APOD Firearms

Cottonmouth under my house!

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Texas

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Buckshot Wade

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 28, 2018
    184
    26
    Gone
    Ok guys, this is serious. No B.S., I got a 3 1/2 foot cottonmouth water moccasin snake that appears to have taken up residence under my dilapidated old singlewide I live in. Snakes scare the shit outta me. On Aug 3, I went out to feed my two remaining dogs around 4:30pm. My biggest one, Fred, was acting all woozy and disoriented. He staggered and fell getting to the place he eats at. He was dead in half an hour. Poisoned.

    Yesterday afternoon, the last remaining dog alerted at the front door. As I went outside I look around and saw the cottonmouth under my open style wooden front steps. I leaped back inside. Load my M28 with snakeshot and head out. Snake went back in under the house via a big hole in the old metal underpinning. Last night at 11:30pm Wally, my little mutt, alerted again. Danger Close! Out the front I go pistol and light in hand. Spot snake under steps. Wiggle around to get a shot. He's moving now. Pow! Aimed at the head. 2ft or so and I MISS! Damn it! Snake goes back under the house. Wally, my gun fearing dog, heads for the hills and I'm left there really pissed off! And I still got that snake under my relic of a house....

    So seriously guys, any suggestions on how to drive this reptile out into the open? There's a few gaps in the old aluminum underpinning and yesterday I sprayed wasp spray [mostly kerosene] into those openings leaving it's known exit under the steps untouched. I tossed an insect fogger under the place hoping it would drive it out... Nope. This is a snake I gotta kill! No joke. He killed my buddy Fred, and I'm pissed!
    So, any ideas? And please spare me the cyber humor. I need help, not silly replies.
    Texas SOT
     

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 23, 2014
    8,479
    96
    78208
    Buckshot Wade,

    TWO suggestions:

    Use a shotgun loaded with # 6 shot.
    (Using the right tool is important to efficiently fixing the problem.)
    OR
    Throw a couple of handfuls of MOTH BALLS under the house.
    (MOTH BALLS solved my rattle-tail problem near our farmhouse. - We still have plenty of rattlers on the farm BUT they aren't in the yard anymore.)

    I suspect that you have rats/mice under the house, as the cottonmouth isn't hanging around for no reason.

    SORRY to hear that you lost your buddy.

    yours, satx
     

    Moonpie

    Omnipotent Potentate for hire.
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Oct 4, 2013
    24,108
    96
    Gunz are icky.
    flamethrower.jpg
     

    Buckshot Wade

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 28, 2018
    184
    26
    Gone
    Thanks! Mothballs are a snake deterrent isn't it? Yes...
    Shotgun? My speciality.
    Here my two outside cats keep the rodent population at zero. But they leave the little toads and lizzards alone. Bet that's what that f'n snake is after. Those toads and lizzards eat bugs so they're left alone.

    I'll be headed to town today and will get some mothballs. I'll toss em all over the place. Maybe that stinkin' slithering SOB will show his face and I'll blast em!
     

    Ole Cowboy

    TGT Addict
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 23, 2013
    4,061
    96
    17 Oaks Ranch
    Prob you best bet is to get a couple of mice or rats, you can buy them at some pet store that sell snakes for feed. Put it in a large dish pan deep enough that the rat cannot get out. Turn on a porch light or some light you can see, set the pan w/rat where its visible from inside, open a window and watch with gun at hand.

    Now to fix the problem...the snake is under you home because there is a food source there, prob field mice/rats, more sure there is a lot of rat poison under your home, kill the rats, snake will leave.
     

    SloppyShooter

    Certifiable
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 24, 2018
    2,359
    96
    White Settlement, Texas
    Wade, sorry to hear of your loss. Old Cowboy, rats can jump out of a 30 gallon trash can.

    Smoke bombs would be ideal if you had or could get some, that snake would be out in 10mins or less. (While you were ready and waiting. )

    Good luck.
     

    SloppyShooter

    Certifiable
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 24, 2018
    2,359
    96
    White Settlement, Texas
    Buckshot Wade,

    TWO suggestions:

    Use a shotgun loaded with # 6 shot.
    (Using the right tool is important to efficiently fixing the problem.)
    OR
    Throw a couple of handfuls of MOTH BALLS under the house.
    (MOTH BALLS solved my rattle-tail problem near our farmhouse. - We still have plenty of rattlers on the farm BUT they aren't in the yard anymore.)

    I suspect that you have rats/mice under the house, as the cottonmouth isn't hanging around for no reason.

    SORRY to hear that you lost your buddy.

    yours, satx

    I hate to shoot down other members suggestions, but I want you to get that bassurd.
    Wade, the reason you missed that snake at 2', was that ratshot load was quarter size or smaller. You were too close. A shotgun is only going to exaberate that, unless you are shooting long range. Even a pistol with ratshot needs about 15-20' to open up a decent pattern.

    Sorry, but a shotgun with #6 is just going to tear up your trailer. Stick with the pistol, and keep a little distance.
     

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 23, 2014
    8,479
    96
    78208
    SloppyShooter,

    I presumed that he's smart enough to hit the snake rather than his home & back off far enough to get a saucer-sized pattern but perhaps I'm mistaken.
    (Cottonmouths are tough and I wouldn't trust rat-shot to kill one except at a range where one might get "tagged". - FYI, I've killed many a BIG cottonmouth/rattler on our family farm over the last half-century & my old pump-gun is my tool of choice for that needful task.)

    yours, satx
     

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 23, 2014
    8,479
    96
    78208
    Thanks! Mothballs are a snake deterrent isn't it? Yes...
    Shotgun? My speciality.
    Here my two outside cats keep the rodent population at zero. But they leave the little toads and lizzards alone. Bet that's what that f'n snake is after. Those toads and lizzards eat bugs so they're left alone.

    I'll be headed to town today and will get some mothballs. I'll toss em all over the place. Maybe that stinkin' slithering SOB will show his face and I'll blast em!

    Buckshot Wade,

    YEP. The chemicals in moth balls irritate the nerves in the face of pit vipers & makes it uncomfortable for a viper to remain nearby.

    I'd bet that you still have mice under your place. = My JULIE, who is a mouser deluxe (My Darla has commented more than once that Julie is the REALLY DEVOTED HUNTER at our house.) & much PREFERS a nice warm mouse to any cat food, still hasn't gotten all the mice away from my cottage. - Just yesterday, she enjoyed a fresh snack on my front stairs.

    yours, satx
     

    SloppyShooter

    Certifiable
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 24, 2018
    2,359
    96
    White Settlement, Texas
    Satx...ALL snakes are tough, and I've killed plenty on my back pond with a .22 Ruger with ratshot.

    I don't doubt you've killed cottonmouths with a shotgun, undoubtedly, you could kill whitetail with an elephant rifle as well.
     

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 23, 2014
    8,479
    96
    78208
    SloppyShooter,

    IF I'm not reaching for my Model 760 in .300SAV w/180 grain JSP, my "rifle of choice" for hunting is my 9.3x62mm with 285 grain GCCB, in case a BIG boar hog should appear.
    (I also load a small-medium game load for my .30 caliber rifles, using a PBCB, which passes through both sides with little loss of edible meat or much damage to their pelt & GOOD PRACTICE for big game season, too.)

    yours, satx
     
    Last edited:

    Buckshot Wade

    Member
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jul 28, 2018
    184
    26
    Gone
    I pumped 3 rounds of CCI .22lr shot into the head of a cottonmouth two years ago. It didn't even phase him. The two 22LR HP that followed finished it. Barely..
    .38 shotshells at 10ft turned one's head into shredded crap!
    Yes, I did a "mission analysis" of last night's shooting and I too determined I was too close for a pattern. I figured it was like shooting a solid round as it wasn't going to open that close. Aiming in the dark with a flashlight with too brite a lite at 2ft and worrying about my last dog nearby, yes, I was doomed for failure.

    I'll be headed into town today and get mothballs and try to distribute them under the house. I really want to terminate this snake with extreme prejudice. I want it so dead if its ever reincarnated it will be stillborn!
     

    SloppyShooter

    Certifiable
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 24, 2018
    2,359
    96
    White Settlement, Texas
    My only concern is that the mothballs will drive the snake away, but you won't get the satisfaction of administering extreme prejudice firsthand. (Something that would be extremely high on my list, seeing it killed your buddy.)

    BTW, I never suggested using a .22 with ratshot to dispose of this snake, nor that Satx uses overkill hunting whitetail, but that what you have should be more than capable for the task at hand. Your statement of the damage at 10' with a .38 load of ratshot validated what I've been saying.
     
    Last edited:

    deemus

    my mama says I'm special
    Lifetime Member
    Rating - 100%
    30   0   0
    Feb 1, 2010
    15,590
    96
    DFW
    Its possible you hit the snake with your ratshot, but not in the head. Its possible he crawled under and died.
     

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 23, 2014
    8,479
    96
    78208
    My only concern is that the mothballs will drive the snake away, but you won't get the satisfaction of administering extreme prejudice firsthand. (Something that would be extremely high on my list, seeing it killed your buddy.)

    BTW, I never suggested using a .22 with ratshot to dispose of this snake, nor that Satx uses overkill hunting whitetail, but that what you have should be more than capable for the task at hand. Your statement of the damage at 10' with a .38 load of ratshot validated what I've been saying.

    SloppyShooter,

    Fwiw, I'm known to my friends as a "heavy bullet sort of guy" & I'm currently working on a "small to medium game load" for the 9.3x62mm, using a .368 PBCB at about 1000FPS, in case a jackrabbit/fox/coon/coyote happens to pass by my tower stand.

    yours, satx
     

    SloppyShooter

    Certifiable
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Apr 24, 2018
    2,359
    96
    White Settlement, Texas
    SloppyShooter,

    Fwiw, I'm known to my friends as a "heavy bullet sort of guy" & I'm currently working on a "small to medium game load" for the 9.3x62mm, using a .368 PBCB at about 1000FPS, in case a jackrabbit/fox/coon/coyote happens to pass by my tower stand.

    yours, satx

    Yeah, point being, the whole point of my post was not what you use to kill game, only that a shotgun was overkill in this situation. I said you "could" use an elephant gun, not that you did.

    I want to help ShotgunWade, not get in a pissing match with you. Sorry if your thin skin lets you get upset so easily. This isn't about you, just one little piece of advice I disagree with.
     

    satx78247

    Member, Emeritus
    Emeritus - "Texas Proud"
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Jun 23, 2014
    8,479
    96
    78208
    SloppyShooter,

    I am neither "thin-skinned" nor am I irritated at you. - Otoh, I swimply disagree with your premise that a shotgun isn't GOOD MEDECINE for cottonmouths.

    Also, pardon me for suggesting that in trying to "make a mountain out of a molehill" that you are beginning to look SILLY.
    (Sometimes saying nothing is a better idea than speaking/commenting.)

    yours, satx
     
    Every Day Man
    Tyrant

    Support

    Latest posts

    Forum statistics

    Threads
    116,119
    Messages
    2,953,343
    Members
    34,941
    Latest member
    Irowland1994
    Top Bottom