Timber Rattlesnake - listed endangered?

[RTII]

So I found another Timber Rattler yesterday just off the driveway. More exactly my wife (who has a true snake phobia) found it. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. website , "Today, every state inhabited by timber rattlesnakes has laws protecting the species, including Texas. In Texas, it is listed as a threatened species. This means that people cannot take (kill?), transport, have in their possession or sell timber rattlesnakes."

The problem I see is one of safety. With my dogs, family and visitors, some of whom are kids, I normally dispatch poisonous snakes immediately. The timber rattler leaves me in a quandry. I'm all for responsible conservation but not at the risk of family and friend safety. I know that education is a great tool for warning others but isn't always practical and besides these critters don't give a sufficient warning like other rattlers. I know there are a significant group that would say live and let live. I have no problem with that and would actually practice that if the snake wasn't on my property. So any suggestions as to how to control, repel, or prevent infestation of these guys or is breaking the law my only solution?

 

[Army grunt]

Your land, Your friends, Your family, I use mothballs around the house my saw mill. We have a lot of black an king snakes they control the poison ones some what so I leave them but, also copper heads an rattlers here in n/east Ga.. Protected or not I don't know no do I care they come around there dispatched with my 16 gauge, Its simple those that want them protected let them have them on there land.
Army Grunt

 

[MossRoad]

Start a mongoose farm?

Seriously, though, that's a tough call.

 

[Hawghauler]

Remember the three S's. Shoot Shovel Shut up

 

[MMagis]

I’m just thinking out loud here, but is killing the snake really any help? By the time you find it, it could have already done harm. It would seem (to me) that removing it to a distant location would provide the same level of protection, though that level is almost none. I’m all for protecting my family by any means possible, but at the same time I may feel a little bad killing an endangered animal if I didn’t think it was helping anything. I should say that I don’t have a lot of experience with snakes, and none with poisonous snakes. If killing them is the best mean to protect your family, I say SSS. It would just seem that some sort of repellant around the yard would be the only thing that may actually help. But again, I have little experience and there may be no such repellant.

 

[clemsonfor]

As a forester walking through hundreds of acres a year i only manage to see a couple of snakes in the last few years, a coulple rattlers in the last 7 years a copperhead or 2 maybe a cottonmouth or two. This is a lot more woods time than your wife or children probably spend in snake areas. I would just leave um be and relocate the rattlers.

 

[charlz]

Is there any kind of local animal control that will come out and pick it up? County? State?

 

[clemsonfor]

I doubt it. You can call those pest service people or wildlife folks but they will charge you.

 

[RTII]

Start a mongoose farm?

Moss, I like the idea, or maybe road runners?:thumbsup: Seriously though, Been thinkin on a solution all day..................so far hawg's solution makes the most sense for my situation but I'm open to alternative's if they would work out.

Remember the three S's. Shoot Shovel Shut up

Hawg, May end up to be the best sensible solution I guess.

just thinking out loud here, but is killing the snake really any help? By the time you find it, it could have already done harm. It would seem (to me) that removing it to a distant location would provide the same level of protection, though that level is almost none. I知 all for protecting my family by any means possible, but at the same time I may feel a little bad killing an endangered animal if I didn't think it was helping anything.

Mmagis, Removing it to a distant location is an option but entails the risk of handling the sucker and the risk of having it in my possession (illegal). If I find it first I would want to remove the possible future risk to others that may visit if it is left in place. I'm with you on not killing needlessly. Just the worry about pets, family, and friends however small that risk might be...........

As a forester walking through hundreds of acres a year i only manage to see a couple of snakes in the last few years, a coulple rattlers in the last 7 years a copperhead or 2 maybe a cottonmouth or two. This is a lot more woods time than your wife or children probably spend in snake areas. I would just leave um be and relocate the rattlers.

Clemsonfor, Outside of winter we see snakes weekly at least and poisonous snakes at least once a month, Mostly grass snakes, rat snakes and copperheads. Sometimes rattlers. This is the 3rd rattlesnake in the last year and it's a baby. Maybe 12" so as my snake phobic wife pointed out there's still the mama out there as well as the siblings. She knows most snakes don't give birth to just one youngun'.

Is there any kind of local animal control that will come out and pick it up? County? State?

Charlz, Not one that would do it for free and I would think that they might not want to handle an endangered species for legal reason. I might call Texas Parks and Wildlife but I suspect they will tell me to leave it alone as well. Not much else they could tell me unless there is an entity out there licensed to handle endangered snakes.

 

[dave1949]

It's a delimma. I am not in favor of killing wildlife, but something that threatens you or your family directly is a sort of pre-made conclusion. You wouldn't keep an aggressive dog around or leave a nest of yellow jackets that your kids could get into, so I put the poisonous snakes in that category.

It would be different if there were a way to keep snakes out, like a fence or barrier. I don't think that exists. I would try to eliminate snake prey so as to attract fewer and reduce the chance you need to kill one. Other than that, the sad reality is, where people and dangerous wildlife unavoidably intersect, the wildlife comes second.
Dave.