I used to live in the Texas Gulf Coast outback, prime habitat for large and venomous snakes.
One time I was heading to the back door from the driveway with a big bag of groceries, when something as I was striding made me look down. I was on the verge of stepping on a very large, evil-looking legless reptile. Why it had coiled there on the sidewalk was a mystery.
I herded it towards the bayou and had almost had gotten it there when it reared up in a most unfriendly way. :eek:
Dylan McWilliams wasn’t killed, but he was bitten by a shark, a bear, and a rattlesnake all within a 4 year time span.
“Who is someone I’d never vacation with, Alex?”
I fully expect to be excoriated for this, but I’ll admit I just kill them on site these day. If I can see them, they are too close. Too much shit to go wrong if they are around.
Funny thing about them: Cut their filthy little heads off, and they try to bite and the heart beats for what seems like an impossible amount of time afterwards. Like, an hour or more. Fucking Creepy!
I’ve only ever had them killed if they were in my yard, because the dogs are in danger. Pastures are their place. And horses are in less danger.
StG
My family owned a huge ranch in the mountains of Central Utah (extended family, had since .ca. 1900, sold to the State in 1980s). It was absolutely infested with huge Western Diamondbacks; rarely did we spend a few days there wasn’t at least one rattler spotted and killed. My two-year-old sister fell on top of a huge monster – luckily it wasn’t warmed up yet and didn’t strike. My dad shot and killed it, of course.
I have a fascination-terror relationship with venomous snakes. I read a lot about them and have evolved from “kill it dead!” to a more concerned stance that rattlers, especially Timbers, are becoming or are endangered. There’s (some) evidence they are smarter and more social than thought.
This said, I don’t fault anyone for killing dangerous snakes near homes. I’d prefer to see them relocated, but I know how scary they are. What repulses me are the “round ups” where thousands of rattlers are captured and basically tortured for entertainment.
The only rattler I’ve encountered in the wild since our ranch was one hidden in So Cal sagebrush that my dog started a fight with. Lord on High, there’s nothing like that buzz to make one’s hair stand on end.
Reptiles and amphibians are pretty wild. In a college physiology lab I remember dissecting a live/pithed turtle, removing its heart, then doing hours of experiments on the beating heart.
Are you kidding? I wouldn’t venture into the woods without him! He’s the ultimate 2nd party to the old joke that ends “I don’t have to outrun the bear/snake/shark; I just have to outrun you.”
Yeah, same here. If I ever encountered a rattler, my curiosity would likely override my fear.
My mother was rattled at by a snake in the woods when she was a teenager. She’s had a snake phobia ever since.
It’s definitely rattlesnake season here in the Sacramento Valley and surrounding foothills. Grew up in the foothills encountered quite a few. Killed one in my garage with a shovel. Took his head off. I was probably 16 yo. Somewhere I have a picture of me holding a dead, headless, 3 ft rattler.
If you read through this list, it’s noteworthy that in all the deaths from snakebites in the most recent entries have been almost half snake handlers being bitten during a religious service, and then refusing medical attention afterwards. Stupid fuckers.
I am going nowhere near there. Ever.
Ecosystem schmecosystem, nuke it from orbit.
See this innocent-looking trash can and recycle bucket? Imagine my surprise when a buzzing sound erupted when I stepped up to toss a coke can in. Look close and you can see a rattler between the can and the white bucket.
Lucky you didn’t kick the bucket!
I’ve never seen a timber rattlesnake in Missouri or Kansas, though I spend plenty of time on rocky hillsides where they must be. I’ve seen multiple copperheads and lots of non-venomous snakes. I scared an Eastern Yellow Bellied Racer off the trail a few weeks ago, first time I had seen one. He rattled his tail in the leaves but he wasn’t fooling me.
A house I used to live in had a ton of little ringneck snakes in the yard, those were neat. Unfortunately mowed over several as they would hunt in clumps of grass or piles of leaves. That house had a black snake living in the basement too. It had an old rock foundation, and every once in a while we’d find a shed skin on top of it. Never saw the snake, though.
I’ve never killed a snake, but if I found a venemous one under my shed or in the woodpile hunting ground squirrels for example, I would have to consider it. I have a 2 year-old to think about. If it was just the older ones I’d probably just tell them to stay away.
More scary snake news from India. Woman bitten by viper, then she nursed her infant. Both died.
In my opinion, education, early in life is the way to deal with snakes.While in the nuke it from orbit or total fear, anyone near you i in grave danger.
Amazing numbers of people kill or kill others when a bee or wasp gets into a car in motion.
Pays to know who you are riding with.
Wasp in a small Cessna . He was going to kill us all. I objected to that… violently.
Your reaction may vary… 
How could the mother not have known she was bitten?
StG
Small viper, small teeth, maybe barefoot walking on rough ground where an occasional pinch is ignored? How do people not know a tick has bitten?
Some years ago I read in a herp magazine an article about venomous snake bites. It was written by an ER doc in Tucson; he said the most common factors were testosterone and alcohol and the most common bite location was the thumb.
