Don't shoot at snakes while in the water with a .410 Load

Cal Sportsman ^ | 5/12/2016 | E Nestor

[sarge83]

I concur. I have shot numbers of snakes in water with .38 shot load from pistol at distances he speaks of and they died. I suspect he just missed.

[sarge83]

Scopped .22lr is deadly on this pests from hell

[Moonman62]

I suspect the #9 shot is the problem, not the .410. I use #4 shot for most pest control, and killed a snake that was messing with my dog at ~30 feet, a shot which resulted in complete separation of head from body (snake, not dog, who was behind me at the moment).

...

Didn’t I see a video showing a snake head can remain viable and dangerous for hours?

[LambSlave]

If the head is still intact it can move and attempt to bite; not sure if it can actually secrete venom. Body moves for quite a while though. I literally JUST shot a copperhead outside on the side of the springhouse; 20 gauge over/under with #4 shot. I saw a big one this weekend, and decided to check hot spots, and sure enough, hah! Headshot, and there wasn’t enough left to bite. The body was moving along quite nicely though, even after ten minutes so I nailed it to a post.

[Big Red Badger]

A Good Dancer and a Crack Pot,,,

That’s Not right,
Sorry.

[JoeFromSidney]

#9 shot works fine on wasps but is too small for a snake.

For my last birthday, my son got me a "bugasalt" gun as a joke. It's a spring-powered air shotgun that fires a pinch of table salt. At ranges of up to a couple of yards, it will finish off flies and wasps. Very effective inside the house, and the salt doesn't break windows or damage anything. The salt is not a problem to clean up afterwards. It's kind of fun to blast the critters with it.

[smokingfrog]

You just need to wait until they get a little closer ...

[5th MEB]

As far as I’m concerned 7 1/2 shot is like throwing sand.
I use #6 shot for quail and dove, #4 or #6 for chukar.
When I hit something, I want it dead, not wounded.