Went for my morning walk and found a rattle snake in the bar ditch which someone had run over. Whoever ran over it crushed the head and it managed to get to the ditch.

It had 17 rattles, 8 pairs and 1 button and measured 57 inches from tip of the nose to the end of the tail.

Is that large for East Texas and how many rattles are considered a lot? We rarely see rattle snakes in Leon County or they are rare for me to find.

More than likely, you have the rattles from a Canebrake or Timber Rattler which are protected and illegal to possess. Don't think diamondback rattlesnakes are native to Leon County.

That's what I was thinking. But, he didn't say he removed them.

Yes, that would be a large rattler for either species (Western Diamondback or Canebrake/Timber). About the upper limit if a Timber Rattler (protected) and pretty big for a Western Diamondback from Central Texas to it's Eastward boundaries, not especially large around South Texas.

As for rattles, 8-12 with button on end would not be uncommon, more than that and they are easily broken off.

I met an old rancher from Kent county Sunday. Showed me a pic of one a ranch hand had killed on his place. It was 7’ long! Was crazy big. I liked that guy, he was cool and country. Told me his place was small, only 12 sections, lol. Said his neighbors were 280 and 300 sections.

Did you get a pic?

I've killed 4 snakes in the past three weeks in Menard County, and NONE of them had a single rattle!

That's another reason I hate them, don't always get a warning. I just went down and looked at a 52" I have tanned, and it only has 4 and a button. That's a real adult snake with many shed seasons, but not much for rattles. Sometimes they just break off when they shed, or get in a tussle with a meal they are messing with. If they get wet in a sudden thunderstorm, I have watched them whip that tail like mad, and it is soft and doesn't make any noise.

Yeah, only 12 Sq. miles...........poor fella.

I guess it's all relative.

Yes that’s a very big canebrake rattler. About as big as they come.

Not sure I know what that means, but I'll take a guess, It had 8 rattles and either a button or busted rattle.

Agreed....if it was a Canebrake. OP never said. Western Diamond is not listed as having been identified in Leon County (cursory search) BUT Robertson country (bordering Leon) has both.

http://www.birdsandherps.com/bvsnakes/

In either case....a large snake. You KNOW a Canebrake that length (if in good health) would have quite a girth to it as well.

Pretty sure someone is stretching the truth about the neighbors...

Last name wasn't Maben was it?

Interesting that the old rancher from Kent would mention the size of his ranch. Around here, it's considered uncool to tell folks the size of your ranch, and very uncool for a person to ask about the size! I guess it's just the locals of German descent who don't ask and don't tell how big their property is.

Did you know Emmitt Schmidt?

never say never

I don’t think so, but he said his neighbor was the Beggs. Does that ranch ring a bell?

They have IIRC three ranches in that area and I hunted next to one that was around 25,000 or maybe a little more. That was north of Jayton.
http://www.beggscattleco.com/history.htm