This:
…before being released from the bucket in which I transported the snake from a friend’s house.
One cannot age a rattlesnake by simply counting the rattles (they gain a rattle with each molt, but usually molt more than once per year). However, this one was a youngster, maybe two years old? My post from June 2013 has a look at their teeth and some better scale shots of a larger individual.
May your crawlway be strewn with sunflecks and chipmunks, young snake.
David George Haskell 
Wow, thanks, cool capture (the sound)! Speaking of capture, how did you get it in the bucket?
It went in by itself, with the bucket on its side. Usually I use a broom or long stick to gently persuade them to go into the bucket (deep bucket = very important! e.g., large trash can).
Is your little guy a Timber Rattler?
Yes, timber.
5 gal feed bucket … with a lid.
I enjoyed your version of “What does the fox say?” Could have used more dancing. But, what are you gonna do without legs?
:) If the snake had come after me, I would have improvised some very interesting dance moves.
David, did you happen to release this guy on the Caldwell Rim Trail? I just decided to let a 4-5 foot Timber Rattlesnake own the trail and turned back the way I came. Thankfully it let me know it was there well in advance. Do these snakes typically only come out during the daytime to feed and heat up in the sun? I run the Sewanee trails 3 or more times a week around 0530. In 2+ years I’ve never seen one before, and I’m hoping I never encounter one while running. I don’t think I could have stopped in time!!
No, not on Caldwell Rim. 4-5 foot is longer than this guy. Glad it gave you warning! I seldom encounter them, so the probability of running into one is very low. They tend to sit-and-wait day and night, often near a log. Copperheads I see most often in the evening on the bluff: that is where and when I am most cautious, along with walking at night off trail. Chiggers concern me far more during the day…
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