We had fun shooting a nest of black racers in Northeastern NC one year. The very next year they were replaced with Rattlers and Copperheads vying for that spot. Much more insidious than the racers and more likely to curl up where people walk. I pay careful attention now. I'd never harm a black racer or a king snake. Not if your gonna have kids or dogs around.
Rattle Snake
- Thread starter firemanpat2910
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aesanders
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2005
- Messages
- 981
- Location
- Alachua County, Florida
- Tractor
- LS MT3 42 S HST cab, BCS 830 2 wheel tractor, Gravely Pro-Turn 160 XDZ, John Deere Gator HPX 615e
I like the black racers and other harmless snakes. They keep the varmits and other snakes away. Any rattle snake or cotton mouth is dead if I can help it though.
SailorBob
Gold Member
We have all of the poisonus snakes on my place. I killed a rattle snake about 3 feet from my front porch the day after hurricane Katrina hit us last year. Killed one of our cats before I got him. We could not take the cat to the vet because the roads were all closed due to downed power lines and trees everywhere. The storm probably chased him out of his normal home. I have also killed cotton mouths on our creek and a copperheads as well. That was the only rattler though. Got a copperhead with my brush hog..
DCS
Bronze Member
I shot 2 rattlers within 2 minutes in Junction, Texas a few years back. The biggest one was, well, I am 6', I held the rattlers above my head and there was still 6" or 8" of him laying on the ground. My old Blue healer has cornered up a few rattlers also through the years and has been bitten twice by copper heads.
GIJOE
Gold Member
Here is a picture of a few rattle snakes, oh yeah, can't forget the gator.
Florida Power
Florida Power
daTeacha
Veteran Member
The only poisonous snake we have (maybe) around here is the the Massasauga Rattler. They're pretty small and shy, basically making it something to brag about if you see one.
There are people who claim we have copperheads and cottonmouths, but there are no documented and verified records of either. Our biggest snake is the Black Rat snake, which can reach 6 feet long. Everything else is non-poisonous. Orneriest ones are the water snakes, which never seem to settle down in captivity. The Black snakes are very handy to have around, doing a good job on rats in the barn and such. Most common is the Garter snake, although you do see the occasional hog-nose and milk snake.
I kind of like the things, probably because none of ours are going to make someone dead.
We also have no lizards of any kind, but we do get some big snapping turtles -- pushing 30 lb sometimes.
Northern Ohio winters just are not friendly to reptiles. They don't do well when it hits 20 or 25 below zero on the thermometer.
There are people who claim we have copperheads and cottonmouths, but there are no documented and verified records of either. Our biggest snake is the Black Rat snake, which can reach 6 feet long. Everything else is non-poisonous. Orneriest ones are the water snakes, which never seem to settle down in captivity. The Black snakes are very handy to have around, doing a good job on rats in the barn and such. Most common is the Garter snake, although you do see the occasional hog-nose and milk snake.
I kind of like the things, probably because none of ours are going to make someone dead.
We also have no lizards of any kind, but we do get some big snapping turtles -- pushing 30 lb sometimes.
Northern Ohio winters just are not friendly to reptiles. They don't do well when it hits 20 or 25 below zero on the thermometer.
N80
Super Member
My Dad was a 'revenuer' when he was younger and spent a lot of time in the woods in Mississippi and north Florida and he has pics of himself holding dead diamondbacks by the rattle as far up as he can and the head is still lying on the ground and he is 6' 2". He still has a big box of rattles, some of them 5 inches long.
The Eastern Diamondback is becoming endangered. Used to see them often hunting on the 'range' at Eglin AFB in NW Florida. I just leave them alone and they leave me alone.
I generally don't kill any snakes, poisonous or not. If I knew I had to come back across where one was, I might kill him, otherwise I let them go. I've handled all sorts of non-poisonous snakes and one poisonous one, so I don't have a fear of snakes in general. Last weekend we were coming down the drive to my cabin and the biggest copperhead I've ever seen was lying in the road. He was at least 4 feet long and as big around as my (skinny) arm. I stomped a couple of times and he slithered off the road. He was the brightest and most dramatically marked copperhead I've ever seen too. I suspect he had probably just shed his skin.
The Eastern Diamondback is becoming endangered. Used to see them often hunting on the 'range' at Eglin AFB in NW Florida. I just leave them alone and they leave me alone.
I generally don't kill any snakes, poisonous or not. If I knew I had to come back across where one was, I might kill him, otherwise I let them go. I've handled all sorts of non-poisonous snakes and one poisonous one, so I don't have a fear of snakes in general. Last weekend we were coming down the drive to my cabin and the biggest copperhead I've ever seen was lying in the road. He was at least 4 feet long and as big around as my (skinny) arm. I stomped a couple of times and he slithered off the road. He was the brightest and most dramatically marked copperhead I've ever seen too. I suspect he had probably just shed his skin.
jwnge
Gold Member
- Joined
- Nov 25, 2004
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- 314
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- oak woods and rocks of Wi.
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- Mahindra 2015 HST-- Snapper 1650, Snapper 1438
Now that is one good snakeAMP762 said:
Birdhunter1
Veteran Member
You guys ought to climb onto a tractor, fire it up, and then watch a 6' rattler as big as your arm crawl out from under the hood of the tractor and onto the platform between your feet and keep crawling till it reaches the back of the tractor and then off onto the ground.
That kinda makes for a bad day from the start, the hangover wore off quic that day..
That kinda makes for a bad day from the start, the hangover wore off quic that day..
