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#180219 - 08/24/09 01:27 AM Re: Snakes & Pistol Shot Shells..Effective?? [Re: scafool]
Stu Offline
I am not a P.P.o.W.
Old Hand

Registered: 05/16/05
Posts: 1058
Loc: Finger Lakes of NY State
A stick is the first choice, but a .revolver with shotshells is a nice backyp.
_________________________
Our most important survival tool is our brain, and for many, that tool is way underused! SBRaider
Head Cat Herder

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#180221 - 08/24/09 01:30 AM Re: Snakes & Pistol Shot Shells..Effective?? [Re: Art_in_FL]
UTAlumnus Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 03/08/03
Posts: 1019
Loc: East Tennessee near Bristol
I'd have to agree w/ Art. Stick for snakes, artillery for other things.

Shotshells are effective on birds at short range. Granddad used them in a .22 rifle to remove the pest birds out of his cherry tree. I haven't seen them used on snakes but they should work, especially from larger calibers.

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#180222 - 08/24/09 01:39 AM Re: Snakes & Pistol Shot Shells..Effective?? [Re: UTAlumnus]
Nomad Offline
Addict

Registered: 05/04/02
Posts: 493
Loc: Just wandering around.
I appreciate the comments. We are from Maine where snakes are not a problem. I like the stick idea as we almost always carry walking sticks.

Thanks Folks..
Nomad
_________________________
...........From Nomad.........Been "on the road" since '97

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#180252 - 08/24/09 04:28 PM Re: Snakes & Pistol Shot Shells..Effective?? [Re: Nomad]
Tom_L Offline
Addict

Registered: 03/19/07
Posts: 690
Stick all the way. Preferably something like a 5-6' hazel sapling. It really works, doesn't require fine motor skills like a gun, doesn't raise any eyebrows and can be used as a non-lethal deterrent if possible. If there is no other way a quick blow pretty much anywhere along the body will snap the spine instantly. Follow up with a coup de grace - crush the head.

Sounds brutal and it is but that's life. One should avoid killing wildlife if at all possible but if you have no choice a stout stick is a good defense against a snake.

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#180258 - 08/24/09 05:09 PM Re: Snakes & Pistol Shot Shells..Effective?? [Re: NightHiker]
scafool Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 12/18/08
Posts: 1534
Loc: Muskoka
With a stick you can kill a whole herd of snakes without needing to reload.
_________________________
May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.

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#180277 - 08/24/09 06:48 PM Re: Snakes & Pistol Shot Shells..Effective?? [Re: scafool]
NobodySpecial Offline
Member

Registered: 03/03/09
Posts: 197
The incident of snake bites have dropped by a huge amount of the last few decades as people have stopped trying to kill them with sticks.
You are much safer just ignoring them.

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#180280 - 08/24/09 07:01 PM Re: Snakes & Pistol Shot Shells..Effective?? [Re: NobodySpecial]
scafool Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 12/18/08
Posts: 1534
Loc: Muskoka
There are an awful lot fewer snakes around now too.
The days when migrating herds of rattlers slithered across the great plains as far as the eye could see are long gone.
It seems it was the development of the automobile and paved roads that drove them almost to extinction.
_________________________
May set off to explore without any sense of direction or how to return.

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#180285 - 08/24/09 07:33 PM Re: Snakes & Pistol Shot Shells..Effective?? [Re: scafool]
yelp Offline
Member

Registered: 06/04/08
Posts: 172
Loc: Colorado
Originally Posted By: scafool
There are an awful lot fewer snakes around now too.
The days when migrating herds of rattlers slithered across the great plains as far as the eye could see are long gone.
It seems it was the development of the automobile and paved roads that drove them almost to extinction.


Once when I was out in the middle of the desert I almost ran over a rattler when I was driving out to the pay phone (Salt River Rec). Made a mental note to get it off the road on my way back. Driving back, I couldn't find it. Pulled off to the side to walk the road and almost stepped on it when I got out of the car. It's nothing personal, but I don't pull over for snakes anymore.

Oh, and I vote for stick. Save the round for something that needs it. Now having said that, I remember when a Mojave rattler treed a buddy. A shovel solved that when we stopped laughing.
_________________________
(posting this as someone that has unintentionally done a bunch of stupid stuff in the past and will again...)

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#180312 - 08/24/09 11:12 PM Re: Snakes & Pistol Shot Shells..Effective?? [Re: yelp]
sodak Offline
Addict

Registered: 03/20/05
Posts: 410
For the most part, I agree with Art. Rattlesnakes and copperheads tend to ignore you or leave.

I have, however, run into cottonmouths/water moccasins while stationed in Alabama, and they break the rules. For them, a long stick and machete work really well. They are very aggressive, and I had one circle around and come at me from behind.

They don't taste that good, either.

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#180322 - 08/25/09 12:22 AM Re: Snakes & Pistol Shot Shells..Effective?? [Re: sodak]
BrianB Offline
Member

Registered: 07/16/08
Posts: 99
Snake hook:

http://www.beanfarm.com/store/agora.cgi?cart_id=7542939.6772&p_id=14000&xm=on

Or, a stick with a bend in it. Though those aren't always handy, as someone noted above.

If a snake just isn't moving from where you need to go, gently lifting it out of your way with a hook will do the job.


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