Legislative Protection for Shooting Snakes In Public

[SewTexas]

I really don't know what the issue is with snakes. Not saying you guys are.......well, you know.

The real issue is spiders. Spiders are the spawn of the devil. They have no purpose in nature.

Scorpions too.

Leave the snakes alone and focus your fear and small arms fire in the direction of spiders and scorpions.

Anygunanywhere

Scorpions!!!! shoot them DEAD!!!!! with a tank!!!!

[K.Mooneyham]

I lost a very nice dog to a rattlesnake when I was a teen. I understand some folks are snake wranglers and all that stuff about snake instincts and environment. I don't care. I'll leave all the other snakes be, but the only good rattler is a dead one.

[cb1000rider]

I've been tagged by scorpions. The dog has been tagged by scorpions, based on the way he treats them when he sees them. It's not fun, but it's not going to cause any long term health issues.
Spiders, the bad ones, aren't that common here or are more easily controlled by standard pest control.. I don't know which, but we've never had a problem with them.
Poisonous snakes are a problem for dogs and young children and we have both. They get dead on sight.

[SewTexas]

They make “rat shot” for .38 and .22 which I imagine you could blaze away with in comparative safety. I doubt one would need to be concerned about a ricochet as a phone book of Lost Springs Wyoming would probably stop the pellets.

Yes, but who carries rat shot around for reloading in their gun for when they see a snake in a public place?

I do when I go hiking. We went out once to Governor's Canyon and saw a ratt'ler, he'd just eaten and was not interested in anything but the sun, he hissed and we ran. Ever since then I carry a "snake gun" if we go somewhere there may be snakes.

[TexasGal]

However did I survive growing up on the farm?
I always dispatched most of the dangerous variety with a hoe or shovel growing up and left the harmless ones alone. Even though now armed, I would much rather not resort to shooting it unless there was no other means and I was truly in some sort of danger from it. Why use so much firepower or worry about where rounds are going for a little old snake? Now a tiger....that would be different. But I'd need a much bigger gun

[VMI77]

If a copperhead or cottonmouth snake (we don't have rattlers, but the same would apply) gets in the area where my dogs play and I see it, it's dead, period. All other snakes get a pass, and the pit vipers do too, as long as they keep away from my dogs.

[jbarn]

If a copperhead or cottonmouth snake (we don't have rattlers, but the same would apply) gets in the area where my dogs play and I see it, it's dead, period. All other snakes get a pass, and the pit vipers do too, as long as they keep away from my dogs.

Copperheads and Cottonmouth are pit vipers.

[ShootDontTalk]

I can tell you from first hand experience exactly how much firepower is too much for a rattlesnake. Many years ago my dad and I had been at a caliche (that's shale like rock for you easterners) pit sighting in a rifle when we spotted a huge rattler in the middle of the caliche road. The only thing we had to dispatch it with was a Rem 700 in .300 Win Mag. I loaded a hollowpoint round and the snake curled up and started buzzing at me. When I touched off the round it went through the snake like hot butter and penetrated the caliche road. The resulting backblast brought a shower of snake bits and pulverized rock that had to be seen to be believed. I turned and found my dad behind the car laughing hysterically watching the snake parts drip from my chin.

Moral of my story? Don't use hand grenades to control snakes unless you bring a raincoat.

[Jaguar]

I have an agreement with the snakes on my property; I won’t go stomping through the unimproved areas - they don’t come up in the yard.

So far I have only had to “remind” a few of them of our agreement. We had one that was partly ran over in the driveway and no one saw it until the next day. I got out my 12 gauge and had my wife back up the car. The critter raised its head and looked at the car, then I fired from the side from about 5 yards away. My wife said, “it’s still moving, shoot it again!” I told her, “that’s just nerves, it doesn’t have a head.” There are reasons we have rules.

[Dragonfighter]

What about a chupacabra? Are they protected or what?

Only in Mexico.....

According to some cryptozoologists they are a "...any hydrid of the foregoing."

Added in Edit:

"...that's just nerves."

I used to work rattle snake round ups and do "stunts", in retrospect it was brutal and stupid. In one day following the close of a roundup, came a killing day wherein thousands of the snakes bought during the roundup were decapitated, skinned, gutted and the various components used or eaten for myriad applications. To an animal, the heads would watch and open there mouths trying to bite anyone who got close for quite a while after being separated from their bodies. Most of the snake's bodies would pull up into a striking position whilst rattling to beat the band. One such headless body turned and struck a guy who was walking behind it, I think he wet his britches. I took four large skinned and gutted snakes home to cook that night (hours later and after being in a cooler) and started to brine them in the kitchen sink. We were watching TV when dad looked into the kitchen and casually remarked, "Dinner's leaving." All four of the meat and bone assemblages were pushing out of the sink as if to escape the salty water. Creeeeepy.

For what it's worth, I have a cat that comes home snake bit all the time. I have swept snake skeletons off of my roof but haven't seen a live one in the yard for a few years.

[AlaskanInTexas]

Added in Edit:

"...that's just nerves."

I used to work rattle snake round ups and do "stunts", in retrospect it was brutal and stupid. In one day following the close of a roundup, came a killing day wherein thousands of the snakes bought during the roundup were decapitated, skinned, gutted and the various components used or eaten for myriad applications. To an animal, the heads would watch and open there mouths trying to bite anyone who got close for quite a while after being separated from their bodies. Most of the snake's bodies would pull up into a striking position whilst rattling to beat the band. One such headless body turned and struck a guy who was walking behind it, I think he wet his britches. I took four large skinned and gutted snakes home to cook that night (hours later and after being in a cooler) and started to brine them in the kitchen sink. We were watching TV when dad looked into the kitchen and casually remarked, "Dinner's leaving." All four of the meat and bone assemblages were pushing out of the sink as if to escape the salty water. Creeeeepy.

That is easily the most disturbing thing that I have ever heard in my whole life. Hearing this story just set me back a month in my self-administered snake phobia treatment.

[Dirthawking]

I am not sure what to say here. Seems like a few people are just looking for justification to shoot their gun! I am sorry, but the example of a toddler in a swing set is just comical. No other words for it. If a rattler, or any other snake for that matter, is within striking distance, and you "think" it is safe to shoot the snake....man you need some more training on safety. No offense meant, but that situation is nothing more than a reach...

Snakes do not seek out people to harm. A rattler has a rattle for a reason. To warn you of its presence. A copperhead blends in for a reason. To shielf itself from you. A coral snake is brightly colored to warn you to leave it alone.

Are we that removed from nature? Yes I understand that situations arise, but I can not imagine ANY situation where you would be in that you could not retreat from a snake without shooting your way out. Okay, one. You are a rock climber who slips and gets his arm trapped under a boulder that he can not move and has to cut his arm off. Wait...didn't they make that into a movie?

Seems like a few people need to put their big girl panties on....

[WildBill]

I am not sure what to say here. Seems like a few people are just looking for justification to shoot their gun!

I think that it shows that many people have a severe phobia of snakes.

[Dirthawking]

I am not sure what to say here. Seems like a few people are just looking for justification to shoot their gun!

I think that it shows that many people have a severe phobia of snakes.

As the sheeple like to say, "Maybe they shouldn't put themselves in a situation where they need to be afraid of snakes."

Mind you, the above was said firmly tongue in cheek!

[VoiceofReason]

I am not sure what to say here. Seems like a few people are just looking for justification to shoot their gun! I am sorry, but the example of a toddler in a swing set is just comical. No other words for it. If a rattler, or any other snake for that matter, is within striking distance, and you "think" it is safe to shoot the snake....man you need some more training on safety. No offense meant, but that situation is nothing more than a reach...

Snakes do not seek out people to harm. A rattler has a rattle for a reason. To warn you of its presence. A copperhead blends in for a reason. To shielf itself from you. A coral snake is brightly colored to warn you to leave it alone.

Are we that removed from nature? Yes I understand that situations arise, but I can not imagine ANY situation where you would be in that you could not retreat from a snake without shooting your way out. Okay, one. You are a rock climber who slips and gets his arm trapped under a boulder that he can not move and has to cut his arm off. Wait...didn't they make that into a movie?

Seems like a few people need to put their big girl panties on....

Don’t get out much do you?

So you would have no problem allowing a rattlesnake, cotton mouth, or copperhead to live in a neighborhood with a lot of children? Most toddlers don’t know what that buzzing sound means or that strange creature will hurt you. They are just curious and want to play with it.

Occasionally snakes can be found in garages and even homes (my wife once discovered one in our built on garage).

If you, like me, could not live with the idea of a child dying because I didn’t do something to prevent it, then “Put your big girl panties on” and do as I would do. Pin it with a stick, pick it up, put it in a bag and take it out away from people and turn it loose.

If you can’t find “your big girl panties” there are folks that will remove a snake from your house or garage for a nominal fee .