Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Careful - Jake is out in force

Killed a young two foot long timber rattler in my garage about three feet from our door. That was a first.....

Well I had a first yesterday... I was hit a little above my ankle by a very large rattler. I had on snake boots but I don’t think the snake was trying to bite me. I stepped around a little bush and actually stepped on her. Got a glimpse of a flash of movement and felt it hit my left leg but the more I think about it I believe she just bumped me try trying to get herself coiled. The snake never rattled at all even after being startled that bad.
What’s weird is that I made a comment the other day that I hadn’t seen a bad snake all year and then yesterday I got on 3 different ones within an hour and a half of each other. 2 of the 3 never rattled. One was completely docile and never paid me any attention whatsoever.

That's typical for a rattlesnake. They are not aggressive at all.
I've walked all over them, only to discover their presence when they crawled away.
They usually only strike for two reasons; to eat, and to defend. People and animals get bitten when they piss em off.

Stepped on one last year actually felt it smush. It never moved or rattled. I used to kill all rattlesnakes but the last few years, guess I'm getting soft, usually just leave them alone if there not around my house.

This. The vast majority of encounters between rattlesnakes and humans end with the human never knowing he'd just had an encounter, and the vast majority of rattlesnake bites on humans are below the knee or below the elbow...
look at it from the snake's point of view...you're like 5000 times bigger than he is, he can't eat you and he can't whip you. He's got no truck with you, he just doesn't want to be stepped on or messed with.

"and the vast majority of rattlesnake bites on humans are below the knee or below the elbow..." While this can probably be said of most other venomous species, as well, some, like a moccasin, will often go out of their way to get IN your way, and others, like a copperhead, are simply quick biters, often not bothering to wait to be sure you're not going to step on them or mess with them before striking.

Growing up my grandparents had a GSD named Ruff. When we would go pick blackberries or squirrel hunting he would go with us, if there was a snake around he would make quick work of it.

The only snakebite I've ever had was from a Copperhead in my moms garage.

I wandered around in some of as snaky an areas you ever wanted to be in yesterday afternoon. Not a sign of a snake. Wonder if hogs are working on them?

The only snakes I usually encounter, on these days, is a timber rattler. And most of the time you'll never even know they're near you.
Moccasins aren't very active in 90 degree weather. They'll lay up in the Creeks and swamps, and stay in hiding. When it gets down around 70 then look out, the moccasins will come alive.

Killed a timber about 50 feet from my back porch yesterday evening. I was up in the mountain checking a game camera in my dadgum tennis shoes and thought I heard a rattle but it was really loud and back down towards my house. So I start walking back down that way clearing some brush on my trail to the feeder with my machete, then I hear it again and immediately knew what it was. My kid's kittens done found them a rattler that I probably walked within 10 feet of and didn't have a clue it was there. I get back down closer to the house and sure enough the 2 kittens were staring at it, I wouldn't have known it was laying up against the rocks if it wasn't for those cats. My GSP was going nuts her kennel about 50 yards away cause she could hear it rattling, it was so loud. I go get my phone and record it rattling so I could show my kids what one sounds like, then I shot it......4 times! Snake had 10 and a button and had just ate a dove that I am assuming was eating on the seed below the bird feeder about 15 feet away from where I killed him.

That’s a hell of a snake skin. How long was that snake?

Coffee county rattler?

Yes

5’

Was out for a jog in my neighborhood last night, and jogged over a ~18" copperhead. He was crossing between two undeveloped lots lying on the white line. I didn't see him until I was almost straddle him, but after I stuck the landing from an Olympic qualifying long jump, the near-by area light was bright enough for me to make a positive ID. I didn't have anything to dispatch him with, and by the time I wrenched off a good size tree limb and got back to the spot he had already scooted off the shoulder and into the tall grass. I never saw him again.

We've been in our house for 14 years, and even though there are plenty of wooded areas between houses, this is only the 5th venomous snake I've seen. My squirrel dog dug out a sizeable copperhead in the edge of the yard last year, and for the rest of our time there, I've seen three other copperheads and one cottonmouth crossing the entry road to our neighborhood.

Several times on here people have talked about others that may want some snake skins. We put a large timber rattler in the freezer tonight, I can’t figure out how to post a pic but I can text them. We have no use for them. Only saving because someone else might want them. If someone wants some rattle snakes to skin out please let me know. Thanks.

Thanks FLFarmBoy - some folks have mentioned skinning their longbows with a good rattler or copperhead skin; perhaps someone will take-em off your hands.

Last month. Apparently ran over this one one day with a flat tractor tire. I didn’t know this until my daughter and friend almost stepped on it the next day. Got everyone’s blood pumping for sure. 5’

Found this poor guy run over in South Baldwin County this evening. It'll look decent on a cedar plank.