Copperhead travel at night

I guess I assumed (wrongly, it appears) that Copperheads stayed put and slept like people do at night. Never really thought about it much. But, tonight, while spotlighting the yard to see if any evil armadillos were digging up flowerbeds, there was a 24 inch Copperhead in full travel mode. I grabbed the rifle and cranked the turrets (kidding) and head shot him. Wife was duly impressed. The snake was moving pretty fast, but I don't think I can claim a running shot. And I never heard anybody mention a slither shot.....

It was a Southern Copperhead, not a Broadbanded Copperhead

Bet I'm the only guy that made a slither shot today.

I prefer closer, more personal, methods of killing such as a hatchet to the head.

Nice slither shooting though!

They are very active at night during the summer months especially. Good shooting.

Killed this one just outside my trailer door at night. My dog was barking and running around it until I got it with the shovel.

We all make these sorts of assumptions about critters and all get surprised when we encounter them doing things we don't expect them to be doing.

For snakes like copperheads, ask yourself what their primary food is. It is mice. When are mice most active? Night.

Now the descriptions of copperheads say that they are diurnal during the spring and fall, but nocturnal during the hot summer months. It isn't summer yet. Snakes don't do calendars. It is getting hot, however. They are more apt to behave based on temperature than calendar. That is why you will find snakes and other herps out during warm periods of weather during the winter here in Texas.

Now I'll be a bit less comfortable walking back from the stands.

The wife pitched the dead copperhead into the back yard. Just before I went off to bed, I flipped on the outside lights and saw that our resident backyard Possum (aka 'Little Possum') was happily consuming the snake. The food chain in action.

That's when I kill the most of them.. they like lying right on trails and roads at night waiting for mice... We were tracking a deer once in bow season and got into some thick yupon... I had to push a good size one to the side to get through a small path and felt something hit my shoulder then the ground... turned around and there layed a copperhead just lookin at me... figured he was looking for bats or baby birds

Once read an article saying armadillos were nocturnal. Then I drove the pasture at 1 pm and saw 13. Guess they hadn't read the same article!

I find nearly all of mine in the evening or after dark. Usually when I go down to my shop. I live out in the country and keep things clean around the shop and outbuildings. Keep the lawn mowed short to create a 'buffer' around the house, but we have pasture land and woods surrounding us...so snakes are always present.

In the warm months....I EXPECT to see them at night. In the daytime I can find them in shaded areas, especially one area of our property that is fed by a natural spring, is shaded and stays much cooler. That area has always been 'snakey'.

I warned y'all about killing copperheads the other day!

Copperheads save boobs thread

We are eat up with them..

Keep boots by back door and front and wife and grandkids are NOT allowed to walk out after dark in flip flops or low shoes..

I have hit the lights and seen 3-4 slide off the concrete ..

My Dogs been hit several times

We've had years when we saw a lot of Copperheads, but this year just two have shown up.

Never seen a Rattlesnake on our place.

I see most at night. Usually on roads or concrete. The terrain is usually littered with oaks and vines with shade.

You should tie a piece of fishing string to a piece of rebar pounded into the ground fish hook through the back side of a small furry mouse and see if you can catch a few.

I find them mostly in the evening or at night unless I flipping rocks or logs looking for them....

Insomniac armadillos, usually happens in groups of 9 or more.

Lived in the country and killed 20 to 30 copperheads a year, now we live in town and all I find are king snakes.

{In Cliff Claven voice...}

It is a little known fact that your average armadillo is not a reader. No doubt this stems from the fact that very few writers are armadillos either. According to AT&T, armadillos typically do not add texting packages to their cell phone plans.

I think if you delve into the subject further, you will find copperheads aren't much of readers either. They don't have fingers to turn the pages.

And that is just how I read it.

You shouldn't make fun of the handicapped.

They are bad in east Texas. Not so much in the hill country or north Texas. Usually people handle the bites pretty well. My bro in law got tagged on the foot at night and didn't even have to stay in the hospital

there are a lot of them on Ft Hood

Again last night. Was out with the spotlight, looking (again) for the evil armadillos that dig up the flowerbeds, which really irritates the wife, who then makes my life miserable. So, the Dillos must die. No armadillos, but an even bigger Copperhead. Didn't measure this one, but over 24 inches for sure, though not 30 inches.

Our front yard Possum (aka 'Big Possum') apparently ate this one, and left the head. The back yard snake had been eaten by the back yard possum (aka 'Little Possum'). They seem to stay in their respective areas.

The bottom of my boot was 1/2 step away from seeing this guy last week.

And another copperhead just now. In the same place as the last one. Dang.

And another one. Same size. Same place. Do I have a nest of them? Creepy!

Gave him a massive chop with the hoe and broke the handle. Dang it!

Doubt you have a 'nest' of them, but you certainly have something attractive to them (food source, shelter, water source)?

They are there for a reason. And I don't think because its 'Poker Night'.

I suppose they are there for a reason, but I wonder what. They (4 so far) are slithering past the north end of the house and going consistently in a NW direction, toward the woods. The pond is not in that direction. Do snakes have a specific mating season? If so, when? Now?

The wife is constantly on the porch at night, looking for more copperheads. She yells, and I wander out, grab the hoe (new one now) and chop away. She's the spotter and I'm the 'snake-hoer', so to speak...

I read somewhere recently that this was snake mating season ... not sure of the validity

I dated a 'hoer' once.

I think that's huer.

Well....snakes have 'preferred' mating seasons/times, I'll put it that way. Doesn't mean that a particular species couldn't or wouldn't mate outside of that time frame.

For the Southern Copperhead (in Texas)...the bulk of mating activity occurs in Feb-May and again in the Fall: http://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/species/southerncopperhead/

Do you have lights nearby the area you are seeing the snakes? The reason I ask...is the snakes might be attracted to insects that gather around outside lights or frogs/toads that come for the insects.

I have a security light near my shop that attracts hoards of insects each night. The ground underneath it is littered with all manner of flying insects. There are also toads and frogs down there every night. I find Copperheads there (all Summer) at night.

Perhaps you have a similar circumstance and are not aware?

Definitely something attracting them.

Flintnapper, the security lights are on the other end of the main house and barn. The snakes are on the dark side. Only thing over there is the outside A/C unit. The wife spots them from the porch, using my spotlight, which she rarely recharges.

I killed several copperheads out back of the house earlier this month. Then we had 3 roadrunners move into the woods in front of the house and now we don't any snakes at all.

Copperheads tend to travel the same paths. I think this is your situation

When I drove at night in prime territory I would say September was the prime mating time

5th copperhead, same place and going in the same direction. Same size as the others. I wonder if maybe they are returning to a den from a night out on the prowl.

I have seen a couple that will get on the aluminum threshold of my back door lately...I assume for the warmth

I know your pain

they might be under your ac comp., perfect place to hide during the heat of the day.

You know there's a guy on this forum that'll pay $100 for a live copperhead over 18" to train dogs. If I could get that price for a few of them I'd consider it. ..
Also I'm sure the video How to Properly Kill a Rattlesnake will work for copperheads too!

Wasn't a copperhead but I had a grass snake in my house a few days ago. Right inside the door. I have killed a copperhead close by though recently. I've seen a lot of snake activity lately.

I prefer the broadbanded copperheads. they don't taste as greasy.

Read recently that Copperheads congregate around trees that have cicadas emerging at dusk. Guess they are easy prey as slow as they are when they emerge. Don't know why it's just copperheads vs. other snakes, but the article mentioned over 20 CHs around a tree with cicadas emerging.

JR

I have seen several including two nights ago crossing the road. Three nights ago I moved an adult Timber Rattlesnake off the road in NC. The timber was docile and big, the copperhead was striking like he had terrets. I do not kill them.

This might explain why some see so many at one place. I never knew this.
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Copperhead-engage-in-nightly-summertime-feeding-8399696.php

Killed another one last night. He was sitting on top of the wood pile. Makes 6 so far.

Killed one about 8" long on Friday night and one about 24" long Saturday morning.

The wife and I go riding the backroads at night and we usually see a few copperheads around 9-10pm. Most don't successfully make it across the road.