How many of you have ever had encounters with venomous snakes while turkey hunting. I've had three.


I was hunting in a swap in the early 90's. A big storm came through and the temps fell from the mid 70's to the mid 20's overnight. I got up and went anyway and I ran the same trail that I always do to get in there. After not hearing a thing I slipped back out on that trail and lo and behold there was a nice fat cottonmouth sitting right in the middle of the trail. He was so cold he couldn't move, so I pinned his head and picked him up and cut off his head with my pruning shears. He was easier to handle by picking him up than the try and kill him on the ground.


Around 2008 I was hunting in Chambers Co Alabama. I had been fooling with a henned up gobbler all morning and I could not do anything with him. He just wasn't leaving those hens. He was slowly making his way up a logging road that bordered a really thick pine plantation. He was going away from me so I was in a no win situation. I got up and started down the road and I got to a sharp curve and I could hear him drumming right around the bend. With no other option I just decided to bust up in his party and kill him as he bugged out. I started slipping up the road walking as stealthy and quietly as I could. All I could hear was Pffffffttttttt Doooooooooooooooom just around the bend and I was totally focused on that. Then I heard a noise at my feet and I looked down and a hissing Cottonmouth was backpedaling and striking at me because I stepped on him. I just lowered the barrel and turned him into shredded meat. Don't have a clue what happened to the turkeys.

The last one is kind of boring and happened in Perry Co. N2deer and I were walking to a spot to try and just before we got there we walked up on one stretched across the road. It was a 30+ inch Copperhead. One of the biggest I have ever seen. I picked up a big pine log and brought it down on it's head. That thing started flopping around and nearly flopped right under our feet. After we both retreated back a little bit he finally quit squirming and I put the kill shot on him with that pine log.


Other than those three instances I have never had a problem with venomous snakes while turkey hunting in three decades.

The encounters I know about (I've had a couple while bowhunting) aren't the ones that concern me........

not as many as you'd expect for 39 years of hunting turkeys. definitely can count them on one hand, and none of them really close calls. Now creek fishing, a different story...

I will say, a buddy of mine who is responsible for getting me hooked on turkey hunting had a close call a couple yrs ago. he was turkey hunting and walked right up on a rattlesnake. was within a step of it when he realized it. he jumped back and shot it, then started wondering why it never rattled to warn him. upon closer inspection, the snake had been injured on its tail and had no rattles. it likely "rattled" at him but you couldn't hear it.

that's the kind of chit that freaks me out.

Not yet other than a baby copperhead. But, I am usually so focused on the task at hand even when running and gunning there is no telling how many I stepped over. There was one time where I made a blind set up on the edge of a cutover. I eased down on one knee to get under limb getting back to my setup tree. When I looked up I was about 12" from a rattelsnake shed. I backed up in quite the hurry up fashion till I realized it was just the shed.

I have been fishing some remote "back in the woods" ponds and have run across about 6 or 7 cottonmouths. Most met with a 9mm but I always wear snakes boots when back there. Never had a strike yet, knock on wood.

I have had three in about 12 years.

Only one was even somewhat close. And it didn't acknowledge me being there till my buddy cracked that noggin with some number 5s.

The other two were in the road sunning.

It really depends on what part of the country you hunt in, but I wear snake boots. If for nothing else, a tall boot with your pants legs tucked in will reduce tick and red bug issues. I have personally had encounters with snakes in every month of the year as I work in the woods for a living.

One other comes to mind. I had roosted a bird the night before. I got in on him well before daylight, probably within 75-100 yds of his tree. I got set up in the dark and waited on daylight. After about 20 min I heard the leaves rustling to my right, at maybe 6 ft away. That got my attention. Now it was a moonless night and pitch black so I couldn't see what it was. The rustling was slow and methodical, and was moving closer. I didn't want to use my light because I had set up so close to this bird. Well, when it was about arms length I said screw it, because I was convinced it was 8ft long rattleheadedcoppermoccasin. I hit it with the light and it was the one of the biggest beetles I have ever seen. He was promptly dispatched for scaring the crap out of me.

That bird never gobbled that morning and I never saw or heard him fly down. He may have moved trees for all I know during the night.

On a side note, I wear a rubber boot or snake boot primarily because they are high. Around where I hunt you will cross water at some point, creek and streams usually. Hiking boots are not an option most of the time, unless you like soggy feet.

I hunt some pretty wet places and see moccasins usually about every other hunt. I've gotten to where they don't really bother me too much.

One morning two years ago I had killed a turkey on the far end of the property and had about a mile walk back to the truck. I finally made it to about the last 100 yard stretch across a pond dam, and my truck was just on the other side. I really wasn't paying much attention and was just enjoying the morning and reliving everything. Next thing I know I hear a hissing at my feet and look down and had just stepped on a moccasin. I jumped back and he slid to the edge of the road and coiled up at me. I slipped around him and went on my way, but that was really the only close encounter I've had. I still wear snake boots everyday though.

I hunt wet areas and I see alot of moccasins and copperheads. The ones I don't see are the ones I'm worried about. I don't go to the woods when they are crawling without wearing snakeboots.

I need knee high snake/waterproof boots.

On my mountain property, i usually kill at least 3-5 timber rattlers a year. This is what i see. Never know how many i walk by. Its worth the peace of mind, if your walking thru a cutover doing some work.

I'm straying a little from the subject but, I never had a problem with a snake, but I had a bat that got after me once. I was walking in on a trail to bow hunt. Right after entering the woods, I see this hideous black rat looking thing right in front of me on the ground. I stepped back and it stretched its wings out and made some kind of noise. I decided to go around it and it kind of crab walked over in front of me. In my mind he was saying " Thou shalt not pass!". I try to go to the right and he crab walks and raises up again. At that point I'm wondering if the thing can fly. At that same time it gets enough air to jump on my snake boot and starts going crazy. I'm sure it would have made an interesting video of me dancing around trying to kick a bat off my foot. Anyhow, I some how got away from it and it mysteriously died right there.

I ain't skeered of no snake.

Out of sight, out of mind is my philosophy when it comes to snakes. I wear snake boots but really don't give them much thought during turkey season. I see them and let them go their way. I can only think of a handful that I've ever killed during turkey season which is pretty strange as I kill every poisonous snake I see the rest of the year. I have never been struck but have been pretty close to some over the years. My closest call came when I was at Auburn. We used to wade fish creeks in the National Forest with light tackle and ultra lite rigs. I stepped up on a log and had a cotton mouth swim between my legs as I was getting onto the log. That will make your rear end draw up.

I haven't run into one while turkey hunting yet but if I let my mind do it I can remember a rattler I killed during warmer weather within a couple hundred yards of just about anywhere I set up.

Not all during turkey season, but I average killing prob 5 a year. Last year I think I killed 3 timbers, 3 copper, and 1 moc. I did kill one of the rattlesnakes at night, in my yard which was pretty scary.

In 20+ years turkey hunting I've only a few encounters and most weren't venomous or close. I did encounter some copperheads one morning on the way to a gobbler. I was easing down a logging road toward a gobbling bird that I had been hunting and it had been very cool the night before. I stopped to listen and get a better location on him and when I did I looked down and noticed a big mess of snakes at my feet. Upon further inspection it was 3 copperheads that had apparently been out sunning the evening before and got cold and couldn't move. I guess they wound themselves together to keep some body heat. Needless to say; I went on my way to the bird. He was henned up and after a couple of hours I decided to back out and give him some time. On my way back out I started looking for the snakes and they had gotten warm enough to separate but not enough that one shot wouldn't still get all of them:). So I did away with them before it got too warm.

Bout stepped on a moccasin down here last weekend.A lot of standing water right now. He was laying up behind a tree, that dark gray color had him hid perfectly. Stepped within about 18" of him but he never struck.
I did have my snake boots on and made me feel better walking back to the truck.

Rattlesnake crawled on my right leg. I will speak no more about it and hope you who do talk about the evil do not jinx yourself into a snakey turkey season

Youth weekend last year.
Took a buddy of mine's son to their place near Hurtsboro. After we finished hunting, my buddy asked me to help him take down his last loc-on. He made the ladder you see to get up to it cause he ran out of sticks I guess, but anyway, he's up taking the stand off the tree and I'm just fooling around under him, just watching. He gets it down so I lean the ladder back and start walking it down. Once I get it low enough I just let it fall. I go to the middle of the ladder and reach down to get the rung to carry it out and this sucker is a foot or so from me under the ladder! I had to change underwear, but I waited til after I killed him. I guess it was just cold enough where he didn't feel like biting because he had plenty of chances!!