Rattlesnakes
- Thread starter Muskeez
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NYyotekiller
Well-known member
Funny rattlesnake story about an old surveyor named Joe I used to work with:
We were doing a boundary survey of a local nature preserve center where they raised and released timber rattlesnakes back when I was a summer intern on college break. It was late May or early June and the temperatures were very cool at night for the time of year but it warmed up into the upper 70s during the day. We were parked near the main building getting all of our equipment around in the morning and one of the preserve workers came out and was asking us how we were doing with our survey, and then proceeded to warn us that to be careful in the area of the property that we were working because it was a known den for a family of rattlesnakes. He said how in the mornings that they would still be too cold to sound their rattle but they might still be able to bite you.
“Joe” my crew chief at the time, pipes up and says, “ if I see one, I’ll chop their f#@&ing heads off!”.
Preserve Worker: “You can’t do that....They’re endangered”.
Joe: “Yeah, well so am I if one bites me”
The preserve worker didn’t know what to say to that, so he just told us to be careful. Meanwhile I was trying not to laugh hysterically and piss my pants. Moral of the story is, if your a land surveyor then the only good rattlesnake, is a dead rattlesnake.
We were doing a boundary survey of a local nature preserve center where they raised and released timber rattlesnakes back when I was a summer intern on college break. It was late May or early June and the temperatures were very cool at night for the time of year but it warmed up into the upper 70s during the day. We were parked near the main building getting all of our equipment around in the morning and one of the preserve workers came out and was asking us how we were doing with our survey, and then proceeded to warn us that to be careful in the area of the property that we were working because it was a known den for a family of rattlesnakes. He said how in the mornings that they would still be too cold to sound their rattle but they might still be able to bite you.
“Joe” my crew chief at the time, pipes up and says, “ if I see one, I’ll chop their f#@&ing heads off!”.
Preserve Worker: “You can’t do that....They’re endangered”.
Joe: “Yeah, well so am I if one bites me”
The preserve worker didn’t know what to say to that, so he just told us to be careful. Meanwhile I was trying not to laugh hysterically and piss my pants. Moral of the story is, if your a land surveyor then the only good rattlesnake, is a dead rattlesnake.
Pelican
Well-known member
mtmiller - you deserve a hairy pair award for that maneuver
The snakes and I have a gentlemens agreement. They leave me alone, I leave them alone.
The snakes and I have a gentlemens agreement. They leave me alone, I leave them alone.
antelopedundee
Well-known member
Passing through Wyoming a couple years ago there was a newspaper article posted at a rest stop about how an unusual number of grazing horses were bitten by snakes.
This may be the article, but IIRC there was more to it.
https://billingsgazette.com/news/st...cle_25ee362e-1ed4-5c1b-937c-f7e17e0d9da0.html
This may be the article, but IIRC there was more to it.
https://billingsgazette.com/news/st...cle_25ee362e-1ed4-5c1b-937c-f7e17e0d9da0.html
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PA deer hunter
Active member
“playing with them” ? Heck no, not this guy.
I've had a couple of rodeos when my horse or Uncle Dutch's horse walked over a snake that then activated the rattles. Saddle bronc rider extraordinaire for the next 15 or 20 seconds until the horses settled down.
The closest I've come to getting bitten was when my Grandfather, little brother and I were measuring the length of a fenceline using a thirty three foot rope. Grandpere wanted to know if the next 1/4 section of land would include the canyon bottom where there might be a possible water feature added. Starting at the corner post, we would walk the thirty feet downhill, Grandpere would mark the end of the measure, and we would leapfrog down the the next length measure. As I approached the next measurement, I heard the rattle and then the rattles. One four footer, and a handful of 12 inchers were huddled under the sagebrush next to my Grandfathers foot. "Grandpere, move, RATTLESNAKE!!" I shouted, as he was evidently deaf in the frequency of a rattle. No strike attempt was made, but she was curled up and ready to launch.
Grandpere was Wyoming old school.......the only good rattlesnake is a dead rattlesnake.
The closest I've come to getting bitten was when my Grandfather, little brother and I were measuring the length of a fenceline using a thirty three foot rope. Grandpere wanted to know if the next 1/4 section of land would include the canyon bottom where there might be a possible water feature added. Starting at the corner post, we would walk the thirty feet downhill, Grandpere would mark the end of the measure, and we would leapfrog down the the next length measure. As I approached the next measurement, I heard the rattle and then the rattles. One four footer, and a handful of 12 inchers were huddled under the sagebrush next to my Grandfathers foot. "Grandpere, move, RATTLESNAKE!!" I shouted, as he was evidently deaf in the frequency of a rattle. No strike attempt was made, but she was curled up and ready to launch.
Grandpere was Wyoming old school.......the only good rattlesnake is a dead rattlesnake.
rtraverdavis
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Miller, that's gross.
I've had real close encounters three different times, all on the Deschutes River. Once I set my hand on a rock on the river bank right next to one while I was wading. Another time I full-blown stepped on one while walking a trail looking for rising fish. And the third time I was about waist deep in somewhat fast water when one squiggled down the river right at me and would have piled up into the belly of my waders if I hadn't have squealed and dove out into the river... I don't care for snakes. I've also never carried a bite kit.
One of the ones I saw and heard before getting all creepy-close:
I've had real close encounters three different times, all on the Deschutes River. Once I set my hand on a rock on the river bank right next to one while I was wading. Another time I full-blown stepped on one while walking a trail looking for rising fish. And the third time I was about waist deep in somewhat fast water when one squiggled down the river right at me and would have piled up into the belly of my waders if I hadn't have squealed and dove out into the river... I don't care for snakes. I've also never carried a bite kit.
One of the ones I saw and heard before getting all creepy-close:
Scott85
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7,000-8,000 people are bitten in the US every year.
Up to 70% of reptile bites are provoked by the person bitten, based on cases seen by the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center. "Most of them tend to be males under the age of 25 who have been drinking ... they're out there messing around with snakes doing some dumb stuff," said Goode.
Some more awesome stuff from Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center; Get help quickly. Don't waste time waiting to see if symptoms develop or worse, trying to catch the snake -- it might bite you again. Do not apply either a tourniquet or ice, and don't bother taking medicine, or a shot of alcohol, the traditional home remedy. Finally, trying to suck the venom out will likely be ineffective and hurt the flesh surrounding the bite.
I would much rather deal with snakes than people on a daily basis.
Up to 70% of reptile bites are provoked by the person bitten, based on cases seen by the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center. "Most of them tend to be males under the age of 25 who have been drinking ... they're out there messing around with snakes doing some dumb stuff," said Goode.
Some more awesome stuff from Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center; Get help quickly. Don't waste time waiting to see if symptoms develop or worse, trying to catch the snake -- it might bite you again. Do not apply either a tourniquet or ice, and don't bother taking medicine, or a shot of alcohol, the traditional home remedy. Finally, trying to suck the venom out will likely be ineffective and hurt the flesh surrounding the bite.
I would much rather deal with snakes than people on a daily basis.
My family came from Grass range and Winnett areas of MT. It was know for snakes and my Dad and his brother was not a fan. I had him and his brother fishing Semino lake here in Wyoming. We had stopped to have a shore lunch and while they were sitting back having a cold one I decided to do a little snake search. I had brought a snake grabber I had made and about 25 feet from their sitting spot I caught a dandy rattler. I was in more danger from those 2 brothers than all the snakes I could find. They informed me ( like Mr. Forman from the 70s show how my head would wear my ass if I did not get rid of that snake now. I was on there SH list the rest of the day. There is a family photo somewhere of a pile of snakes that had denned under one of the barns that is suppose to be over an 100 back in the 1950s.
danwolf
Active member
Never carried a bite kit but when I'm hunting the brushy grassy areas in South Texas I wear snake boots or gaters that are 'bite proof'. I've yet to have a major occurrence while hunting. I hear some places the wild hogs will eat em and they don't rattle no more. I've had them visit my garage before, had a year it was real rainy with lots of bugs, frogs, and then the rattlesnakes came and took care of the frog problem.
FI460
Well-known member
I did some cataloging work in the Cascade Siskiyou National Monument when I was in college a few years back. We spent a spring surveying the reptile and amphibian populations over here.
Our survey found that rattlesnakes are the second most prevalent snake in this area of southern Oregon, and of all the numerous rattlers we encountered (May-July) only a single snake rattled at us. Of course that was the day I was leading a group of volunteers on a hike into the wilderness and the goofy gal found it. She insisted that she needed to get just a little closer to really get a good picture. Luckily I was able to keep her moving.
More often than not though a group of college kids would traipse over a rattle snake coiled under the far side of a log everyone was jumping over and someone in the middle of the pack would notice it. Almost never rattle here.
Our survey found that rattlesnakes are the second most prevalent snake in this area of southern Oregon, and of all the numerous rattlers we encountered (May-July) only a single snake rattled at us. Of course that was the day I was leading a group of volunteers on a hike into the wilderness and the goofy gal found it. She insisted that she needed to get just a little closer to really get a good picture. Luckily I was able to keep her moving.
More often than not though a group of college kids would traipse over a rattle snake coiled under the far side of a log everyone was jumping over and someone in the middle of the pack would notice it. Almost never rattle here.
Gut Shot
Well-known member
I took the family hunting and camping a few years back. We decided to go shoot some prairie dogs one day. I parked the truck and started the hike up to a hill in the dog town. There were several snakes sunning themselves near p-dog dens. The kids got a kick out of it and I got scolded by the wife for getting way too close while taking pictures.
We were heading out and my wife decided to take a shortcut, across a bit of sagebrush, to the two track the truck was near. She jumped back out of the sagebrush swearing and screaming about "the mother of all *#($& rattlesnakes". The kids learned some new words that day, and it was a good sized snake. An admiral from the Russian merchant marine called a few days later wondering if my wife could teach their sailors how to swear.
We were heading out and my wife decided to take a shortcut, across a bit of sagebrush, to the two track the truck was near. She jumped back out of the sagebrush swearing and screaming about "the mother of all *#($& rattlesnakes". The kids learned some new words that day, and it was a good sized snake. An admiral from the Russian merchant marine called a few days later wondering if my wife could teach their sailors how to swear.
rustneversleeps
Well-known member
Haha sweet pics! Thats a big Prairie rattler for sure
Greyman
Well-known member
We have a few rattlers here in South Texas. I normally wear snake boots as my hunting boots just to avoid a painful and expensive trip to the ER. I've never been bit by one but I've bitten a few. My in-laws from up north like me to make rattlesnake chili when they come down to visit. I guess they think we eat it all time down here.
One tried to bite my dog in the back yard last year. I caught him and tanned the hide and mounted it on a very nice cedar board. The dog walks by and flips the paw at him. I have hunted and prospected here for the last 40 years and see a few but never been bit by one.
rustneversleeps
Well-known member
I read that one demographic accounts for 80% of all rattlesnake bites. Young males 15-25 years old.
HighDesertSage
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dirtclod Az.
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I have a picture of me catching a Rattlesnake swimming across an Az. Lake bare handed...
Can't post pics off my laptop?Pic sits in my bathroom where I shave every morning.
One Uncle laughing,the other jumping out of the boat! I only keep and eat snakes over 4ft.
All others get a free pass.
Can't post pics off my laptop?Pic sits in my bathroom where I shave every morning.
One Uncle laughing,the other jumping out of the boat! I only keep and eat snakes over 4ft.
All others get a free pass.
Our vet does not recommend the snakebite vaccine for dogs. We live on southern NV and there are a fair number of rattlers around.
We ran into this guy while archery hunting near Mesquite NV a few years ago, it was not happy to see us at all.
June 28, 2017 (San Diego’s East County) – The canine rattlesnake vaccine has been administered to over 100,000 dogs since it came on the market in the early 2000s. While only about 1 percent of dogs had side effects, the bad news is “there remains little fact-based data to support the efficacy of the vaccine to date,” according to Valerie Wiebe, Pharm.D with the University of California, Davis. In other words, it’s not clear if the vaccine actually works.
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