We came home late from dinner at a friends house. I was out back making sure the back porch and yard were clear before letting the dog out, when I hear my daughter yell from the front "Daddy, bring the shovel."

My bride opened the front door to grab a package, and thankfully looked around before bending down to grab it. He probably would have stayed in his corner, but not what you want to see at your front door.

The snake war continues. I'm not so sure that they aren't coming over from the neighbors place. The back of their property butts up to the front/side of mine. Theirs is fully fenced and heavily treed, so I can't see in.

Before I go tearing down fences, burning bridges, and firing off propane cannons, I'm going to go knock on their door (haven't met them yet) and ask if there are any wood piles or anything in the back that might be habitats for the snakes. I think I've heard a dog, so she might be interested in the issue. Hell, I might even offer to help her clean them up if so. I've only ever seen 1 older lady there.

I know, not exciting by OB standards.

That serpent has been eating very well. Can we assume it had its last meal?

GSS said:

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That serpent has been eating very well. Can we assume it had its last meal?

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She would have made Mike Leach proud, as she was a fat little girlfriend! (No idea if it was a girl).

And yeah. She gone. I'm not in the "kill all snakes" camp. But I ain't playing with these copperheads. One bit my dog, and I'm desperately trying to keep my kiddos from getting hit. This is the 3rd one I've killed in 2 weeks. So that means there are at least 10 more I haven't seen.

In a couple weeks, I have a brush grinder coming to help clear the back of the property. Im working on rock piles and trash that were left by previous owner. Now, im thinking the front flower beds are about to get reduced to zero and all leaf litter clears, until the snake issue is mostly gone. Everything in the front beds is basically half dead crap anyway.

Good luck and be safe!

I've gone down the snake battle. We had a nest of copperheads under our patio. Here's what I figured out - they like to move along flat surfaces - think the walls of your house. They will slither along the wall. So what I did is made what I call the "Snake Den." I basically took a cardboard box and folded it into a tunnel and then put gorilla tape on it. Put that along the wall and when they slither through it they get stuck. I tried a bunch of different iterations of tape - covering the whole thing - a chevron - an X. I found the X to be the best balance. It catches them but also is the most efficient use of tape. I caught 7 snakes in 4 days with my snake dens. And IT cost me practically nothing. I used tape I had lying around and old amazon boxes

I find myself hoping you taped up the Amazon boxes and left them for porch pirates

Man missed opportunity! I finished them off with my .410 ... but next time .....

Looks like your neighbor needs to come talk to you and ask if you have any snake habitat spots around on your property. You know, like porches and such.

They should offer to help you tear them down…

That's an amazing technique.. I'm gonna pass this along to several friends and family near San Antonio that have copper head problems

cryption said:

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I've gone down the snake battle. We had a nest of copperheads under our patio. Here's what I figured out - they like to move along flat surfaces - think the walls of your house. They will slither along the wall. So what I did is made what I call the "Snake Den." I basically took a cardboard box and folded it into a tunnel and then put gorilla tape on it. Put that along the wall and when they slither through it they get stuck. I tried a bunch of different iterations of tape - covering the whole thing - a chevron - an X. I found the X to be the best balance. It catches them but also is the most efficient use of tape. I caught 7 snakes in 4 days with my snake dens. And IT cost me practically nothing. I used tape I had lying around and old amazon boxes

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Snake Den? More like Copperhead Road.

Do you have a lot of cicadas? Copperheads love to feed on them when they emerge from the soil and become adults.

Clever box & tape trap !

I know the people in this episode of Tx Parks & Wildlife. Hundreds of copperheads on their property.

Guitarsoup said:

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cryption said:

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I've gone down the snake battle. We had a nest of copperheads under our patio. Here's what I figured out - they like to move along flat surfaces - think the walls of your house. They will slither along the wall. So what I did is made what I call the "Snake Den." I basically took a cardboard box and folded it into a tunnel and then put gorilla tape on it. Put that along the wall and when they slither through it they get stuck. I tried a bunch of different iterations of tape - covering the whole thing - a chevron - an X. I found the X to be the best balance. It catches them but also is the most efficient use of tape. I caught 7 snakes in 4 days with my snake dens. And IT cost me practically nothing. I used tape I had lying around and old amazon boxes

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Snake Den? More like Copperhead Road.

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I have never seen a copperhead in the wild.

I hadn't either until I moved on acreage in Parker county. Now I've seen all I want and been bit once.

B-1 83 said:

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I have never seen a copperhead in the wild.

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Man, I have. I bet I killed 250 or more growing up. Most common venomous snake to come across here, even .ore than cotton mouths (which i also have ended the life of a great many of those too).

Also one of the prettiest snakes IMO. Love the colors on them.

cryption said:

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I cannot confirm nor deny but the scuttlebut is copperheads make good eating

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Jasper: What's he doing with that rattle snake?
Bolivar: (skinning snake)
Gus McCray: That's supper. Bolivar will make a fine stew outta that.
Jasper: Yeah, he can eat it too. I ain't eatin' no rattle snake.

schmellba99 said:

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B-1 83 said:

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I have never seen a copperhead in the wild.

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Man, I have. I bet I killed 250 or more growing up. Most common venomous snake to come across here, even .ore than cotton mouths (which i also have ended the life of a great many of those too).

Also one of the prettiest snakes IMO. Love the colors on them.

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Agreed, one of the best looking domestic snakes.

And yeah I have seen a ton of them and we see more of them than anything else on our property. Especially at this time of year with the cicadas going crazy. And I have seen them just about every place possible, even swimming across our pond and lakes. Even had one hanging out behind a TV that was hanging outside. That'll stop your heart for a few seconds

Yea it will.

Most i came across was when i would split wood. They loved the wood stacks to hang out it. Puckered me up more than once grabbing a log to split and a copperhead was under it that i didnt know about.

AW 1880 said:

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Any chance you live near a snake farm?

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Apparently, I live ON a snake farm.

Just sounds nasty

schmellba99 said:

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Yea it will.

Most i came across was when i would split wood. They loved the wood stacks to hang out it. Puckered me up more than once grabbing a log to split and a copperhead was under it that i didnt know about.

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Yep. When I am getting logs from a wood pile in Hallettsville, I bring a shovel to dislodge each log to make sure I don't take that adventure twice.

So they stick to the tape in the box, is that right? Asking for a friend in our short bus.