Whoa! That's no sprinkler, that's a rattler

What Rebecca Hurst thought was the sound of sprinklers outside her Bluffton home Sunday night was actually the rattling of a venomous snake.

Rebecca,her husband, John, and their 5-year-old daughter, Jenny, had recently returned from a four-day vacation. After relaxing on his rocking chair on the back patio, John Hurst went inside the house around 10:30 p.m. but left the patio door open.

"I heard this sound that sounded like water gushing in the sink," Rebecca Hurst said. "I got out the flashlight. I shined it to the left where the sprinklers are, and there was a huge coiled-up snake."

The Hursts called 911. The Beaufort County Sheriff's Office responded and confirmed it was a canebrake rattlesnake. The Hursts asked the Sheriff's Office to remove the snake, and a deputy shot it, Rebecca Hurst said.

"We had no choice; that thing was huge," she said.

Canebrake rattle snakes typically grow to four to six feet long, according to DNR wildlife biologist Anna Tarter.

The S.C. Department of Natural Resources said snakes are on the move now to find mates and places to lay their eggs, and residents should be aware when they go outside to garden. With the recent rains, snakes also could be looking for dry ground if their holes have been flooded, said Tarter.

If you find a snake in your yard, you should leave it alone and call an animal removal service or local law enforcement.

Liz Mitchell, staff writer