*chuckle*
Hate to bust your bubble but East Texas has a large population of Timber Rattlers. Listed with Texas Parks and Wildlife as a protected species. They range from East Texas all the way to the east coast, don’t know how far North they range but it might be surprising. We have 10 different species of Rattler here in Texas with Timbers being one.
I wondered if anyone would pick up on that. The timber rattler southern border stops in Missouri or Arkansas.
I have seen many timber rattlers in Missouri. They don’t want to take on anything bigger than themselves and the rattle is a warning to stay away. They really don’t want to get involved in a fight.
The snake I don’t like is the water moccasin. I have met up a lot of them and they are vicious. They will stand their ground whereas a rattler will run.