Went out to put up my new ladder stand up (some A-hole stole my tri-pod), late morning today. Anywho, I saw this joker crossing the 2-lane dirt road. I jumped out to catch him, as he was stretched out on the dirt. Wasn't rattling, but he followed me with his head, so he was aware of my presence, and ever so slowly was coiling up. I'm thinking he wanted to bite me because he wasn't sounding his alarm (rattling) and by his alertness.
Well, I got my snake pole, and played with him several long minutes until I got him good and pissed. Then he started rattling for at least 10 minutes or more. Boy, he was going to town with it.
So just a reminder, If you're out going or coming from your stands, be alert and "watch" not only your step, but a 3' radius (6' wide) of where you're stepping. Like I said, this one did not rattle at all, was very alert, and even struck at me twice, all the while without rattling.

So what did you kill him with?

He doesn't look dead, just my8 cents

Nice looking female, didn't want to wake up her kids :hippie:

Overtime said:

So what did you kill him with?

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I wasn't going to eat it, so no need in killing it. Had I been hungry, he'd been dead and in the deep fryer. So I let it go after playing with it awhile. Just be aware of your surroundings..

Yeah I ran into one the guys in my camp while heading out to reload feeders and he said he was looking for a tree to climb at one of the club spots when he walked up on a rattlesnake, next to a tree, coiled and ready to strike. He had his bow, shot and pinned him to the tree. Went back to his truck for his pistol and finished him. Said it wasn't all that big but had 14 rattles and he sounded like a feeder going off. Figures he was at the feeder to ambush a rodent going for the corn.

I have killed a couple up on the farm that did not rattle. Folks say they do not rattle because of the wild hogs around everywhere, they will kill the snakes and eat them. So all of the rattling snakes are now dead, leaving the non rattling rattle snakes about. Do not know how true it is but makes sense and also makes them more dangerous for my grand kids, like a copperhead. I do not allow poisonous and quiet snakes to stay around, they gotta go..
Ed

Rapier said:

I do not allow poisonous and quiet snakes to stay around, they gotta go..
Ed

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Been on the same piece of land for almost 25 years and I agree with the above. I've killed 3 rattlers one of which was a pygmy and 2 cottonmouths since we moved onto the property. Both cottonmouths were killed during a dry spell like we're in now an I've always wondered why they were in my yard almost 1000 feet from the wet-weather pond southwest of my backdoor.
When I was young we lived with my Grandmother who was old school, she didn't let any grass grow in her yard so she could spot the trails left by any snake that crawled across the yard. She taught me to let them all go except for the poisonous ones which were killed as soon they were tracked down.