cotton mouth

[Chief Grey Bear]

I think its the fish they smell. Most people think they are attacking when in reality they are smelling a food source. 

[Quillback]

Saw this dude on Beaver lake today, I believe it is a rat snake.  Saw it swim from a dock to the bank, thought it was a cottonmouth at first, but it wasn't quite floating on top like they do.  Big snake, about 4 feet long.

 

[bassman1308]

I didn't know they 'floated high' in the water but the CM I saw at RR did do just that as he swam away.  That's when I got a good look at how big across his head was.  When I first noticed him, he was already coiled and showing me how white his throat was.   Without a doubt, this was a CM.  My only question was, about killing them in a place like RR.  There is a picnic table/shelter and children play area with swings less than 30 yards from where this snake was.  Last year I saw a dead copperhead near the drinking fountain there.   As I was leaving, a family with 3 small kids drove up to the picnic table area. I turned around and warned them.  The rest of the evening I kicked myself for not killing that snake.   I guess it's just hard to believe anyone would be OK with poisonous / venomous snakes in an area like that although I  understand why the MCD doesn't want ALL snakes killed.   

[bassfisher]

On Wednesday, May 04, 2016 at 8:47 PM, bassman1308 said:

I didn't know they 'floated high' in the water but the CM I saw at RR did do just that as he swam away.  That's when I got a good look at how big across his head was.  When I first noticed him, he was already coiled and showing me how white his throat was.   Without a doubt, this was a CM.  My only question was, about killing them in a place like RR.  There is a picnic table/shelter and children play area with swings less than 30 yards from where this snake was.  Last year I saw a dead copperhead near the drinking fountain there.   As I was leaving, a family with 3 small kids drove up to the picnic table area. I turned around and warned them.  The rest of the evening I kicked myself for not killing that snake.   I guess it's just hard to believe anyone would be OK with poisonous / venomous snakes in an area like that although I  understand why the MCD doesn't want ALL snakes killed.   

That was in the same place I saw him I believe he has a den in that bush close to the bank

[SpoonDog]

On 5/4/2016 at 8:47 PM, bassman1308 said:

 I guess it's just hard to believe anyone would be OK with poisonous / venomous snakes in an area like that although I  understand why the MCD doesn't want ALL snakes killed.   

If I'm reading your story correctly, you found a venemous snake and then nothing happened.  You've walked by this venomous snake a couple times, and nothing's happened.  Hundreds of others have walked by this place, in this popular state park, and nothing's happened.  It's great you're warning people the snakes are there, and sure it's risky, but there's a hundred other risks from the swingset to the picnic table we accept every day.  I'm okay with poisonous/venomous snakes in the area because I understand the risk is being overstated. 

[MOPanfisher]

Water snakes in general can be very territorial at times, always seems to be the non-venomous varieties are more territorial than the venomous.  The Cottonmouth/Water Moccasins I have seen tend to be more of a fat, lazy, don't mess with me and I won't mess with you type of snake, soaking up the sun, all they need is a can of beer and they would almost be me.  Most snake bites happen when trying to kill or capture a snake and it tries to defend itself, or on occasion someone will step on one, or pick up a board branch with a copperhead under it and get bitten.   Around the lake/campgrounds where I work way more kids are injured by on swings and merry-go-rounds (two most dangerous and popular items in a playground) each summer than all the snake bites combined.  All that being said, I would appreciate you telling me there was a venomous snake near an area where I just showed up with a couple small kids, it would then be my choice to stay and watch them closer or move.  Most kids naturally leave them alone, but some kids, (like mine) would have that poor snake in a bucket and be bringing it to me to find out what it is.

[Al Agnew]

The thing about cottonmouths is that they have no fear of humans or much of anything else.  They never "charge" people...why would they?  It's not a good survival strategy to attack something that's a whole lot bigger than you are, since as a snake you can't eat it and it can stomp you to death even as you're injecting venom into it.  But they DO seem to expect you to get out of their way if they have someplace they want to go, and they also seem to be quite curious.  I've had a bunch of them swim straight up to the canoe, and once one swam up to me when I was waist deep in the water wading, and I had to slap it with my rod tip to get it to back off.  That's never happened to me with harmless watersnakes.  I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't discouraged that one...would it have crawled up onto me?  I didn't care to find out.

Closest I ever came to really getting in serious trouble with a cottonmouth was one my solo overnight float trip last year, when I was walking at water's edge on the gravel bar where I was camped, after dark, shining a flashlight in the water to see what kind of minnows I could see.  I just happened to put the light on the edge of the bar where my next step was going to be, and there was one, coiled and looking at me with an attitude that seemed to say, "Seriously?  You're going to step on me?"

[BFTMASTER]

Roaring river is infested this year with watersnakes. They are completely harmless unless you break a leg out of surprise. Argue all you want. Go to the nature center. Cotton mouths don't like 55 degree water. Learn your snakes if you are going to share their territory. Actually go to the nature center for the snake program. They usually have it a couple times a weekend during the summer, and it is very informative. Kids love it.  

[bassman1308]

Some say cottonmouths do not like 55* water and do not inhabit spring fed creeks and I doubt copperheads are ever found at Lowe's stores BUT check out this headline...:

Snakes are where you find them.

Copperhead snake bites Lowe's customer at North Carolina store