A homeowner contacted us early on a Sunday morning after discovering a juvenile Western Diamondback Rattlesnake in the backyard. While it definitely was not the way they hoped to start the day, Josh arrived quickly to safely remove the snake. When he arrived, he observed something many people never get the chance to witness in real time: active predation. The rattlesnake had recently struck a Desert Spiny Lizard and was patiently waiting for the venom to take effect. While interrupting a hunt is never ideal, leaving a rattlesnake in a residential yard was even less ideal. Josh safely secured both the rattlesnake and its soon-to-be meal in the bucket before relocating them to suitable habitat within the snake’s estimated home range. He released the rattlesnake into a packrat nest and placed the lizard near the burrow entrance so the snake could finish what it had started naturally.