I'd be scared the weed eater would throw the snake back at me!

It can, depending upon the rotation. Counter Clockwise would do so.

Same thing with a chainsaw (I learned), when I dispatched a copperhead. The lesson there is use the top of the bar to engage the snake. If you use the bottom it can/will snatch the snake right back around your feet. And Yes...I screamed like a girl!

Flint.

A buddy of mine killed a rattler at the gate of his ranch at 9 a.m.in Spur about 10 days ago. It was 26 degrees and after a couple of days of sleet. Go figure.

I've been going back through some of my hunting pictures lately and found that I have pics of snakes every month of the year, including Jan and Feb. Watch your step on those days when the temps warm up and sun is out.

Here are the pics of the two we saw the week of Thanksgiving.

Hot water heater picture looks pretty scary. He was set up for an ambush and you were the target.

That is a good point but I think the metal blade prevented that. I use that setup to clear the blinds and feeders I knew that I just had to make contact. Straight jab cut it wide open, I watched it squirm while I finished my beer, then I used a rake to drag it out of the carport into the open where I finished it with the 870. It was the length of the handle that sold me, there was a shovel but the handle was not as long.

Or the rats like colt pointed out

I stood beside the door and flung it open with shovel in hand, was expecting to clear the rats before lighting heater. Nothing ran out, when I looked inside there he was. Flung door shut, went inside and retrieved shotgun. I did not want it to slither off to some other hiding spot.

it is alway better safe then sorry the weather as been up and down and all it takes is one 2 warms days and you getting use to not wearing them to get you in to some trouble when i was stationed in GA there was a guy hunting on the runoff from some of the ponds it was cold for 2 weeks then we had a hot weekend he stepped in the the wet grass and got nailed my a moccasin he was lucky he got cells service and the wards were not far I know they have rattlers and moccasins the the fthood area i have seen a small rattler and i caught a moccasin out of still house lake on a rattle trade fishing by the rocks when i noticed what it was i stopped reading and was about to cut my line and get out of there but it came in boat i jumped on to the rocks somehow it got off the hook and went back int the water I got luck the boat was in reach because i would have had to link long and hard before i got in the water to get it

neighbor killed one right at his garage door this afternoon.

Ok Im sold, I will just wear my boots!

Walked my property for the past 3 days and didn't see any, but I kept my head on a swivel. Kept thinking I would see one.

Impressive!

Ranch manager killed a 4 ft rattler on the eleventh. I saw a rattler on the road on the second.

The rattler I posted was 3-1/2 foot

There were three killed that weekend. Last one was at camp by the outhouse