While relocation of deadly vipers is public endangerment, not everyone is eager to grab a flat shovel and do battle with a rattlesnake. The faint of heart prefer to call someone to remove the “nope rope” while they watch from a safe distance, but AZ Fish and Game requires a Wildlife Services License to perform that task and some random guy on Facebook is probably not licensed.
Per a recent public records request, only the following are legally allowed to relocate rattlesnakes in Mohave County: Bryan Colby - Bryan’s Wildlife Services, Brian and Summer Walker - Cowboy Critter Control, Jarrett Herman and Steve Martin - Critter Control of Northern Arizona, Cody Dalton Molzan - First Defense Wildlife Control, Frankie White - Sunshine Trappers.
The inquiry also revealed a disturbing lack of oversight. Fish and Game requires no record keeping or reporting of animals captured and released, only deceased animals must be reported, and there are no regulations concerning where they can be released other than “Live release with permission from landowner. Captured wildlife should not be released in urban areas or where public recreation use is high.” So theoretically that venomous snake can be released right around the corner from where it was captured and slither it’s way home. And while the statute says they shouldn’t be released in “urban areas” it doesn’t actually say they can’t.
While the cost of having that menace humanely removed may vary, a shovel or a pistol is the only real guarantee that it won’t come back, as snakes can be territorial and will travel a fair distance. Consumers beware, There have been unconfirmed reports of people offering to relocate rattlesnakes only to demand a hefty payment once the critter is safely contained.
It is not illegal to kill a rattlesnake in Arizona if it poses a threat to your safety, your family’s safety, or your pets. However, it is a crime to discharge a firearm within city limits. The western diamondback and Mohave rattlesnakes are not on the endangered species list.