Man Kills 21 Rattlesnakes

Bob Stanley, of McRae, was mowing fire lanes on his Telfair County hunting property near the town of Workmore when he killed a 5-foot eastern diamondback rattlesnake.

Stanley had no idea until the following day that the diamondback he killed was full of 20 young rattlesnakes.

“When he killed it, he took it to the barn and hung it up,” wrote Elleen, Bob’s wife, in an e-mail to GON. “The next morning he went out there, and the snake’s stomach had dropped down. Two snakes had already fallen out on the ground and were dead — thank you, Lord. He opened up the snake, and she had a total of 20 little ones ranging from 13- to 14- inches long with one button each. The mama snake only had six rattles.”

Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes give live birth to young in mid-August to September and will have a litter of eight to 29 snakes. Young diamondbacks will average 12 to 15 inches long when born and are capable of delivering a nasty bite. Adult females generally reproduce every two or three years.

When you see strange things in the deer woods this fall, email GON at [email protected].