Anyone here know how prevalent rattlesnakes are in Highlands County?

I had a snake inside one of my walls - since November it made rattle sounds whenever I walked around the kitchen. Finally, I guess it died because last week the noises stopped. I had no idea rattlesnakes were here in this area. It would have been really small, maybe more than one, that got into my walls around Thanksgiving. With no food or water it lasted several months.

I’ve seen a few rattlesnakes. A few years back, I killed one in Leisure Lakes that was about as long as the one in the paper, over six feet but it didn’t have the girth of that one. After reading the article, I wish I’d taken a closer look at those fangs. It had 10 or 11 rattles as I recall. My dog alerted me to it by barking at some palmetto bushes. Fortunately, she had the instinct not to get too close. They can be surprisingly loud when threatened. I killed it with a shotgun. A kid came by on a bicycle and asked me if I was going to eat it. He said someone in his family ate them. I gave it to him after cutting the rattles off and taking a few pictures.

Seems like I cut off the head too. You’ve got to be careful with the fangs even when the snake is dead. Sorry to you wildlife lovers but to me if its a snake and it rattles its a target.

Since the one in my house is between the walls, it will disintegrate with time. I agree - snake a target - how it got into the walls is a mystery, as the house is sealed up tight with weatherstripping, but the snake rattled almost 3 months with no food and no water.

Where I live rattlesnakes are prevalent. I border state preserve property and I think rattlesnakes come onto my property from there.

I’ve shot three of them, plus a water snake I mistook for a rattler.

I’d leave them alone, but when they come up in my main yard by the house, that I can’t abide. My wife has two small dogs and we just can’t risk having them bitten by a rattler, nor ourselves, for that matter.

The below two photos show the first and largest of the rattlers I shot and killed.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1092923168042496162mRKDay

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/1093005039042496162XceZMM

Snakes, bugs and gators.  It’s Florida.  Accept it.

Walt,
Cool pictures. Your concerns were mine as well. It would be awful to just let it go on in the neighborhood and later have a family member, neighbor, or pet get bitten by one. Unfortunately, as our population grows and land is developed the habitat for our wildlife shrinks and these encounters inevitably occur.

wassup - 21 January 2008 12:28 PM

Walt,
Cool pictures. Your concerns were mine as well. It would be awful to just let it go on in the neighborhood and later have a family member, neighbor, or pet get bitten by one. Unfortunately, as our population grows and land is developed the habitat for our wildlife shrinks and these encounters inevitably occur.

Yes, when 7 footers start slithering up near the house, I just can’t take chances.

rattlesnake daddy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2q3eTObNiUU