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Joined: Apr 2013
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If you have a pond around here you will have snakes. Water Moccasins are our only poisonous snake and pretty common. The small pond is only 30 feet from our front door and I spent a lot of time out there mowing, feeding fish, or just loafing. I would occasionally see a snake and killed them because we have small grandkids that play out front and didn't want them bit by any snakes in the grass. When the pond got low last year as I was draining it, I killed 3 water moccasins, 2 brown water snakes, and a red snake of some sort. I had no idea the moccasins were there. I only shoot moccasins in the pond across the road.

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I hate the big black western Moc. And Pat I need a shotgun when shooting @ one. Last time I cam across a big one, it took me sixteen shots with my pistol before I hit him @ 15' away. I am a little shaky when it comes to the Mocs. There is really big one that hangs down by the bayou and every time I see him, I am unarmed but he will slither off into the brush as I get off the tractor or Polaris, he knows I am after him smile
Tracy


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Tracy, I also can't do much with a pistol. I have a sawed off, single shot, shotgun that rides pretty well in the basket of my 4 wheeler.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Mike that is a good idea. I will have to start looking for a cheep one @ the next gun show, so I can cut the barrel down for the Polaris. I don't like putting my better guns in the guns cases that came with my side by side.
Tracy


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Tracy
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A couple more reasons to get rid of the Diamondback water snakes


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-_s7v-R_rU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig9xHusuv64


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Bill D, after watching those, I had shiver's go down my back. Like Mr Dave, I will have a stagecoach type shot gun real soon. And since u r looking @ guns, maybe one is in your future also. smile
Tracy

Last edited by TGW1; 03/22/15 08:04 AM. Reason: correction

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Tracy
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I still got my old single shot 410. Thinking it will be a perfect snake gun! grin


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Dave ,sorry I called u Mike a moment ago, I am just getting old smile
and yep that 410 will make a good snake charmer Bill. I need an old one I can beat around but will still pop a cap when I need it to
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Originally Posted By: Bill D.
I still got my old single shot 410. Thinking it will be a perfect snake gun! grin


Good choice. I've been a 410 fan since I got my first one as a kid. I bought a Taurus Judge a couple years ago just to carry around the place because it's less cumbersome to carry than a shotgun.

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The 410 is also a good gun to let the kids how to shoot

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Originally Posted By: Mike Otto
The 410 is also a good gun to let the kids how to shoot


+1 to that. It was my first gun. My dad brought it home all beat up and rusty. I tore it down, refinished the stock and my neighbor hot blued the barrel for me. Turned out real nice. IMO opinion, a kid's first gun should be a single shot. Teaches you right away the importance of taking time to get a good aim when you only get one shot at something.


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Originally Posted By: Bill D.
[quote=Mike Otto]Teaches you right away the importance of taking time to get a good aim when you only get one shot at something.


Right on. That's what I love about blackpowder hunting.

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Where are you located? I keep turtles as pets and would love to come catch the turtle out of your pond.

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I also love BlK Powder hunting. It's the only way I hunt using a riffle anymore. I gave up deer hunting for 20 yr's until was introduced to Bow hunting and Blk Powder hunting.

Tracy


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I hate cleaning muzzle-loaders. I only use mine to extend the season. They are accurate and I would be good with only single-shot weapons being legal for deer hunting, or only bows (not cross-bows). Kids are not the only ones that would benefit. I love my M77 44-mag all-weather Rugar bolt action though. With LeveRevolution ammo, it is good to go out to 125 yards. It just feels good in my hands, and I shoot it pretty well.

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Rah
For years I shot a Contender in .44 mag w/14" barrel, very accurate indead good for pigs up close and personal


Pat

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95% of the time around our area if you see a snake in the water it's some subspecies of the common water snake...completely non-venomous.

As mentioned before there are several ways to differentiate a Water Moccasin from a common water snake - most easily identified attribute is the head shape. Common water snakes have no to a very slight head profile, where a water moccasin has a clearly spade and/or diamond profiled head shape. There are other identifying marks - see here:

http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/water_moccasin_watersnake_comparison.shtml

Very beneficial read there if you're concerned. In the 30 years I've been around ponds in central and southern IL I've had a snake other than a common water snake or a garter snake show up twice.

And that'd be 2 times out of several hundred individual snakes.


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Watter moccasins also float when swimming across the pond. The entire body is on top.

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They are the only water snake that I find to be really aggressive. Maybe the only snake of any kind that I find aggressive. Well, an occasional copperhead can get narrow minded.

I have a reasonable amount of rattle snakes. For the most part, they seem to just want to be left alone.


It's not about the fish. It's about the pond. Take care of the pond and the fish will be fine. PB subscriber since before it was in color.

Without a sense of urgency, Nothing ever gets done.

Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley Rancher and Farmer Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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If you're considering cutting down a shotgun's barrel length, check with you local authorities. Some jurisdictions have laws prohibiting this. If the gun won't ever goo off your property, you may not be too concerned with it. Just something to be aware of.

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My high school biology teacher was also a pretty renowned herpetologist, and he insisted that water moccasins could not survive an Illinois winter. I believe him. There is, however, a small population in extreme southern IL. We do have rattlesnakes, and they aren't afraid of water. I once observed a magnificent timber rattler swimming across a cove in Kincaid Lake. He was 6 ft long, as thick as a beer can, and had at least 17 rattles on his tail. There are also massasaugas around the Carlyle Lake area. They have signs up about them, and an idiot was bitten by one a few years ago while playing w/one. I respect, admire, and encourage all snakes on my property, but I am prejudiced toward water snakes. They are fish-eating machines.

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This should take care of those outlaw snakes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgnwO0o2ClQ

Last edited by RAH; 03/28/15 10:45 AM.
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Kinkaid also has copperheads and cotton mouths.
I ran face to face with a medium sized cotton mouth at the spillway years ago, was going to net some minnows out of the pools there to go fishing but before I got started I saw a water snake in the pool.
I said to myself 'self that looks like a real cotton mouth'
Little snakey must have heard me because at that moment he opened his mouth and a pair of fangs dropped down.
Needless to say I left the minnows for him and called my dog away, and just fished with lures that day.

Had plenty of copperheads by the house south of murphysboro, but all the water snakes I saw there were non-venomous.

Never did have the pleasure of seeing a rattle snake there.

Never heard of massasaugas, only thought we had 3 types of venomous snakes in IL.

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Originally Posted By: brook wilson
My high school biology teacher was also a pretty renowned herpetologist, and he insisted that water moccasins could not survive an Illinois winter. I believe him. There is, however, a small population in extreme southern IL. We do have rattlesnakes, and they aren't afraid of water. I once observed a magnificent timber rattler swimming across a cove in Kincaid Lake. He was 6 ft long, as thick as a beer can, and had at least 17 rattles on his tail. There are also massasaugas around the Carlyle Lake area. They have signs up about them, and an idiot was bitten by one a few years ago while playing w/one. I respect, admire, and encourage all snakes on my property, but I am prejudiced toward water snakes. They are fish-eating machines.


Cotton mouths do survive here and get quite large. Pretty easy to identify once you learn what they look like. Generally not too long but big around for their length. Head features are unique and the white inside the mouth is a dead giveaway.

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Goodnight that .454 casual did some damage to that watermelon!

Well, Ive been back to the farm twice in the past week and no snake. Maybe he slithered on to greener pastures.

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