Art pretty much summed it up for me.
Having grown up in the country, I was used to seeing snakes. As a kid, I killed them on sight...even had the "pleasure" to be bitten by a copperhead as an 18 year old. Not the snakes fault... As I grew older, I chilled out about snakes....just give them wide berth and let them go.
Then about 6 or 7 years ago my wife and I bought a piece of property not 15 or so miles from where I grew up. My gosh I didn't know there were that many rattlesnakes in the county much less on and around my property!!! The first 4 or 5 years I'd average killing 7 to 8 rattlers every spring and summer. (Oh, and I never, ever kill non-poisonous snakes.) It's to the point that my wife doesn't even go for walks without strapping on a .22 revolver....and she AIN'T no gun nut! I've killed so many of the silly things I can even tell which .22 shot loads work and which don't!
A couple of years ago I was down at the barn and turned a water trough over to find this:
That'd be momma and 17 young 'uns. The .22 revolver I carry only holds 9 shells, so a mesquite limb was put to good use on the remainder.
Honestly, I cringe every time kill a rattlesnake. But everytime I think about letting one go, I think about this:
She just started walking and by this summer, she'll be following me around in the garden, piddling in the shop with me, etc. I couldn't live with myself if she were to be bitten and I had let one go.
And speaking of aggressive/non-aggressive snakes.....
Until we moved out here, I didn't know we had two species of rattlesnakes. I always knew about the infamous western diamondback, but there also exists another known as the massasauga rattlesnake.
Since we've lived out here, I've encountered both dozens and dozens of times and there's a HUGE difference in their behavior. The diamondback, given the slightest opportunity will ALWAYS try to flee. The massasauga or "ground rattler" as they're called by the locals, are EXACTLY the opposite. They will not budge. They coil up, rattle and wait for the danger to get close enough for a strike opportunity. Problem is they're much smaller than diamondbacks and most of the time, I don't even hear them rattling.
We lost a fine Border Collie pup to a rattler, my bird dog has been bitten twice, and another mutt once. Last summer at a lake not too far from here, a two year old child was playing on a slide and was bitten by a rattler. She was care-flighted to a DFW area hospital but died from the bite. Really sad.
Anyhow, when I'm away from here, hunting or tromping about, I never bother snakes...I figure I'm in their territory. But around my house is my territory and I feel it my responsibility to protect my family. Especially the little ones who don't understand to watch for snakes. I really think to understand just how dangerous they can be, you have live amongst 'em!
Just my 2¢.....
35W
