I'm NOT carrying around a trash can or bucket. Rest assured that before I shoot the snakeshot, the animals are clear. I also lean in to make sure that the pattern is dense enough to obliterate the snake's head. You are correct about dead snakes being dangerous. I've had a copperhead turn and strike two hours after I shot it - but with no head, the worst I sustained was a blood smear on the back of my hand. Having attended both jungle and desert survival schools in the past, I'm well versed on catching snakes. (Unfortunately, I also had the DIS-pleasure of having to dine on them, and assure you that the man who said that snake tastes just like chicken has never been within ten miles of a chicken.) So yes, I COULD catch them and release them elsewhere....but in the case of a moccasin, or especially a copperhead, why run the risk of getting bitten, as remote as it may be? If it was a Timber Rattler, Eastern Diamondback, or Coral snake, I might give it more consideration. But for a copperhead or a cottonmouth...or even a pygmy rattler? It's simply not worth running ANY risk for an animal that's as common as they are. I value animals far more than I value people, but I have practical limits on what I will accept from an animal. For example, I gave up hunting many years ago, but when a large, old, sickly coyote started displaying predatory behavior several years ago, and started stalking me down a dry creek bed, you can rest assured that I dropped that coyote with no pangs of conscience whatsoever. The same applies to the raccoon that showed up dancing gleefully and doing backflips in my back yard around Ten O'Clock one morning a few years ago. Who knows if he was rabid or not? It wasn't worth the risk of ascertaining the cause for its odd behavior. Pit vipers and coral snakes are wonderful, beautiful animals, and I do all I can to leave them alone. They provide a valuable service in controlling rodent populations. When they threaten my dogs or cats, however, their wonder and beauty have to take a back seat to safety.