One of these went into my yard drainage system and I think came out the front ditch and got run over. I am not a snake person, what is it?

Copperhead

Yep a nice Copperhead

Anyway to keep them away from the house/yard? Concerned since grandkids will be around this weekend. Also have a nosey german shepherd who in the last week cornered a skunk (bad news for him and us) as well as a possum last night.

Not a snake you want around with grandkids. Not trying to create fear, but from experience with this species at the lease theirs usually more than one snake. They can be very aggressive and hide themselves very well. I unzipped a pop-up blind in October and discovered 3 in the blind. If the floor wasn't bare dirt in the blind, things might have gotten interesting. Be on the lookout and be safe.

There are snake repellants you can buy like sprays and pellets. Look them up on Google or Yahoo

That was a pretty healthy copperhead. They can be aggressive and carry a pretty bad wallop. No advice other than to train the grandkids to watch where they step and to not pick up things without knowing what is under it first.

That’s a big dude, but they do not travel in groups,, not saying there isn’t more of them but this time of year they are looking to go underground. The post above is spot on, educating the GKids to be cautios is your best avenue.

Yup....nice looking southern copperhead.....I have two of them right now.....down to just one diamondback.....

Good looking snake.....

They don't work.....Jes sayin......

Wrangler correct me if I am wrong, Copperheads are not very aggressive dang near have to step on one to get bit, usually where there is one there are more.

I have never had one "chase" me or try to strike at me if I wasn't messin with it. Most just stay very, very still and try to hide......

Cotton mouths are even more "docile".....non-venomous water snakes (especially diamond backed water snakes) act all billy-bad-azz and strike at you and even "chase" after you.....

Why yes. It's called a 12 gauge

Had one just like it under my chair one morning in a pop up blind in Brownwood. Ended up seeing several on that lease while hunting.

get yourself a pet pig, they take care of snakes.

While hunting with a buddy I stepped right over a copperhead. It was coiled and ready to strike. He called me once I had cleared it and had me look where I'd just walked and I saw the Copperhead...my knees became a little wobbly for a moment but it was obvious he just wanted to be left alone but as I recall he became a good snake pretty fast.

Might not travel in groups but have killed 4 in one night within a few feet of each other. That was summer though at night. We only see them on warm nights. None this year luckily. But the rattlesnakes replaced them!

My buddies place is copperhead haven. When he finds one in his yard you can start looking and find 5-6 more every time.

You are one of the very few people who see snake behavior as I have seen it. I love that term "docile". Very fitting. I haven't played with many copperheads but I have played with lots of cottonmouths. Docile is the perfect term for them. They just lay there, sometimes open their mouth. Once you start messing with them, they coil, rattle their tail, lay their head back and open that mouth real wide but never have I had one strike at me.

Thy den up this time of year. Be careful more could be around.

nice work on skinning that one out, what are you gonna use it for?

Thanks. Not sure. It's still soaking. I have another the same size in the freezer.

I have had several non docile encounters with cotton mouths. I have found them to be very aggressive.