Good thing your fellow deputy knew you were a snake guy and called you first, rather than shoot the snake and ask questions later, huh? Which is what I would guess most people do when they see a big snake if they don't have someone that knows snakes to call, they would just kill it first then try to figure out what it is, sad but true, however this story had a happy ending. Great job Steve! By the way I am pretty certain that bull snakes are protected in Iowa, so it would actually be illegal to kill it or capture and even disturb it, but I am not sure most people are aware of that and probably a lot of bull snakes are killed in Iowa every year mistaken as rattlesnakes.