Snakes on Ky and Barkley

I have not seen any bunches of small cotton mouths...plenty of small eastern water snakes though. I have seen a few adult cotton mouths this spring as usual...pretty hard to miss those girls...dark brown/black in color and swimming with their whole body up on top...and yeah, I know a cottonmouth when I see one, I spent some time in a hospital once many years ago because of one of those mean girls. Had one of them big ones chase us off a fishing spot a week or so ago..when they get aggressive they don't give up, but I will in a heart beat when it comes to a fight between me and her...LOL

The last cottonmouth I saw was in Florida. Its kind of funny but most people only know two kinds of snakes if it is in the water it is a cottonmouth and if it is on land it's a copperhead:D

Cottonmouth, copperhead, water snake, or rattler the only good snake is a dead one.:D When I was a boy my dad and I was fishing a creek and went into the bush a dang snake fell in my lap and wrapped around my legs ever since that I am terrified of them.:eek:

Eastern water snakes are often mistaken for cottonmouths. They are also very aggressive this time of year as they are breeding and making babies. They will defend their turf with vigor, and are known for trying to get in the boat with ya, I've done hand to hand with several of them over the years. I'm sure this is what you are seeing. Also any high water situation will make conditions ideal for snakes.

Not to be rude to the original poster, but I would put a $100 bill down that those snakes you saw were not cotton-mouths. Like someone else said, a lot of people think that if they see a snake in the water, it is a cotton-mouth, and on land, it is a copper-head. I have yet to come across a copper-head in 30 years of living in KY, and I have only seen a hand-full of cotton-mouths. I've seen more rattlers than cotton-mouths.

I have spent a good part of my life studying everything that creeps or crawls, some on my own, and some in college. That is why I am 100% sure what you saw were harmless banded water snakes.

I know my snakes pretty good - used to be determined to be a herpatologist and kept many snakes. The ones I was close enough to see were indeed juvenile cottonmouths (not banded/eastern water snakes - I know those too) - most I saw I was not close enough to get a good ID - but the ones that were close enough were definitely cottomouths. They resemble a the banded water snake - brownish/red but with a yellow tip tail. I have not seen a copperhead since moving here - and I used to see plenty on my many eastern Ky hikes - actually had a friends dog get bit on the face by one, and it was a bad deal - it lived though.

That will be $100 Rudy!!! LOL!

On a different note, after I posted this - I saw the one of the biggest adult cotton mouths I have ever seen dead in the road (between two small lakes that border each side of the road). It had just been hit, and I got out and took a good look at it. One of the fatter snakes I have seen outside of captivity in KY.

I have never seen a rattle snake in the wild - living - I saw one after it had been killed. I am a little skiddish of snakes in the wild, until I get a good ID on it. I have never killed one though - and wouldn't want to.

I have a 56 inch timber rattle snake skin on the wall that my father killed a few years back and a good friend of mine kills around 20 copperheads in his fathers yard each year. I know snakes pretty good and some of the snakes that I saw on cave run were definately copperheads in the water. I know a guy that killed a rattlesnake way out in the water on cave run about three years ago.

Hey Col. were those snakes that were fishing the main lake ledges doing any good????

Sorry, couldn't help myself......:)

Oh there are most certainly Moccasins (spelling) in Kentucky lake, we seen a monster in Johnathan Creek once hanging on a big limb. That thing was as big around as a Coke can in the middle and a big ole and I mean big ole diamond head. One mean looking snake, we didn't get too close, all you tough manly men can handle that for me, lol.

[QUOTE=HoosierDon;415784]Hey Col. were those snakes that were fishing the main lake ledges doing any good????

Sorry, couldn't help myself......:)[/QUOTE]

They couldn't have done any worse than me!!! LOL!!

[QUOTE=Col Forbin;415779]I know my snakes pretty good - used to be determined to be a herpatologist and kept many snakes. The ones I was close enough to see were indeed juvenile cottonmouths (not banded/eastern water snakes - I know those too) - most I saw I was not close enough to get a good ID - but the ones that were close enough were definitely cottomouths. They resemble a the banded water snake - brownish/red but with a yellow tip tail. I have not seen a copperhead since moving here - and I used to see plenty on my many eastern Ky hikes - actually had a friends dog get bit on the face by one, and it was a bad deal - it lived though.

That will be $100 Rudy!!! LOL!

On a different note, after I posted this - I saw the one of the biggest adult cotton mouths I have ever seen dead in the road (between two small lakes that border each side of the road). It had just been hit, and I got out and took a good look at it. One of the fatter snakes I have seen outside of captivity in KY.

I have never seen a rattle snake in the wild - living - I saw one after it had been killed. I am a little skiddish of snakes in the wild, until I get a good ID on it. I have never killed one though - and wouldn't want to.[/QUOTE]


You take cash or check? LOL!!!! It is nice to know there are still people out there that know their snakes.

I am looking for specimens of the 3 common venomous snakes in KY for demonstration purposes. I work as an Environmentalist, so I come across questions about them all the time. I have gotten with the KDFWR to get proper permits to house these snakes for demonstration purposes. If you know where I can get a copperhead or timber rattler, let me know.

It sounds crazy, I know, but people need to be taught about snakes. I am trying to help the people in the community by educating them about which snakes are good and which are bad.

We were on the wabash river last week and I saw 5 water snakes. Could not believe it. Maybe seen 2 in the past two years. My father-in-law has a camp off the wabash on some back water. The camp manager gave him permission to shoot any he see's. They have a confirmation on two moccasins by the local conservation officer.