It’s Snake Season Again!

Found this 11-rattle dude snuggled up to our hen house, probably staying warm overnight. At this time of year they are waking from hibernation and hungry! Here are some tips I’ve gathered over the years, add your own in the comments below.

• Short grass is the best prevention.
• Not all snakes are rattlers, and most are “good” snakes. So be sure you only kill the actual rattlesnakes. Gopher snakes in particular look a lot like rattlers, but are actually competitors for the same food sources. King snakes actually kill rattlers! The more gopher and king snakes you have on your property, the fewer rattlers you will have.
• A shovel works great to dispatch most rattlers. For bigger ones, I prefer the working distance of a 20 gauge shotgun with #7 birdshot.
• Snakes like to hide under things. We had a dog get bit (she lived) when we flipped over a board. So keep stuff picked up and help your dogs keep their distance when you investigate their barking.
• The snake’s jaws will still work long after you might assume it to be dead. So dispose of it in a way that protects yourself and your animals. I read somewhere that most snakebites to people are actually the result of idiocy – poking the snake with a stick or playing with the body.
• If you prefer not to kill rattlers in the Diamond XX, it is also acceptable to capture them, put them in a burlap bag, drive them at least 50 miles East of Tonopah, NV, and release them.

For your reference, here are some pictures of some snakes common to our area: