Sometimes you hear an area has these type of serpents but the odds of seeing one are like 100 to 1. Anybody ever see a venomous serpent in this region.

Cottonmouth and copperheads are found in this area. Rattlesnakes in some of the higher areas closer to the mountians.

I have seen many copperheads around here and one 5' rattlesnake on Massanutten Mountain.

Sure, I've messed with copperheads, moccasins, coral snakes and timber rattlers in this area (many in the mountains) but you're right on the ratio. About 300 to 1 (personal experience) maybe even more scarce than that. Also, the venomous snakes in this area are pretty reclusive. Remember, venom is an important survival/digestion tool for these animals. They don't have alot of venom and the venom takes significant energy to produce, so the snake is not likely to use the venom unless picked up or cornered.

A buddy of mine had four rattlesnakes mosey through is yard on top of Bull Run Mountain.

Go rummage around under some rocks with your bare arms out in the Shenandoah and let us know what you find.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2011 07:33PM by Hank Moody.

Best place to find copperheads is under rotting logs in the woods,,,

Also piles of firewood,,,

Could say he was cute as a button, in fact he only had one button on his rattle. Seen alot of water snakes, some of these here posters are mistaking the moccassin for the common water snake markings are similar and the King snake for the coral, very similar coloration.

Water Moccassins are extremely aggressive, they're rare but they're out there,,,

Water snakes are also mean, but usually won't go out of their way to pursue you like a moccassin,,,

Worst snake bite I ever got is a tie between a water snake and a black racer,,,

I was raised in rural areas and had all kinds of snakes as pets. I remember one water snake would emit a foul odor when hand held. Never saw a mocassin though. Lots of water, garder, and black racers, a real handsome snake I recall.

That black racer I had ( about 5') was big and smelled like hell,,,he was quickly returned to nature,,,

Hatemotor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Best place to find copperheads is under rotting
> logs in the woods,,,
>
> Also piles of firewood,,,


Within the confines of rotting tree stumps too.

They enjoy the heat produced by the decaying material.

Hatemotor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Water Moccassins are extremely aggressive, they're
> rare but they're out there,,,
>
> Water snakes are also mean, but usually won't go
> out of their way to pursue you like a
> moccassin,,,
>
> Worst snake bite I ever got is a tie between a
> water snake and a black racer,,,


you got bit by Jesse Owens??

---------------------------------------------------
W.W.S.D. what would Scooby Doo

Occasionally I'll see snakes in my yard. Ring-necked and grass, but not like years ago. Years ago a kid could walk along the side of a train tracks and find all kinds of snakes, box turtles not too much anyumore.

Most dangerous reptile I ever wrangled was a giant alligator snapper,,,

That damn thing was the size of mini fridge and could move pretty fast in the water,,,

graymoose1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hatemotor Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Water Moccassins are extremely aggressive,
> they're
> > rare but they're out there,,,
> >
> > Water snakes are also mean, but usually won't
> go
> > out of their way to pursue you like a
> > moccassin,,,
> >
> > Worst snake bite I ever got is a tie between a
> > water snake and a black racer,,,
>
>
> you got bit by Jesse Owens??


There was no out running that guy,,pretty fast for a dead man

My neighbor keeps inviting me over to see his snake...

I keep telling him, I'm not that type of girl..

Hatemotor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Most dangerous reptile I ever wrangled was a giant
> alligator snapper,,,
>
> That damn thing was the size of mini fridge and
> could move pretty fast in the water,,,


Ocassionally I'll hook a good sized snapper while fishing. It is a hell of an ordeal to cut them loose, I usually extend their neck and grab the throat. I don't like releasing them with line that could tangle on submerged junk and they drown.

BigK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Cottonmouth and copperheads are found in this
> area. Rattlesnakes in some of the higher areas
> closer to the mountians.


Cottonmouths are not found this far north and in Virginia are only found in the SE area of the state.

Your Daddy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BigK Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Cottonmouth and copperheads are found in this
> > area. Rattlesnakes in some of the higher areas
> > closer to the mountians.
>
>
> Cottonmouths are not found this far north and in
> Virginia are only found in the SE area of the
> state.


Then I came across what you say is not here. I was on Goose Creek golf Course in the early 90's and was crossing a small bridge over a stream and looked down to find what was clearly a cottonmouth tangled in some chicken wire. No doubt about it.

I've seen one cottonmouth in the area over a twenty or so year period stomping around in the woods of NVa,,,

But that's still a confirmed sighting,,,

They are rarer than water moccassins but there's always a stragler that ends up where it shouldn't be,,,

Two copperheads at my home in Reston in the last five years. One of them struck at my neighbor and missed, then I came over and whacked it. The other one was caught behind my house by the gardner.

Hatemotor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I've seen one cottonmouth in the area over a
> twenty or so year period stomping around in the
> woods of NVa,,,
>
> But that's still a confirmed sighting,,,
>
> They are rarer than water moccassins but there's
> always a stragler that ends up where it shouldn't
> be,,,


Water moccassin and cottonmouth are the same species.

BigK Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hatemotor Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I've seen one cottonmouth in the area over a
> > twenty or so year period stomping around in the
> > woods of NVa,,,
> >
> > But that's still a confirmed sighting,,,
> >
> > They are rarer than water moccassins but
> there's
> > always a stragler that ends up where it
> shouldn't
> > be,,,
>
>
> Water moccassin and cottonmouth are the same
> species.

Then I've seen 3,,,,I always considered the ones i saw in water, water moccassins and the one I saw on land a cottonmouth,,,my mistake,,,It didn't come up often and in the 80's we didn't have the internet, so the info wasn't readily available and misinformation ran rampent,,,

I understand, most people don't know they are the same. I have only seen one here in northern Virginia. But very common in the swampy southern areas.

I understand Primetime bar in Fairfax city has lots of venomous snakes

rimshot please

Get you a good working flashlight and a sleeping bag. Go sleep in your backyard tonight. You will seem them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

graymoose1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hatemotor Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Water Moccassins are extremely aggressive,
> they're
> > rare but they're out there,,,
> >
> > Water snakes are also mean, but usually won't
> go
> > out of their way to pursue you like a
> > moccassin,,,
> >
> > Worst snake bite I ever got is a tie between a
> > water snake and a black racer,,,
>
>
> you got bit by Jesse Owens??


Bastard! Beat me to it.

Cept I was going to go with Wendell Scott.

Copperheads and Mountain Rattler are about it. I've heard people for years say that there are Water Moccasins but people who say this usually don't know much about snakes and are mistaken. At least in NoVA. Over the years they have migrated up from N.C. but not this far north. Snakes are like mushrooms... for every poisonous one there are a few others that look very similar. Unless you have years of experience identifying them, it’s best to leave it to someone who does. Almost all snakes can swim, just because you see a swimming snake doesn't mean it's a Cottonmouth.

I've caught hundreds of snakes,,lots of common water snakes,,,

You can tell the difference when they open their mouth,,,And like I said, 3 in twenty years,,,and that was twenty five years ago,,,NVA is not a rural as it use to be,,,
Also it was in Lorton, which is barely NVA,,,

Funny though, never saw a rattlesnake in all that time,,,

Mocassins do indeed resemble those common black watersnakes you always see. They have very similar markings across the back, but when they are aggitated and open the mouth to hiss, the coloring of the insides of mouth is quite different. Also, the head is more triangular in form then the longer head of the watersnake. I never saw a Rattlesnake in the wild, I've heard the rattle of one but never saw one.

SoylentGreen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> A buddy of mine had four rattlesnakes mosey
> through is yard on top of Bull Run Mountain.


In South Reston we saw a baby Rattler back in the 80's, and we killed it. Other than that, someone lost a Boa Constrictor in that part of town during the same decade, and my family came across it on one of the pathways. The damn thing was huge as hell, it covered the entire width of the path, and some.

I've seen Copperheads around here, albeit rarely, and south of here some other fam of mine had Cottonmouths trying to jump into their canoe on a lake. One guy was knocking them out with a paddle, while the others on-board were throwing the snakes as far away from the boat as they could.

Typically, though, the snakes I usually see are black Rat Snakes, and Garters. Both of them are cool in my book. We did bash a 5-6 foot Rat Snake's head in once, but only because he started to break into our bird house and he was trying to eat the chicks.

==================================================================================================
"And if any women or children get their legs torn off, or faces caved in, well, it's tough shit for them." -2LT. Bert Stiles, 505th, 339th (On Berlin Bombardier Mission, 1944).

Snakes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Mocassins do indeed resemble those common black
> watersnakes you always see. They have very
> similar markings across the back, but when they
> are aggitated and open the mouth to hiss, the
> coloring of the insides of mouth is quite
> different. Also, the head is more triangular in
> form then the longer head of the watersnake. I
> never saw a Rattlesnake in the wild, I've heard
> the rattle of one but never saw one.


I had a chance to examine some at the USGS, and I was surprised at the rattle. The rattle actually sounded like rushing water, and when you walked past the room you would sometimes think someone left a sink on running at full force.

==================================================================================================
"And if any women or children get their legs torn off, or faces caved in, well, it's tough shit for them." -2LT. Bert Stiles, 505th, 339th (On Berlin Bombardier Mission, 1944).

Your Daddy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BigK Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Cottonmouth and copperheads are found in this
> > area. Rattlesnakes in some of the higher areas
> > closer to the mountians.
>
>
> Cottonmouths are not found this far north and in
> Virginia are only found in the SE area of the
> state.


Do you consider Blackstone to be the SE part of the state?

==================================================================================================
"And if any women or children get their legs torn off, or faces caved in, well, it's tough shit for them." -2LT. Bert Stiles, 505th, 339th (On Berlin Bombardier Mission, 1944).

Is "cotton mather" a poison snake in this area.

Kimberly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Is "cotton mather" a poison snake in this area.


Where are you from? Its cottonmouth, no such snake as a cotton mather.



This is cotton mather

http://www2.iath.virginia.edu/salem/people/c_mather.html

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2011 08:17PM by dika-dika.

I remember around 1973 there as a little girl about 3 or 4 years old that died in Dale City after being bitten by a number of baby copperhead snakes. She lived close to where my parents lived at the time and the little girl found them while playing and put them in her pockets. Later they rushed her to the hospital and by the time they figured out what the cause was it was to last to save her.