Are the snakes really that bad?

[Old plug]

What gets me is 90% of the people in the state of Missouri have never seen cotton mouth or evan knows what they look like. Summer people come out here to the lake go nuts every time some little water snake swims by their dock. I THINK I only seen one in my life in Mingo many years ago. Rattle snakes I have seen plenty of a few right here in my yard. Wife opened a small hose locker a few years go and one just missed her hand. It was a little thing about 12 inches long. I was told she was lucky because a tiny rattle snake contains more powerful concentrated venison than the adult version. It is the way nature give them a better chance at survival early in life. There is sure worse things in Missouri. Black Widow and Recluse spiders are 2

[Blazerman]

I went fishing down at Okeechobee at the end of February this year and while fishing with shiners I had a cottonmouth go after the bait. I ended up hooking it and reeled it end and once I saw what it was I handed the pole to the guide. He said no big deal, and pulled the snake up on the gunwale of the boat (which we were not too crazy about) and then proceeded to smack it with a thick steel rod he had. Once he had crippled it, he shook it off with a pair of needle nose and said it’s gator bait now.

[Feathers and Fins]

I would be more concerned about getting in an accident on the way to and from fishing, than being bit by a snake

I would be more concerned about stopping for a drink or food and being in a robbery on the way, than being bit by a snake.

I would be more worried about losing my footing there and falling breaking a bone or neck, than being bit by a snake.

The odds of all the above are far greater than being bitten by a snake. Most snake bites in this country are by people messing with the snake and the majority of those bites are by people under 25 and or there is alcohol involved.

As to a snake chasing people LMFAO ONLY 1 snake is known and proven to do that and we do not have Black Mambas running around the Ozarks. If cottonmouths were so bad no one in the entire state of Florida would ever go fishing or outside for that matter.

[vonreed]

I have seen maybe a half dozen true cottonmouths in my life, every one except 1 were calm and never moved. The other one I saw deliberaly chased me. But that was because I was fooling with it and teasing it, lol. Scared me good though. Every one I've ever seen was over in the Flat Creek area which is close to Crane Creek.

[Feathers and Fins]

Hey Blaze, I can tell you wrong belly coloration wrong head form for that to be a cottonmouth. I collected HUNDREDS from Okeechobee and that is a brown water snake which I collected thousands of and yes they love shiners. Another misidentification it will never cease to amaze me how every snake is a cottonmouth, copperhead or rattlesnake and die because of it.

I made a business off reptiles for years and for every true venomous I would find I would find 500 non-venomous. The only place I know of venomous outnumbered non-venomous was in my house

[fishinwrench]

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, you can count on less than one hand the number of deaths from snake bite in Missouri in the last 50 years, despite the fact that about 100 people are bitten in the state each year. Three of the deaths were from copperhead bites. You can look it up for yourself.

Since when does the MDC investigate the cause of every death in the state ?

Do their biologists do autopsies on the side ?

A canoeist is found dead, and they just call it a drowning..... Nobody thinks to check him for a bite mark.

Boy, I say BOY.....Ya gotta use yer head Boy !

[Blazerman]

F & F, just went by what the guide said. In missouri i know common water snakes are normally red and brown. And i have seen cottommouths and they are usually totally black or brown or dark gray. I leave them alone and never had any problem with them. i was not sure of water snakes in florida so i didn't get too close. just grabbed the phone and started taking pics.

[Feathers and Fins]

Glen its a Government thing Hospitals and DR's have to report it to the CDC, Never understood it but they do.

Ya blaze I can understand it, you would be surprised how many life time people down there cant tell one snake from another, when I did nuisance removal I cant count how many times I got called for a cottonmouth and it was anything but a cottonmouth. I think in 6 years doing it I actually had 1 legitimate cottonmouth, funniest was "coral snakes" 90% of the time it was a scarlet kingsnake. I did so enjoy them I could resale those for upwards of 100 bucks or more.

[Amery]

There are a handful of non venomous water snakes in Mo. Not just one kind.

[2sheds]

All true, BUT ...

the Wire Road Conservation area (Crane Creek) is an excellent habitat for venomous cottonmouth water moccasin snakes. Experts from the university come down all the time to gather pregnant females for study, then return them home again afterward. I have observed this on multiple occasions and have enjoyed discussion with the SMEs.