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Rattlesnakes

Unless they are super close or in a house all snakes get a free pass.

I’ve never understood the mindset of waking through their habitat and running into a snake and think I must kill it.View attachment 289977
My last house we would run in to snakes couple times a year on the property....once a decent size one got in the garage and almost tagged my wife. I figured out our land was a travel path.
Killed every one. But out and about I watch them and move on.
Our current home is a mile from the previous. It is ingrained to always be vigilant.
 
We get bull snakes and racers mostly here at the house. They all get passes from me. A rattlesnake near the house will become a hat band, out and about they get a pass unless there’s a good reason not to give them one.
 
I've killed 4 so far this summer. Two in my open-fronted parking barn, one at the base of my deck that bit my blind,deaf 16 yr old Brittany Ranger and one at the gate of my riparian area. Ranger recovered in a day or two with a steroid shot,antibiotics and pain pills. I could only find one puncture and it may have been a fairly dry bite. I don't kill bull snakes as I've always heard they can kill rattlers. Can anyone confirm this?
 
I have no use for any snake, I kill all I see. Got bit as a kid by a friends pet garden snake, sorta closed the deal for me. My Stormy got bit by a rattler last Aug, Aug2022 and wasn't able to walk on four legs again for close to 11 mos. Skar is still got a bit of healing to do. Nope don't like any snakes! They die on sight!
 
Closet I've come that I know of is about 6" nose to nose. Pulling myself up onto a rock ledge and there he was, Nestled in a crack. I lowered myself back down the way I had come.
 
If there big enough to eat they go on the table, if not they get a pass...we only have timbers around here. Cottonmouths are dispatched onsite...I dont see many copperheads, there are a couple large black snakes around my house probably has a lot to do with it...
 
Kill all rattlers... if there is one, there is a possibility to be more. Seeing one is bad enough, but if I leave and next time there is 2 and so on ... So rattlers gotta go, but bull snake and non-venomous get a bye.
 
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No prob with them here. Every summer they're directly around in our woods, there's a den within a mile. They are beneficial so we appreciate them if we get to see them and leave them alone. I will usher them off a road because there are too many uneducated who will swerve to run them over.
 
This has been a bad year for rattlers outside Helena, have seen 3 near the house, the third one bit our 5 month old Golden in the face about 3 weeks ago. He's recovered very well, got him to the vet in less than an hour for antivenom and meds.
The pups are full of energy and want to play with everything, I now have a fresh snake hide to train both dogs in snake avoidance!
I treat rattlers like I do grizz, I'm always on the lookout for em but hope to not cross paths.
 

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A couple of years ago my brother was coming from AZ and pulled over to stretch his legs not far from Kingman and he saw a big Igloo cooler sitting under some pine trees with nobody around.
Out of curiosity he took a stick and flipped the lid open and there were 25-30 dead rattlers that had ben there for a while, he said the smell was terrible.
My guess is that somebody was collecting them and got bit, decided to leave everything and get to the ER NOW.
 
We have misc. .22 pistols with snake shot scattered around. A couple in the house,a couple in the shop, and summer rules are on on the ATVs. Any rattlesnake that we get a clear shot at is dead.
 
This has been a bad year for rattlers outside Helena, have seen 3 near the house, the third one bit our 5 month old Golden in the face about 3 weeks ago. He's recovered very well, got him to the vet in less than an hour for antivenom and meds.
The pups are full of energy and want to play with everything, I now have a fresh snake hide to train both dogs in snake avoidance!
I treat rattlers like I do grizz, I'm always on the lookout for em but hope to not cross paths.
I feel for your pup. I took a "dry bite" while mountain biking in 2000 and my leg was messed up for over a week. Glad your golden is doing better.
 

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