You guys will think I'm crazy, but I only kill rattlesnakes if they are in my yard. I saw 5 different ones on my road last year that I made sure to move away so nobody would run them over. A couple I had to move 2 or 3 times. I saw 3 more in the woods that I left alone. Timber rattlesnakes are typically pretty docile. Even when I move them I rarely get one that will strike at me. Their habitat is really shrinking and with all the others killing every one they see I feel the need to protect them. They can live up to 50 years, so killing a few really hurts the population. I know of over 20 that were killed on our place last year and that isnt counting the ones killed on the road that I didnt see. So, I try to do my part to save as many as I can.

Though when they get in my yard where my kids play that is where I draw the line.