Sidearm for snakes - CO2 OK?

joeranger · September 17, 2008, 03:30 PM

South Dakota has a lot of snakes, but only the Western Rattler is dangerous. So this is probably a moot point. Everyone giving me advice for my prairie dog shoot tells me to bring a side arm for snakes, but I can't bring a handgun onto tribal lands.
I have a very nice semi auto CO2 .177 and a drop holster for it. With lead bbs it has a nice punch at close range with limited ricochet.

Two questions;
1. If it can kill a small bird, it can kill a snake right? Especially with 10 rapid fire shots.
2. Why kill the snake in the first place? I've never known a snake to come after me and usually they can't get away from people fast enough.

Have you ever had to shoot a snake?

deanadell · September 17, 2008, 03:43 PM

I'd leave the snakes alone....

The only time I kill a snake is if it's in my yard where my dog or my kid can run afoul of it.....otherwise, I just give them a wide berth.......

ringworm · September 17, 2008, 05:24 PM

Snake Killer 9000

PawDaddy · September 17, 2008, 08:29 PM

I always live by the age-old rule. The ONLY good snake is a DEAD snake. How about one of the NEF snake charmer .410's?

FrontSight · September 22, 2008, 03:31 PM

I can still remember the look on the faces of the staff at an outdoor bbq one night in Phoenix when a young lady and I decided to sit on my shirt that I laid on the ground on outskirts of the clearing so we could be alone and talk (just talk, I swear).

They told us "uh, that's not a good idea...snakes & scorpions."

We were both from cities (NY and CA) and laughed, thinking they were just joking with us.

And then the looks on their faces and a repeat of "snakes & scorpions" made it quite clear they were not joking in the least, so we got up post haste.

And I was in a pool in Costa Rica last month when a snake came swimming right by us at the swim up bar (damn alcoholic snake!). It scared the bejeezus out of us - someone said "lookout guys, there's a snake!", my wife and I looked left and holy cow, I never thought the human body was capable of such a quick reaction & able to move back with the speed we did.

Those incidents, and the fact that my mom was bitten by a viper in Italy when she was 17 and almost died, would make me not hesitate to shoot any snake I come across.

grymster2007 · September 22, 2008, 04:29 PM

No need to kill a snake unless it's a threat (as in deanadell's description) or you're hungry. Rattlers are not aggressive towards humans and not particularly fast movers, so the real concern is inadvertently cornering or stepping on them.

22-rimfire · September 22, 2008, 04:52 PM

A stick works well for me, but for the most part I don't kill any snakes unless they are in my yard, bite me, or they are water moccasins. I hate those aggressive snakes. One wack behind the head and they are dead with a stick and you don't have to pepper them with holes hoping to kill the snake.

BB gun/pellet gun is plenty in the US except maybe for the big snakes that have escaped from captivity in places like South FL.

bcarver · September 22, 2008, 05:13 PM

I would say no.
I only shoot cottonmouth, copperheads and rattlers. AND snakes that look like cottonmouth, copperheads and rattlers. And sticks that look like snakes like cottonmouths, copperheads and rattlers.
Killed a four foot rattler last year. He was about 9 foot away and coming toward me, We were both on the ground. I don't know his intent but he sufffered from my fear of snakes.

**JohnKSa** · September 23, 2008, 01:11 AM

Reptiles are pretty tough and most CO2 pistols are a little light on performance/punch. I'm not sure I'd rely on one for snake duty.

Art Eatman · September 23, 2008, 08:56 AM

Snakes aren't really worth bothering with, out in open country. They don't go to chasing people to play Poisonous Pete just for the meanness of it.

When you're dealing with tribal-land rules, why do ANYTHING which might get you crosswise with the bureacratic mind? And, Lordy, you already have a rifle, right?

Easiest to just move off by four or five feet and keep on with your primary business...

Around the house or barn? Sure, a ruined snake is a good snake. That's logical. Out in the boonies? Why bother?

publius · September 25, 2008, 08:24 PM

The only snakes I kill are water moccasins because they can be aggressive. I leave the rattlers and copperheads alone b/c that's what they want to do to you. just watch where you're walking and don't try to catch them and play religious radical.

September 17, 2008, 03:30 PM	#1
joeranger Senior Member Join Date: March 18, 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 423	Sidearm for snakes - CO2 OK? South Dakota has a lot of snakes, but only the Western Rattler is dangerous. So this is probably a moot point. Everyone giving me advice for my prairie dog shoot tells me to bring a side arm for snakes, but I can't bring a handgun onto tribal lands. I have a very nice semi auto CO2 .177 and a drop holster for it. With lead bbs it has a nice punch at close range with limited ricochet. Two questions; 1. If it can kill a small bird, it can kill a snake right? Especially with 10 rapid fire shots. 2. Why kill the snake in the first place? I've never known a snake to come after me and usually they can't get away from people fast enough. Have you ever had to shoot a snake?

September 17, 2008, 05:24 PM	#3
ringworm Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2008 Posts: 257	Snake Killer 9000 __________________ "Strange as it seems, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and higher education positively fortifies it." Stephen Vizinczey

September 17, 2008, 08:29 PM	#4
PawDaddy Member Join Date: May 17, 2002 Posts: 81	I always live by the age-old rule. The ONLY good snake is a DEAD snake. How about one of the NEF snake charmer .410's? __________________ PawDaddy

September 22, 2008, 03:31 PM	#5
FrontSight Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2005 Posts: 1,712	I can still remember the look on the faces of the staff at an outdoor bbq one night in Phoenix when a young lady and I decided to sit on my shirt that I laid on the ground on outskirts of the clearing so we could be alone and talk (just talk, I swear). They told us "uh, that's not a good idea...snakes & scorpions." We were both from cities (NY and CA) and laughed, thinking they were just joking with us. And then the looks on their faces and a repeat of "snakes & scorpions" made it quite clear they were not joking in the least, so we got up post haste. And I was in a pool in Costa Rica last month when a snake came swimming right by us at the swim up bar (damn alcoholic snake!). It scared the bejeezus out of us - someone said "lookout guys, there's a snake!", my wife and I looked left and holy cow, I never thought the human body was capable of such a quick reaction & able to move back with the speed we did. Those incidents, and the fact that my mom was bitten by a viper in Italy when she was 17 and almost died, would make me not hesitate to shoot any snake I come across. __________________ To kill something as great as a duck just to smell the gunpowder is a crime against nature. - Alan Liere Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve. - George Bernard Shaw

September 22, 2008, 04:29 PM	#6
grymster2007 Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2007 Location: In the oak studded hills near Napa Posts: 2,203	No need to kill a snake unless it's a threat (as in deanadell's description) or you're hungry. Rattlers are not aggressive towards humans and not particularly fast movers, so the real concern is inadvertently cornering or stepping on them. __________________ grym

September 17, 2008, 03:43 PM	#2
deanadell Senior Member Join Date: April 19, 2005 Location: Upstate, South Carolina Posts: 639	I'd leave the snakes alone.... The only time I kill a snake is if it's in my yard where my dog or my kid can run afoul of it.....otherwise, I just give them a wide berth.......

September 22, 2008, 04:52 PM	#7
22-rimfire Senior Member Join Date: February 19, 2005 Location: Tennessee Posts: 5,323	A stick works well for me, but for the most part I don't kill any snakes unless they are in my yard, bite me, or they are water moccasins. I hate those aggressive snakes. One wack behind the head and they are dead with a stick and you don't have to pepper them with holes hoping to kill the snake. BB gun/pellet gun is plenty in the US except maybe for the big snakes that have escaped from captivity in places like South FL.

September 22, 2008, 05:13 PM	#8
bcarver Senior Member Join Date: February 22, 2007 Location: Jackson,Mississippi Posts: 838	bb gun I would say no. I only shoot cottonmouth, copperheads and rattlers. AND snakes that look like cottonmouth, copperheads and rattlers. And sticks that look like snakes like cottonmouths, copperheads and rattlers. Killed a four foot rattler last year. He was about 9 foot away and coming toward me, We were both on the ground. I don't know his intent but he sufffered from my fear of snakes.

September 23, 2008, 01:11 AM	#9
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,986	Reptiles are pretty tough and most CO2 pistols are a little light on performance/punch. I'm not sure I'd rely on one for snake duty. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

September 23, 2008, 08:56 AM	#10
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Snakes aren't really worth bothering with, out in open country. They don't go to chasing people to play Poisonous Pete just for the meanness of it. When you're dealing with tribal-land rules, why do ANYTHING which might get you crosswise with the bureacratic mind? And, Lordy, you already have a rifle, right? Easiest to just move off by four or five feet and keep on with your primary business... Around the house or barn? Sure, a ruined snake is a good snake. That's logical. Out in the boonies? Why bother?

September 25, 2008, 08:24 PM	#11
publius Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2005 Location: Mississippi/Texas Posts: 2,505	The only snakes I kill are water moccasins because they can be aggressive. I leave the rattlers and copperheads alone b/c that's what they want to do to you. just watch where you're walking and don't try to catch them and play religious radical. __________________ "Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress, but I repeat myself." Mark Twain