Rattle snake here in NW MT...

[MTGunner]

Was doing errands and took a back road home to our place NE of Ronan, MT. I spotted a snake on the gravel road, pull up beside it certainly was an approx. 30" rattle snake. It sported perhaps 7-8 very small buttons on the tail. I am guessing it may be a prairie rattler. First one I have seen here in NW MT. I did not kill it as it has its' place. I got out an chucked a couple rocks near it to run it back into the grass hoping it would not get run over. Cool! MTG

 

[Ben Long]

Cool. I know they're on the National Bison Range so I'm not surprised they are in Ronan. I've never seen them up in north end of the Flathead. Good on you for not killing it on the spot.

 

[RobertR]

MtGunner I commend you on not killing the rattle snake kudos to you.
As kid growing up rattle snakes were to killed on sight because they were dangerous. As I have got older and realized snakes to benefit us in ways we never give a thought to why? If you think about the diseases rodents carry, snakes benefit everyone. Hantavirus ring a bell.

 

[Hem]

I leave em alone except when they are on my property(or in my garage).I hate mice more,but less hazardous for daughter and dog.

 

[idnative1948]

Agree with Robert on this. After we moved back to Idaho from Glen, and would drive out to the ranch from Blackfoot dad would back up to smear one if he saw it in the road. He hated them due to losing a horse and dog from snake bite. As he got older he realized the benefits and told us to never kill one unless we HAD to.

MtGunner I commend you on not killing the rattle snake kudos to you.
As kid growing up rattle snakes were to killed on sight because they were dangerous. As I have got older and realized snakes to benefit us in ways we never give a thought to why? If you think about the diseases rodents carry, snakes benefit everyone. Hantavirus ring a bell.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Had this guy in our back yard and it scared the crap out of my wife till she saw it wasn't a rattler which we do have here. Our dog is so blind she didn't even notice when it went between her legs. We figured it was after the mice that come and eat chicken scratch. So we just left him alone.

 

[Ben Long]

That there is a bull or gopher snake. I once shared an outhouse with one about that size in the Sonoran desert of Arizona. I spied him in the corner when I was just settling down to my business. Let's just say the job was done quickly.

 

[putm2sleep]

Scaring the crap out of ya Ben.....
Yikes. I think I might have finished outside?

 

[mixedbag]

Helped a big timber rattler off the road by my house last summer.Got to teach my young ones a little about snakes at the same time.Snakes aren't my favorite to deal with but they have a spot in the woods and never kill things for no reason.Not to mention its illegal to kill them here without a permit

 

[MTGunner]

I just think they are in nature for a reason. I have had both of my labs snake broke, haven't had an incident, and got them snake shots to help if one is struck. I have a good friend from Laurel, MT that would speak to me in a very foul descriptive manner if he found out what I have done. Oh well, to each his own when it comes to critters. MTG

 

[mtmiller]

Found this guy last weekend on the county road. Few pics and then grabbed a fiberglass pole from the pickup and moved him the the ditch.

 

[twodot]

That's why I like winter.

.

 

[Pagosa]

I'd rather kill them, because of my kids and pets. Other predators can fill the void. Only seen gopher snakes by Charlo.

 

[----]

I've ran in to them both on the Bison Range and on a ranch just East of Hot Springs.

 

[Ben Long]

Nice shot, MTMiller. 28 mm lens for that one?

 

[ovis2]

I also grew up in the "kill 'em when you see 'em generation", but I too have to admit I'm now more of a "let snakes do what snakes do (mostly)" kind of guy. It's refreshing to see others thinking along this same line. See....we can eventually mature at some point, although my wife might disagree with that last statement.

 

[starvingoutdoorsman]

Nice shot, MTMiller. 28 mm lens for that one?

Id have to use my zoom at 500mm on a rattler... lmao.

 

[mtmiller]

Nice shot, MTMiller. 28 mm lens for that one?

Id have to use my zoom at 500mm on a rattler... lmao.

The 500 was on the body when I saw this guy, but I pulled it off and put on the 18-105. I think most shots were in the 70-85 range and filled the entire frame.

Lots more action when you are in their face.

 

[Ben Long]

Yeah, when I squint I can see the drops of venom and snake spit on the lens. Death-defying photography...