There has been at least one study done (probably more, but I can only vaguely recall one) which found that mortality rates for rattlesnake species involved in the study (presumably other species as well) were EXTREMELY high when the snake was moved more than 1 km from where it was found. In rural areas, this may not be a problem, but in somewhat populated areas, it can be hard to move the snake less than 1 km from where it was found without putting right back into someone elses yard. In these cases, captivity is the best option for the snake.

One of the reasons postulated for the mortality rates has to do with use of ancestral den sites. Rattlesnakes use the same dens year after year, and even generation after generation during the winter. If a snake is moved too far from it's home range, it may not brumate for winter, and will die.

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