What a whopper!

Yep, but they're not common, even down here.

I hope he turned it loose somewhere...that thing could do more for crat control than a dozen 55 grain NBT's!

Hey, I may know that guy! Earl "Doublewide Satellite" Perkins! I'm sure of it! He only sticks in my memory because he is 4'2" tall.

Dan

Pres., TYHC

www.Halloween.Prankster

I'll take the dozen BT bullets over any snake any day . Nobody every died from a crat bite.

Hog Killer

The only one ive seen bigger was dead,thank goodness, it was at Garner State Park, near Hondo Texas, about 40 miles from San Antonio, i went there for a job interview, when i walked into the office i was greeted by the park manager, shook his hand but i didnt hear a word he said, behind him tacked to the wall was a rattle snake skin,where the head had been was tacked up next to the celling, it run all the way down the wall and out to the front of a file cabinet, there were file cabinets on both sides to keep people from steping on the rattlers, part of the rattlers were missing, but it was a sight to see, he told me he got up early one morning to see how many RV campers had come into the park dureing the night, when he was driveing by the parks dam he spoted it, he said he jumped out of his truck with his 410 and run around in front of it to stop it from crawling away, he said it coiled up and was 3 ft. hi, thats when he hit it in the head with his shot from his 410, he told me he skined it and sent it off for tanning, he also told me the head was as wide as both his hands side by side,i first saw the picture miss Ann posted in a pawn shop, only his dad was holding the snake, this picture is of the son, his dad said he couldnt hold the snake very long it was to heavy, by the way the picture miss Ann posted, well that snake is 71/2 feet long, thats what i was told by the people who had the picture, yep would make a good Krat trap, but they make me a might nervous when they get that big.

Of course I just had to think that Ann was talking dirty! derf

I think the record is just over nine feet.

It's big sumbitch.

Too bad it won't fit in a mailbox!

Toolmaker

There was a newspaper clipping from the local mullet wrapper on Amelia Island, Fl. of a black fella holding a dead one. Both hands UP over his head in the midsection of the snake, tip of tail and head on the ground. They said it was 11.5' as I recall. Big ass snake in any case.

Given the locale I would think it had dined on more than one field lion. Mebbe even a few poodles too.

Dan

Pres., TYHC

www.AlliesInA.CommonCause

I still have the framed picture of that whopper as a momento of my south Georgia experience. Cut from the paper it is. Hangs in my reloading room. Hate those eastern diamondbacks more than cats.

I have had one crossing the road in front of me that was longer then my '69 F100 was wide. It got the Michelin treatment to the head and just in front of the rattles. Straightened out, it ran just over 8', sans head by that time...

I had another one take a slug from a .357 and still make it into the thick brush. It was bigger in diameter than my forearm. I guess I can count that one as a lost big game animal!?!? Should've used the 12 gauge!

I see them on the road all the time...they are easy to recognize, as they hold the rattles up off of the ground as they crawl. Well, I guess 2 monsterdiamonbacks in 30 something years of crawling aound the Texas brush isn't too bad...

Oh, and you can't judge their length by a skin on the wall. The skins stretch a LOT during and after tanning...

www.WatchYourStep.ow

In a word, NO! Wish I could, at least once. Biggest I've seen was a six-footer. My grandparets winter outside Bradenton FL, and one morning Grandma was going outside, but looked down at the step before she got out the door. There it was, six feet of rattler! Grandpa dispatched it and got it tanned. Makes an awesome looking wall hanging. They don't have too many snakes around anymore. Three years ago, the highway dept. offered to di them a pond so they could have the fill to build up the roadbeds. Well, on that 5 acre lot, there's now a 3 acre pond! Soon after, two gators moved in and have been taking care of the local rattlesnake/waterfowl/stray cat/tray dog population. Gotta love those gators.

Rick

Ned, if you could send me a copy thru cyberspace I'd appreciate it. Be happy to post that one here.


Dan

Pres., TYHC

www.BetThatWould.Sting

I just did a google search and most sites say that 8 foot is the record. None mention who keeps these records so I can't confirm or deny.

Steve "the Wanker" Irwin did a guest appearance on the Tonight show not to long ago and he brought a big Eastern Diamondback with him.

Toolmaker

A friend of mine sent me this picture, the stats on this bad boy were: just under 8 feet, weighted 89 pounds!
I may not go dove hunting any more!