Watch Out for Spring Time Snakes
Kevin Felts 03.08.17
Weather is starting to warm up and snakes are coming out. Spring time activities will sometimes bring people and snakes into contact, so let’s be careful out there. By understanding the behavior of snakes, we can help predict the types we will run into.
One of the easiest ways to predict a snake encounter is to understand the feeding habits.
The good news is that the United States only has a few species of venomous snakes.
Disclaimer: I do not claim to be a snake expert. This is an observation based on general knowledge of wildlife and decades spent in nature.
Coral Snake – This cute little snake posses some of the most potent venom of any North American snake. The Coral snake is reclusive and avoids human contact.
The most recent Coral snake I saw, I was walking to the shed behind my house and almost stepped on one. Since I was not wearing shoes, the encounter could have been deadly.
Copperhead – I have no idea how many copperheads I have seen and almost stepped on over the years. Their brown/copper color allows it to blend in almost perfectly. These are one of the few snakes I see out in the open during the middle of the day.
Copperheads are supposed to eat mice, but I usually see them where small insects live. This is usually under or around logs, under a piece of tin or lumber, etc. If it is on the ground, you flip it over and there are bugs, this is where I usually see Copperheads. Then again, I have seen them in the middle of an open field.
Cottonmouth Water Moccasin – Lives near slow moving rivers, lakes, swamps, or bogs. They eat everything from perch to frogs.
I have a saying, “If you hear frogs, a cottonmouth is near.”
My buddies and I used to go camping on a bayou in Southeast Texas. One camping trip, we killed at least three Cottonmouths and saw several more.
Rattle Snakes – This is the one snake on the list I have no dealings with. There are some Timber rattlers here in Southeast Texas, but I have never seen one.
If you live in an area with rattle snakes, please be careful.
If you have any suggestions, share them in the comments section.
