Rancher rattled by debris pile residents

Bill Reed has seen plenty of unusual sites and excitement at his ranch in Flournoy, but nothing prepared him for the surprise he got on Wednesday when he encountered more than 50 rattlesnakes under a pile of debris. “I decided it was time to clean up the pile of debris and start a new collection of treasures for future use,” Reed said. “I have found a few rattlesnakes in the past finding refuge among the trash, so I was a little cautious as I went about loading my truck.” He figured because it is cold out at this time of year, there would not be much of a worry about the venomous snakes as they should be in hibernation and slow moving if disturbed. “What I was not prepared for was an encounter with over 50 of those slimy critters taking up residence,” Reed said. He said the smallest of the snakes was about 8 inches long, and the largest about 4 feet. “One of the things that worries me now is that my daughter has been climbing all over this stuff for her artwork. I don’t think I’ll be letting her do that anymore,” he said. Reed’s pile of debris is pieces of scrap metal he saves for repairs, pipes to mend a plumbing problem, six feet of barbed wire to fix a fence or a piece of corrugated roofing to make a temporary fix on a leaky old barn...more