Yesterday my wife called me and said that the neighbor's poodle had cornered a rattlesnake against the fence that separates our two backyards. It could have easily gone under the fence into our backyard, but I think he figured he had a better chance against the poodle than the snarling black lab on the OTHER side of the fence (she was NOT happy about that snake being there). That was the second rattler found in someone's backyard on our street this year (the first was about 5 houses down). Fun stuff...especially considering my 4 year old plays back there every day.

About a month ago the neighbor on the other side of us killed a large copperhead in his backyard. I guess next month will be a cottonmouth or a coral.

Needless to say, we had a talk with our son last night about the proper way to pick up a venomous snake so you don't get bit.

And for you animal lovers, give me your address and I'll send you your choice of the skin, the head or the rattle.

 

urban development, where else are they gonna go? they are good eaten. Glad it was the poodle that had t cornered and not your child!

 

I think it's more the creek and the "snake bush" behind my house than it is urban development.

 

My dads place in eastern WA has alot of rattle snakes in the summer. Usually just take them far away from the house and let em go...

 

i lived in FL for 14 yrs. saw very few in the wild, which is odd with all the traumping around i do in the woods. did kill an 8' diamondback once. so i move to ID in the 1st year i killed or saw 10. obviously there not the size or as aggressive as they are in the south, but found that a little strange. like hoss said found them around the creek sunnin on the trail, thing that sucks is with the creek flowing you can't here their warning, which can make for a prickly find.

 

Would that be with the discharge (projectile and muzzle-blast) of a fire-arm? I'll blow it into next week if it's on my turf.

 

when i go to the farm in central oregon any time i am in waist deep weeds and grass i am the guy with a shovel out front listening for snakes. never seen one on our property but down in the crooked river gorge is a different story.

 

Yeah right...like I'm going to let a 4 year old shoot a gun.

 

But you'll let a 4 year old pick up a venomous snake?!? I think not. You probably teach your 4 year old how it should be done but don't permit them to do it just like you start teaching gun safety before they are old enough to shoot.

 

It's a sad, sad day when nobody gets my jokes anymore.

 

You can smile. I got it.

 

lol , Hoss did yah tell him pick it by the tail whip it really hard over his head straight out and make its head fly off ???

 

Joke? JOKE!?! JOKE!!?!???!!!

You mean that you're NOT teaching your boy the proper way to pick up venomous snakes? {mutter, grumble, mutter} Next thing you'll say is that you were joking about sending the snake skin to some animal lover too. {grumble, mutter, grumble, All a joke, how about that. mutter}

 

What is the correct way? lol, I usually take a shovel to them before I pick them up!

 

Hoss, pour some concrete on it, that fixes everything