Back in Nebraska, we used to have to warn people that'd come hunting from back east (or wherever, if'n they were used to trees and such) that if they were walking through a field and were about to step across a stick... to STOP!!! and look at said stick, preferably from a distance. Odds are, it's a snake. It's Nebraska - no trees, no sticks
When we first moved up here to a house out in the country a bit, our dog was having a ball chasing mice that'd made the trip from Nebraska to Washington in the bottom of our chest of drawers. The wife went to move something for the dog to chase the mice, and lo and behold, a rattlesnake came out from behind the box (stored in our new barn). Off I go to try and find a gun... figgers, me w/ enough guns and ammo to conduct a small revolution, and I can't find a friggin' gun. Or ammo. Or magazines. Finally I end up walking down the driveway (parallel to the highway) single-loading a round into the AR carbine because thats all I could get to easily, as people drive by and stare. Good lord, now I'm the neighborhood gun nut and I haven't even finished unpacking
After ixnaying Brer Snake, it turns out that actually I fit right in the neighborhood... we had a three-way coyote kill-zone between the nearest houses
One thing I will say... they seem to grow 'em kind of small up here. One little bugger I killed in the back yard was kind of scrawny and mebbe 20-24" long, if that... and had 13 rattles. Not sure how he even managed to buzz that big ole thing, as little as he was!
Monte
