arwaterfowler
Active Member
If just soon be afraid the rest of my life. I can find better ways to spend my time.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Rattle snake tips.
- Thread starter Musket Man
- Start date
Dearhunter3450
Active Member
Sawfish
Very Active Member
Time for another snake story: A few years ago, a good friend of mine talked me into a Wyoming Antelope Hunt. We were hunting outside of Casper, and as luck would have it, the weather had warmed up to a very unseasonable 100+ degrees. When I arrived in Casper, he said I want to show you something. He took me out to the hunting area, and the blacktop road through the area was literally crawling with snakes. Little green rattlers that looked like Mojave Greens, but were actually greenish colored prairie rattlers. They were so danged small, you could not hear them rattle, but that did not affect the potency of their bite. We found out that the weather had been normal for October-cool days, freezing nights, until the heat wave hit. The snakes had been bunched up in abandoned prairie dog burrows for hibernation, but the hot weather woke them up. After learning this bit of information, I informed my hunting partner that my hunting tactics had changed drastically. I would not be crawling around in the tall grass stalking trophy antelope, but fully intended on shooting the first dummy that I found in range of my 25/06 Pistol. The closer to the road the better! I was true to my word, but did shoot a doe at 287 yards that I could drive up to in my truck. Interestingly, he had hunted this same unit in the same week, during the previous year. They had over a foot of snow, and had to buy extra clothes!
Dearhunter3450
Active Member
Yeah I would def stay in truck if snakes are out like that!! I'm fairly sure there was a horror movie kind of like that years ago lol!
Anaconda? 
I'll admit that on one place where snakes were thick, there were a lot of hunts that my feet never touched the ground. Would drive up to my climber on my 4wheeler, park at the base of the tree in a mass of switch cane and climb 20' up to be able to cover several sloughs and tree lines. I felt bad sending my friends down there to hunt.
I'll admit that on one place where snakes were thick, there were a lot of hunts that my feet never touched the ground. Would drive up to my climber on my 4wheeler, park at the base of the tree in a mass of switch cane and climb 20' up to be able to cover several sloughs and tree lines. I felt bad sending my friends down there to hunt.
Dearhunter3450
Active Member
That's crazy!! If I ever hunt with you let me know if that is the spot you described lol!! I would have a stroke! I know that movie too but not the one. The one I was thinking of involved rattlesnakes and being woke from hibernation early due to blasting or some nonsense. They killed a bunch of people. Even lower budget then anaconda if you can believe that lol.
I have been gone for a bit, but this thread hits home with me. I love rattle snakes!! I have never killed one, and I think people should avoid killing them if at all possible. Relocate em when you find em near your camp spot.
Now for my best advise. When photographing a coiled pissed off snake at close range, you have to keep your hands behind the camera. Reach over the top to hit the button. You are usually safe no matter what, because if they strike they will strike at the lense because they see the glare off of it. Someday I could try to find some of these pics I took. Then I helped him off the road so not to get smushed by a car.
I can say I have seen one of those young rattlers that had no rattles. That could be a little hazardous.
Now for my best advise. When photographing a coiled pissed off snake at close range, you have to keep your hands behind the camera. Reach over the top to hit the button. You are usually safe no matter what, because if they strike they will strike at the lense because they see the glare off of it. Someday I could try to find some of these pics I took. Then I helped him off the road so not to get smushed by a car.
I can say I have seen one of those young rattlers that had no rattles. That could be a little hazardous.
PlainsHunter
Active Member
I was in south eastern MT late last October and almost put my hand on one while crawling up to look into a ravine. It was about 12" long and looked like it only had about 2 little rattles at the end of its tail. Freaked me out! It was probably 40 degrees out that day and it had been in the low 20's the night before, so be careful even after it freezes hard.
Dearhunter3450
Active Member
Looks like cottonmouth heaven packmule! Habitat like that is why I haven't hunted Osceola turkey yet.
Dearhunter3450
Active Member
This is a fun thread, I've looked at it for awhile too. I almost hate to admit it but I am in the same camp as tttoadman. We don't have indigenous snakes in Alaska but when I visit family in Oregon we actually go out in the evening to look for snakes. Mostly because it's scary-fun to find them.
View attachment 8950
I let my son kill one rattle snake a couple years ago and it's skin is on our wall. Otherwise we just check them out and leave them alive, depending on where we are. Out in the canyon, the snake is safe from us. If it's close to home we'll kill it.
I also have my son catch the non-poisonous snakes, just so he is comfortable with them, at least somewhat.
All that said, if we ever start a thread on spiders....I still scream and run like a little girl from them!!
View attachment 8950
I let my son kill one rattle snake a couple years ago and it's skin is on our wall. Otherwise we just check them out and leave them alive, depending on where we are. Out in the canyon, the snake is safe from us. If it's close to home we'll kill it.
I also have my son catch the non-poisonous snakes, just so he is comfortable with them, at least somewhat.
All that said, if we ever start a thread on spiders....I still scream and run like a little girl from them!!
Won't hunt Easterns in our area either
The cottonmouths tend to be tight to the water, the rattlers hang up on the ridges and crowned rds. Since deer tend to travel the ridges and that's what gets hunted the most it's a guarantee to stumble into a little of both.
Weirdest thing I've had was hunting in a ground blind and had a coachwhip coming through the cypress flat straight toward the blind. I got out when I figured out what was going to happen. By the time I got out I couldn't find the snake. Looked back in the window and it was in my chair. Just imagine had that been before daylight.
However, have climbed into a deer stand one morning and was sitting there waiting for daylight and kept hearing something from the overhead shelf....apparently shelves make a good place for a bobcat to stretch out on. She wasn't impressed that I was there.
Sawfish
Very Active Member
I figured dearhunter would want to see this! lol
http://news.yahoo.com/video/whoknew-snakes-060000057.html
http://news.yahoo.com/video/whoknew-snakes-060000057.html
Sawfish
Very Active Member
They found one of those in Florida, but concluded that it was a lone specimen that some idiot pet lover had released into the wild. However, the Burmese pythons are thriving there.
I am more afraid of a creepy mouse in my camp than a snake near my camp. For being a bunch of bad asses, we sure can be wusses sometimes with little critters!!