Brown snake outside my driveway.

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Tom O'Bedlam

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Yeah, I'm not a big fan either hah. But, I see them quite often at work. They are just part of working on undeveloped ranch land in a Texas. I can tell you that I have never got used to or comfortable around them. They still get my adrenaline pumping.

We've had lots of rain (relatively for Texas anyway) the past couple of years. That is good for vegetation, which in turn is good for rodents. So the snakes have been well fed and growing recently. The smallest one we saw yesterday was about 3-feet long. Most were around 4 feet, and we saw on big hoss mama that was closer to 5 feet. The 4-footers, like the bigger one in the pics I posted above, were as big around as a beer can. Big mofos!

Maybe I should send a couple over to @Splint to remind him of Texas :D
I've lived in Texas my entire life and never seen a live on in the wild (KNOCK ON FUCKING WOOD), but, I know they are everywhere. Someone killed one on their doorstep not too long ago here my neighborhood in Austin.

Where in Texas were you?
 

Grateful Dude

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I've lived in Texas my entire life and never seen a live on in the wild (KNOCK ON FUCKING WOOD), but, I know they are everywhere. Someone killed one on their doorstep not too long ago here my neighborhood in Austin.

Where in Texas were you?
Austin. Howdy neighbor.
 

Rambo John J

Baker Team
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Sounds like a good plan to me. A shotgun will definitely do the trick. We're hardly ever able to carry firearms at work, so I usually use a shovel or a rock lol
ya my dad will still use a shovel also, good move if you strike accurately and decisively ...but I am encouraging him to use the gun for hard to get ones
 

Tom O'Bedlam

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I misread your last post, thought you were asking where I was located in Tx (Austin). Those snakes were in cedar park, just north of FM 1431
Ah ok. There was a lady got her dog bit down in Circle C park (deep southwest austin) a month or so back.

I used to live out by Anderson Mill and 183 and managed the Pluckers in cedar Park back in '08.

I used to get crazy invites to the Sweetwater rattlesnake roundup but never went because I found out they don't kill the snakes, they capture the snakes.


Fuuuuuuck that.
 

Grateful Dude

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ya my dad will still use a shovel also, good move if you strike accurately and decisively ...but I am encouraging him to use the gun for hard to get ones
A shovel or a steel rock bar were my weapons of choice. But yeah, a shotty is way safe. I've definitely missed on the first swingbefore and then had to recover position lol. Gets that adrenaline pumping fo sho
 

Tom O'Bedlam

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A shovel or a steel rock bar were my weapons of choice. But yeah, a shotty is way safe. I've definitely missed on the first swingbefore and then had to recover position lol. Gets that adrenaline pumping fo sho
My adrenaline started pumping just reading that and looking at those pics lol.
 

Tom O'Bedlam

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Hah. I've got videos on my phone but can't figure out how to post them here. Those would really get ya going ;)
Even Texans who have never encountered one in the wild know that sound.

I remember the first time I saw one at a zoo... I never realized how THICK of a body they have. Outside of the length, their bodies are so fucking big. Excuse me for a moment, I'm gonna go cry in a corner while I think about it.
 

Grateful Dude

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Ah ok. There was a lady got her dog bit down in Circle C park (deep southwest austin) a month or so back.

I used to live out by Anderson Mill and 183 and managed the Pluckers in cedar Park back in '08.

I used to get crazy invites to the Sweetwater rattlesnake roundup but never went because I found out they don't kill the snakes, they capture the snakes.


Fuuuuuuck that.
Yeah, they're still possible at places like Circle C. You won't ever see them anywhere that's total urbanized or built out, but places where it's adjacent to green space or conservation/preserve land (like Circle C), you'll find them.

I've worked on the sweetwater ranch, they've definitely got snakes. Are they donating them for anti-venom? Most roundups are slaughters.
 

Tom O'Bedlam

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Yeah, they're still possible at places like Circle C. You won't ever see them anywhere that's total urbanized or built out, but places where it's adjacent to green space or conservation/preserve land (like Circle C), you'll find them.

I've worked on the sweetwater ranch, they've definitely got snakes. Are they donating them for anti-venom? Most roundups are slaughters.
Yeah it used to be a massive thing where everyone went and captured as many snakes as they could. As I understand it many were relocated after being milked.
 

Grateful Dude

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Yeah it used to be a massive thing where everyone went and captured as many snakes as they could. As I understand it many were relocated after being milked.
I'm all for milking, but screw relocating them. Id be pissed if I lived around where they were releasing them. Take them fuckers back where ya got em lol
 

Grateful Dude

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I thought snakes would be hibernating by now. Nights are dropping into 30's and 40's, no?
We had a few nights that low, but it didn't last. The last week or so it's been approaching 80 during the daytime, and 50s at night. Which is plenty warm for them to be active.

I'm not sure if they truly hibernate here or not, the cold winter weather does slow them way down though. But I see many of these in caves, which in the winter are much warmer than the surface temps (~80s in the caves), so they can still be active in the cold weather.