SURPRISED!

[triune]

Stumbled across this timber rattler (some may know them as a canebreak rattler) while looking for mushrooms with my wife.  When she saw it first all that was visible was the head.  She got a little closer to see if it was a mushrooom but it definitely wasn't.  I got her back then uncovered the thing.  I would guess it to be about 4 feet long and was bigger around than a pop can.  Tried to get it to rattle but it wouldn't move.  It was still prettty cool today, about 53 degrees.  Also came across two black snakes as well.  One about 5.5 feet and the other about 5 feet long.  With all the out of state turkey hunting I've been fortunate to do over the years, this is the first rattlesnake I have seen in the woods.
I haven't ran across three snakes in the last 5 years altogether.  Our youth season is next weekend and I will defenitely be taking extra time to set up!
Kenny

[Turkeybuster]

That is a suprise looks like time to get the snake boots on I hate those rattlers.

Jon

[M Sharpe]

You took I'm out, right???

I ran across a copperhead this weekend. Instead of spending a $7 shell, I had a 4 1/2' piece of 216 fiber optic cable in the back of the truck. Worked like a champ.

[jmck]

 
ONLY good snake..........
is
a
DEAD one

be careful out there

[Silverspur]

ONLY good snake..........
is
a
DEAD one

be careful out there

You tell em snakeboots!!!!

[ghost5]

That does look to be a Canebrake which is a different critter than an Eastern Timber Rattler. Rare around here but still a rough surprise. We have plenty of timber rattlers and copperheads.

[BluMtnGobbler]

you can have them all, only snakes I like are the ones behind glass!

[triune]

It was a tough decision but they are protected here in IN.  They are considered a "threatened species", go figure .  So this time, it lives.
Snakes really don't bother me too much, it's just the idea of being out there before daylight and stepping on one of those things.  I've been chasing turkeys for almost 30 years and this is the first rattlesnake I have seen so I'm hoping it takes 30 more years to see the next one.

From what I can find out, the timber and canebrake are the same subspecie of snake and depending on the location will depend on the marking variations and also the type of venom.  Found out they have different classes of venom from the northern snakes to the southern.  And where the two may breed together, the toxins will be a mixture of both.  Sorry to spring that on ya Jeff.

[M Sharpe]

That's the reason they like for you to bring the snake with you (dead of course). I read an article once where a guy was bitten while in his yard. He rushed to the hospital where he was given an anti-venom. Soon after the injection, he was showing signs of being bitten a second time. Rattlesnake bites are uuuggglllyyy, in which a lot of meat deteriorates. Leaves a big hole.

[Turkeybuster]

It was a tough decision but they are protected here in IN.  They are considered a "threatened species", go figure .  So this time, it lives.
Snakes really don't bother me too much, it's just the idea of being out there before daylight and stepping on one of those things.  I've been chasing turkeys for almost 30 years and this is the first rattlesnake I have seen so I'm hoping it takes 30 more years to see the next one.

From what I can find out, the timber and canebrake are the same subspecie of snake and depending on the location will depend on the marking variations and also the type of venom.  Found out they have different classes of venom from the northern snakes to the southern.  And where the two may breed together, the toxins will be a mixture of both.  Sorry to spring that on ya Jeff.

There protected in Pa. too as long as I dont see them.