Just had encounter with a 5' Timber Rattler. Shot it twice with .22 mag shot shell. There was no visual effect on the snake that we could tell. Only when we switched to my daughter's .38 spl shot could we tell the snake was effected by the round. Finally killed it with a .357 to the head. I have carried the .22 mag pistol with a couple of rounds of shot in it for snakes for years, but the few I have killed were around 2 ft. or so. After what I witnessed will not carry anything less than the .38 spl shot round for snakes as it had no visual effect on this large rattler.
Incidentally this Timber Rattler was non-aggressive, matching what I have read about them. The other thing this brought to mind was my Father's saying, "Never step over a log without looking first." This snake was coiled up right under a log.
Incidentally this Timber Rattler was non-aggressive, matching what I have read about them. The other thing this brought to mind was my Father's saying, "Never step over a log without looking first." This snake was coiled up right under a log.