Saved from the mower

[Thumbcocker]

Almost hit this little guy. Relocated him to a nearby creek. He seems pretty happy. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210720/7a7ad44df5341e14303c631871636357.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20210720/e87ddb726ac3ed1c0d696493d67053b6.jpg

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[bedbugbilly]

You are a good person Mr. Thumbcocker!

[CastingFool]

I was mowing today and almost hit two garter snakes. Of course, they were wriggling like mad to get out of the way, but I hit the brakes hard anyway. They successfully relocated themselves.

[bakerjw]

You got my wife's blessing for the day. She loves turtles and we watch out for them always.
Good job!

[richhodg66]

I always stop and help them across the road when I see them.

Wife used to wonder about me, but I'd stop the lawn mower if I saw a toad hopping in the yard and go to great lengths to get it to a safe spot. Those little guys eat a third of their body weight in insects every day, I'm told. Anything that consumes mosquitoes is my friend.

[Hogtamer]

I have not seen a garter snake in years.

[Land Owner]

Last year, while bush hogging, I saw Mr. Jackrabbit run away from the tractor. I had not seen a rabbit there in 5 years! I immediately changed my plan while Hobby Farming to allow for rows of untouched weeds in the field to give Mr. Rabbit a chance to grow a family.

Yesterday, while driving the PU through the field prior to bush hogging, Mr. Rabbit went hopping by reminding me to Be Kind and not bush hog his "land rights". I'll give the guy a break too...

[bakerjw]

My son and I were pulling the fabric from my boat's bimini yesterday. It had been leaning up against the garage. About half way through the process, I saw something move and immediately realized what it was. I said something like "Hey there fella." and my son knew something was in there. It was a 5 lined skink. A large one. It scrambled back and forth in the folds as I tried to catch it but eventually made it ground where it scurried off.
I save toads, frogs, snakes and other critters all the time.

[William Yanda]

You got my wife's blessing for the day. She loves turtles and we watch out for them always.
Good job!

What he said. My wife carries a snow shovel in the summer to help relocate the Snappers. I contributed a Hi-Viz vest to her kit.

[Gator 45/70]

A cotton mouth will fight a mower.
The biggest single killer of baby wild rabbits is the bush-hog.

[Thumbcocker]

I have read that if you wait till September, at least in the Midwest, to bush hog you won't hit the young critters.

[cwtebay]

My 14 year old son ran his first fawn through the swather this year. I hate that it happens, but have never heard of an effective method to get them to leave the tall hay. And they are next to impossible to see or avoid.

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[GregLaROCHE]

It’s good to leave a bit of brush here and there, for the wildlife that was there before us.

[1hole]

A cotton mouth will fight a mower.
The biggest single killer of baby wild rabbits is the bush-hog.

The ONLY wild thing I've ever seen go into attack mode against humans is a cotton mouth. From close up bears, bulls, linx, shark, to rattlers and copper heads, the ill-tempered cotton mouth snake is the only critter that has made a move towards me and they've done it several times; one was just a 15 incher swimming in a shallow Santee-Cooper swamp.

[45DUDE]

I have a 25x25 woodpile that I put dead limbs on year round and has never been burnt in 30 years. Birds turtles rabbits and night crawlers. Even the snappers have a pool and don't get bothered.

[444ttd]

there is a box turtle or two every 2 - 3 years, that comes into my yard. i have 3 or 4 eastern american toads that come out at nite. garter and black snakes, we see every year. 3 or 4 years ago, dekay’s brown snakes came into my yard. there is 3 or 4 rabbits, grey and red squirrels, tho i haven't seen the chipmunks lately. i have a groundhog or two in my backyard. i thought they(groundhogs) died out in my area. there used to be many great horned owls right across my road, but my neighbor(RIP) select cut the trees they nest in. the owls moved off, but still in my hunting area.

[Gator 45/70]

The ONLY wild thing I've ever seen go into attack mode against humans is a cotton mouth. From close up bears, bulls, linx, shark, to rattlers and copper heads, the ill-tempered cotton mouth snake is the only critter that has made a move towards me and they've done it several times; one was just a 15 incher swimming in a shallow Santee-Cooper swamp.

I still have knots on my head trying to get away from 1 charging me while I was under a 57 Ford checking the driveshaft.

[ruger1980]

I clipped a painted turtle with the mower, probably ten yrs or more ago in the yard. Grass was deep and didn't see it until too late. It just sliced the upper shell a little. She is till around as I see her most every year laying eggs in the garden or in the loose stuff above our driveway. She still has the scar on her back.

[Land Owner]

Driving my 42" width belly mower lawn tractor while cutting the hunting property driveway edge a very large diamondback rattler, nearly 6.5 feet in length with 14 rattles, decided it wanted to "ride" with me and started climbing aboard! While sitting in the seat with feet raised almost above my head I ran a magazine of 200 gr. 45 cal. semi-auto hollow points through it to "dissuade it" from boarding.

[1hole]

I clipped a painted turtle with the mower, probably ten yrs or more ago in the yard. Grass was deep and didn't see it until too late. It just sliced the upper shell a little. She is till around as I see her most every year laying eggs in the garden or in the loose stuff above our driveway. She still has the scar on her back.

My previous home had two small ponds about 200 yards apart and the turtles swapped pools quite a bit. I didn't have time to keep it mowed as well as I wished so the grass sometimes got a foot high.
Over the 25 years we lived on that ten acres of country, my three blade 46" riding mower deck made convertibles out of a couple dozen migrating hardtop snapper turtles; I hated that but didn't mind at all that I also segmented a few copperheads.

I really miss that country place. Having my own 100 yd. firing range and very stable (concrete top on power pole legs) shooting bench AND a big workshop was great but it's all gone now; getting old, easily over-loaded and puny sucks. (Yeah, yeah, okay, I know; I'm truly thankful to still be alive while most goofy ol' guys my age aren't. :violin::violin::violin:)

[bedbugbilly]

We lived on the back of the farm for 45 years - sold and moved to town 4 years ago. At the old place, for years, we had a large snapping turtle that would come up out of the swamp every year and lay her eggs - unfortunately, the coons would find where she laid them and usually dig them up - often wondered just how many out of a laying would/could actually survive and hatch. I guess nature has its own pecking order though. I kept about 5 acres mowed but always allowed some areas of tall grass for the cpttontail bunnies and other small critters - also had a spot where I would pile up dead fall from the woods and lots of God's creatures called it "home". One time I was using the old 8N with a 5 foot mower on the back to mow weeds and get the thistles down in one of the pastures - I made a swath and for some reason looked back in time to see a beautiful skunk hightailing it out of where Ijsut mowed - fortunately, I didn't hurt it but it was as eager to get away from me as I was to get away from him!

[Bmi48219]

Our homestead in rural Mi. had a 3/4 acre pond. Early on my wife made it her mission to rescue ANY turtle she saw on the road. She insisted I show her how to grasp a snapper while keeping her thumbs intact. One snapper she ‘rescued’ had a shell 14 inches long. Had a box and my welding gloves in her car so she could give them a lift back to our pond.
On a sunny day there’d be literally dozens of turtles catching some rays along the back side of the pond.
To this day she still will attempt to rescue any turtle in the road.

[Handloader109]

I had several frogs this spring I relocated from my front yard while mowing along with a box turtle. Got a couple of turtles that make the crossing every so often.

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[DanM]

I have always liked all critters and especially snakes since growing up in the south Kendall area well below Miami Fl.
we would sometimes catch a really nice Indigo and carry it to the Serpentarium for use in their school demos.
Unfortunately, my red nose pit bull is a compulsive snake killer. It doesn't matter what kind, Garter, Green Grass, Black,
or Copperhead, he whips them so fast that they almost break in two. He is a really sweet dog otherwise, and my good riding buddy,
but any snake crossing my yard doesn't stand a chance when Butchy is on patrol.