Rattlesnake vs the Weed Eater

I have been away all week at our creek house. I spent the week on small tasks that I could do alone and enjoyed some time of fishing even though I didn't catch much. On Wednesday afternoon this little? incident occurred.


We have a lawn service that takes care of the lawn since we don't get down very often and it needs at least monthly care. The lawn was due for a trimming when I arrived and on Wednesday the crew showed up to do it. I was downstairs under the house and had just put some chicken on the grill when they showed up. They make quick work of it with a big lawnmower and weed eaters. The weed eater guy had gone around most of the house and was right in front of me when he hit a rattlesnake with the weed eater. The snake was in the surface roots of a tree that grows next to the house, he obviously blended right in and we didn't see him until the weed eater made contact. The snake was about 18 inches long. The weed eater guy kept the snake airborne for a few seconds and by the time he fell to the ground he was severely wounded. A hoe finished him off and the snake scare was over but it made me realize how careless I had been in an area where snakes abound. In the minutes preceeding the snake / weed eater confrontation, I had walked through the area where the snake was hit several times picking up stuff to make the lawn care easier. I had disconnected a water hose and dragged it across the very spot where the snake was hit even reaching down to dislodge the nozzle when it snagged on a tree root. I do not know if the snake was moving and wasn't there a few minutes before or how it got there. Needless to say but for the rest of the trip I was extremely cautious when I walked about or reached for anything, especially at night.

In the 1950's when I started going to the creek snakes were common and we learned quickly to watch for them. The area was sparseley populated then and we were invading what had always been their territory. Now there are a lot more people and few areas that will support them so they stay across the creek in the salt marshes where people rarely go. In the 8 years that we have owned the house, we have not seen a rattler and only one other snake at all. That one is another story that I will post here some time. The lawn crew said they see them frequently but this was a close encounter that they can do without. I agree wholeheartedly. I am not a fan of snakes and especially not those which are deadly poisonous.

So in the future I will be more alert and careful where I walk and what I reach for. The nearest medical facility to us down there is at least 30-35 miles away. We do have an ambulance at the fire station about 9 miles away but it is staffed by volunteers and would take some time to respond. Amazing as it is I only remember 1 house fire down there and I have not heard of anyone getting snake bit.