Do You Kill Rattlesnakes?

I am a relatively new member. My wife enrolled us last summer, but I didn’t become active until the first of the year. Just like I live my life, I am ready to jump in here with both feet. I hope to add to the diversity of people using this forum.

Having grown up and lived most of my life in “real man country,” I used to kill every rattlesnake that was unfortunate enough to have me find it. That was simply the mind-set of the loggers, cowboys and miners who made up the bulk of the population here in my part of Northeast Oregon. These people are still hard working folks who, in their free time, play hard at hunting, fishing and similar activities. There is not one in a hundred who would let a rattlesnake go in peace if they should encounter it.

I used to love these two-fisted men, and worked hard to excel at this rough life. Then I made a big “mistake” :). Instead of grabbing a gun as I headed out the door, I started reaching for my binoculars and a camera. I started looking at wildlife as more than a target. I began to see them as real live creatures with a very important roll in the natural ecosystems where they occur. I changed so much that I went to work at an environmental field station. While there, my association with the faculty and students changed me even more. The more I learned about nature, the more I appreciated each creature’s role on our planet.

I really love snakes and feel protective toward them. If I could only photograph and study one animal group, it would be new world pit vipers. Oh, yah, how do I feel about my former peers – the “real men” of eastern Oregon? To put it bluntly, for the most part they seem like Neanderthals. So how about you? Do you kill venomous snakes?

No. Never.

Guy

Absolutely not, ever. Even the Mojave Rattler that bit my dog in our yard got a free relocation ride to a safer location. I do wish he could have paid the vet bills though.

I regularly see rattlesnakes sunning themselves on paved roads around here - a good way to become road kill for many a snake. I always stop and gently coax them off the road.

Snakes freak me out so I stay away and leave them alone. Actually I've only seen one wild snake before. Californian men are "girly men" anyway according to our governor.

Absolutely not. Assuming that I would ever see one. Never have seen one in the wild except for a skeleton bleached in the sun.

Those who kill rattlesnakes are probably afraid of them.

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

A love of hunting and a sense of humility about nature are not mutually exclusvie. I know several hunters who are completely engaged in and a part of the natural world when they are hunting, who are living spiritually at those moments. I've also known some birders and nature photographers who were callous and arrogant.

I only kill animals to eat them, not for sport. I have killed rattlesnakes. Twice. Both times to eat them. And yes, they do taste tremendously like chicken.

People who kill rattlesnakes simply to be killing them do so because of that innate fear most of us have of snakes, and because if you're not careful and stumble upon one, it can kill you, so those folks can convince themselves the eradication is a reasonable action. And sometimes people kill rattlesnakes just because they can. I have never been more alert than those times in Colorado and the western Dakotas when I was hiking in snake country. If the proximity of poisonous snakes elevates my ability to sense my surroundings, well, that is good.

I'm not proud to admit that my husband was brought up in a family that believes that "the only good snake is a dead snake". We have had a couple of blacksnakes in our garage, and I'm happy to report I talked him into letting them go! I would never kill one just because it's a poisionous snake. I've actually only seen a rattlesnake once, as I was walking along a road near my house. I was very excited to see it, and glad I was at a safe distance! I'm not as afraid of snakes as I am of spiders. They don't fare as well as the snakes I encounter! I enjoyed your story of how you came to be more aware and appreciative of nature. Photography is wonderful avenue to do so.

Not sure what you guys mean but I have to say that my personal experience does not support the perceptions expressed here. I have never hunted animals. Never felt the need or urge to. I have spent some years in a military in a war zone (hunting people if the analogy holds). Some of the biggest cowards and most ruthless killers I came across were the most obsessed with firearms (conversely some very courageous individuals I met turned out to be gay though I'm not sure that had much bearing on it). Where exactly does the "girly" thing fit into this? A coward with a gun is still a coward, just a more dangerous one.

Guy

First of, thanks everybody for diving in. I really appreciate your responses.

For Steve Foss: In trying to keep my introduction to this brief, I probably did not use enough words to describe exactly why I think of my former peers as Neanderthals. I have lived away from my home county for over 15 years and I came back with my wife and tried to fit in again. I am totally unable to do so. I have tried to hunt again strictly for food. Whereas I don't feel any great sadness when I kill something for the table, I can't get passed my intellect that tells me that this creature was many, many times more beautiful alive than dead. When there is money to do it, I think I'll buy my meat from the store, but I am absolutely not against anybody that hunts to feed their family.

However, I am intellectually opposed to killing something just because you can, or being unwilling to consider doing something any different than your great grandpappy did it. The more the world changes around these folks, the deeper emerged they become in their right to do as they have always done. I guess I am just offended by people who can't change with or accept new understanding of each species' importance in the equation of a whole and healthy ecosystem. My referal to Neanderthals is in reference to rediscovering that my old peers will dang near run off the road to run over any snake, don't care about the value of snakes and have no intention to learn otherwise. And Steve, about eating rattlesnake, back when I was single, I had this beautiful lady I wanted to impress. We cooked a rattlesnake over a campfire, could hardly find any chicken meat on it, she ate her bite right down, mine - the longer I chewed it the bigger it got. Couldn't get snake off my mind. Spit it out. And I bet she is still laughing at me.

For Guy: I can't really relate to your military time because when I tried to join up during Viet Nam I was too tall to be accepted. But, I did work for a time as a policeman - different from military combat, but still puts you butt on the line at times. You make several comments about cowards who pack guns, but I can assure you that I personally know many of these "eastern Oregon real men" who are decorated veterans and they are not cowards. I don't believe whether a man hunts or not has anything to do with his courage. Probably in my intro I should have left out the real man stuff to avoid from distracting from the issue of people needlessly killing venomous snakes. I'm new at this, I'll get better with practice.

John, I just take offense to the notion that shooting/killing anything is in some way a measure of manhood or courage.

Guy

To get back on topic, I have only killed a rattlesnake once and that was in my parents back yard where several hatchlings were contesting the area with my parents new puppy. Other than that, I just watch them. At times, I have had to encourage them to move on. OK, I will extend this beyond rattlesnakes. While I was sailing on Lake Travis in the Texas Hill Country, I had to encourage water moccasins/Cotton Mouths on more than one occasion to get off the docks and back into the water. It does make one cautious when removing boat covers and digging into lockers.

I think that snakes are pretty neat. I can't imagine how they move by slithering the way they do. Now the sidewinder really has an interesting way to move.

I have also eaten rattlesnake. It has an interesting taste, though I wouldn't call it like chicken.

When Will said, "Those who kill rattlesnakes are probably afraid of them.", I think he touched on the truth.

To get back to the original question - it depends. In the wild, never, but I have killed two very large timber rattlers in my backyard when my kids were small. Did I feel guily? No. This was many years ago, I lived in a rural area, and there was no "relocation" services like exist today. I was not about to reach down and grab a 5 1/2 foot rattler, so I killed them (2 separate occasions) and then "relocated" them to my trash can. I'd do the same today if I found one where my grandchildren play unattended (There's still no relocation service where I live).

Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against snakes. In fact, I think they're great. I have 2 non-poisonous ones living in my backyard now and I won't allow anyone to pester them, but I will not take a chance on my 3, 4, or 6 six year old grandkids being bitten because I found a rattler (or moccasin, etc.) in my backyard and didn't "handle" the situation. That I couldn't live with.

If that makes me a "less than sensitive" nature lover, so be it.

To John, thanks for lightening things up.
To Bill: The reasons that you give make all the sense in the world to me. I wouldn't think much of a person who wouldn't protect their beloveds. Just so you know, it wouldn't take too much to take this to another step. A venomous snake is easy to move. A person with enough courage to kill one (and I am not being facetious here) certainly has enough courage to coax one into an empty garbage can with a broom and relocate it himself. It might interrupt your life a little, but to me at least, it seems like a worthwhile effort. Thanks for your take on this.

No, I wouldn't kill a rattler. We have them around, but they haven't caused any issues in our neighborhood. In NY it is a crime to kill a rattler. About 2 years ago a farmer stopped along side the road to heed the call of nature. A rattler bit him in the leg. He clubbed the snake several times with a pipe, threw it into the back of his pick up and drove to a clinic. The doc treated him with anti-venom and antibiotics. Then reported him to the police and brought the wounded snake to a vet. The snake died. The farmer was charged with killing an endangered species but the judge declared self defence. The state paid the vet bill.

If i had a poisonous snake on my property I would try to have it relocated to a safer place for both of us.

Like most of the outdoor/nature shooters I know, if I ever do encounter a rattler while on foot, I'll give him/her a WIDE berth. So far I've not had such an encounter.

Some forty years ago, though, driving in the outback of Alabama, I did happen to run over a snake (as big as a fire hose) on the highway, but he scurried off the pavement right after.

Never killed one, and would never kill one. Like with most things, leave them alone and they leave you alone.

"The ubiquitous white man, in his inscrutable desire to proclaim his presence, slaughtered wild life.The great stretches of prairie and the wild blackjack hills seemed to inspire in him consciousness of his inferiority; and he shouted his presence and his worth to the silent world that seemed to ignore him. Where the Indian passed in dignity, disturbing nothing and leaving Nature as he had found her, with nothing to record his passage except a footprint or a broken twig, the white man plundered and wasted and shouted; frightening the silence with his great, braying laughter and his cursing."

interpretation from Osage Indians 'Wah 'Kon-Tah' by John Joseph Matthews

When I was a newspaper reporter in a small Sierra town my editor excitedly told me to go up to so-and-so's place where they just killed a big rattlesnake. The snake had been placidly sunning itself when it was killed. It wasn't even all that big. To those folks, killing a rattler was practically seen as a duty, and of enough moment to call the newspaper!

When I see a rattlesnake, I shoot it. Like I did with this one: http://www.jwallphoto.net/Gallery/040092-01G.jpg

No. I did in the past. Lots of people, not many of any kind of critter where I live.

I never ever kill or harm snakes. I have removed rattle snakes from trails and campsites to keep others from harming them. I too grew up with guns and hunting but when I picked up a camera 10 yrs ago I completely stopped hunting. I kill absolutly nothing now, except I may kill a little time. Ron

I don't kill snakes, we dont have rattlesnakes in Austria, but we do have some venomous snakes, one can eventually die from the poison, but most encounters are not deadly.
I dont carry around a rifle either when I go out.
I hate the idea of killing animals for entertainment or for some preventive purposes, except for the case that Bill explained
I don't even kill a fly, bee or a spider if it gets trapped behind a closed window or if I find it in the basement. But I try to help them to leave the house by trapping them in a glass and carry them outside. The only animals that I kill on purpose are mosquitos, I would raher call it self-defense.
I used to invent and build mousetraps - the sort of trap that lets the mouse live. I set up the trap to see if it worked - caught some mice
I did the mandatory military service we have here in Austria and used the quite renowned "Stg 77" (Assault-Rifle from Steyr, Austria) It is sometimes used in the states instead of the M16. I have some MAJOR respect for firearms of all kinds and I try to avoid them.
The wimpy-guy from Austria (Arnold-Country)

I've never killed any animal, big or small, needlessly. I don't even kill spiders in my house. I catch them and let them go outside. I have hunted deer and moose in the past. Not for sport though. I hunted for the natural organic meat and I always used as much of the animal as possible. I'm not a big fan of the hormones and anti-biotics they feed farm animals. I even made a native American style drum out of the moose skin. I never really liked hunting and always felt bad afterwards.

If I see a rattler in the wild - far away from people - no worries. If I encounter one in my yard or near a playground or such, all bets are off. Relocation isn't an option around here either. Right now there are enough cats in the neighborhood that the snakes haven't come around in quite some time. Other neighborhoods aren't so lucky. I know of 2 folks who got bit by Copperheads this last summer...one very nearly died (yeah, copperheads aren't supposed to be that venomous but this one certainly was). Snakes serve a very important purpose in nature but I feel absolutely no remorse at removing a threat should one enter my territory. Which I'msure will really bother a lot of people here but that's the truth of the matter and I won't sugar coat it. Nor will make Bill be the only one to speak up on this side of the issue.

Thanks Liz. Don't kid yourself about copperheads not being very venomous. They can put a kink your style as much as any other venomous snake. From my experience with them they do seem to be very docile though, more so than rattlers or moccasins. To me, they're also one of the most beautiful snakes with their muted colors. Growing up in the south and in the country I've encountered hundreds of snakes (usually while looking for them), and yet have I come across an aggressive one. I love snakes, and would never kill one in the wild, but where my g'kids play - like you say, all bets are off!

For Liz Masoner: If we nature photographers (who should love nature and are ambassadors for wildlife) are unwilling to learn something new (a different way of doing things than our predecessors did), then what possible hope does the future hold for less cuddly creatures? You say that it is not an option to relocate venomous snakes. I would say to you, that is only true if no one is willing to be bothered with the little extra work it takes to move the snake to a less dangerous place for people and the snake.

Also, for Bill Chambers: I would like to say, what a wonderful lesson this would be for your grandkids to grow up with a considerate solution for less loveable wildlife. Once more I would like to state, it is very simple and relatively safe to coax a venomous snake into a garbage can (on its side) with a broom. Once the snake is inside, tip your can upright, put the lid on and move it to a safe place. The outcome of this solution is a future for venoumous species and a healthy attitude that will ensure the survival of wildlife as people continue to encroach their habitats.

Terry, the simple fact that I don't lock the wheels up on my car and slide across snakes I see on the road to kill them is a different way than my predicessors. Relocate them where? I'm not putting it in anybody else's yard. And no property owner is going to give me permission to dump a rattler on their land. Nice happy ending or no, that's the fact of the matter. And I'm not dumping it on gov't land either as it is illegal. 'nuff said

Liz, I just can't believe that the options you've presented are the only ones available to you in dealing with venomous snakes. Since I am a person who does like to learn new things, would you explain the law to me (and even cite it, if you can) that makes it illegal to release endemic species of venomous snakes into its natural habitat on publicly owned land.

I suppose I have a different view than some of you.... I'm an veterinarian, avian/exotic practice(no this doesn't mean I practice medicine wearing only pasties). I handle snakes routinely, and in my practice I also handle venemous ones. They need care too. So, for me, the decision really isn't whether or not to kill a snake....I never would. But I have yet to read any post on this topic and find myself disagreeing with anyone's point of view.

Brian, I'm surprised! No pasties???

No, I don't kill snakes. They are living creatures. And besides, I know they are beneficial to the local ecosystem. To me, a snake encounter is exciting, almost an honor. However, walking in the desert in the summer at night (for that saguaro silouette photo, you know) and hearing a warning rattle surely will raise the hairs on my neck and get me moving backwards at a high rate of speed. Fortunately, all of my snake encounters did not involve said snake sinking his fangs into me.

Terry, most of the open land around here is privately owned Gulf States Paper land (and oh boy are they aggressive on their "property rights" - even if they do love to trample all over the rights of their "neighbors"). The gov't land is parks and I am a member of the statewide animal rescue and rehabilitation group. They are the only ones allowed to release animals onto the gov't land (and then only previously ill ones they have helped). The Rangers will tell you in a heartbeat that if you release so much as a squirrel you are in deep trouble. I'm sorry I can't cite the paragraph and article for you but to me a ranger saying it is good enough. I spend plenty of time in their domain and would rather stay on their good side. There aren't even any snake collectors in the area I could take them to.

Liz: When you say "gov't land", I assume you mean PUBLIC land - your land - correct? If so, it would only take me just a fraction of a heartbeat to release a rattler onto this land. It is THEIR land, after all. Laws and property lines are fictitious inventions for controlling people; wildlife is exempt

Michael, whether or not I agree with you on that - it wouldn't stop them from fining me or arresting me if I got caught. And it would be stupid and irresponsible to risk financial or other harm to my family.

Liz, thank you very much for your reply. I appreciate it, and I appreciate that different folks have different ways of being. I myself would have no problem releasing a snake onto Gulf States Paper, or any of our public land that was not a picnic area or campground. I also realize that, regionally, different attitudes predominate regarding snakes. So I guess it is reasonable for two different people living in two different regions of our country to feel different about this.

Michael, I couldn't agree with you more regarding our public land. Your entire statement fits my belief system perfectly.

It is my hope that nature photographers can be ambassadors for nature, for who can better present the case for always having wild places with wild things than us? My wife and I very recently flew from Denver to Atlanta on our way to Africa. As we move from West to East I was absolutely horrified by the increasing evidence of humanity - lights everywhere, no large blacked out areas of wilderness, just the relentless hand of man. So if a copperhead and eastern diamondback rattlesnake don't count, what does? If new ways of thinking aren't learned there will be no end to the loss of wildife. The future of all wildlife is dependent upon the attitudes of mankind.So, my end question is, "Are they to have a future?"

I've only seen a couple of rattlesnakes in my life. Those were seen as I whizzed by at 90+mph. If they were a bit more out in the road, I may would have hit them, and killed them, but I would feel bad. Do I kill rattlesnakes? No.

Pete D.

i dont think AHHnold said the men in califonina were girlie men,,,,, but the policticains int he state legistature,,,were girlie men,,

not adult life,,, but as a kid,, fooolishly ignorant of their rights,,,i did kill a few,,

Hey John, thanks for your interest in Ritter. But we don't really live in "town," it's too crowded. With Ritter being nowhere, we live 12 miles beyond nowhere. For things you could find on your aerial map, we live just about to the end of county rd 15, just above the North Fork of the John Day River. The night skies are beautiful here, but it's not so good for wildlife photography as you might think. With local attitudes here being given over totally to hunting- at the first sign of a human the critters are showing you a disappearing aft. Snakes? We have the Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, catch and move several off our place each year, can't move them too far because they have home hibernaculums and would probably perish in a totally strange territory... at least that is the current belief of some authorities. On a final note, I hate having these little buggers in my vegetable garden. I don't hear them as I have faulty hearing. My fear comes from having my hands hidden from view as I work among my plants. We operate with dial-up, though satellite would be preferable.

Thanks for trying to understand Terry. Believe it or not, I'm actually very much a big softie with wildlife of many kinds. I didn't prune my roses for weeks one time because of the family of Green Lynx Spiders that were there at the time. It really is a different world around here with the number of people around. So different than when I was a kid. Back then there were plenty of places to take "misguided" wildlife...like the giant alligator snapping turtle what wandered into the yard after some flooding. Getting him into a giant tin washtub without loosing a few fingers was a feat and a half that's for sure.

Keep in mind that there are at least 17 species of rattlesnakes. Some are rare and protected, such as the Timber rattlesnake and the Ridgenose rattlesnake.

Also, in the event of protecting one's loved ones, how would you kill the rattlesnake? Many people have been bitten during the attempt to kill the snake. If you see someone near a rattlesnake what would you do? What is the proper course of action? Somehow, to attack it with a stick and flail away at it may do you and the other person more harm than good.

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada

If you see someone near a rattlesnake what would you do? What is the proper course of action?

The proper course of action is to advise them to simply walk away. The problem we have as humans is villanizing anything that threatens our assumed superiority at the top of the food chain. The right thing to do in ANY confrontational situation - human, wildlife, or otherwise - is to walk away, but guns and other weaponry make us feel all powerful.

I've seen plenty of rattlesnakes in the wild, and have very nearly stepped on a few. Ive yet to be bitten by one, nor have I had the compulsion to kill one. I did the right thing and enjoyed the beauty of nature and the pleasurable experience of having witnessed magnificent wildlife at close proximity.

We can all live in harmony with wildlife with a simple attitude adjustment and common sense.

More often than not the snake will move away first. If someone is standing near a snake they are not really in danger unless they turn around and step on it. Generally rattlers will also give you plenty of warning before biting (hence the name), though I have encountered some exceptions.

Guy

Please step away from the rattlesnake

Is it that simple?

As Guy mentions rattlesnakes will rattle a warning if you are too close. How close is that? Striking distance?

The advice I have found when within striking distance of a rattler was to remain perfectly still and wait for the snake to calm down. Then, if you have a stick, put the stick between you and the snake. Then sloooowly back away. More likely the snake will back away first.

The strongest point I want to make is attempting to kill the snake could be the most dangerous course of action. And I find it difficult to grasp that in areas where rattlers are known to be there is noone authorative enough to deal with them.

Will
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
Edmonton,

Actually, in my experience rattlers have seldom given any warning at all unless you are on top of them (almost literally). Growing up I actually stepped on rattlers on 2 different occasions while putting feed in cattle feeders and dog feeders and neither gave any warning at all beforehand. Neither bit me, although one did try (I had much quicker reflexes back then ) I've also come across many more while tending to fences, clearing around ponds, etc. and only once did one issue a warning, and that was because I struck the bush it was hidden in with a bush-axe (I didn't know he was there before I hit the bush). I've heard them strike up a warning with dogs several times over the years, but of course dogs don't pay much attention to that (I've also lost 2 very nice Pointers to snake bites as well). I've grown up with snakes all my life, and have yet to see an aggressive one, but neither have I experienced them going out of their way to warn you, so don't count on that happening.

I don't know about where others live, but snakes weren't (and still aren't) endangered where I grew up. It wasn't uncommon to see 3-4 a day lots of times during spring and fall (not all of them poisonous mind you) while plowing, cutting timber, bush hogging, etc. Anyone else that's grown up on a farm in Alabama probably has had the same experience.

Hi Bill. There is a classic ecology article called "Tragedy of the Commons," by Garrett Hardin. It is relevant to the scenes you have described in your snake experiences. All the activites you mention are impacting the habitat of snakes. Losing the occasional animal here or there is not so much the concern as losing the places they need to survive. Then, add the collective affect of everyone around you doing the same ("the commons"). Eventually, there are insurmountable barriers to maintain breeding populations. Roads take a toll, pets take a toll, the general snake killing attitudes of rural areas take a toll, agricultural pollution takes a toll, loss of cover exposes snakes to predators (hawks) and on and on. A proactive attitude of protection can make the difference, and is needed to insure the long term survival of snakes.

Regarding the distance at which a rattlesnake will rattle or not rattle; I have found some species more aggressive than others, but mostly an individual snake is not predictable from one day to the next.

Growing up on the farm we routinely killed poisonous snakes in the farm yard, but left them alone out in the woods. We left all nonpoisonous snakes alone no matter where they were since they ate mice. Since then, I've slowly come to appreciate the snakes more, once I learned they will NOT chase you. In the unlikely event I were to find one in my yard or a park here in town, I would capture it with a forked stick and release it out in the country somewhere. I have moved sunning rattlesnakes off the roads in the central part of the state, along with the turtles. I really don't see how hunting ducks (in winter no less) has anything to do with killing snakes. Generally, we killed snakes in the farm yard with a hoe. Bullets cost money we didn't have, and they can riccochet.

I do have one funny story on the subject. About 15 years ago, while I was living in Kansas City, I went fishing with one of my wife's Good Old Boy cousins in southwest Missouri. He had a new 18 ft. jon boat. We were out on the beautiful Spring River, down towards Joplin. There were four of us in the boat. At one point, the boat went under some low hanging shurbs along the bank. Suddenly, one of the guys started screaming there was a cottonmouth in with us! He tried to swat it with a fishing net, but that just made it mad and it started slithering all over the bottom of the boat. Guys began bailing out, jumping into the river. All except for Larry. He yells, "I'll handle this!" And he whipped out a .22 Smith & Wesson Kit Gun (small revolver.) He started shooting until he ran out of ammo. He excitedly yelled, "I got it!" And indeed he had. He put three holes through the snake, which was pretty good shooting. Unfortunately, he put six holes through the bottom of the boat! We had to pull it to shore, drag it out of the water, and tip it on its side to get the water out. As we sat around whittling sticks to make plugs for the holes, he said, "Sorry about the holes, but you all know I saved your lives!" My cousin-n-law Jarred (boat's owner) quietly said to me, "What an a-hole."


Kent in Chicago

Too funny Kent! There's a moron born every minute. Kinda like shooting yourself in the foot and bragging about what a good shot you are!

Oh that is tooo funny!

Well we don't have rattlers but as one has said Australia has the world's top ten deadly snakes, Red Belly Black, Tiger, Brown, Taipan, just to name a few. Browns and especially Tigers are aggressive and I've had a Tiger want to go me, they will CHASE you, unlike most snakes that will simply move away. Brown snakes also have a bad reputation in Australia but I have never encountered one that would not go out of it's way to go around you, unlike th Tiger snakes.

Even so I would never intentionally kill one unless my life depended on it. You don't want to get bitten in the wilderness by a Tiger or Brown snake, you may not be able to walk out alive.

Then we have spiders, Red Backs are almost harmless but daddy long leg spiders that are one of the most venomous eat the Red Backs. Reason they can't kill a human is their fangs are to small. Then we have the Funnel Web, very poisonous and has no problem attacking whatever disturbs it. All beautiful creatures in their own way though.

If you love the wild country your best friend just might be the buzz-worm. Most good-ol-boys are afraid of the dark and snakes! If it was not for snakes and other things that go bump and buzz in the dark there would be more people in your woods. I live and play in the South. We got your itybity Pigmy, your medium size timber & canebreak, and the grand daddy of em all the Eastern Diamondback. Just for fun you can toss in the cottonmouth, copperhead and coral. I cover gopher holes so the snake hunters don`t see them. I pick up buzz worms out of the road and move them to remote locations. I also pick up dead buzz worms and put them in the middle of a sand road or trail just to remind the thundering herd that they are not alone in the big outdoors. A kid can have more fun with a dead rattlesnake that any toy you can get him. I wear snake boots when I am in the back country in good Eastern diamondback area. I carry my weiner dog in my jacket for miles every year to keep her safe. But for the most part I just look at the trees, birds, flowers, etc and don`t worry about them. The day you walk up on one will always stick in your mind.

I'm with you, Robert. We have 7 species of rattlesnakes here in Utah. I always move sunning snakes off roads and trails where I find them (though by far these are mostly gopher snakes and garters). Not only do they keep away the paranoid but they also serve an important role in the food chain and in maintaining the natural balance, which is sadly more than we can say for our own species.

Guy

Just shot this baby diamondback rattlesnake ( with my Coolpix haha! ) last week at Mount Diablo State Park here in central California:

http://www.davidsenesac.com/slideshows/misc_cu/baby_db_rattler.jpg

Rather long thread I did not read beyond the first couple pages. Obviously few outdoor photographers are likely to have an attitude to kill any snakes without reason. I was brought up during days when killing anything considered a varmit was however the status quo. I don't have a problem killing some animal life though. Mosquitoes, black flies, house flies, and ticks certainly top that list. I also kill fish that I use and eat as food occasionally too. I don't enjoy killing fish, but as long as I can eat fish from restaurant or supermarket, I ought to be able to do it myself like my ancestors had to. Allows me to appreciate life and my place in the Universe better. ...David

I am a new member here, and I love taking pictures of wildlife. I would not hurt a wild animal unless it was self defense. The only time that I killed a snake was when I was bitten on the hand by one. Freak accident. I was trying to take a picture of an insect and as I got closer to the bush, it tagged me, right on my finger on my right hand. I knew that a snake just bit me, but I was not able to tell what kind of snake it was. I quickly struck the bush with a walking stick which killed the snake. It turned-out to be a harmless corn snake. I have encounterd Rattle snakes, cotton-mouths, even a Puff Adder (not native) which escaped from captivity and have never been attacked nor have I ever harmed them in those ocassions.....Santiago (Santi) Cuellar

No, they hold an important niche on the planet. Leave 'em alone.

Pam

The most common snake around my house is the Mojave. I don't actively look for them, but I do kill every one that I find. I like having the non-venomous snakes around to keep the rodent population in check.

It's not worth the risk to my kids or dogs, to allow one to live close to the house. The Hawks and Eagles need to eat too, so I feed them rattlesnake.

Yes and no !!!!

I have killed them and eaten them and i have removed them from roads and saved them .
I took a bunch of young men fly fishing and a rattlesnake was on the trail we were hiking on . I took the but of my fly rod , pinned it to the ground , picked it up , showed the young the fangs , explained a few things to them about rattle snakes and then tossed it on the steep down hill side of the trail . If i see one in a area where i feel it may strike someone , like a campground , boy scout camp , then yes , sometimes i will kill them . but most of the time no.

I have spent many years in the woods (I am a research ecologist) and I have seen 1 rattlesnake in the last 30 years which I gave wide berth to. I also give equal respect to copperheards of which I have seen many. I know my grandad used to kill copperheads because they would bite his sheep and cattle--to him it was an economic thing. Even black snakes and water snakes get my pass although I did draw the line once when a black snake repeatedly tried to set up housekeeping in my house. Last week we had a black snake crawl up a post to a bird house in my yard and eat a nest full of house wrens as well as one parent--I just pulled it down and tossed it out in the woods behind the yard--all a part of the natural cycle. Some people have an ingrained sense of fear of snakes which I believe is a cultural thing and can be reversed by a little education.

I'd rather enjoy the wildlife around us instead of being afraid of them. We have so many deer visiting the yard that it has become impossible to raise a garden or anything that a deer will eat. Last week we also had a black bear take down a bird feeder in my back yard--we just sat and watched from the deck as he lay there and munched on sunflower seeds for over an hour. My next door neighbor kept asking why we didn't call the police--knowing those guys they'd just shoot him so I kept quiet. The bear ate his fill and hasn't been back since. We also have a pair of foxes that occasionally roam through the yard and eat seeds and suet that falls out of the feeders. We enjoy all of this and feel it enriches our lives instead of endangering them--Larry