We don’t see many Copperheads out here any more. They used to be plentiful. We saw 2 monsters (4 ft.) several years ago, but I reckon that the Moccasins ate them all.

We don’t see as many Chicken Snakes (Texas Rat Snakes) or Spread Adders (Hognose Snakes) either. Maybe 1 or 2 a year. I hate that since they are hell on mice, rats, moles and gophers.

We do have some Garter Snakes and some Speckled King Snakes. I see one King Snake regularly up by the gate. At 6 ft. long, he is hard to miss. King Snakes eat Moccasins, so I leave him alone.

So far we aren't bothered by Moccasins here, but we do have copperheads, not around my house, but not far away, I hate copperheads, and came close to killing myself and my wife trying to kill a copper he was laying across the road on a narrow curving road in the NF., I tried to run over him and missed, so I backed up to try again and almost backed over a 300 foot steep and rocky drop off. We were in a rag top Jeep, so no protection. I think God saved us that day. They are the only snakes that I kill. Coach, those king snakes are some of the best looking snakes there are. They come in several different colors, with one looking like a Coral Snake except for the difference in the color stage, I have always heard red on yellow kill a fellow, that is found on Corals and not Kings. Corn snakes are also very beautiful. When I was in Military School about 20 miles from the SC. border I caught snakes almost everyday I could get away from school, a friend of mine would help me, we had two hansom snakes one a King and one a Corn, they came up missing one day and we couldn't figure out what happened. Several days later US Marshals came and arrested my friend. He was from the eastern shore and had tried to mail these two snakes home, postal workers heard rustling coming from the box and called agents. The boy never came back to school, and I never got my snakes back. I also caught snakes at night when the moon was bright, we had no flashlights, so I worked with the light of the moon, I would see snakes laying across the roads, mostly sand, and I didn't know what kind they were until I had them in hand, it was very exciting for a youngster of 13.

Moccasin #5 of 2021.

One shot at 20 feet from Bond Arms Texan.

Remington Express Extra Long Range 3" Magnum #4 Shot.

Coach! you have way to many of those laying around, but that was a great shot. Those little guns are impressive, I'm guessing there is quite a bit of recoil.

Sidney
Because of their heft, the recoil isn't bad. I shoot the regular 2 3/4" bird shot, but the 3" magnum loads could be interesting.

Pap

Sidney:

Pap is right. The TEXAN has a 6 inch barrel and plenty of heft. That makes the recoil “manageable”.

I use 3” magnums so that they won’t crawl off into the thick weeds. I have tried 2 1/2”, but they usually take 2 shots. 3” magnums get the job done in one shot.

Coach

Here is #9 (Copperhead)

and #10 (Moccasin)

Bond Arms Texan .410, 3" Magnum Remington Express Extra Long Range, #4 Shot

If they would stay 100 yds from the house, I'd let 'em alone.

When I used to stay with my Grandmother in the Summers and I'd kill a snake, she would tell me to make sure its belly was up so's it would rain.

Well, I regret leaving these'uns with their bellys up 'cause it has rained 10" since and flooded all of East Texas!

I'd wear knee high snake boots anytime I left the house if lived there! I spray snake repellent around my pool because they find their way in if I don't. Could you maybe try to spray a ring of snake repellent around your house?

Walker: I’m afraid that all of them inside the perimeter would not be able to get out.

You just need to put “reverse direction” shock collars like on my yeller lab’s underground fences Coach…...keep ‘em all out but always lets (snakes) ‘em go the other way.
Keep those pics coming, Coach. Nothing better than pics. Of dead copperheads!
Felt recoil is always an individual thing. I shoot the 3” loads in my Bond Texas Defender, 2&1/2” barrel and really isn’t bad, especially when shooting to kill.
I don’t go out and punch paper all day with it. Nor with my 45-70, .270, 30-06, 309JDJ, etc., etc. But I never feel the shot launched to kill.