Toto We Are NOT City Folk Anymore

I had to go out with my husband and take a picture of the creepy crawly beast that terrified me. Also to just confirm that it truly was a rattle snake. This is from the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks online site: "Of the ten snake species that live in Montana, only the prairie rattle-snake is venomous. Also known as the western rattlesnake, the prairie rattler is found in open, arid country and ponderosa pine savannahs. It often dens on south-facing slopes in areas with rock outcrops. Rattlesnake bites are extremely rare. Of the hundreds of thousands of hunters, hikers, and backpackers traversing Montana each year, only five or six report being bitten, according to the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center in Denver. The center also notes there was not a single death among the 45 reported prairie rattlesnake bites in Montana during the last eight years. The prairie rattlesnake is a medium-sized species with venom glands that harbor only moderate amounts of venom. Nevertheless, prairie rattlesnakes have the ability to deliver a dose of venom lethal to an adult human. That's why anyone who spends time outdoors in Montana should have at least a passing awareness of snake-bite first aid. Rattlesnakes are shy, retiring creatures. If left alone, they won't bother people. But if a rattlesnake thinks it will be stepped on or otherwise harmed, it may bite. These snakes are armed with a pair of hollow, hinged fangs that fold back against the roof of the mouth. A rattlesnake strikes most often on the hand, calf, or ankle, leaving one or two small fang marks. When bitten, a person will likely feel intense pain at the bite area. Other symptoms may include difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, swelling, and gangrene." So to conclude from my last post, this creature was at the corner of my rental house, next to a lilac bush I had taken some clippings from earlier in the day. I walked past him and spotted part of his body going over a wooden fence rail after I had crossed in front of him a minute before. While the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks says we should leave them alone and observe them from a distance, I felt he was too close to our house and children. I had my husband take care of him. Wishing this was my last encounter with snakes, but since this incident I have seen 2 more snakes. Thank goodness these are non-poisonous and called garter snakes. Still I jump and run when seeing anything slithering and crawling around me. So Toto I don't think we are City Folk Anymore.