first off, I agree with Dough's initial ID. That sure was one beautiful snake!

As was stated and has been observed, when you present these boards with a dead snake there is always some backlash from people who feel that its killing was unwarranted and cruel. I don't want to put myself apart from those people, I agree with them, but I do want to offer some constructive advice for the future.

You said that you were camping and that may or may not mean that you were at a state park or local campground so it's hard for me to know if you could have called the ranger to have the snake relocated. That aside, most states that have venomous snakes do have people trained and on call to deal with these situations and usually the is a list of phone numbers available so you can try and get in touch with someone nearby or a single number that will dispatch someone in your area. It would be wise in the future to look into this sort of thing if you think you will be in an area that may have venomous snakes. If it really is an option then as others have said, any stick long enough to kill the snake from a safe distance will also be long enough to shoo it away. Also, the snake will not bite a person unless if feels restrained or cornered. If you nudge it from a safe distance toward the woods it will not chase you down but instead escape to the woods and probably will not return that night, please try to keep that in mind.

I guess the last thing I want to say is that a dead snake is not exactly a safe snake. With Timber Rattlers a very large percent of people who are bit were bit by a DEAD snake. If a snake is recently killed it can still have reflex reactions so if you pick it up or touch it it can still strike!

Enjoy your future excursions into nature and please try to seek non-lethal alternatives the next time you encounter a venomous snake. Even with your kids there, it really would not have been a threat unless someone tried to pick it up.

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