A-hunting!

Remember Armed and Ready......read about that one.
And then there was Armed to the Teeth....remember that one?

Well, here's an update and a very positive one.......

Warning, warning.........if you have small children in the room, please ask them to leave.
The photo that you are about to see maybe disturbing and an animal was definitely injured and dispatched in the making of this post.

With that disclaimer stated and out of the way..........I give you the view of the kill!

This is the copperhead that has plagued my dreams from a couple of months now.  This morning I was up early and working in my yard near the house.....raking deaf leaves in prep to mow the back forty when I spied the culprit.....mind you, this time I was ready.....not with my trusty shotgun but a shovel.  He saw and heard me first but I was being very careful because of the confined space I was raking in.  He opened his mouth, flicked out his forked tongue to get a feel for who and what he was dealing with (Olfactory organ in his mouth tastes and smells the air & surroundings).......I eyed him to size up my opponent.........we squared off.........he drew back to strike but this old girl took a dim view of said maneuver and struck swiftly and repeatedly......there was no room for error and I didn't flinch.

Sweat coated my brow, a red-tail hawk keened in the distance, hummingbirds fluttered nearby but nothing would distract me from my mission. It was me or him...

My reward, I've decided, is to go for drinks with my girlfriends this evening.......LOL