Early this morning I looked our and saw a water snake climbing the pole of my bluebird house. He didn't make it.
Water snake caught threatening baby bluebirds
- Thread starter JimD
- Start date
My first several shots were from 25 yards away with him on the metal pole of the bird house. I could not see his head so I just shot him in the body until he dropped off the pole. Several solid hits. Then I walked out there and he was still alive but only moving the front third of his body. One to the head stopped that. If he had dropped into the lake I would have let the turtles take care of him but since he was in the yard I put him in a bag of trash and took him to the collection center. Grandkids are here now, don't need dead snakes in the yard. He was about 5 feet long.
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Good deal ! A few weeks ago a red squirrel decided to start investigating our BB box . It wasn't a good career move.
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The only good snake is a dead snake.
This one didn’t make it either. .25 Hades from my Veteran standard.
This one didn’t make it either. .25 Hades from my Veteran standard.
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Why all the hate for snakes... They are all out there controlling pests while we aren't.
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I never asked for any help controlling pests... I got that covered. I just don't like anything that I can't see or hear coming until it is here.
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I sealed up a hole in my crawl space wall and after that I had more problems with mice than I had before. I don't kill all the snakes I see, just the ones that are threatening a preferred animal. I will also kill each poisonous snake I can but so far I haven't seen one of those in the wild.
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Put three in the head of a moccasin today.
We have dogs and kids on the property. The snakes gotta go.
I won't apologize for that.
We have dogs and kids on the property. The snakes gotta go.
I won't apologize for that.
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Texas water snakes are voracious predators, and often mistaken for water moccasins by the less informed. On two occasions I've come upon moccasins with a dearth-grip on bulldogs after being attracted by the frog's distress calls. I've also come upon and freed a cottontail on its last breath being constricirted by a large rat snake. Took the bunny about 15 seconds to catch its breath before fleeing apparently uninjured.
Unfortunately I came upon this large water snake probably only seconds too late to save my resident bullfrog-
Only the snake's head was visible above surface, but that was enough to brain him at five yards with my awesome .22 Tau 7 Co2 pistol. Wasn't till after I fished him out of the waterhole that I realized I was too late to save Kermit.
Unfortunately I came upon this large water snake probably only seconds too late to save my resident bullfrog-
Only the snake's head was visible above surface, but that was enough to brain him at five yards with my awesome .22 Tau 7 Co2 pistol. Wasn't till after I fished him out of the waterhole that I realized I was too late to save Kermit.
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I leave snakes be, I like them. They are good at getting rid of all sorts of vermin. I also love blue birds and have a blue bird trail with five nest boxes. This year four are active and have already produce another generation and two have a second brood going.
To keep snakes, raccoons, kitty kats (less so) and similar critters out of your blue bird boxes use a stove pipe baffle of three or even four feet long. Google stove piple blue bird baffle. They absolutely stop all but the largest snakes. I drill four two inch holes in the top section so the snakes can see daylight. I have 1/4 inch screen mesh over the holes. Very large snakes may try to cantilever around a 3 feet long baffle thus going to a 4 footer if you have the large rat snakes around.
This way you can keep your beneficial snakes and have happy blue birds too. Because you know, blue bird lives matter too.
Now, cowbirds and invasive HOSPs, well, you know what may, possibly, happen to them.
To keep snakes, raccoons, kitty kats (less so) and similar critters out of your blue bird boxes use a stove pipe baffle of three or even four feet long. Google stove piple blue bird baffle. They absolutely stop all but the largest snakes. I drill four two inch holes in the top section so the snakes can see daylight. I have 1/4 inch screen mesh over the holes. Very large snakes may try to cantilever around a 3 feet long baffle thus going to a 4 footer if you have the large rat snakes around.
This way you can keep your beneficial snakes and have happy blue birds too. Because you know, blue bird lives matter too.
Now, cowbirds and invasive HOSPs, well, you know what may, possibly, happen to them.
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