Close Encounters of the Rattlesnake Kind

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

The in-laws get snakes at their place ALL THE TIME, almost on a daily basis. Oddly enough, we only live a few miles up the road from them and I haven’t seen a single snake on our property in the 3 years we’ve lived here. 2 1/2 acres of knee-high grass sprinkled with rocks and boulders but not one single snake! Definitely not complaining but think it’s pretty weird, considering we live in prime snake territory…

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[LaBalbe]

Buddy of mine up in the NC High Country was once showing some tourists the area when he felt something coil up around his leg. Turns out, he had stepped on a rattlesnake's head; he sent the tourists back down the way they came, then squished the rattler's head in the dirt and waited for its limp body to uncoil before he followed.

When I was a kid, I was at summer camp up in that same area. We regularly had copperheads slithering across the paths, and one time my group came back from a three-day hike to discover that a water mocassin was trying to pry the door to our cabin open. Turns out, she was pregnant and looking for a place to lay her eggs, so if we'd been even a half hour later, that could have been a real interesting surprise in the next few days.

 

[TJC]

This copperhead was in my brother in law’s backyard Friday

Not good at all... Note the end of the tail. The little ones have fluorescent green tails. at least around here.

 

[Friday yet?]

We have idiots here that actually incorporate them in "Church" , they get bit and sometimes die ... the idiots, not the snakes...

Darwin to the rescue.

poor snakes.

 

[AzScorpion]

Rattle snakes are everywhere. Those out west are smaller but just as deadly (maybe more so).

We have numerous poisonous snakes in South Fl, and several here in central NC.

I put up an engineered retaining wall around 2 sides of my garage, and a long one terracing my yard. The copperheads love them. Those boys are ill tempered. Almost stepped on one laying under some leaves up again the retaining wall. He was full grown, coiled, and ready to strike. Only about 24"-30" long but thick.

I cut his head off with a shovel, and 20 minutes later he was still very much alive, showing his fangs, mouth wide open when I'd walk by..

I've even seen them (rattlers) hiking up mountains in North and South Carolina, and on the barrier islands of north Florida (in salt water swimming to the island shore!).

I personally hate snakes.

We had a lot of rattlers back in MA and even had a mountain/hiking trail called rattlesnake peak and one in Ct called rattlesnake mountain. When I said "The joys of living on the edge of the desert." I mean we're really living in the desert now as it's right at the end of our street and in Phils backyard which is open desert.

When we were up in Goodyear the desert (open area) was a good 15+ miles away and in 15 years I never saw a snake, scorpion or gila monster because it was a large city bordering the desert but here they're all over the place including javelinas. They (javelina) come out around dusk and roam all over the neighborhood during the night. I can see their tracks all around my front yard and luckily we haven't seen any because Annie would probably never walk outside again.

 

[Fordup]

Here in NY rattlesnakes are a protected species. They can bite you but you can't bite them . Our last house had a barn with laid up stone basement. It had a copperhead problem. Snakeshot was mandatory when entering because those things were ornery.

 

[Dgc333]

We had a lot of rattlers back in MA and even had a mountain/hiking trail called rattlesnake peak and one in Ct called rattlesnake mountain. When I said "The joys of living on the edge of the desert." I mean we're really living in the desert now as it's right at the end of our street and in Phils backyard which is open desert.

I have lived in Massachusetts for all but 3 of my 73 years and I have never seen a rattlesnake or know anyone that has seen one. I have been told they are in the Blue Hills but again I haven't seen one or have heard of anyone having an encounter with one.

I live in South Eastern Massachusetts and there are no poisonous snakes that are native to the area.

I walk our Golden on conservation land that used to be a large cranberry bog. In the warm weather lots of northern water snakes and black racers will sun themselves along the edge of the service roads between the bogs. We saw our first two of the season today, one was a good size, about 4' long.

 

[Tracy Bowman]

Our day started as usual for being retired... Up, cup of coffee, argue with the computer to check emails etc and plan on the time we should go on our 2.0 mile walk to keep our tired old bodies moving. So normal until we made our way to our pathway where things changed big time. There was a very loud buzzing rattle as Margie, in the lead headed toward our backyard stair case. I recognized this as a rattlesnake rattle and told Margie to RUN!...she turned toward me and moved a bit just as the rattlesnake launched a strike, which missed Margie's left leg by less than an inch... The snake recoiled but Margie was about 3 ft away by that time. Whew! I still have the picture in my mind of the open mouth with fangs showing that barely missed my wife's leg. To say the least, Margie is still very rattled...

Late to the party as usual, but glad Margie is ok!

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