Romey, what state is this in?

wow that thing is big

Montana

No Way nine feet. I am a reptile fan and they just don't get anywhere that big. Secondly, judging by the size of the child next to it, that snake might go six feet.
Thirdly, That pic appears to be a Western Diamond Back(Crotalus Atrox). The only Rattlers native to Montana are western prairie rattle snakes(Crotalus Viridis Viridis).

As for only prairie rattlers being in Montana id like to take you to a couple hay fields of mine and explain the rattlers there. And maybe you can explain why there are timber rattlers and diamondback both. Reading books doesn’t necessarily cover all bases in the world.
If you were an expert you’d know that Montana has Western rattlesnakes and along with those the prairie rattler is a subspecies of them.
I met a Herpetologist in college while I was studying Animal science and mentioned the diamond back belt I had around my waist, he said he wasn’t surprised to hear it came from our hay meadow or from Montana. I will agree though i dont think its as large as was told to me. At anyrate was a neat story.

I don't often make it over there,but If I do I will try and look you up. I do know that the prarie rattler is a subspecies of the western rattler, It's just not a diamond back, C. atrox. The pattern on the back of the animal is only a small indicator of the species, and Crotalus viridis is known for its many paterns and colors. That pic really is not good enough to determine with certainty the species, the tail would really help. I have just never heard of atrox being documented in montana, but as you stated, anything is possible. Now timbers Crotalus horridus would be of interest to me. They would have an almost solid black tale and usually have some reddish morroon color on the back. Crotalus viridus can inhabbit the wooded areas too. But like you said, You never know.
Whatever it is it's obviously a big fello.

how about this one is it 9'?

Preview	Attachment	Size
	image001.jpg	81.89 KB

either way there is one thing cirtian about both of these snakes......I would have killed both regardless of size....my biggest so far was 4 1/2 footer here in eastern Washington.

I wouldnt wanna meet up with either one of them.

RidgeRunner07, I would watch what you admit on public forums as it is illegal to harm any native reptile in the state of Washington.
There is no reason to kill them so why not let them live? Many of my close friends and hunting buddies would also kill them and I do understand the thought process, however it is only driven by fear and ignorance.
The second picture is posed to make the animal look bigger than it really is. The tongs used to hold the animal are three feet long. I have seen that pic posted on a snake forum and it was broken down by a group of photographers and as I remember it, the conclusion was between 7 and 7.5 feet, a very large specimen.