Rattlesnakes

[nfh]

Took my 2 boys out to go arrowhead hunting. While walking up a draw i stepped on some brush which then moved and the rattling started. Not sure if he striked since it happened so fast. But he started striking while i did some videos. I told the boys be careful cause its warm enough that some more might be coming out of dens. Walked 70 yards and found the den. All i saw was a guess of 30 snakes hauling butt into the den due to my dog rushing in. Not sure how he didnt get bit. Got one to pose for a picture. Didnt kill any since they eat the mice. Several people want the GPS coordinates cause they want to blow it up but i wont tell them.


Enjoy.

The boys wanted to shoot them but i want to teach them you dont kill everything
Dont get me wrong i have killed several good size snakes but thats only when they were in our buildings out in the oil feild.


I have been shown several dens but people have blasted them or a mess of fireworks laying around. I always see people posting cool pictures of snakes coming out of dens and always wanted to find one. I wish be had the big snakes but we got the smaller prairie rattlesnakes

 

[nfh]

Screen shot some pics from my snapchat account

 

[BuzzH]

Nice...glad you didn't go to killing them.

I probably see a half dozen a year at least, cant remember the last time I killed one...well over 25 years ago.

Like you, I would kill them if they were near the house, but just out on the prairie doing their thing, I just leave them alone.

A few years back this one was waiting in the shade of the truck when I packed an elk quarter back. He was gone when I got back with the second load.

 

[grizzly]

The boys wanted to shoot them but i want to teach them you dont kill everything

^^^^ ??????

I'll never understand why hunters would so frivolously kill a snake when in reality they're just scared of it. And in some states rattlesnakes are protected wildlife, too, which makes killing them hard to justify by somebody that believes in following wildlife laws.

Nice job teaching your boys that animals have value beyond target practice.

 

[nfh]

Thats a big snake buzz. Biggest ones i have seen near here is thermop. We would see 9-12 on a good day.

Grizzly,

I want my boys to learn the same as i did. I will never forget blasting a robin out of a tree as a kid and my dad ripped my butt. I have been taking my boys on a ton of adventures. Back during rabbit season we did very well. Things came to an end really quick when we got fleas from getting the meat. My oldest who is 9 now we did several horn hunting trips. He puts in the full 6 hours of walking through russian olives. 2 years in a row he has found some nice antlers. This year i spotted the antlers first and its really hard to say ohhhh LOOK!!! Instead i hold back till he spots it. The expression and the excitement he gets is worth it. But the little turd sure does rub it in...... he turned 9 2 weeks ago. I suprised him by taking him to cody firearms experience and he got to shoot the gattling gun.

Pretty excited for late June to come. Going to spend a lot of time searching for some mule deer for the upcoming hunt

 

[wytex]

We were just talking today, it seems time for the prairie rattlers to come out.
We've moved many out of the highway.
Salvaged a 56 inch skin off one killed near Medicine Bow one year.
Glad to hear they got a pass.

 

[Chesterwyo]

There seems to be a lot of those bigger rattle snakes in the Shirley Basin. I’ve only ever seen the Faded Pygmy Rattlers here in the SW corner.

 

[SS!]

Great post NFH. You’re raising those boys right!

 

[SlinginLead]

Cool looking snakes! The group of guys that I hunt with freak out
when they encounter any snakes. Only rattlers we have around here are the Pacific Timber Rattlers. Head towards the desert and you will find the Western Diamondback, Mohave Green (Most poisonous rattler in the U.S.), and the Sidewinders. I have caught them all!

 

[unclebuck]

Sounds like a cool experiance. Nice pictures and story.

 

[Longun]

driving between Jeffrey City and Muddy Gap...them rattlers ain't small..got three in the car one early morning and all were four feet or better..and they'd pack a punch if you were bit..glad we don't have any around here at 7,000 ft..

 

[elks96]

They only get a pass from me if they buzz and let me know they are there from a distance of a couple feet. If I end up in the middle of one and no buzz, it dies. Over the years I have came across some really aggressive ones that never buzzed.

 

[Deerlove]

If I'm not going to walk in the area again, I let it go. If it's a area or trail I frequent often, it might get a rock.

 

[WRC]

You might feel different if they lived on your acreage(they do) and bit your dog(they have). Respect your position but all rattlers die sight on scene, I’ll turn the truck around to get them.

 

[WRC]

Kill em all

 

[wytex]

We deal with them on a regular on the property we work. Near the house or people areas,they get relocated. Don't kill any unless we have to.
We no longer have a dog but keeping ours safe was a big consideration when we did.
They have their place in nature and we don't mess with that.
Hope your dog is ok, not something anyone wants to deal with.
A few folks taking some out of a population is not going to hurt them overall.

 

[WRC]

Ol ruger is fine, other than the right side of his face having a permanent snarl.

 

[Katoom]

. Several people want the GPS coordinates cause they want to blow it up but i wont tell them.

Good for you. keep that a full-on secret. There is no reason for people to go out of their way to kill snakes for no reason.

 

[BrianID]

I don’t go out of my way to kill them either. I would have left the den alone and not shared it location as well. If I find one by my house it is going to have a rock dropped on it. Rattlers out on the prairie are not a problem but not ok around houses were children, dogs and others might cross paths.

 

[Muleman1]

Screen shot some pics from my snapchat account

View attachment 5860

View attachment 5861

Screw that

 

[Blank]

Have hunted here in the Idaho desert on BLM ground for 40 years, and very rarely see any. There are certain locations where there are more, but you really have to look for them. Out on the INL by work, there were several big den sites, and the hikers and joggers at lunch would see them all the time.

 

[DBR]

Friend of mine was walking on a forest trail in southern NM about 10 years ago and was bitten by a rattle snake. After seeing what he went through if I see one he’s done. They cause some serious damage and end up costing you a lot of money and time if you don’t die.

 

[desperatehills]

Once a year the town I am moving to in Arizona does rattle snake training for dogs. They bring in a bunch of defanged snakes and let the dogs get close then they zap them with a shock collar. We will certainly do it though I doubt it works for all dogs

 

[RoughCountry]

Last year a friends Aussie puppy about 6 months old was bit on the nose by a rattler, he took it to the vet and that pup had a swollen nose for a few days and after about a week was good as new. It hardly bothered that pup but my buddy that was bitten about lost a leg.... it was ugly !!