An attention-getter

[sundance]

If it had stayed in the woods......
but it didn't......definitely woulda left a mark......

[AgentOrange]

That is a nice one! Most don't get much longer, just fatter. The largest recorded was in Chapel Hill - "four feet, six inches"! I never saw one longer than a yard stick, but I have seen some fat ones. Yours is definitely an adult.

I have seen them rarely at my house, but so far this year. They worry me as I have dogs, cats and "me" in the yard all the time.
One visitor told me place looked "snakey". I guess that is because I have plants instead of grass, a few water features, and back to a lake. We have no moccasins here, but do have rattlers. I have seen huge snakes swimming in the lake when I was fishing. All snakes are good swimmers and good climbers.
I have only seen two snakes this year, one too tiny too ID and one was a black snake here in the CatBird house that was too fast for me and got away.

I kill all snakes I see. I hate to, but I like my birds and frogs more. I would trap and remove, but I don't know how to effectively trap a snake. I have a "pro" snake grabber, but I am not fast enough to run the black snakes down. I keep a short shovel handy to "whack" them with.

"Whack" works well with snakes like yours as they don't tend to run.
More people are bitten (by far) in the SE by Copperheads than all others combined.
Just this month a Carolina congressman was bitten by one out walking with his wife (snake on snake?).
Most times people are bitten by Copperheads for 3 reasons:
- reaching a hand where they can't see (gardeners)
- stepping on one you did not see (they tend to just lie there and not run)
- fucking with them for no reason as in "hey watch this!":wink-new:

[shortcake]

Just had a friend get bitten by a copperhead - normally not too bad, they tend not to give too much venom, except this bit her between the toes and got stuck on her foot. She was hospitalized for 6 days and came close to losing her foot - and still may lose her toe. Snakes never scared me before. I behave, they behave. Now they scare me a bit more.