Lookie what Chuck found

[chuck33]

OK so I am up here in E. Oklahoma doing training at Camp Gruber (about 12 miles south east of Muskogee) and you know with us out here for a month it was only a matter of time before I found a snake, And danm did I find a big one!!! I mean this timber rattler was every bit of 20 pounds. He had a full belly of a possom I would guess. He was just as big as the thickest part of my forearm. So here are the pics I took of it.

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/chuck_33/hot%20snakes/HPIM4412.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/chuck_33/hot%20snakes/HPIM4409.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/chuck_33/hot%20snakes/HPIM4410.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/chuck_33/hot%20snakes/HPIM4411.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/chuck_33/hot%20snakes/HPIM4413.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/chuck_33/hot%20snakes/HPIM4416.jpg
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g223/chuck_33/hot%20snakes/HPIM4415.jpg

I let him go in the woods about 100 yards from where we were. Defanitly a big and healthy snake.

Chuck

[kahunadog]

Thats one nice looking snake there Chuck. The First guy with you has this "Im tough as hell" look on his face but a "I aint so sure about this shit" grip on the snake. The second guy just like he is sure about it at all!! LOL Nice pictures.

[Medusa]

Is that normal for its tail to be black? It looks cool!

[The Snake Guru]

Damn look at that beauty!

That's one awesome snake! And such beautiful color!

~B~

[lorenmps]

That's no joke right there Chuck. Nice find!!!

[Richard_G]

Very nice I haven't been lucky enough to find any this season. In these here parts they call them velvet tails. It took me three years what the hell the natives were talking about.

[kahunadog]

I haven't been lucky enough to find any this season.

Me either. Only difference is Im glad. LOL

[The Snake Guru]

Me either. Only difference is Im glad. LOL

You pansey!:baby: LOL Just kidd'n man.

~B~

[Richard_G]

I have found that they don't relocate easily. A guy I was building a house for a few years ago had a den litteraly 20 yards from his front door. It was early spring and I collected what I could and releaased them at our farm hoping they would establish there and haven't seen them since. The guy has since destroyed the den site I tried to save them.

[Jasonisgolden]

That thing is bad ass. I caught a rattler at the beginning of the summer but deff didnt pick it up with my hands. Brad the hooks deff came in handy there. It was near the pool at my apt. so I figured I would bring it somewhere pets and kids werent running around. But yea, didnt hold it lol

[burmlover16]

thats awesome!!!! definatly a nice size one!

[The Snake Guru]

Brad the hooks deff came in handy there.

That's what they are for....keeping yourself out of harms way! Glad they came in handy though!

~B~

[Basil]

Lucky find! It's a beautiful rattler. I have yet to find any this year.

[chuck33]

This is the first rattler I found this year. I did find a copperhead in Lousiana, but didn't have my camera. I was lucky to have my camera when we found this guy. And he lived to fight another day. Some of these guys wanted to kill it and skin it. I prevented that and I think some of the guys ended up learning a few things from it, and some having a new found respect for them since they got to get up close and personal with them.

Chuck

[Swordsman]

Huge timber! Glad to hear you kept people from killing it. I wonder if Ben Franklin had succeed in making it our national symbol, if people would treat it with more respect? Great find!


:fencing:

[carpondro17]

Nice snake!!
He looks big and fat looks like hes doing a good job at surviveing LOL
Awsome colors on him. Good job relocateing him.

[SnakeGirl]

Medusa, since everyone else seems to be ignoring your question, I'll answer it. ;) Yes, it is normal for a timber rattler's tail to be black.

Chcuk, that is one awesome catch! Glad to see it safely relocated as well. People just really don't realize the impact it has on timbers to kill even one. The females usually only reproduce once every 3-4 years, and they don't begin breeding until they are 8 years old. Even if that one was a male, if he had been killed, whatever female he might have bred with might not have mated this year. And that means a huge loss to the timbers. They truly are some magnificent creatures with beautiful patterns, not to mention all of the ecological benefits they provide (like controlling rats/disease).

Sorry guys, I've been to Rainforest Adventures again and all of this stuff on timbers is still fresh in my mind. :D

[Pugz]

wooow that is a great find !!!!!! I went to NERD a couple of months ago and went on there tour. they had about 8 of them they are trying to breed them in captivity. kevin said he caught them him self. so I asked him if he was breeding to profit from them he said yes and I thought that was BS. because they are on the endagered list here in the northeast. he then said he would not try to help the wild population. Bull sh%t oh and he orders wild caught bp from a supplier in africa

[mcem]

Chuck - Great find!!! That one sure is a beauty!! Hopefully come end of summer - early fall I'll be able to find some myself!!

Pugz - Interesting info you passed along. I find it funny that they are TRYING to breed them...are they too small? They are not hard to breed. It's disheartening to hear they aren't concerned for wild populations, those are the animals that truly matter.

[Pugz]

he had one of size but the others were maybe about a foot long
it just irritates my that someone who loves animals so much won't help wild population