Rattlesnakes

I grew up having to watch for Rattlers in AZ. Seems there was one at least once a month out of all the times I'd go catch my horse out of the pasture. Now that I'm living in Texas again I keep hearing everyone tell me we don't have any around here but 20 miles away there are. Now how in blazes does that make sense!? I'm sure some have managed to make their way here too.

So, to get to my point, I was picking cucumbers out of my garden a few weeks ago. I had on some of those clod hopper looking sandles and felt something cold moving over my toes. Needless to say I froze. I swear it took what seemed like forever for that snake to get across my toes and out from under the leaves where I could see him and his tail. Turns out it was only one of the several King Snakes we have around our house. I'm standing there like an idoit waving my hands and yelling at it to get out of my garden and instead of leaving in fear like most do, he turns back around and comes right back in my garden. It took a much longer time to finish picking due to watching for that critter!

We keep all our Bullsnakes and King Snakes to kill off mice and rats. The only thing that makes me uneasy about it is knowing one of these times it could easily be a Rattlesnake.

I'm sure glad you didn't get too close to him! I've only been close enough to one to chop it's head off with a hoe or shovel in the past and I was much more bold back then than now lol!

 

Thankfully I have been really lucky with rattlesnakes. The canyons around here are crawling with them so I was always really careful when I was out hiking. I was more worried about my dogs getting bit than me. I tried to always mindful of where my foot was stepping. Then of course, the day that I wasn't hiking, just walking along the canal that bordered the canyon I almost got it. I was wearing sandals and wasn't paying any attention at all. My foot almost stepped right on a young one, I was less than an inch away from stepping right on it. I didn't know that I could jump that high (where was that jumping skill when I was on the track team?). I still don't know why he didn't strike me when he saw I was about to land on him.

 

The last encounter I had with a 'scary' snake, was on vacation in India. Me and a couple of my cousins were cutting through a park, on our way home, when a cobra, about 7-8' crossed the path we were on, about ten feet ahead of us. As soon as we saw it, we all ran in the opposite direction, as fast as our 12 yr old legs would take us!

I agree BMan I hate snakes! (even the darn harmless garter snakes that have overrun our yard)

 

Have any of y'all ever stopped at Prairie Dog City off I-70 in Kansas? The lady who runs the place has a bin full of rattle snakes, and thinks they're "beautiful". She'll even let y'all feed 'em. And she'll poke 'em with a stick to make them rattle.

I have to agree with Brinkman.

Although, I did get a kick out of the five legged cow they have there, I didn't see any lot lizards. West Memphis is the best, or worst, place to find them. Or they find you (and me).
To keep them off my truck, I sat a life size Janet Reno poster in my jump seat. THAT kept 'em a bay.
It probably kept the snakes away too.
Ya reckon? :smt017:smt102:smt073

 

i was working for tmc. i had to do a trlr swap and they store their gear under the trler in a bin. i went under the trlr to finish the swap of some of the coil rack and when i poker my head up to look at the rack there sat a diamond back staring back at me. i hit my head on everything on the way out.

 

I used to work for TMC and many I am pretty sure I would have knocked myself clear out running out of there.

So how did you get your racks out and the snake out?