Re: Snakes are out \"must be Spring\"
Harv (not Harvey),
re: If you had little kids running around your property, would you be quite as lenient with the rattlers?
That's a darn good question, and one that I hadn't considered. However, after thinking about it a bit, I'd have to say I'd do minimum of alteration to the basic plan. Our nearby-neighbors are in various stages of child rearing (one just sent their youngest to college this year, second has one teenager, another in college, third has two grade-schoolers). All of us have the same basic philosophy regarding the snakes: Dont kill, move if too close. Now obviously, the two house-holds with the grown kids must have figured out a way to make this work, or the problem is not as big as we imagine.
In fact, the second household mentioned above, both parents are teachers; one is a science teacher. He is the one that would make rattler-discovery into a little science project. They would get the snare, run out & grab the snake, put it in a burlap sack, then stick it in the freezer for a little while (not long enough to kill it, just long enough to slow it down a lot).
They would then take it out to a place away from the house & turn it loose & film it along the way. Great education oportunity.
So, after thinking, I'd say yes, but I would be less inclined to leave them alone entirely. I would be more inclined to re-locate them away from the house. I would also take the opportunity to educate the kids at the earliest opportunity.
The GlueGuy
