At the end of April last turkey season I had one of the closest encounters I have ever had with being bit by a no shoulders!! I had a great hunt that morning and called in two longbeards. They finally got close enough and I dropped the hammer on one and remained there sitting against my tree and I watched the other one wander off wandering what sort of thunder had just laid out his buddy. After the bird got out of sight, I got up and walked over to the gobbler to ground check him.
If you look at the 2nd picture closley below you will see what I did. I took a pic of the scene before I killed the snake. I approached the bird-he fell in wide open hardwods. I knelt down on both knees in front of the bird to check the spurs ....took off my gloves and set them on the ground...then took out my reading glasses to use to take a BOOYAH picture to send my hunting buddy. I laid the hard case on the ground beside my gloves...again at my knees. I took the picture and sent the pic. While I watched that it was sending I heard a sharp fast noise in the leaves....kinda sounded like a acorn fall and hit the gorund in the leaves---real fast and sharp. I looked down and saw the un-mistakable pattern of a copperhead. They say white men cant jump===let me tell ya they can. I went vertical what seemed like 10 feet. I remembered the noise and had no idea if I had been hit or not. I approached the snake carefully and took the second picture showing the snake with my gloves on one side od his head and my glasses case actually laying on his body. I have no idea how I never saw it....guess it was the excitement in the moment of harvesting the bird. I then began feeling a damp spot around my knee in my pants. I was terrified. I was 8 miles behind 2 locked gates in the mountains by myself. I got on the phone to a doctor friend to find out what to start preparing for and exactlly what to do.
I killed the snake. grabbed my bird, the snake and got to my bad boy asap. Along the roadbed to my truck 2 miles away, my bird fell of the back of the buggy. I got to my truck...and discovered my gobbler was not there anymore. It was going to be lost as I was not taking the time to go back to find it....I wanted out of the woods fast !!!
On the way to the gate I founf the bird laying in the road.
I got to the front gate and finally looked at my leg for the first time,,,,and there it was ----2 fang marks. One punchered, and the other looked like a briar mark. My heart went into overdrive.
To cut a long story short, when I put on my snake boots, I always pull my pants legs up out of my boots so the pants are not tight when I set down and pull my legs up into position. This saved me as the snake seemed to get more fabric than my leg with his fangs. There was a quarter size spot wet from the venom in my pants.
I hope no one ever experiences the fear I did that day. I am terrified of those %$#@ snakes. They are all rattleheadcoppermoccisins to me and the only good one is a dead one.
I have no idea how he didnt hit me when I laid my gloves and glasses case on either side on his hand---that bite would have been on the hand and would have been bad.
Here are the pics---pay attention when out there boys !!!
Sorry for the blurred 2nd picture---I was terrified and shaking when I took the pic.
