1 less rattlesnake!

[Blkpwdrbuff]

Yep!!!!

[Adam Helmer]

I never advocate breaking the law, but as a retired LEO, I know we have a more harmonious outcome when we lay aside a page or two of the lawbook when common sense makes things better. Have I ever let a first offender go? Yes, because a stupid quick decision should not haunt a kid forever.

SSS is "shoot, shovel and shutup" and that may be a good thing in the scheme of things.
Whacking a "protected rattler" to ensure kids can play safely in their backyard seems prudent to many parents. Would they also remove a hornet's nest on the swingset?

Laws are supposed to reflect the will of the people, per my high school government class. Unfortunately, some "tree huggers" get laws put in place far from their luxury apartments.

I will put some of this in my January 21, 2024 sermon.

Be well.

Adam

[Electrod47]

Here's something interesting, back in the mid-90's I'm working for Cargill in our North Star Steel division building a green field mill out side Kingman AZ at 3,500 ft elevation a desert environment. The main melt shops cavernous structure is about finished with rail tracks in for the for the adjacent scrap yard and crane gantry to feed the melt shop. Finally the deep trench is to be cut for loading the scrap buckets that by scrap car enter that cavernous structure. Giant back hoe comes in and starts to notch it out, third cut and out spills "Hundreds" of full size coon tail rattlers. It was early winter and they were piled atop one another several feet deep hibernating. Thank goodness they were sluggish. I watched 980 rubber tire dozers run over a hundred of them at once. They were every where inside the building for weeks we would stumble over more.
We had archeologist's monitor our work because of artifacts being unearthed (that's another story) Even a year after construction during melting and casting operations were in full swing, I encountered a rattler underneath the caster, next to the red hot billet run out table in broad daylight! Archeologist (however you spell it) said upon looking at the wrecked den when it all first went down. That the snake den was probably been used for a 1000 years.

[Hillbillyhunter]

I know that snakes occupy an important rung on the food chain and keep rodents in check, but I'm of the opinion that the only good snake is a dead snake. And that's especially true with the venomous variety. Good work.

[atfsux]

Living here in Arizona, in a rural area, I have had to deal with buzzworms (that's the old cowboy slang for rattlers). I know how to coexist with them and how to safely remove them to other habitats. But it is my dogs I worry about. Fortunately, there is training available for them to teach them that snakes are painful and to stay away from them. It is an investment I don't mind spending on. A lot cheaper than a vet bill or the misery of losing a loved pet.

I too was raised to kill them wherever encountered, but I have evolved to better understanding.

Y'all might be entertained and educated by a YouTube channel called RattlesnakeSolutions, which is a rattler pest control service based in the Phoenix metro area that does removal of snakes. They often film their encounters and try to educate folks about snakes.

[Skipper]

My Grandfather used to shoot any snake he came across. His saying was "if it doesn't have rattles...it's a Cobra."

[jsizemore]

In the 60's there was a fella south of us that paid $10/foot for rattle snakes. He'd milk them for antivenom. The cattle farmers didn't mind us youngins getting rid of them in their pastures or land they leased. Minimum wage was 95cents/hour. Didn't take long to figure out where the money is. Just got to make sure they's alive when you deliver them! 3 foot snake could pay the rent for a month or you could have a big time from a 6 footer.

[TNsailorman]

One of the Navy guys years ago told us about high school boys earning good money shooting cotton mouth water moccassins in the swamps around the North Carolina and South Carolina borders. The tobacco farmers paid ( I believe he said) $.25 for each dead water moccassin. He said most of the boys used little 410 single barrels which they could buy cheap and also ammo for the 410 was cheap back then also, unlike today. james