Timber rattler stopped work briefly. The hired man and I were at the neighbors filling silo and he spotted the snake while shuttling a chopper box. He called me and I brought the rest of the work crew to take a look. They used to be plentiful, but don't see many anymore. The state has them protected now.

It was not near any buildings or causing any trouble, so we left it alone.

Good sized rattler!

Yikes. I didn't know WI had them. I guess that would mean southern MN has them too?

That ought to keep rats, squirrels and chipmunks out of the grain.

Yes Minnesota has them in the southeast part of the state.

Protected or not, I'd have killed that sucker.

Good that you let it live.

It will keep a number of them out, but snakes like this don't eat frequently enough to singly control a pressing rodent population. It will take a few other snakes, an owl or two, and some other smaller predators to control a bunch of hungry invaders..

Cool looking snake. Glad that there are still some around in Wisconsin.

Oh sure, southwest Wisconsin on and near the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers is perfect habitat for them. For decades there was a bounty paid on them. $1.00/adult, $.25/baby. The bounty was discontinued in 1975.

I have encountered them several times and only killed one, and that was an accident. I was coming down a hill road and on a curve ran one over. Took it over to an old trapper/fisherman and he skinned it and tanned it. On his suggestion, I keep it in good shape with WD-40.



There are "swamp rattlers", Massasauga nearby in the river bottoms, but I never encountered one,

I agree, that is a good size one! Looks to have been eating well!

Once again, I agree with this Kingston fella and his pink avatar.

Not a total solution, but like that assassin bug that eats flies....................most anything that eats rats and mice is my friend

Geno

Not my picture...

Good looking snake skin, but that doesn't look like any timber rattler I have ever seen.

I wish I knew how many Leo's would recognize that skin on a hat band.

The feds like to dump them out by the box loads around communities in deep SE Texas. One fellow lost 12 meat goats and killed several before finding out WTH was going on.

Several people bitten and good dogs dead too around Clute and that area from what I've been told.

IMHO, that is the skin of a Diamond Back rattler, either Eastern or Westen.

Timbers have very different markings, as can be seen in the first post and in the post with a timber eating a squirrel.

https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/crohor.htm

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/e/eastern-diamondback-rattlesnake/

Yes that is a Western Diamondback or possibly a Prairie Rattler of some sort, not a Timber Rattler skin by the snow shoes.

Protected in PA doesn't mean you can't possess or kill; it means they are regulated would be a better term. Buy a fishing license, then buy a Venomous Snake Permit, then catch/kill a male Timber Rattler at least 42 inches long. I think they are a "Species of Concern" or "Declining" is the state-wide designation with "Threatened" in parts. They are plentiful here.

What kind of snow shoes do Timber Rattler's use?

This is all very interesting, if it is true what you are saying, I gave a snake to the old trapper and about six months later he gives me a diamondback. I can't question him about now, he died back in 1996 or 97.

Rats, squirrels, chipmunks, and ME!

Healthy ,fat bastard!!!

roundoak,

Well, I can now scratch off your neck of the woods in my hunting land search.

We have more than our fair share of them in SW Miss.

How do you feel about cougars and wolves?

I can easily coexist with them but I'd be watching my back using a rabbit-in-distress call with the danged cats around. LOL

Did someone say cougars!

That's an ugly rug. Rusty

Those are beautiful snakes.

It would sure make a great hat band.

Glad I never fell for that, "A snake can only strike half its length BS. Glad i didnt step by that rock in tenner shoes, too.

I have a friend who has a pair of boots made out of timber rattler hide..

That thing gave me the heebie jeebies! Yuck!