Rattlesnakes while hunting

[Chad Gus]

I've seen cottonmouth's just about everyday in Florida when I've been down there hunting pigs. Most of the rattlers I've seen have been along the roads in the mornings and late afternoons

 

[Hem]

Pretty snakey where we live with rattlers. Had a big one get in the garage and become a situation for my wife and toddler.
Stepped on one once in long grass. Numerous encounters. So I generally am pretty aware . Fishing this spring I beached the boat and almost stepped on this 6' Bull while day dreaming.

 

[Art Vandeley]

What percentage of the buzz worms you all have encountered rattle before being inside 4'? In my experience, it is roughly 30%. I really don't like the ones that don't rattle and that seems to be the norm.

 

[WyoDoug]

Them clunkers are the best ones to eat. Smaller rattlers or rattlers right out of hibernation are mostly gristle.

 

[seeth07]

right out of hibernation

snakes don't hibernate. It's called brumation.

 

[406dn]

I have never thought of taking a photo of a rattlesnake. It would be hard to say how many of them, I've crossed paths with over the years, but it is well north of 100. Years ago, I stepped on a small one,,,it didn't get the better end of the encounter. There have been others that I only saw as I was about to walk right over them.

A friend of mine would dispatch them by swinging his belt and hitting their head with the buckle. It worked pretty well for him until he got a bit careless with one he presumed to be dead. He got bit on the hand. He was a good ways from a hospital, and by the time he got there his hand was very swollen. Myself, I leave them as I find them.

 

[hank4elk]

Looks like BF runs into them regularly here in NM.
I'm a live & let live guy,with exceptions. Aggresive Mojave Greens @ home. Only found 4 rattlers in 10 yrs around my place,all Greens. 2 did not mind being relocated,small guys. 2 got real pissy and came back for more, relentlessly. They became Raven food....
I saw way more in CA than NM. Like all the time.
They taste like bad chicken nuggets in reality. Which to me is bad....

 

[BluegrassBilly]

Killing rattlers is illegal in many states.

Maybe, but no judge or jury would convict!

 

[WyoDoug]

Killing rattlers is illegal in many states.

I was walking to a bow stand before daylight one hot Mississippi October morning. The stand covered a road crossing. This old road had been there for years and had worn down deep into the ground so that there were high banks on either side. A bit like a canyon. I decided to climb the bank before the crossing to avoid leaving my scent where the deer would come. I shined my light on the bank, and there was a rattler at shoulder height where I was about to climb up.
Our old deer biologist saw a giant cottonmouth crossing the road one day. He’s good friends with the snake man who does talks with snakes, etc and knew the snake man wanted a big cottonmouth. You guessed it. He got bit picking it up. Went right to the hospital. Said he’d never felt pain like that before. Took a few days to clear up.

Which states? I have hunted rattlers a number of times and never heard of restrictions.

 

[mtmiller]

 

[dcopas78]

Killing rattlers is illegal in many states.

Highly illegal here in Ohio as they are on the state's endangered list.

 

[marshman]

I get a lot of questions across our many platforms. Lately, I have gotten a lot of questions about rattlesnakes. Not sure if there is some recent news event that includes a hunter and a rattlesnake or just coincidence that I would get that many questions in the last month.

I follow a principle of snake Karma. I let them go, undisturbed, and hope they'll do the same when I might not be paying food attention. Given Marcus wants to eat everything we encounter, I almost have to hide any snake discoveries from him.

Anyhow, post up your live rattlesnake pics taken while out hunting. A bit of a story will help. I'll start.

Nevada 2013. Archery mule deer. This dude almost let me step on him. He was a chunker.

View attachment 141120

Ykeees, Being from the coast these guys are not cruising around, but i have had some wild dreams about encountering them while hunting, fortunately so far I haven't.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Rattlesnakes best sensory perception is vibration,they can feel you walking near them.
You can yell all you want,but stomping around should get a reaction...one way or the other.
I believe in Az. the Coues Rattler is the only protected species.What they look like is-Snake!
Roadrunners are like you and I,they see a Rattler they leave the country.Not many will mess with a snake, unless they are really hungry.

 

[Drake4]

Miller...that picture is amazing

 

[MThuntr]

A ranch I worked on a couple times over in Central MT

 

[marshman]

View attachment 141128

October 2019 MT Antelope

Don't like this one at all! I thought that the reason I have not encountered any hunting was because I am in MT or ID in October! So much for that thought.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

I agree but have you trained your bird dogs to leave them alone yet?

Heck my bird dogs attacked an extension cord I was coiling up the other day.
I call it Roadrunner fishing!

 

[MThuntr]

Don't like this one at all! I thought that the reason I have not encountered any hunting was because I am in MT or ID in October! So much for that thought.

I had a face to face encounter with this guy. Probably the biggest one I've seen in years. It was in the rabbitbrush and it came out to greet me when I came back to get my rifle after I did a double backwards somersault

 

[WyoDoug]

Here is a fairly accurate list of states where hunting snakes is legal/illegal. Some surprise me.

The States Where It's Illegal to Kill Snakes

Is it illegal to kill snakes in your state? Find out. We did the research for all 50 states so you don't have to.

www.wideopenspaces.com

 

[PARidges]

I leave them alone, and admire from a safe distance. After being stationed in Florida for 6 years, I do believe I would by the expensive booze to celebrate with if Cottonmouths became extinct.