Timber Rattlers

Spent last week in Tenn at a reunion of friends. One was from Penn and was so excited that their snake season was opening. Some people just like excitement, I guess. This was a 48" black phase timber.

Pretty healthy specimen.

Snake season?

I'm going the other way.

Seems strange to me to have a season and rules. Short period of time, have to have a fishing license and permit to do it, not allowed to move any rocks or debris, has to be male only, over 40", and harvest limit of one!!! He and his son enjoy it, and said their best weekend was 150!!! YIKES.

Cool snake and pic.

There are various laws and regulations concerning both venomous and non-venomous snakes in quite a few States.

In PA. you must have a license to possess, collect, handle, kill....the Timber Ratter and Copperhead (both have seasons).

A tag to fill out and a report form to send in also.

Other restrictions apply, (total length, sex, number in possession, etc).

Damn

That’s a big timber rattler!!!

Beautiful Rattler, if I remember right Timber Rattlers are the biggest of the Rattlesnake family.

Eastern diamondbacks are the largest in NA

I’ll be right behind you

I guess I didn't remember right

Maybe next time I will Google it first then try and act smart

8' ?

Wow !

NO....!

Largest Timber Rattler (recorded) was about 6'.

Eastern Diamondback is easily the largest of the species reaching 8 feet and also weighing the most.

Western Diamondback comes in second, at least one having reached 7' (documented).

Timber Rattler/Canebrake can make 6'


But the average 'girth' of a healthy/mature Timber Rattler is often impressive.

Nope Nope Nope

That one's "cheeks" are about to bust with venom. He/she needs milking, then set free.

Beautifull snakes, my favorite

Pppppppass.

I'll be in front!

I heard they weren’t as big. Ive only seen 3(Okla) and they were 5’ish. Really big around. I don’t want any part of them or any other venomous.

That one is a beauty.

A different one. Poor pic.

Did it come out of that pipe?

Abilene Zoo has an impressively thick timber rattler behind the glass. SIGNIFICANTLY thicker than any diamondback I have ever seen; probably the girth of two big westerns put together.

Just threw down the pipe for size reference. But, I never measured the pipe, so theres that....

Third one. Another hunter took this pic and didn’t measure but he said it was 6’. Zoom in and count the rattlers and you may believe it.

Biggest Tiber rattler I have seen was about 5 feet. Eastern diamond can get very big, the biggest one I have seen was 96 inches and over 8 inches wide measured just holding a tape straight across its back. That 8 feet was with the head removed. A logger I know killed it in his yard as he was going to work that day. I saw pictures of a Eastern that was 10 feet with a tape measure along it, that one was from near Meridian, MS.

Even if they shed 2-3 times a year, that is one old snake!! They are all beautiful, with amazing colors and patterns.

I can maybe understand seasons for rattlers but copperheads? Everyone in my family was bitten at least once by copperheads except for me. They were prolific back in NE Oklahoma where I grew up. Hard on our dogs also so none got a pass from me,

Isn't that the truth. I live in Deep East Texas and we have our fair share.

But our Family has a cabin on Spavinaw Creek (not far from Grand Lake) and I've never seen so many Copperheads in one area in all my life.

I know they're dangerous, but they're also impressive looking. Excellent picture thanks.

Tampa Zoo. Look at the rattles!

I used to be butt deep in rattlers but dang few copperheads and water moccasins. Then the pigs moved in, actually invaded. Now, seeing a snake of any kind is a ratty.

Beautiful snake

My favorite among rattlesnakes.

Another off our Okla lease. Not as big.

Same here….beautiful snakes…

In my Garage a couple of years ago. Juvenile.

We'd see 2 or 3 a year. Largest was 5' measured. The adults were always fat snakes!

My place, just South of Bowie,used to be loaded with snakes of all kind. 2 things changed it. First was a 4 year drought that hit the wildlife population pretty bad. Even the ticks and chiggers died off. Next, the pigs showed up. Ive seen 2 rattlers in the last 10 years. Saw a long black snake last year. Snakes of any kind are a rarity.

Got excited when I saw a rattler on the road last year. I got out and looked at it. Wife went ape chit over that one.

Good looking snake. Love the pattern.

Sub-adult Canebrake's around here (Pineywoods) will actually climb into trees (10'-15') at times but more often seen in shrubs. I've seen copperheads do the same. So they aren't always on the ground.

I’m scared to death of these things

Their skin pattern reminds me of the tiger stripe camo used by special forces in Vietnam.

Here is one of the biggest Timbers I have ran across. I've only seen 2 here at the lease in Wood county. The other was just about 2 feet or so. This one here was pretty docile and had 11 buttons if I remember correctly. It was somewhere between 4-5 ft long. The pictures do not do this one justice. Took some pictures then moved it off the road before it could get hit.