Grandma comes over and says she saw a snake by the culvert where the dogs like to play in the water.
She thought it was a copperhead, but he slithered under the rocks.
So I don my snake boots and grab my trusty Mossberg 500E 410 with the 28" barrel.
She shows me where, and I carefully approach the rocks..thinking we might have a copperhead. I sloooowly reach down and quick-flip over the flat rock where she said he was. Sure enough, a snake..but he bolted down into the other rocks with lightning speed. I could tell though he wasn't a copper, but he did look like a timber rattler.
I tell Grandpa to get some gas and pour some down the hole he bolted into, while I waited on the downhill side. Might flush him out.
And it did. After about 20 seconds he comes flying out of the rocks and heads down the dirt for the water-escape. That's when I capped him. He was fast. Hit him with the first shot, missed on the second going for the head. He never stayed still long enough to for sure ID him as a Timber. But he was about to get away, I hadta take the shot.
All the Timbers I've seen around here are very bright in their markings, and usually don't bolt with such speed. But this one is dull, he doesn't have much of the pit viper head, and no rattles. I'm still fairly certain he is a timber rattler, young one?, but can't say with absolute certainty.
She thought it was a copperhead, but he slithered under the rocks.
So I don my snake boots and grab my trusty Mossberg 500E 410 with the 28" barrel.
She shows me where, and I carefully approach the rocks..thinking we might have a copperhead. I sloooowly reach down and quick-flip over the flat rock where she said he was. Sure enough, a snake..but he bolted down into the other rocks with lightning speed. I could tell though he wasn't a copper, but he did look like a timber rattler.
I tell Grandpa to get some gas and pour some down the hole he bolted into, while I waited on the downhill side. Might flush him out.
And it did. After about 20 seconds he comes flying out of the rocks and heads down the dirt for the water-escape. That's when I capped him. He was fast. Hit him with the first shot, missed on the second going for the head. He never stayed still long enough to for sure ID him as a Timber. But he was about to get away, I hadta take the shot.
All the Timbers I've seen around here are very bright in their markings, and usually don't bolt with such speed. But this one is dull, he doesn't have much of the pit viper head, and no rattles. I'm still fairly certain he is a timber rattler, young one?, but can't say with absolute certainty.
