Hiker reported bitten by copperhead snake on Mt. Tom (Western Mass not NH)
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Tom Rankin
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Good thing my wife did not know about this at the time, she hates snakes!
But since it was part of the TOM list, she might have come with me anyway! 
Jay H
New member
I saw this on WWLP this morning (which is the NBC station I get out of Springfield, MA) and the article mentioned copperheads as well as timber rattlesnake...
I have seen timbers in the taconics (down by Bash Bish Falls) but haven't ran into one over on Mt Tom or the Holyoke range yet though I could definitely see the liking of the areas for the rattlesnakes cause Mt Tom has a lot of open rock croppings that would make for nice snake dens..
Jay
I have seen timbers in the taconics (down by Bash Bish Falls) but haven't ran into one over on Mt Tom or the Holyoke range yet though I could definitely see the liking of the areas for the rattlesnakes cause Mt Tom has a lot of open rock croppings that would make for nice snake dens..
Jay
Give it another 2-3 weeks of colder days and cold nights and they'll be underground until spring time, with the possible exception of warm autumn days sunning themselves on rocks.
dr_wu002
Well-known member
I think it was verified as being a copperhead. My guess if the guy was bit by a rattler he wouldn't have had it in him to chop the head off. Probably got a "warning bite" from the copperhead... poor dude got his head cut off. It wasn't even on the peak, apparently it happened near the trailhead on Rt. 141.
From what I've heard, there's still a large population of copperheads on Mt. Tom but the rattlers are gone. I see a lot of snakes there -- on the ridge, around the reservoir etc. But I've never seen a poisonous one. People that I've talked to said that if you want to find them, they're fairly easy to locate if you know where to look. I don't have any reason to go looking for them so I haven't. I trip on black racers enough to figure that I should avoid even mildly poisonous snakes on Mt. Tom.
-Dr. Wu
RoySwkr
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When I was taking an EMT course, we were told to bring the snake in the ambulance to the hospital so the proper antidote could be given. Everyone was horrified until the instructor said you could kill it first. Maybe most places with an EMT class they aren't protected species.
Driver8
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I've never head of someone being cited or arrested for killing a wild poisonous snake that bit them. The Metacomet ridges of Mass and CT are known to be frequented by copperheads - especially around West Peak in the Meriden area - but I've never heard of rattlers in the area except out in the Taconics. Fortunately for me, I've never seen either, just non-poisonous cousins like black rat and garter snakes. I was on the Holyoke Range the day after this guy was bitten - it's always an eye-opener to hear of such cases.
gram
Member
another snake bite reported
http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x326768090/Rattlesnake-bites-dog-in-the-Blue-Hills
http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x326768090/Rattlesnake-bites-dog-in-the-Blue-Hills
marnof
New member
It looks like the headline is incorrect and it was actually a copperhead and not a rattlesnake that bit the dog--an important distinction. The rattlesnakes will usually warn you if you don't notice them and approach too closely. At least that's been my experience with them. On the other hand, I almost stepped on a small copperhead while hiking on a trail in Sleeping Giant SP in southern CT. It really pays to watch where you put your feet sometimes
erugs
New member
We've just returned from Montana and when we were at the Custer's Last Stand memorial area there were signs to watch out for rattlers. Didn't see any. We were on another short hike up a canyon to a promentory (no views, too many forest fires in the northwest) out of Bozeman with a friend who lives there and she didn't mention watching for rattlers -- horse droppings, yes. Lastly, we hiked in to Mann Gulch near Helena and because much of the land is open grassland on a slope, with plenty of hiding holes visible and rocks, I expected to see at least one. Imagine my surprise when I looked down to where I was going to place my foot and wondered what a hose was doing out there and then it suddenly slithered away.
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