Rattlesnake or no rattlesnake

[Roger]

This has to do with rattlesnakes. I had this agreement with one of the land owners where I turkey hunt. I keep his yard mowed all season in exchange for hunting his turkeys. Well this great man passed away last March and the place is now vacant but his son has continued with the agreement of allowing me to hunt and me mowing. Well it was my lucky day because he has great turkey hunting. Thing is the last three times I have mowed the yard I have come across a rather large timber rattlesnake. Worst yet he seems to prefer the front yard by an old hackberry tree. I wish I had a picture of this guy but getting my camera isnt the first thing I think of when I see him. And he usually takes off for the overgrown garden area soon as he finishes scaring the *#*#* out of me. I'm going to guess him at somewhere between 45" and 50" long. Now shooting him is no problem except that timber rattlesnakes are on the Kansas protected species list. You need a special permit to harvest or capture them. Now I have no interest in the capture part, I'm too old and too slow. Anyway he cant share the front yard with me, I dont care what the fish and game people say. They will not give me a permit (dont have a good enough reason to kill the snake). Plus they dont make people available to come out and get the darn thing if I see it again and call them. In order to get a permit it must be for science say tagging or research and display through a herpetology organization. Thus my dilema. Seems ridiculous to me that a rattlesnake has more rights to that yard than I or the owner have. The owner says kill the snake next time I see it or he will. Maybe it will move on to someone elses yard. Not my property so am limited in my options. Owner doesnt want anyone on the property snooping around for snakes so we come to the big question....how do I mow the yard and not get bit by Mr. Rattlesnake? Your opinions please....Roger

[Homer]

A difficult situation. I've heard that only 9 to 15 people die from snake bites each year in the US. I guess that's why the snake has priority over you.

I will say this though, if you keep mowing that yard, one of you is going to get hurt.

http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/wildthing/images/timberrattlesnake.jpg

Homer

[Roger]

Hey thats him Homer!!!!! Thanks for putting him in a picture and getting rid of him for me! HA!....Roger

What do you think of capturing him and unfortunately him dying in captivity?It would be my story and I would stick to it :D

[mdshunk]

Couldn't you be hunting some small birds with some .22 bird loads and "miss" the bird? If the snake around in turkey season? You know, it's well documented that most missed turkey shots wind up killing snakes.

[suemarkp]

You already have a fairly deadly weapon to snakes -- the lawn mower. If its a tractor, just run it over. If its a push mower, then I know what you mean about seeing it. You could probably run it over if it was slithering away from you, but I don't know. Here in Western Washington, we have no venomous snakes. I've seen the garter snake "strips" in the grass a few times after mowing. Those were the ones I didn't see. The ones I see make the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and I freeze while they slither away.

Next, a large caliber handgun with CCI shotshells are made for this problem. Need to be within 5 yards though, or the pattern is too sparse. Or, you could learn what it feels like to shoot a .410 derringer!

If you saw the snake come at you, your right to self defense usually out prioritizes the endangered/protected aspect of the animal (just don't mention that you PO'd it with a lawn mower attack). If you're paying attention, the issue shouldn't even come up with a game warden.

[Roger]

Yes all you say is true. Its a ethical situation I guess. If I accidently mow the snake over is one thing but intentionally is another. No one is realistically going to know what happens to the snake it's just a matter of respect for the species future by letting it live. Whats aggravating is the games laws want you to have this attitude about these protected species but nothing is in place to handle a problem like mine. This much I know 9 out of 10 locals would kill this snake. I will not kill this snake, though if it hangs around the yard it probalby wont be long for this world. A bite from a mature timber rattlesnake is something you dont take lightly.
Anyway going down to mow tomorrow hope I dont have to deal with him...Roger

[suemarkp]

I had a similar problem with bunnies in the yard. Some person must have dropped off a pair of domestic black rabbits. A few months later there were 6 rabbits. Then 10, and then 18. The yard was getting full of rabbit poop everywhere you stepped. We contacted the wildlife people who said you can't kill them, but you may trap them with traps they have. Only problem was, we couldn't find a good bait for the cage traps. All these rabbits wanted to eat was grass. I tried lettuce, carrots, and even piles of fresh cut grass. Nope, all they wanted to eat was live grass, the wife's money tree plant, and a few flowers. So we returned the traps with no animals in them.

I was in an area where I could shoot, but it is surrounded by no shooting zones and a fair number of houses. So I decided to eradicate them with an air gun instead. The first few went well, but I learned that the airgun was not powerful enough for clean kills so I stopped shooting them. When the population got back up to 14, I started shooting them again with the airgun. I really should have used a 22, but there were too many neighbors who could see me and then they'd call the cops who would show up and then determine that what I was doing was legal. I didn't want that hassle, so I inhumanely killed about half the rabbits and humanely killed the other half.

Funny thing now is I've moved about a half mile down the road and have 5 times the property (about 2.5 acres), but am in a no shooting zone. So if this happens again, I'll get a better air gun.

[Roger]

Just got back from mowing and no rattlesnake but you talk about me being jumpy. I was on red alert the whole time on my john deere rider cant imagine how spooked I would have been if push mowing....thanks for the fun discussion guys....Roger

[Wgoodrich]

Have someone else with you, preferrably experienced with working with venomous snakes. Very carefully take a long forked stick and tease him with the long stick till he strikes. As he is stretched out nail his head to the ground by the fork in the stick. Then holding down the head grasp him [and don't let go] just behind the head. Then slide his head into a burlap sack holding the head till he is rapped up inside the bag. Then jerk your hand out and tie off the sack. Go to a remote area in your area well away from houses but with a creek bed perferrably with rock walls. They like to hang around rocky moist dark areas. Let him go for the future. Good chance he won't come back.

If you are reluctant to do it then hire a pest control guy to rid your snake. A good snake hunter will know where to look for this snake.

While you are mowing as long as that snake is around wear high top leather boots or heavy chaps. These snakes normally strike at the leg from knee down.

Knowing where the snake is should be no problem. Not knowing he is there and him stiking without rattle or you stepping on him is not a good thing.

Indiana around Monroe we have copperheads, cottonmouth, and several species of rattlesnakes now roaming that forrest area right where we bow hunt for deer.

Had a guy hang me by me sweatshirt once as we were walking a wide valley fire trail. A cottonmouth was up and ready to stike. That guy IS MY FRIEND ! Not the snake though. We let him live and walked a wide path.

Once in the late fall one day when the sun was warm I took a deer hunting nap curled into the open trunk of a large tree in coveralls. Later as I woke up I felt something curling up against my back in that hollow of the tree. It was a copperhead hunting warmth of my body. NOT FUN !!

I have been lucky spotting snakes and hunted that area a long time with a bunch of buddies. We all saw a snake now and then but none were bitten. Now we no longer hunt that area. Not sure why, maybe.

Hope this helps

Wg

[Roger]

Your reply is eerily on time. The land owner, is pretty much a naturalist at heart. This rattlesnake in the front yard did test him though as his grand kids often play there. Thus his gut reaction was to kill the snake. I spoke with him about the possiblity of contacting the Kansas Herpetology Society in Emporia Kansas. I gave him a contact number from fish and game. Anyway I guess they were excited as little kids on Christmas eve at the chance to capture this rattlesnake. They did so Tuesday. It was curled up next to the rock foundation of an abandoned well about 50 feet from where I had been seeing him. Do you have any idea how many times I have taken a break to have a drink and sandwich while sitting on this well?!!!!! She (yes she) had just eaten a meal according to the guys that caught her. They estimated her at 10 yrs. old. At first they thought she may be full of young, as this is the time of year they have them. But guess it was a bunny or rat. She had 10 buttons on her rattle. Owner didnt say if they measured her length but thought around four feet would be close. Anyway owner said the two guys were jumping up and down with excitement when they found her. Go Figure....Roger