Rattler

Swamprat

Swamprat
Saw this beauty today while working. He was about 5 - 5 1/2 feet. I was about 8 feet away when I took the pic. looks like it had just shed cause his skin was pretty clean and vivid.

He lived another day...no use killing it. He wasn't bothering me and I wasn't gonna bother him
 

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rip18

Senior Member
Boy, he is a pretty one! Thanks for sharing!
 

Nicodemus

The Recluse
Staff member
I don`t see near as many diamondbacks as I used too. Nice pic, Scott!
 

Swamprat

Swamprat
I don`t see near as many diamondbacks as I used too. Nice pic, Scott!

Thanks, pretty much nowadays if they are of any size they get a free pass cause you just hardly see them anymore. In the last 5 years I have probably gotten 20 that were 5 feet or more out of the roads by either a shovel or big stick.

Would rather flop them off in the woods or the ditch than have somebody run over them. Last one I killed was about 3 years ago down by the house, my wife would see it just about every morning while walking, sometimes the kids and dogs would go to and it hid out in a Johnson grass patch that they walked by on the road. It was close to 6 foot, I finally caught up to him one morning and put a 22 right behind the eyes.

The two guys working with me wanted to kill it and I said no. They asked why and I told them, my crew, my rules. It ain't bothering nobody and it was dang near a mile to the closest house.
 

Roberson

Senior Member
Glad ya'll didn't surprise each other. Sometimes they ain't real sociable......
 

Swamprat

Swamprat
Glad ya'll didn't surprise each other. Sometimes they ain't real sociable......

Actually when we first saw him he was stretched out across a two trail. We pulled over and he eventually crawled across and went under a barb wire fence. He was actually stretched out on the other side until he somehow noticed us and went into the coil position, that is when I snapped the pic.

He never rattled once, have seen a bunch coil up and never rattle.
 

Swamprat

Swamprat

Swamprat

Swamprat
Makes sense, I thought your avatar was Washington County, Ga. I had just never seen one in that county.

Nope says Washington County, Florida. Thanks for asking though.
 

carver

Senior Member
Thanks, pretty much nowadays if they are of any size they get a free pass cause you just hardly see them anymore. In the last 5 years I have probably gotten 20 that were 5 feet or more out of the roads by either a shovel or big stick.

Would rather flop them off in the woods or the ditch than have somebody run over them. Last one I killed was about 3 years ago down by the house, my wife would see it just about every morning while walking, sometimes the kids and dogs would go to and it hid out in a Johnson grass patch that they walked by on the road. It was close to 6 foot, I finally caught up to him one morning and put a 22 right behind the eyes.

The two guys working with me wanted to kill it and I said no. They asked why and I told them, my crew, my rules. It ain't bothering nobody and it was dang near a mile to the closest house.

good for you.
 

wvdawg

Moderator
Staff member
Nice capture!
 

GAranger1403

Senior Member
Outstanding find and way to go letting it be! Mainland EDB's are actually more endangered than some animals on threatened or endangered species lists but will probably never see any protection. They are extremely hard to find throughout much of their range. People think if they see 4-5 a year that they are eat up with them. The fact is that mainland populations number around 1 snake for every 20-50 acres of good habitat, that is scary low! Protected populations such as those on Sapelo, Ossabaw, and Blackbeard islands can have population density levels of 2-3 snakes per acre! I personaly (with 2 other people) have caught 24 in one day on Georgia's barrier islands. That is more than I have seen in the last 5 years on the mainland, and I wrangle between 800-1200 snakes per year!

Again, great shot but more importantly great move letting it be!
 

bigbarrow

Senior Member
You accidently step on him one day and i dont think he is gonna give you a free pass.
 
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