Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Snake at feeding time

Saw this BH swimming towards me and thought this is odd. LOL

At least it was just a BH but thinking he's figured out feeding times.

Didn't have my gun or he'd be gone.

Any idea what kind it is?

Grant, County Oklahoma

Looks like a water snake, but I know that's a somewhat generic term.

I think you need to adopt that snake as the pond mascot if he/she is going to help you with culling efforts on BH. The babies from that guy will likely become bass food later too.

I saw one at our place making a meal of one of the small TP. I'm ok to share a little bit here and there, but that heron that likes to stand in front of the feeder at feeding time....is pushing the limits of my willingness to share!

LOL, I'm feeding by hand, just started an 8:00 AM feeding since it's cooling down.

I've got a a Blue Heron that visits daily too.

Several Cattle Egrets lately. From what I've read they shouldn't be that harmful. They don't spend much time around the pond. Seem to come get a drink, browse a bit and fly back to the cows.

I just got a Z Trap for the YBH

I think the cattle egrets mostly eat bugs. I sometimes see a flock of a hundred in a field following the tractor while the farmer is disking the ground and they are eating the exposed/wounded bugs.

However, I do think that cattle egrets would eat a frog or crayfish they spotted at a pond. I believe most of the birds in that group are pretty opportunistic.

I think your snake picture is MUCH stranger!

I usually see snakes eating things that they can swallow whole. Turtles will eat large fish because they can nip out chunks. I don't think your snake can do that?

Perhaps his eyes are just WAY bigger than his stomach?

It looks to my (non-expert) eye like it might be a Diamondback Water Snake. They do have the uncommon habit of dragging their prey to shore and waiting for it to die before trying to eat it. Maybe look up some images and see if they match what you saw.

+1 for Diamond Back water snake , very common , harmless to people, except those prone to panic and hurt themselves when running

Do you have people come back to you after fishing and report all of the "rattlesnakes" and "water moccasins" they saw at your ponds?

Thanks all.

I do have a ton of small frogs around the pond and according to what I read they would eat them. I scare them off every time I see them just in case.

Nobody but me and the relatives fish it. Nobody has ever fished it but my son without me and he said he's not seen any snakes. I've seen a couple of snakes but that's the first close up encounter.

As Bob says the "university of Google" says that you guys are correct. I zoomed in on the original and verified it has pupils and the other features mentioned below.

Northern diamond-backed watersnakes are large, heavy bodied snakes that are usually found in, near, or above (on tree branches or shrubs) water. The background color of the body is dark gray to olive or yellow-brown and a series of connected black irregular markings extend the full length of the body in a chain-like pattern. The belly is yellow or off-white and has half moon-shaped brown or black markings along the lateral edges of the belly scutes. Dorsal scales are heavily keeled. The only remotely similar nonvenomous snake is the plain-bellied watersnake which has distinct blotches as a juvenile rather than an chain-like pattern an a yellow belly with no markings. Adult plain-bellied watersnakes are nearly black with no discernible pattern. Both of these watersnakes can be confused with the western cottonmouth, a venomous pit-viper. Plain-bellied watersnakes and northern diamond-backed watersnakes have round pupils in the eyes, divided scales under the tail and lack a pit structure between the eyes and nostri

No, not really, on snake complaint question. Get at least one call a month about " You've got carp, in the ponds " after they catch 1 to several Golden Shiners . We have a no minnow or other fish brought onto the property policy, because of risk of carp, and every customer is educated as to why. So 6"-10" Shiners get them excited. 44mag rat shot doesn't ricochet of water , removes snakes heads very efficiently, Stainless Ruger , ?8 inch??? barrel. very effective.

I used to be butt deep in snakes of all kinds. Rattlers were common on any given day. Moccasins weren’t unusual in ponds. Then the hogs moved in and now snakes are a rarity. The last snake I saw was about 5 years ago. It was a rattler on the side of the road. I stopped, got out, and looked at it. Didn’t molest it.

I would trade the pigs for snakes any day.

I saw a video the other day of a doe eating a snake. It just started eating it from one end and kept at it like a strand of spaghetti.

I certainly do not want pigs on my farm. Have rifles, will shoot on site.

Disney's mashup remake of Bambi and Lady and the Tramp was so bad it went straight to video?

Here it is.......nasty....

Quite a meal, but it does look a little chewy.

Dammit, Rod, you beat me to it.

I would agree with the Diamondback Watersnake suggestion, but it also could be a Northern Watersnake.

My buddy who took me rattlesnake hunting in TX said there were a lot more of them before the hogs moved in.

Crazy doe video.

Saw a smaller one when I went down to check my Z Trap this afternoon for YBH. I'm convinced they have figured out that when I come around it means feeding time.

I pulled out about 20 HBG, GSF and had 1 6" BH

Soon as I threw the HBG back and walked off I looked back and there was one coming out of the water right where the rope tied to the trap was on the bank.

Protein is protein!!

Refilling the feeders at my farm with snakes before deer season is probably going to be much more work than using corn!

The good news is that the squirrels will probably not be as likely to try to chew their way into the feeders.