Gives me the willies. Last year after all the rain in late May I found a snake curled up in a saucer under a pot. It was certainly not as large as yours, but it thought it was. It kept striking out at me the whole time I was trying to move it away from a curious cat. Turns out it was a Texas Brown Snake and harmless. I verified ID with our wildlife department and they told me with a straight face that next time I saw a snake look at its eyes and see if the pupils are round. Round pupils means non poisonous. So did you look at it's eyes before you shot it? (just kidding of course). I'm happy you weren't harmed. Those cottonmouths are one of the more agressive of the poisonous snakes in our area. I'm glad it's not around to harm anyone else on your property...........Maryl
