working at Turf Valley golf course many, many, many years ago on the grounds crew. We used to find them in many of the areas with a lot of landscape/retaining wall rocks.

The only other time was back in the late spring at my house, I was cleaning up left over small sticks and branches from some trees I had taken down and left the smaller stuff stacked up. One of the last armfuls of stuff I picked up, a baby one came shooting out from under the pile about 6 inches from my hand.

I left what was left there. I am sure he moved on. I also decided that was a good time to go get my riding mower and make several passes with the blades set pretty low (the grass had grown pretty long in that small area too). Just to make sure there was nothing it could hide in since it was right next to my orchard.

 

[lazarus]

This 100%. Copperheads have such a good pattern on them 99.9% of the time they are crossed you didn't know it. We only have two known venomous snakes in md. The other being timbers. We don't have "watuh mockasins" =) Common water snakes yes. They are harmless

Huh. Learned something new. Doing a lot of poking, I guess you've gotta be right from what I was looking up. A water snake sure looks a heck of a lot like a cottonmouth if you are much more than biting distance away.

 

[Antarctica]

If maryland doesn't want people to kill venomous snakes, then they should fund the anti-venom cost of $25k.

I was against killing any snake until I saw that figure. F that.

 

[OMCHamlin]

Maryland Biodiversity Project ....

While I understand that's just a name, and they had to call it something, but there is a "woke" ring to it that makes me want to wretch...

 

[OMCHamlin]

It's illegal to kill any snake, venomous or not, in Maryland. Yes, the state has prosecuted this, as recently as 2015.

Probably a law enacted to preserve the majority of your politicians, not your "no shoulders" snakes...

 

[Doco Overboard]

What kind is this? Looks like Its trying to get in this truck body. Seems pretty big/nasty.

 

[Kman]

What kind is this? Looks like Its trying to get in this truck body. Seems pretty big/nasty.
View attachment 383558

Looks like a copperhead pattern to me.