Oldrambler- What is it that makes a nest of copperheads smell like cucumbers?

we were talking to a local guy who told us that, I thought he was crazy, is that true?

Absolutely, I use to fish a lot and troll the banks of lakes, once in a while you would get this strong cucumber smell and it was erie.:creepy: :creepy:

Absolutely, I use to fish a lot and troll the banks of lakes, once in a while you would get this strong cucumber smell and it was erie.:creepy: :creepy:

Interesting...

Copperheads do put out a cucumber smell, if you are ever in the woods or near a "snaky" area and you smell cucumber, freeze and take a good look all around you. And don't forget to check the low lying tree branches.

Watusi and OR are correct about the cucumber smell. On our farm we have seen them frequently in wood piles. Frankly, I have seldom come across a copperhead by itself. For some reason I always see 2. I also believe the snake on the log is a watersnake.

:eek: I got a spinnerbait wrapped around a tree root at water's edge at Cave Run lake once and when I trolled over to retrieve it, I got the lovely rattle warning that I was too close, needless to say, I lost the spinnerbait.

Oldrambler- What is it that makes a nest of copperheads smell like cucumbers?

I have no idea but there is a distinct smell to it. I know that I am not going to investigate close enough to find out. :eek:

Watusi and OR are correct about the cucumber smell. On our farm we have seen them frequently in wood piles. Frankly, I have seldom come across a copperhead by itself. For some reason I always see 2. I also believe the snake on the log is a watersnake.

:eek: I got a spinnerbait wrapped around a tree root at water's edge at Cave Run lake once and when I trolled over to retrieve it, I got the lovely rattle warning that I was too close, needless to say, I lost the spinnerbait.

I did the exact same at Cave Run with a crankbait snagged on a stump right at the waters edge. That timber rattler quickly become the proud owner of a Bill Norman crawdad colored crankbait.

Copperheads do put out a cucumber smell, if you are ever in the woods or near a "snaky" area and you smell cucumber, freeze and take a good look all around you. And don't forget to check the low lying tree branches.

You cetainly don't have to tell me about that one - check my earlier coperhead story.

I did the exact same at Cave Run with a crankbait snagged on a stump right at the waters edge. That timber rattler quickly become the proud owner of a Bill Norman crawdad colored crankbait.

It probably was a recording and you suckers just donated your baits to Fur Fin and Feather for resale!:ylsuper:

It probably was a recording and you suckers just donated your baits to Fur Fin and Feather for resale!:ylsuper:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: I saw this one though and was not going to stick around to find out if it was fake planted by the local bait shop. :laugh:

Oldrambler- What is it that makes a nest of copperheads smell like cucumbers?

More than likely it is a type of musk that they specifically excreted in their urine. Just like a dog "marks it's territory", so do many other animals. The ketones in the chemical composition probably give it that smell. I have smelled that cucumber smell a few times, wther it be when I am weedeating or when I am wade fishign and wlaking along a bank. Needless to say, I don't stay in that area long enough to test to see if the smell really does represent where a copperhead is.

Thanks EKU- I knew it was something along those lines, but wasn't quite sure

Needless to say, I don't stay in that area long enough to test to see if the smell really does represent where a copperhead is.

:thumb: "I don't hate but two things in this life and Snakes is both of them!" :lol:

I ran into one of the guys that fell at the Gorge at BW3's yesterday. He just got home from Lexington a couple of day ago. He still has a really long road ahead of him to make his arm right. He has pretty much been laying in a hospital bed waiting for the doctors to fix his arm for the last 6 to 7 weeks. Because of the infection in his arm, the doctors have been unable to repair it correctly. Last weeks operation was a major step forward to a long recovery. Just remember that this guy was in the military and well trained and thought he knew hiking was not that big of deal at the gorge. I myself have never been to the gorge but would certainly hope that people would learn from what happened to this young man and take the proper precautions when hiking at the gorge. As far as the snakes in this thread you can keep them!!!! I love to look at them from behing some pretty thick glass.

^ I don't know what happened in that case but I was there a few years ago and some guys were camping, one went out in the evening from his tent to take a leak. He couldn't see well in the dark and stepped on a crack that well didn't stop for a while and fell a long distance. I don't think he died but he broke quite a few bones. A ranger was telling me this story the next day.