Eddie Powell had a scare Wednesday at his home in Red Oak when a five foot, two inch eastern diamond back rattlesnake with nine rattles appeared when he was cutting hay behind his house.

Powell said that he has not seen a snake that big in at least two to three years.

“We were cutting some hay behind the house on our ATV trail,” Powell said. “And then we saw the rattlesnake and finally got him trapped under the tractor tire.”

After Powell’s father, Paul Powell, fought with the rattlesnake for 10 to 15 minutes, he finally put the snake to rest.

“I thought he was stuck or something and that was why he had stopped,” Powell said. “I didn’t think that it was a rattlesnake, but sure enough he was fighting this thing for 10 to 15 minutes and then finally finished him off with the only thing that he had around him, a lighter knot.”

In the past two weeks, Powell has seen two rattlesnakes on his property and his father has taken care of both of them.

“The first one was about three and a half feet long with five rattles,” Powell said. “It was just off the backdoor steps. We are mortified that these big rattlesnakes were found slithering around where we play outdoors.”

Powell advises people to watch where they step if they are going to play outdoors.

“Especially people that have kids and pets,” Powell said. “They need to be aware of where they are playing and where they are stepping. Our kids ride four wheelers and play on golf carts and that is a lot of where the snakes were.”

Powell said that the rattlesnakes are on the move now that the weather is getting cooler.

“There will be a lot of fat rattlesnakes on the move now,” Powell said. “They are getting ready for the winter so they will be trying to find a warm place to settle down. They are camouflaged so well that they can be easily missed if you aren’t careful.”