I've been around them maybe a hundred times, usually with waders on when I was a kid frog gigging. I've never seen one be aggressive. We usually just left the immediate area when we saw them. If we were in a pond or creek where they were particularly thick, we'd just head for a different pond. Usually saw them floating or swimming rather than on the bank.

If that is a Cottonmouth, then what kind of snake is this? Killed on my neighbors front porch this week as well.

If its just me and not right by my house I'll generally leave all snakes alone.

If its by my house with three kids under the age of 6 I'll tend to be more protective.

I was chased when I was a little kid next to a creek...and by chased I mean I stumbled upon said cottonmouth, startled it and it got cranky...I wan maybe 20 yards and it went about its business.

That is a cottonmouth

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If that is a Cottonmouth, then what kind of snake is this? Killed on my neighbors front porch this week as well.

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Cottonmouth.

When they're younger they're typically lighter colored like that with more defined stripes.

That one's coloring is similar to a copperhead but the markings are wrong. Copperheads have a distinctive pattern where the stripes are sort of shaped like a Hershey's Kiss on the side of the body.

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Copperheads have a distinctive pattern where the stripes are sort of shaped like a Hershey's Kiss on the side of the body.

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That's true for the eastern part of the country and eastern part of Texas, but the central and western Texas copperheads are different subspecies, respectively, and do not have the hershey kiss pattern.

A pair from Jackson County:

[url=https://flic.kr/p/iLrvMS][/url]