ziffabeek;
It was stretched out. The one I killed there last year was rattling - at the cat. That one last year was huge. Both of these had good size and were very healthy.
I understand folk's position about catch and release. However, when a person is taught something from a child it pretty much stays with you. My grandparents & great grandmother survived the great depression. A trip to the Doctor was 20 miles away. They took it by mule and wagon. A snake bite was a serious life threatening thing that lasted days.
Everytime I run across a poisenous snake "kill" pops into my mind. I kill rat snakes and chicken snakes as well - egg suckers. King snakes, grass, garter, black runners, and eastern indigo's I don't hurt I relocate.