Are poisonous snakes considered varmints?

F

Flywalker

New member
Down here in Arkansas have an abundance of snakes. The worst are cotton mouths and copperheads. We also have rattlers too but I rarely see them. The cotton mouth is the one I have more run ins with. Snakes have their purpose in rodent control but I had rather let cats do it. LOL. My preferred method of snake control is 17Hmr, followed closely by my 22lrvthen my pellet rifle. They love to lay on rice field levees and wait for you to walk by and make your heart skip a beat or two..
 
I understand the function of poisonous snakes in the world of ecology, just as I do any other predator, and I can accept the fact that they have to eat too, but when they are around humans, in my mind, they are varmints to be treated as a dangerous predator...
 
I kill several rattle snakes every year. Mostly around my moms house. If I'm out beating around the woods or hiking I let them be.
 
They're protected in Iowa. We actually have a few timber rattlers in this corner of the state. Buddy and I used to hunt them some. I know where there's a major den. But interestingly enough, I have never run acoss one in the wild except when I was hunting them.

Reminds me. I need to go take some pics this spring. All mine are "pre-digital".
 
I read the title to this thread and was instantly taken back a long time ago to one of my first college field biology classes in which the instructor’s pet peeve was the use of the word "poisonous" in describing any snake. When a student would mistakenly use that term his head would snap up and his voice get shrill as he screeched at you, “There are no poisonous snakes in Missouri! You can kill, cook and eat any of them and they will not poison you! There are however venomous snakes and if they bite you it will hurt you like Hades!!!” He always cracked me up...
smile.gif
 
Everytime I visit my cousins resort on table rock lake we kill a bucket full of cottons around the docks in the evenings. I hate them & used to swim along those docks as kids.
Rattlers are KOS up here in WY all year long.
 
Originally Posted By: FlywalkerDown here in Arkansas have an abundance of snakes. The worst are cotton mouths and copperheads. We also have rattlers too but I rarely see them. The cotton mouth is the one I have more run ins with. Snakes have their purpose in rodent control but I had rather let cats do it. LOL. My preferred method of snake control is 17Hmr, followed closely by my 22lrvthen my pellet rifle. They love to lay on rice field levees and wait for you to walk by and make your heart skip a beat or two..

Never the less, if they are not listed in the hunting handbook, it is illegal to hunt or kill them.

That's what the law is any way.

Shayne
 
Originally Posted By: GCI read the title to this thread and was instantly taken back a long time ago to one of my first college field biology classes in which the instructor’s pet peeve was the use of the word "poisonous" in describing any snake. When a student would mistakenly use that term his head would snap up and his voice get shrill as he screeched at you, “There are no poisonous snakes in Missouri! You can kill, cook and eat any of them and they will not poison you! There are however venomous snakes and if they bite you it will hurt you like Hades!!!” He always cracked me up...
smile.gif


Poisonous, Venomous or Harmless?

I could care less what you call it--------------

I hate SNAKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They give me the HIBBIE JIBBIES


 
Yes, Technically it is illegal to kill snakes in Arkansas. I do not care though. On my farm, where I work everyday, we have a ton of them. I can't tell you how many times I have almost stepped on one that would have put me in the hospital or worse. I shoot them around my irrigation wells and drainage ditches. These are places where I walk everyday. Late in the afternoon I will drive around checking fields and will shoot any Venomous snake I see. I do know how to identify all snakes in Arkansas. I do not shoot any other than the venomous ones. I do need rodent control. I go to the shelter and get the cats that are the meanest they have the day they are to be put down and take them to my farm to use for rodent control around my shop area. Coyotes are [beeep] on cats BTW. I know most of the cats I get are becoming furry turds out in my fields due to coyotes but at least they had a chance to live other than just being put down. We have "CHICKEN" snakes and lots of king snakes. King snakes eat venomous snakes and will get out make them move out of the road!!!!
 


Write your reply...
Back
Top