COPPERHEAD DEN

[@TomReichner]

I have never even seen a Copperhead ever in my life, despite spending much time in their habitat. I am watching this video to learn about the species and your footage and commentary are among the best for this purpose. Now I have a better idea of what to look for when out searching for Copperheads. Thanks!

[@lotterhand]

Thanks! Just be aware that during the summer months copperheads spread throughout their forest ecosystem. It is usually gravid females that remain in more rocky areas.

[@metalmamasue3680]

BeautifuI snakes with wonderful camouflage and great video. You deserve many more subscribers for the quality videos you make ❤

[@lotterhand]

Thank you and thanks for the support and vote of confidence! I feel privileged to be able to create content involving some unique animals.

[@ForgottenFriendReptileTV]

Cool video! Great habitat, beautiful animals, and well made project!

[@lotterhand]

Thank you!

[@ForgottenFriendReptileTV]

@@lotterhand you may enjoy this video, where I had a pair of ratsnakes crawl over me!! Originally I thought they were a mating pair, but on closer review I believe they were combatting males! kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3LUdKd6bdOfaLs

[@johnlemoine5571]

Thanks for the education mark. I live in tulsa,OK. Where lots of blackjack oak trees, moss rock , hills and streams exist, both west and east of the city. I have a healthy respect for this snake. As well as all others. As well, the black rat snake and racer are common in these areas. Thanks again and I will watch and listen to your presentations over and over.

[@lotterhand]

Thanks again John for your interest. OK contains a rich diversity of reptiles and amphibians . A good friend of mine was recently involved in a 3 mos. study of ringed salamanders in the eastern part of the state, a project I was envious of! You live in a beautiful area of the country!

[@Enoch347]

That sir was an extensive amount of copperheads. Reminds me to look down every other step in that sort of terrain. Nice vid mate.

[@lotterhand]

Thanks Ben! They are masters of camouflage! Thankfully, copperheads usually positioned themselves against a rock or log, so one usually ends up stepping around or over them without ever knowing they were there. Placement of hands is where you need to be extra cautious!

[@a1champ836]

About 2 min in the video u can tell this man is hard as a ROCK 8=====>

[@ashleyhockenberry2187]

A+ Loved this video. Beautiful Copperheads !

[@lotterhand]

Thank you very much!

[@robertwaid3579]

Hey Mike Lotterhand, that was totally Fasinating, research you put Together there. I'm thoroughly impressed, so please Keep it up Dude.

[@lotterhand]

Thank you Robert!

[@andreb2019]

Awesome cinematography. Beautifully done Sir.

[@lotterhand]

Thank you!

[@davesoutdoorchannel9250]

You hit the jackpot on copperheads. I really enjoyed the video. Great job!

[@lotterhand]

Thank you. It is by the far the largest copperhead denning area I visit and I honestly don't think I will ever see as many copperheads in one day as I did on this unforgettable outing!

[@davesoutdoorchannel9250]

@@lotterhand I've seen a lot of copperheads here in Oklahoma, and relocated several from people's yards, but never that many in one spot.

[@lotterhand]

@@davesoutdoorchannel9250 That is one interesting trait of snakes this far north, many species den in large numbers, especially copperheads, timber rattlesnakes, racers, and to a lesser degree, black rat snakes.

[@TJ-hd5ym]

Man if you seen me up there I be dressed like those mid evil Knights all metal armor suits walking up that hill.

[@lotterhand]

There were quite a few, but honestly I was more worried about slipping and injuring myself on the unstable talus!

[@awm6598]

Great video! Put together nicely.

[@lotterhand]

Thank you!

[@bmxsnake]

My dream right here. I was blessed to have been able to find a copperhead moving across the trail back in August 2022 in MA!

[@lotterhand]

Such memorable encounter! Finding these snakes at their far northern distribution makes it even more noteworthy.

[@christiangasior4244]

Those are some beautiful copperheads. I’ve only seen one copperhead before near a vernal pool in the summer. Instead of getting a picture I went to hook it with my snake hook and it bolted. I still regret not getting a picture as it was so photogenic there coiled up. Next time I won’t be so idiotic.

[@lotterhand]

They are such stunning animals and usually quite photogenic! I'm sure you will get another opportunity to photograph one. Copperheads can be quite common in some areas.

[@Holden_Critters]

This makes me wanna go herping so bad, but our ground is currently covered in snow 😫

[@lotterhand]

Winter is nearly half way over and besides both of us appreciate spring and herping more because of winter's downtime!

[@ida8959]

А это змея ядовитая?

[@ronadkins8848]

Quite amazong wondervwhere they are in missouri?

[@lotterhand]

Copperheads are quite common in Missouri, but due to their cryptic nature not necessarily easy to spot.

[@blackcitroenlove]

Very pretty snakes. My traditional Eastern Cherokee tattoo is based on their markings because of where I grew up and my clan

[@lotterhand]

Thanks for sharing! Copperheads do have a beautiful pattern and it would make for a really cool, intriguing tattoo.

[@jjmiles7173]

Traditionally done or traditional in style of the piece? Been wanting to get a snake tatt due to the Snake being one of the two animals to come to me during dreams and psychedelic induced trips. The other is the Wolf.

[@charlesmartel777xx]

Your clan, I thought yall called them tribes?

[@Bzzzzzzzz535]

@@charlesmartel777xx the eastern woodland tribe have sub clans

[@monmixer]

they love that sort of structre. those rocks will hold the heat from the sun for hours after it goes down if not all night.

[@lotterhand]

Yes indeed! And during the long winter up here in New England they offer refuge below the freeze line.

[@OchoVerde]

Love those copperheads! Super video!

[@lotterhand]

Thanks a lot!

[@johnlemoine5571]

One more thing. I never bring my dog when exploring these areas.

[@alexanderplatzberlin3940]

So cute ❤❤❤

[@toporkata5218]

I saw 3 diffrent types on snakes in my garden in North east PA : yellow - brown , orange bottom snake - warm snake and brown snake … never saw Cooper or timber yet

[@robinvann6663]

Incredible amount of snakes,,, need a video, how to walk around there... Beautiful scenery and filming...

[@lotterhand]

Thank you Robin! It is bit tricky navigating that talus slide, but I am usually more concerned about shifting the rocks and accidently crushing a snake.

[@seventowin4758]

Awesome video and awesome snakes. I've watched this and the 2020 version a bunch of times. Are you planning to make another one this year? What time of day do you go out to see them this time of year?

[@lotterhand]

Thanks for your interest. I may shift more to timber rattlesnake emergence this year, which I have covered in previous videos also, but I want to experiment with trail cams set up at den sites, Regarding what time of day...it all depends on the den's micro climate. The copperhead den in this video faces SE, so if it isn't too chilly during the night ( near 50 degrees F and above) and it is mostly clear during the day with high temps expected to be at least in the 60's, I may start exploring around 11 A.M. or when the temp is close to 60. If a den is westerly facing, I would shift my initial searching to early afternoon, but arriving as late as 5 P.M. could yield great results in clear conditions, or even overcast if it is exceptionally warm.

[@seventowin4758]

@@lotterhand I'm looking forward to your timber rattlesnake emergence video. I've watched all your rattlesnake videos as well. Your photography is excellent. I'm planning to go out looking for rattlesnakes in the next few weeks after I get copperheads out of my system :) Thank you for the info regarding time of day. I'm in CT and we've had daytime highs in the 60s all week. I've been going to a similar talus environment, southeasterly facing, which has multiple copperhead hibernaculum, though I'm not sure precisely where. I saw my first copperhead yesterday but I'm hoping to see more. Do you think it's still a little early for peak emergence? You've said late April to early May, but I'm not sure if the mild weather we've been having changes that. There's a lot less green on the trees here now than in your videos. I saw a number of Northern black racers both yesterday and today, but perhaps they emerge earlier than copperheads, and the one I saw yesterday was just an early riser. By the way, I ordered your book this morning and can't wait to read it! :)

[@jorgem.viasalazar7368]

💚 protect the unloved

[@greta9599]

Beautiful Copperheads.

[@TheRealPrimeOne]

Beautiful snakes. Cool that you could take a lot of great photos of them and they're just so chill about it. I love snakes.

[@lotterhand]

I must say, their generally passive behavior is great for any wildlife enthusiast/photographer!

[@thetopfan5031]

Cool video. One question, though: New England? I had no idea copperhead was found that far North.

[@lotterhand]

TheTopFan Thanks! Yes the northern copperhead’s northerly distribution is Massachusetts.

[@lotterhand]

@Alec Alberti I am not too familiar with areas just outside of Albany, but they have been recorded about 35 miles south and SW of the city. If you know of a population further north, it is possible that it is undocumented!

[@jeremiah1528]

Mahk... the earth isn't even 6k years old. Leave thah coppahheadz alone and go read your Bible...

[@WeMakeMontages]

@@jeremiah1528 🤡

[@knowtilus1389]

Sir, thank you so much for sharing this! It makes me sad that we don't have beautiful creatures like that around here in Germany. Thank you, and God bless you! Best wishes from Wittenberg, Germany Sebastian

[@Annabelle511]

HAHA.. no they are not beautiful.. they are dangerous snakes... horrible.

[@knowtilus1389]

@@Annabelle511 The only thing here that's horrible is you. Those snakes are only dangerous if you get too close. But I don't expect you to understand that ...

[@michaeltate7416]

Until your dog gets bitten by one....it was aweful

[@lucymiller6616]

Let me get this straight, you wish you had venomous serpents in Germany? What an idiotic thing to say.

[@knowtilus1389]

@@lucymiller6616 You're obviously not capable to get anything straight.

[@USA1-g9i]

I live down south the copperhead snake's that ive seen are a lighter color than the ones in your video. Pretty cool to see them from different areas.

[@lotterhand]

Great observation Greg! Yes the northern subspecies are usually darker, but overall copperhead coloration varies widely from region to region and even within a population especially up this way.

[@USA1-g9i]

I stepped on one when I was kid probably the fastest I've ever ran in my life

[@gabrielle1962]

Hey mark!! I was wondering how you spell talice slide?? I wanted to do my own research but I can’t find any google results for it. Thank u!

[@lotterhand]

Talus, also sometimes refereed to as scree . Good luck

[@canyoncruzr3462]

Don't get bit. Is this on Mt. Tom?

[@lotterhand]

This site is in CT, and I always try to be mindful where I place my hands and feet.

[@fullyenvenomated757]

Excellent video. Out of all the snakes I own and find copperheads are by far my favorite

[@lotterhand]

Thank you! I have been fortunate to encounter copperheads at several locations and I will never tire of them!

[@AnodyneHipsterInfluencer]

That's incredible!

[@andygossard4293]

That beer looked pretty good although it isn't Pepsi tastewise..copperheads are quite pretty for a snake coloring.

[@sampaulconway]

Mark is this the blue hills by the reservoir?

[@lotterhand]

This was further west, central NE

[@roybaughman306]

I was bitten 2 years ago by an adult copperhead in midwest indiana ..my fault I was climbing up a ridge and once I got to the top I laid my left arm on its body just behind its head..

[@lotterhand]

Sorry to hear! Did you recover okay?

[@roybaughman306]

@@lotterhand after I was bitten I felt sick to my stomach about 15 minutes later and my eyes got a little blurred but didn't last very long..Strange thing was the venom and thick blood came back out of both fang holes on to outside of my arm I was 65 then I have bad heart and take strong blood thinner it was like my body was rejecting the venom I didn't go to hospital but a week later I had a heart attack. .I told Dr. About snake bite and he said that's why I had a clot in a stint that was not normal and then chewed my butt for not going to hospital. .

[@lotterhand]

@@roybaughman306 Wow what an incredible survival story and one that I am glad you still here to share it. I once had a spider bite on my foot that developed into horrific strep infection and I had to have emergency surgery to save my foot and the doctor gave me grief for waiting as long as I did before seeking medical advice. Yet we both have interesting stories to share because of our stubbornness lol

[@ReptileMountainTV]

Wonderful video. I love your editing and narratives. Your channel is by far one of the most professional and rock solid herp channels. You are on a different (higher) level than the lets “find snakes” videos! When I was a student at Bridgewater State I dreamt of getting a chance to see this species in situ. Thanks for sharing.

[@lotterhand]

I couldn't ask for a more humbling compliment! Such encouragement, gives me the motivation to keep at it!

[@jjmiles7173]

Pardon my stupidity, but situ means the Wild right?

[@dawned-on-you]

I love your videos, awesome RARE content, and very professional!!

[@lotterhand]

That means so much to me. Thank you!

[@carpentersrestsawmill2075]

I got bite on the middle finger by one last week. One fang when in, but it felt like someone had driven a nail through my finger. I used Benadryl immediately, and kept taking it for a few days. The hand swelled considerably, but the finger only oozed puss. I look far more carefully before I reach for something. I was picking up a watering can in my garden.... Look everywhere! Trust me... LOL

[@lotterhand]

I'm sorry to hear this! Did you go the hospital? How are you faring now? I hope you make a full recovery my friend.

[@loub747]

Awesome video. Great site!

[@lotterhand]

Thank you! Yes this denning area is certainly a sight to behold.

[@aikidragonpiper71]

We have tons of Copperheads in Arkansas along with Timber Rattlers,Western Diamondbacks and Cottonmouths.

[@lotterhand]

Yes! I would love to visit Arkansas for that very reason! It is in a gateway location, having both "western" and "eastern" U.S. snake species.

[@aikidragonpiper71]

@@lotterhand I've also seen spreading adders (hognose snakes) . The first time I saw one as a kid I thought we don't have Cobra in Arkansas unless it's a escaped pet until someone told me what it was. And of course tons of Speckled King snakes.

[@lotterhand]

@@aikidragonpiper71 we have hognose up here in New England. They are in fact my favorite snake to encounter, namely because of all the their defensive theatrics!

[@dontneedtoknow5836]

Western diamond back past middle Texas?

[@aikidragonpiper71]

The Western Diamondbacks Rattlesnake’s ranges starts in central and western Arkansas and goes all the way to Arizona and Southern California. The western Diamondback is one of the 6 venomous snakes in Arkansas. 1 Western Diamondback, 2 Timber Rattler, 3 Pygmy Rattler , 4 Copperhead, 5 Cottonmouth and 6 the Coral Snakes is the most poisonous in Arkansas.

[@maxwhitecohen9]

What part of Massachusetts??

[@lotterhand]

This footage was captured primarily in CT, but because they are protected throughout NE I can't reveal the locations.

[@godisamulti-racialhermaphr7560]

​@@lotterhand Pete Myrick thanks you from heaven!

[@yyolanda6200]

Nice video keep up the good work👍👍👍👍👍.

[@lotterhand]

Thank you so much!

[@Mountain.Man.1978]

Wow you found Copperhead Road that Steve Earl was talking about!

[@tomjohn8733]

Great information, the beer recommendation, nice, 😉

[@lotterhand]

Thanks! It such a random beer t, haven't really looked for it since I made this video!

[@Fanta2320]

Crazy, snake eats snake and loses his lunch 😲. Copperheads have great colors!

[@jjmiles7173]

I love Copperheads. The first snake I ever encountered in the Wild was a Copperhead when I was 6 helping an elderly lady clean her yard. I knew what it was because my Uncle described all of the poisonous snakes I could end up coming across in the area we lived. I was cleaning brush around a shed when I saw him. Surprising enough I wasn't afraid of him(thanks to my affinity for animals I have), but I knew the snake would only strike if he felt threatened. So I asked the elderly woman for a bucket and then she instructed me how to put him in the bucket with a rake(then released the snake off of the Elderly lady's yard).

[@lotterhand]

It is revealing..that as kids we seem more connected to nature, certainly more observant than adults! Thanks for sharing and the copperhead hourglass pattern would be a intriguing and frankly, a bad ass tattoo!

[@jjmiles7173]

@@lotterhand It's because we're still Animals, but we're not busy enough to forget that fact as kids. That's why the connection is so strong as a kid(in my opinion without going too spiritual). Thankfully I grew up looking like I could be Wolverine(from the X-Men). So the Animal related jokes were a reminder.

[@jjmiles7173]

@@lotterhand And my snake Tatt would have to be the Gaboon Viper. I can relate to getting slept on because I come off that I'm always chill, but that's until push comes to shove and I come at them with "small guy" speed(I'm extremely bulky). Then again...I got plenty of skin and more than one Snake I love enough to ink their image and markings on my body.

[@lucymiller6616]

You should have killed it.

[@sweatyjaguar]

Hell of a brew suggestion my friend

[@dawned-on-you]

Awesome stuff!!!

[@txterbug]

Is this guy still alive

[@lewisgomez3052]

I had this CRAZY girlfriend when I was 18 she was 19... We were smoking weed in the woods and found some copperhead babies... She picked one up and let it slither from hand to hand until putting it back. I miss her.

[@lotterhand]

A comment I will never forget!

[@lucymiller6616]

To hell with those pit vipers. I like those black racers though !!!!!!!

[@lotterhand]

Lol, it is true that racers as well as many other species need all the support they can get!

[@tidepod13]

When I was young I was bit by a copperhead I accidentally stepped on one while mushroom hunting it was a terrible experience.

[@lotterhand]

I'm sorry to hear about your terrible encounter, one made worse experiencing at a young age. I hope you ended up with no lasting effects, namely still being able to enjoy exploring the outdoors. I have suffered serious bouts with Lyme disease, massive infection following a spider bite, almost losing my right foot and one one copperhead envenomation myself ( less serious than yours however). Yet, I still embrace the idea that, that immersing yourself outdoors is medicinal, despite the caveat danger involved.

[@jethrotull5847]

Ok, you have made me suitably paranoid suit up and get outside and clean up my yard of “snake magnets”. The goal is to “evict” the fellows not to kill them. Copperheads first defense of motionless and excellent camouflage requires removal of that camo background. Killing them will only signal a vacancy ! Generally during day they will stay out of my short cut lawn and in the neglected “snake land” by the creak. That’s the plan !

[@lotterhand]

You are practicing one of top recommendations of keeping snakes away from you immediate property. Keep rock piles and heaps cut vegetation well beyond on your yard. Also it will helpful to be able to id snakes you encounter, many nonvenomous species can act as predator control just as effectively as their venomous cousins!

[@wendellburkhart8297]

Where I live some people still wants to argue that copperheads smells like cucumber 😂 and I'm sorry to bust there bubble's but if you ever Smell what they really smell like I promise you and guarantee you that it's the farthest thing from a cucumber smell.

[@lotterhand]

It is such an odd folklore and it still persists! My hunch is that it is skunk cabbage or other plant found in copperhead habitat that created the association.

[@dawned-on-you]

Best vidiography on You Tube, hands down!!

[@lotterhand]

I am humbled, thank you so much!

[@oneballwizard406]

Makes me glad to live in montana where we only have the prairie rattler to deal with

[@lotterhand]

I would love to visit a prairie rattlesnake den someday in either Montana or Wyoming!

[@dawned-on-you]

Your welcome! Not too many you tube videos I watch over and over. Lol Very captivating!

[@cribbsprojects]

I like the way you shoehorned the really best science (Geology) into a video about bio and copperheads! 🙂

[@lotterhand]

Thank you! I think the broad geological background of a natural place, whether a mountain/lake you like to view/hike or in my case a visit to snake den can make it feel even more grand and certainly adds context to its very existence.

[@michaelfoort2592]

What an amazing world we live in...respect our earth!

[@mandysimmons2769]

Do they really smell like cucumbers?

[@lotterhand]

Like many species of snakes they will musk if they feel threatened, but the is more of a pungent sweetness.

[@TimBiagi]

They remind me of a song

[@timothycrittendonjr3921]

A drone is required for this

[@eurodiaz3712]

nice beer plug at the end

[@lotterhand]

After a long day in the field, beer is my reward!

[@bassbuckmaster]

So ... you stumbled on a DNC convention.

[@baileydaniels861]

Now that's just cruel copperheads are much more friendly than dems.

[@baileydaniels861]

@Brandon Palmer you do realize most veterans are trump supporters right. I'm a marine corps veteran I hope it doesn't come to that but if it does. My money is on the veterans, hunters, miners ,Iron workers, farmers ext....

[@TheRealPrimeOne]

That's an insult to copperheads.

[@silversurfer806]

@Brandon Palmer There are millions of us who will be your huckleberry.

[@73gmiller]

Well said!

[@rongregg7284]

If I remember right, snakes are reptiles not animals. Nice video anyway.

[@berserkrblitz3231]

Ron Gregg Animal = a living organism that feeds on organic matter, typically having specialized sense organs and nervous system and able to respond rapidly to stimuli.

[@rongregg7284]

@@berserkrblitz3231 the dictionary classifies snakes as reptiles because they are cold blooded.

[@garyg7647]

Ron Gregg perhaps you were trying to differentiate between mammals and reptiles.

[@garyg7647]

Ron Gregg perhaps you were trying to differentiate between mammals and reptiles.

[@rongregg7284]

@White Dove if you do not know the difference between animals and reptiles, then maybe you should not comment.

[@jimrealperson4529]

Mars rover soundtrack.

[@cesarconh895]

They see you before you see them

[@lotterhand]

Yes, as with most wildlife, most of the time!

[@JugglesGrenades]

So.....how many did you kill? I would rather have 100,000,000 constrictors, or even rattlesnakes on my land (because they warn you of their presence) than to have ONE copperhead or water moccasin.

[@redscorpion7243]

Anyone looking for death will eventually find it

[@lotterhand]

True, but how does it apply to this video?

[@jasonfowler6112]

Nice video

[@lotterhand]

Jason Fowler thank you!

[@zacmcgowan3079]

You should’ve brought your 22

[@aaronpeters1770]

Man F that. Wud make nice belt and boots

[@franklinbolander1916]

NEED DYNAMITE!

[@Infinite111_]

💀

[@davidbarnes4900]

A fellar could run outta 12 guage shells there.

[@samuelcardenas3123]

prey is what i used the world for when youre recruited ad lat3 as itt was rnjoying the 4emains of a lost culture or jus5 an un inter3sted xulture youre given the chance to see what u found and all i found was the enemy aft34 the f8rst sting it wasnt a nice way to get adjustef tobutat 5he 3nd ababy who enjoys getting fir3dup by a milped3 and colarillos as pets it makes you proud to k ow you had living suckers inn you

[@davidjohnston8954]

bible says 6,000 yrs old but im right - from adam to jesus is 4,000 yrs from jesus to now 2021 is 2,ooo yrs believe what you want but its true in this point - read the bible

[@ricosuace6996]

Can you shut the whole hell up ?

[@suggs144]

It would be cool to put Tannerite in a snake den and blow them all up

[@8359563]

I hate these snakes

[@waynesummers921]

bad audio

[@lotterhand]

There was a copyright issue with a track of background music (even though I was assured there wouldn't be) which had to be removed compromising the rest of the audio during one segment.

[@stovepipe671]

a dead snake is a good snake

[@audreyscruggs3797]

I would put some 12 gauge shells in the head the make some leather

[@johnbarrett51]

BAAM got no use for them.

[@speedraser2605]

Nature offers the truth. To hunt and capture this Sacred creature is a Show of manhood. If you kill the snake god forgives you.

[@TreeNutYT]

Don’t kill the snakes jackass. I get hunting for food but don’t just kill animals to kill them douche, I’m certain “god” wouldn’t be too happy with you slaughtering his creations for fun.

[@0nesinner]

If you're looking for copperheads you should go buy the leatherman's cave-in Ward Pound ridge reservation off honey hollow road in lewisboro New York

[@lotterhand]

Thanks Clayton for the tip! I am always interested in exploring new areas.