More backyard reptiles-not the pine barrens

[Badfish740]

I was walking through the yard and noticed a snake's tail sticking out from under the the deck. When I pulled some stuff away I saw this:

We had put some netting under the deck to keep the leaves and small vermin out, but this guy got tangled in it somehow. When I got him cut away from the bulk of it this is what he looked like:

After a lot of careful clipping (some of it was cutting into his skin) and some help from my dad we got him loose and let him go in the backyard. He headed for an old ivy covered tree stump near the edge of the woods and disappeared. He was missing a few scales here and there but he was behaving normally so hopefully he'll be alright.

Do I get an honorary herp badge now?

 

[woodjin]

Looks like a pretty good size black rat snake. Any idea on his length?

Jeff

 

[Badfish740]

I wish I could have gotten a picture of him stretched out. I would say he was 4 feet if not a bit over.

 

[bobpbx]

You definitely get a merit badge for that. I have pulled many turtles off the roads in the last 2 weeks; a snapper, a mud turtle, and 3 box turtles.

In Bamber, a homeowner found a rattlesnake in a their yard by the lake, and 3 days ago my friend's kids found a pine snake outside their door. He has a surprising picture of them holding the snake between them. I estimate 5 feet long. They picked it up and it didn't make a fuss at all.