(screaming like a little girl) ARRRRRRR I almost stepped on a rattler tonight!

[Stepheninky]

Just to be clear never put a hog in a garden, but around it or near it and you will see very few if any snakes.

In KY cottonmouths and Copperheads are the ones most people worry about, both are very aggressive. We have Rattlers here too but usually they keep to their habitat which is grown up wood lands and areas that are neglected and allowed be grown up in brush. I have several times seen copperheads head toward human activity. Boy scout camping trips have seen them cross right into the middle of our camps and also when cutting tobacco have had one cross right over my feet. I stayed very very very still (with fear) and was fine but noises and such do not deter them.

[desertlzbn]

Ok 2 snakes 2 days in a row is just a little much for me. My dogs were barking last night their "snake bark" which is way different than any other bark, so I go to investigate, a snake was tangled in the bird netting in the garden. I of course freak out, luckily the neighbor was outside and hee jumped over the fence and came to my rescue. It was bullsnake.

[kwselke]

A good garden hoe can be used to kill more than weeds.

[tjg911]

Originally Posted by kwselke

A good garden hoe can be used to kill more than weeds.

be that as it may lest anyone get too cocky here, remember that snakes can strike 2/3's of their body length. so a 6' snake can reach out 4'. more people are bitten trying to kill a snake than probably any other reason. besides snakes are beneficial tho i would be concerned about venomous snakes around the house and garden. i went into the barn for straw today and sitting on top of the bale was a garter snake, short guy about 12-14" long. never saw one in there before. i gently chased him off with the wooden end of the pitch fork handle. now had that been a rattler i probably would have gone into the house and stayed there until december!

[kwselke]

tjg911,

I agree that snakes should not be kill on sight items. The venomous creature in question was not six feet long and it was in the garden. The fact that it was poisinous and in a high traffic area leads me to believe I would be justified in dispatching it. A couple a feet long a hoe, six feet long a shotgun

.

[tjg911]

Originally Posted by kwselke

tjg911,

I agree that snakes should not be kill on sight items. The venomous creature in question was not six feet long and it was in the garden. The fact that it was poisinous and in a high traffic area leads me to believe I would be justified in dispatching it. A couple a feet long a hoe, six feet long a shotgun

.

i agree with all you said. can't argue, a venomous snake in an area you use, it's just asking for trouble. i think your dispatch dimension specs (DDS) are spot on!

tom

[Stepheninky]

Not sure why I did not think of this earlier but if you are ok with the lesser of two evils then you could contact those wildlife control people in your area and ask them if they get any king snakes you would be interested in them. They are immune to rattlers and they do eat them. They are the type of snake that will leave you alone if you leave it alone and are non venomous.

I just remembered this while watching TV, back when I was little on the farm we never would kill a black racer as they also eat rats and other snakes. I have seen several snakes this year but luckily they are all of the rat type snakes so I leave them alone and they leave me alone.