Another "aggressive" dispatched!

[Peaguy]

What is it with the diamondbacks this year? We dispatched the third aggressive Rattler tonight. This one was by far the biggest. At least 5 foot+, Had 8 rattles and a button, was thick as a 3" pipe... Way too huge for my comfort! Again striking at everything around. Possibly bit one of the small puppies we can't tell We're trying to make sure they are all located and examined but with 4 puppies absolutely carbon copies of each other, we are either rechecking ones we've checked and missing one or two or else no one was bitten thank goodness! I still wouldn't be surprised to find a dead puppy by morning. We had one that went through quite a whining spell This snake was right outside a bedroom window where a bunch of the dogs sleep at night.This is the third aggressive Rattler this season! Last year we never even saw one this year 3 and all striking at anything that moves. Seems odd that they're sooooo aggressive this year.Anyone know why? I hate dispatching the beauties but safety for ourselves and our pets comes first and foremost!

 

[English Chick]

Hi Peaguy, that sent shivers down my spine! How you cope with that type of wildlife is applaudable! Glad we don't have rattlers in the UK......Hope everything is OK with the puppies. Cant even offer any advice as its not something i have ever had to deal with. Glad you are all OK though.

 

[Peaguy]

Thanks Englishchick! I love the colors of the rattlers but they can do so much physical damage whether the poison kills or not there is always permanent scaring and sometimes neurological damage to contend with as an after affect. I have a healthy respect for them and live and let live until they lose that respect for me and mine. Then they become target practice! I'm just glad my roomie is a good shot! Severed the head at the neck with one shot... In the dark with no flashlight charged and usable! Just the ambient light from the bedroom window and sneaky snake was done!
I just got shivers thinking about how big that snake was!Hopefully we'll find all puppies alive and play fighting in the morning!!!! (they usually wake us up with their play fighting yelps and barks...Sometimes much too early in the morning!!)

 

[chickenfanatic]

yup lots of prairie rattlers and diamondbacks down here in the desert southwest to i have seen more this year than in a lonnnng time.

 

[sandspoultry]

Seems like a year for snakes everywhere from what I'm hearing. it's been pretty dry here again this year in NC so maybe that is it? We had one timber rattler in the front yard about 2 months ago that had a full sized squirrel inside it. The copperheads were bad in the spring and early summer but haven't seen any lately.

Steve in NC