You killed the snake? Isn't there someone who moves the snakes for you?

Rattles in a garden is a very bad situation especially with children or pets around. I'd have done him in as well. It pays to be aware. I almost stepped on a 5 footer last year. I was easily in range but he didn't strike. If you step on one the chances of being bitten are high.

Last year I thought we had a venomous snake, phoned the state Animal services and they offered to come and shoot it for us! as guns scare me more than snakes we politely declined, I have to say I was shocked as this part of CT only has one venomous snake and the CT.gov, lists it as endangered, which is why we phoned, fortunately for all involved, on further investigation, it was harmless. I don't blame you for dispatching it, I will if I did find a harmful one, especially after the pest control advice I got last time!

Best to wear strong shoes and jeans in the garden down there, aye? I spent my childhood barefoot in fla, how I didn't get snakebit it's hard to know.

heather38,
"...and they offered to come and shoot it for us! as guns scare me more than snakes..."
Why the fear of guns? They are nothing more than a tool like a shovel, chainsaw or hammer. Handy for dispatching venomous snakes. Used properly they are no more dangerous than these tools. Used improperly they can be dangerous, as can a chainsaw or a multitude of other tools. Never in the history of mankind has a gun...or chainsaw or shovel or any other tool or implement, caused an accident without being improperly utilized by the operator. All of these tools are just inanimate objects with no will nor ability to do harm.
They're not much use against yellow jackets however! ;-)

If you had let him go, he/she may have bred more giving your yard a huge population. It's nice to be able to let them go, but who will you endanger to handle it, just to get it set free? I wouldn't take the chance myself and I would be to blame if the person moving it got bit and died. I think you did the right thing.

I think you shouldn't feel guilty. We just had a lot of flooding here in Tennessee, and in the waters swishing by the back of the house I was at, I waited for a cotton mouth or other poisonous snake to swim by. Tis the season for them. It isn't a bad thing to give warning for.

We saw small one last season-called Animal control--they said it was just a garden snake, it is against law to kill them in the state of NJ. I had to leave it alone. The word "Snake" itself scares me. This is one of the reasons why I do the container gardening on my deck.
Anna

I guess the big difference between a firearm and other 'tools' is that one rarely hears of young children killing each other by accident with a chainsaw, shovel or hammer that some rocket scientist left lying around loaded.

In rattlesnake country, there is plenty of habitat for them in places where they don't contact people. The ones which take up residence around homes are a safety issue and are expendable.

A couple of good sized garter snakes lived on my property for a few years. I knew where they hung out during the day and I always enjoyed taking a look at them as I passed by. We were no threat to each other. When they disappeared I missed them.

Jim

Tastes like chicken, but all the cartilage is annoying to chew around.

A sharp shovel was by far the preference of everyone I worked with in the Forest Service when we had to clear them out in campground sites. It gave you the reach to be out of striking range and the ability to get a clean kill on the back of the neck if you want the meat or the skin. Shooting at the ground is a good way to cause an unfortunate ricochet.

We have snakes on our property and I don't harm them. Only once have I run into a venomous one on our ground. They are not so plentiful around the house anymore (other than garters or an occasional black snake) because over the years we've cleaned up old dilapidated structures and piles of odds 'n ends they tend to nest in. The eastern copperhead is endangered in some states because people kill them on sight even when they pose no risk.....just on general principles. That's unnecessary. But yeah.......rattlers in garden beds in a state where they are numerous are not acceptable. I'd say I would have relocated it, but to be honest....I'm not going to handle one to move it.

I really don't understand why everyone doesn't look up and familiarize themselves with what their own locality's venomous snakes and insects look like. And I also don't understand why people who live in areas where they might come in to contact with them don't wear suitable protection. I wear knee high boots when I go into our pastureland to pick wild berries. It won't stop one from striking an arm or hand or face however if you don't use caution and make plenty of noise to let them know you are approaching so they can split. But, it would cut down some of the risk.

Yes, kids do sometimes kill or maim each other accidentally with the most unusual objects. I worked in peds nursing and you wouldn't believe what I've seen. As for guns, they are quite safe around anybody if handled responsibly.....like unloaded and locked up when not in use. Probably safer than an automobile.

No worries, I feel no guilt in killing this snake. As I said, while I don't like killing anything, this was not a non-venomous snake. I have two cats, two yorkies, and three horses. We are on twenty acres with large acreage farms and ranches surrounding us. These are not manicured farms....but rough, raw land. If I were to call authorities to "move a baby rattlesnake" they would think it was a prank call.

I have had a five foot long rat snake in my back yard trying to eat fledgings before....I went out with a garden fork and tried repeatedly to fling him over the fence and out of the backyard. He was standing up about 2 feet tall and hissing at me the whole time. They don't have very nice dispositions in the best of situations! LOL! Anyway, finally got him flung out of the yard and haven't seen him since. My point is..... Rat snake=friend, RATTLESNAKE=NOT FRIEND. I LOVE the garter snakes.... They are really beautiful! Would love to have more of them!

I bought a new 22 pistol a few months ago for this purpose but the shovel was there and he was so little..... I didn't like the shovel method and would be hard pressed to use it again....

My female yorkie (5 pounds) was bitten in the face last year in my backyard by a baby rattlesnake. It was the first rattlesnake we had seen on this place in the 13 year that we have lived here. The one in the photo above is the second. Luckily I saw it happen with the yorkie and got her to the vet and on anti-venin within 45 minutes. She was a very sick puppy for over a week. She can not have anti-venin again since she's already had it once. The vet said it was very lucky that I saw it happen and that usually pet owners don't discover their pets have been bitten until after they get home from work or perhaps (for whatever reason) not until hours after it happens....A lot of those pets don't make it.

We all do what we have to do and what we can live with. I just hate it that after 13 years without them around (or at least visible!) that we are having to be wary of them now. I could have easily stepped on the snake and just wanted to remind everyone that we need to always be cautious.

pnbrown, the "rocket scientist" in question was from "animal control". Not sure where you're from if this is true but around here they are trained in the proper use of firearms.
Accidental firearm deaths of children rank way down the list of causes of accidental death in children. #1 being automobile accidents 46.2%, with firearms @ 1.6%. (stats from Center For Disease Control) Truth be told(to use your words) one also rarely hears of "children killing each other" with a firearm though over 4500 per year are killed by irresponsible "rocket scientists" in automobiles.
Any death of a child is a sad tragedy. As a father I cannot imagine the anquish and heartache and unimaginable grief of losing a child. It doesn't matter if by auto accident, firearm accident or snakebite. One accidental firearm death is too many...but likewise one accidental drowning(17.4%) or a single loss by automobile is too many!
But lets not let our "feelings" get in the way of facts and logical or rational thinking.

My apologies to the OP for the hijack of this thread. I was simply pointing out to heather38 that the(proper) use of a firearm to dispatch a snake, especially by a trained professional was nothing to be alarmed about.

before this becomes a gun debate, I just felt it was a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and the safest gun is one my children can't get to :-), so not on my property, I had a scare once at a mums group and there was a loud bang, and the first reaction of the hostess was "oh my god! they have got my gun!" turned out to have been a TV falling off a stand on to her son! (he was fine thankfully just abit shaken) which backs up calliope, the strangest things injure children, she explained she kept the gun loaded in her bedside draw!! she had 3 children under 5, I was glad to see I wasn't the first person to beat a hasty retreat, I have shot in my time and thoroughly enjoyed it, but I liked to leave my gun securely locked away and unloaded. I think really I was a bit shocked that they wanted to kill something that was listed as endangered, seemed a bit odd, to me? but again like a gun, I don't want venomous snakes on my property.
someone else made a good point on snake identification, I took a picture of my snake before I phoned the animal control and examined the photo compared to the pics on the ct.gov site, it's quite tough as turns out our little guy the features are easier to see on the underside, but we left him alone, when we where sure, I think he has met his maker now as I didn't see him for the tail end of the summer, in his little spot on top of my pumpkin.

I thought heather38 might be a gun nut. No? 38. Hmmmm.

The last rattler I killed died by 3 iron.

Thankfully there are no venomous snakes native to my area. About once in 5 years I might see a garter snake but even they don't seem to like this neighborhood. Sad, since there are some mice and rats that like the overgrown foreclosures in the area for them to eat.

I went out in to the garden the other day and I saw a hole about 1/2 around and it went pretty deep in the ground. My DH said it was a snake hole. I went CRAP. Who know when I started gardening there would be the bugs, snakes, bees and now someone saw an alligator in Oklahoma.

What's next? Flying monsters that can tear down buildings!! :)

This is good timing and a good warning to all of us. Two days ago, while reinstalling black plastic to my watermelon patch, I came across a baby copperhead and I dispatched it with a hammer I happened to have close by.
I was fortunate to see it, before it had a chance to do
any damage to me. I like animals as much as anyone does,
but I will not tolerate poisonous critters in my yard.

I tried to kill a snake once, used the shovel, stupid thing wouldnt die and my shovel wasnt sharp enough. running it over with the car didnt faze it either, finally my neighbor came over and shot it. Turns out it wasnt a venomous one. But it was big and scary and had a hole in my flower bed by the front door. I kill spiders too, or try to. Wasps, really anything that could hurt me and has invaded my space. If i had a gun I wouldve used that too. Just because you cant kill something doesnt mean you shouldnt try! lol!

A neighbor has 4 dogs and one of them tangled with a porcupine Friday.

He decided to kill the porcupine and went out with a gun. He accidentally shot himself. Wasn't a young guy, approaching 70, but he didn't make it. End of story.

digitSteve

No not a gun nut :-) the 38 is due to my chronic lack of imagination, as in every username, I tried was taken, when I joined Garden Web and not having a great memory I needed something easy to remember, so my name and age at time of joining :-) now you can work out how old I am! :-( I can now longer pretend to be 21.

BT, I have no issue with gun experts dispatching venomous out-of-place snakes by firearm. I was merely speaking to your comparison of firearms to other 'tools'. Firearms are a thing apart, IME, from chainsaws, shovels, hammers. In fact, a chainsaw is a thing apart from shovels and hammers. I'd let a small child use the latter two (in the right context) but not a chainsaw or other powered tool.

I should think the chainsaw method might prove a bit messy...you know, getting all wrapped up in the chain & all. Ruin perfectly good pieces for wrapping in bacon & serving as appetizers...

I think W.C. Fields said it best:

'I always carry a bottle of whisky in case I get bitten by a snake...which I also carry.' (or words to that effect).

Only snake I have seen this year was a speckled king, I saw one (probably the same one) last year. I was thrilled (wife was not). I may lose a few frogs/toads and some anoles that eat up bugs, but i doubt I'll have the problem of other snakes.

As for killing a snake, a shovel or rake is the best thing. I would never trust someone's judgement to shoot a snake. Just too easy to have an accident.

Snakes I can stand(as long as I don't tell my wife they are around!) Yellow jackets I HATE. Almost every year I find a nest in the ground and I usually find it the hard way. Neighbor sees me busy at some garden chore, then sees me go into some major body contortions with some acrobatics thrown in then add wildly flailing arms ending in a headlong flight across the yard with the arms still flailing about my head... Then he usually comes casually strolling over with a big grin on his face and asks "How's it goin?"
I give them a little kerosene cocktail served at dusk which always gives me satisfaction in sweet vengence.

Guns aren't much good against yellow jackets.(grin)

Any rattler (or other poisonous snake) that doesn't take off or try to get away when a human approaches is a problem snake, imo.

For every one you stumble upon there's a lot more that take off when they sense a large animal is going for their path.

These are the type of snakes that end up screwing up people's curious housepets...or worse.