Trad Gang

Yesterday was opening day of bow season in the south zone of MS and it was 86 degrees! And this is what crawled out of a hole near my tree stand    :scared:      

(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/WIDOWWALLERS/001.jpg)


Ya just had the image code a bit wrong  ;)  ...

[IMG]http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/WIDOWWALLERS/001.jpg[/IMG]

Well the pic didn't work, I will figure out later how to do it i got to go hunting! Anyway it's a pic of a Big Rattlesnake   :eek:  that I kill, gave me the Willies!

Your link is bad; it should read [URLequalshttp://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/WIDOWWALLERS/001.jpg]your title here[/URL].  Substitute = for "equals"; I did this so you could see the actual html code you need.  Then substitute whatever link title you want for "your title here". )

I was able to see your photo -- can't see anything but a bow and quiver, apparently left on the ground in a hurry near a thick, curvy stick . . .  :-)

click the link for the pic

http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/WIDOWWALLERS/001.jpg

looks like there's enough skin there to do that whole bow.

Yowwzzer!!  :scared:

That's a big one, alright. Would make two of our prairie rattlers. Yikes!

I did that right after our season started Last month) here also - a Canebrake Rattler 45" long (sans head) with 14 + button. Still haven't gotten over it - LOL (except I want another one now). Haven't even seen a deer yet but scored a sneaky snake! Wouldn't you know.

  (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v689/ber643/0313/Canebrake4425.jpg)

  (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v689/ber643/0313/Canebrake45.jpg)

So why did you kill it?

That's actually 13 plus button but very nice.

QuoteOriginally posted by Shaner:
So why did you kill it?

My guess is:
1. It is great table fare, some of the best around IMO
2. Great looking skin for bow building,quiver building ect.ect.
3. Down right bad critter to have living in your path while going to and from your stand.

Just to name a few

QuoteOriginally posted by Shaner:
So why did you kill it?

tastes like chicken.....

QuoteOriginally posted by Shaner:
So why did you kill it?

Because they won't stay on a bow when they are alive, they will move around too much and throw off your shot.    :bigsmyl:

Shane,

Don't take offence I was only playing with you. I put the big grin on my post to try and show this.

I don't know what kind of snakes you have in your area but in the southern US rattlesnakes are plentiful along with a few other poisonous snakes. The bite from a rattlesnake is very deadly and depending on how far away a person is from getting help they may not survive the bite. There is an anti-venom that can be given to the person or animal that has been bitten but it must be given to them fairly quickly so that the one that was bitten will not have permanent damage. I am not sure what the time period is but I would guess that it would need to be administered within an hour of the bite. If there is too much delay from the time of the bite to the time the anti-venom is given there could be loss of limb or loss of life.

The pattern on rattlesnakes is (in my opinion) quite beautiful. A lot of people use the skins to decorate their bows or make other unique leather items. It usually takes two snakes to cover a bow.  The meat from these animals is also eatable. I personally have never tried the meat so I can't tell you how it tastes but I hope to try it someday. Personally, if I were to come across a rattlesnake it would have to die. I understand that they are a part of nature and they have a roll to play in their surroundings but so do I so the rattlesnake would have to go. I wouldn't want to risk my wife, family member, friend or pet being bitten because I didn't take action. I would not take this action with all snakes only the poisonous kind.

I hope this helps answer your question.

why did he kill it? You spent too much time in the colds of Canada.

Too many venomous snakes thats why.

If you like them send me your address. I'll send a whole box full to ya. j/k

I don't think I would have killed it.      

There's just no way I would have gotten close enough.  :eek:  

That dude is nasty.

That dude is beautiful! And I bet he ate alla Bernie's deer...  :D  

Killdeer  :archer:

That would wake you up in a hurry..

thick curvy stick.....haaaaa...thats rich dude   :D    :D    :D

How do you cook one of those things. If I ever see a snake worth eatin I'm shootin it. Also how far back do you have to cut the head off to make sure theres no poison in the meat.

John we have plenty of those around Vicksburg.What part of Ms. you from?  Thanks Ricky

Guys Shaner is a cadet member and curious as to why, no snide comments are needed. Lets ask MS Bowhunter why he killed it? All valid reasons listed but his may be different. Shawn

the only good snake is a dead snake uncle bernie good on ya!!!  :clapper:    :clapper:

Despite what some say, we could get along just fine with only nonpoisonous snakes. Maine, where I live, has been free of poisonous snakes for over 100 years with no detrimental effects.

Anytime I see a situation that could kill some unexpecting person, I eliminate it, if I can.

The only snake found in Western Washington  (east of the Cascade Mountains) is the docile and non-poisonous Garter Snake.   :thumbsup:  

I believe most of us who live here are happy with that.  You can keep those nasty cottonmouths and rattlers in your backyards.  :goldtooth:

Everyone has there own opinion about venomous snakes... here's mine.
 (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/rattler3.jpg)
 (http://www.tradgang.com/upload/charlie/rattler2.jpg)

By the way, I ate that one. It's not bad meat, just not worth the effort!!

Dang Charlie! That's a dooooozzzzzy there.

I can see both sides of the kill or not kill scene.
I have yet to eat it.
They sure do look good on a bow though.
Why doesnt anyone use cottonmouth skins anyway?

Hey guys thanks for fixing the pic i'll try and post another one here in a minute. Shane the reason for the taken of the "Snake" life was one based on it's either him/her or me and possible loss of life and at the very least a lengthy stay in a hospital if bitten. I did a search on goggle 3 weeks ago after finding a 18" rattler (yep kill that one to) and it said an adult Eastern Rattlesnake will have up to 24 offspring each year...that's a lot of extra worry when going afield that i don't want to deal with so i lessen the odds every chance i get. The one in the picture was 53" without the head and had 10 rattles and a button. I was so shaken by it i missed several time before i connected and even then i had to beat it with a stick (the straighter one in the picture) and even after the head was removed it continued to strike at the air and rattel    :scared:      :eek:   I kept thinking there are others around and he/she calling in reinforcements    :(

Well i messed up again on the pic's i need to go back and read the earlier post!

Seeing if this works  (http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/WIDOWWALLERS/005.jpg)

http://www.rattlesnakebite.org/index.htm

And one more  (http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/WIDOWWALLERS/008.jpg)

Brian I've seen that story before and that's exactly what was going through my mind when i killed the snake. Lord i don't want that to happen to me!

I'm not positive but I believe that Canebreaks are federally protected. I think I read something on another site about it. They removed the pictures because of it.
You might want to check on it to be sure.

Draco, this one is an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, not sure if it is protected.

Seeing if this works URL=://s151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/WIDOWWALLERS/?action=view¤t=005.jpg"     URL=:http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/WIDOWWALLERS/005.jpg"  URL=:http://s151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/WIDOWWALLERS/?action=view¤t=014.jpg"  URL=:http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s157/WIDOWWALLERS/014.jpg"

Here in Idaho; you can only kill a rattlesnake in self defense. I swear - the ones I killed before this new law- all drew on me first !!

its illegal in Arkansas to kill a snake unless its imminent danger to you - and I've actually become quite an ally of snake in the last couple of year. I can't stand killing them for no reason - but that said the poster did say the following, and I can live with that and I think most people can too.


1. It is great table fare, some of the best around IMO
2. Great looking skin for bow building,quiver building ect.ect.

The question was asked "why don't people put cotton mouths on bows".  Alot of times cotton mouths are just about black.  You can see a pattern if you look closely but they aren't  clear at all.  Besides that, I actually think the ba$*@%ds would still try to bite you after you've skinned them and put them on your bow!

South MS Bowhunter, nice snake there...gonna make good bow backin'   :)  

If you are having problems with posting pics here is all you need to do.

Look at your image on your photobucket account, underneath the image there are options, email, direct link, html code, and IMG Code.

You click the text within the IMG Code box and photobucket automatically copies it for you...come to TradGang and in paste it within the post.
Hope that helps, if ya needed the help--if not..*shrug*   :p  

Regards,
 Dave

Dave, i figured it out last night thanks for your help.

Im fairly indifferent to venomous snakes in the wilderness . But if they are near my house I like to see them dead.

The seem to be re-establishing themselves in many north-east locals which they had been largely absent from for 100 years.
I dont see anything good about it to be honest.

Here in Alberta, the sankes are protected, as they are now on the endangered species list.

I have seen a few rattlers on my hunts, but I just step around them.

However, if we had a population of snakes around here, like some of the States have, I am sure I would being trying some rattler steaks.

On the "self defense" thing, I don't think I have ever heard of anyone being charged by a ravening rattler!   :bigsmyl:

As for as being charged by a rattler, maybe my hunting partner ("CCH") will see this and chime in.  A couple years ago, Chris was stalking a mule deer in eastern Washington in early September when he was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a Prairie Rattler that was making hissing noises and slithering quickly toward him.

It took all 5 of his broadheads to teach the hostile fellow a lesson, but the snake did "get the point."

I never argue the point of killing or not when it comes to snakes (or the reasons or laws regarding it either). I have three very dear friends who are "snake people" and they have taught me much tolerance in the last couple or three years. Still, for me, I react differently at different times - and I do not try very much to controll it. I do however respect each individuals feelings and decisions regarding it, and don't set out to offend anyone with my own. I do say, unless you really know what you are doing (and probably even if you do) You better be very careful how you deal with them or even the probability of them being around. In other words - "be careful out there"!

On my farm and my cousins ajoining farm we have
killed 44 rattlesnakes this year! Most are prarie
rattlers and some diamondbacks...We have some
CRP land as well as dry lake beds and old prarie-
dog dens which attract these snakes.
My cousins wife was bit on the foot and she had
to get six viles of anti venium (sp) at $5000.00
each ($30,000.00) and still nearly lost her foot!
This expense did not include her week in the hosp
and other med expense!  This farm is in north TX.
allen

RW I have been "charged" by prarie rattlers; they come straight at you; and they are striking as they get close- OH YEAH ! they DO come at you.

I have several times stepped on rattlesnakes; and if not for the type of boot I had on; might still be there bleaching my bones ( I don't know how far you could walk on a rattlesnake bit leg).

Once I had on my red led light on my headlamp; and stepped on one; and it was smacking my leg with great aggression; and I could not see it. I switched the light to the white led; and could barely see it; and only on the normal bulb could I see where it was. It might not have charged me; but it was not asking for mercy !!

Other times in high grass I have stepped on them; and you cannot see them in that envirnment fast enough.

While most will rattle as they retreat - I have seen too many that seem well aware of the danger they present ...

Wait till its YOUR turn - then decide ....

I stepped on one and he turned to stare me right in the eyes.  I am telling you I was looking right down the gun barrel of satan himself.  You have no idea what a pit viper looks like when you are staring at the hissed off business end.  He got a load of shot in the face.  I wasn't scared... there was just a "knowledge" that it was him or me.  If I saw it up on a rock from twenty feet away sunning I would have left him alone but this was throw down time.

Draco, i checked the regulation to be sure it's not on the protected species list and it is not. James in vicksburg i live down on the coast.

Thought I'd find more regard and respect for nature here.

How disappointing.

Only good snake is a dead one!

Poisinous snake=dead snake as far as I am concerned. Was bit twice when I was a younger. Not a good experience.

Funniest thing I ever saw was the look on my brothers face one year at Boy Scout camp. We were counslers and one of the troops called up and said they had caught a water snake and did he want it for the nature area, so bubba goes down there and retrieves the snake. Let it crawl all over his arms and takes it to the nature area and put it in a glass case. Next day I was down there and noticed the snake in the tank. WATER MOC!!! Tapped on the glass and it reared up and opened its mouth to strike, solid white. All the color drained out of my bubba's face and he bout fainted. It is a wonder he was not bit, only thing that probably saved him is it was a cool night and the snake was a bit lathargic.LOL.

Danny

That should be enough to make anyone extra "careful" (and thankful) the rest of their " nature -al" life.

Here's another MS snake whacked last week. (http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c201/ProblemChild333/RealCopperhead.jpg) I could skin my whole longbow with that sucker.

My old house had a den of garter snakes under the front stoop. I don't really like snakes but will leave them alone if they're around. I got used to seeing them in the garden and flowers when weeding. Usually I'd pick them up with a rake and place them over the fence into the woods.

Of course these aren't poisonous ones. If it was a rattlesnake den it would be a different story..for safety reasons. My dog picked up a couple garter snakes and was running aroung with it in his mouth like it was the best toy ever. She woulda been dead if it was a poisonous snake.

I know they fill a certain role in nature like mosquitoes, flies and other nuisances.

One time I was stalking pronghorns in SD and was low crawling behind a mound of dirt and grass. Next thing I hear a rattle and a prairie rattler is coiled up and rattling about 5 feet from my face. I stood up so stinking fast I think I came out of my clothes. The pronghorns were about 50 yards away and ran to the next county.

Same hunt I stopped to talk to some prairie dog hunters to let them know I was in the area so I wouldn't be down range of their rifles. We were in a circle talking for probably fifteen minutes when a rattle starts up. We look down and there's a prairie rattler right in the middle of us. There was a hole there and I don't know if he came out of the hole or wanted in but we must've been in his way. I just know that snake wasn't there when we started talking. We all commented that we thought snakes were shy and will leave if the know you're there.

As far as those pythons invading the Everglades I think there should be a bounty on those. I don't see any good with another foreign species coming in and wreaking havoc on our environment. Especially when they start killing off the alligators which are the top of the food chain down there.

Growing up I was tought you shouldnt kill anthinhg you dont intend to eat. Born an raised in Texas, most my time spent in the hill country i ate many. I still live by the "my camp, his camp" rule,he's in my camp he dies. Im in his camp let him be, unless you need a really cool looking bow back or walking stick.

A lot of posts on here about encounters...  Anyone been bitten?  I don't mean "my mailman's third cousin's brother-in-law" -- have you personally been bitten?  I'm curious because the total woods-time on this site must be in the millions of man-hours.

:scared:

I haven't been bitten, but it wasn't for the lack of trying of several prairie rattlers. Deer hunting one year, I was climbing hand over hand up some rocks when Mr. Buzzworm took a swipe at my hand, and somehow he missed. Once when bowfishing, I was knee deep in water when a rattler comes swimming along, headed right towards me. I pushed him away three or four times with my bow, and when he kept coming he got a fish arrow in the head. Hiking along the Sweetwater River one day, I surprised a rattler who not only lit up and scared the crap out of me, but he aggressively came at me, and got a 230 grain hardball for his trouble. Now maybe rattlesnakes aren't supposed to be aggressive, but these forgot to read the manual. I don't kill non poisonous snakes, but rattlers are meat if I see one.
My brother did get bit by a prairie rattler, but the snake hit his boot and didn't get flesh. They are nasty little suckers and need killing, as far as I'm concerned.

I think most people from the south have had their boots bitten. Probably not punctured.

I just don't think some folks from colder climates really understand snakes is the problem. Cotton mouths are a very slow snake. So they try to just lay still. A good strategy but not for humans. They are clumsy and climb up palmettos and such right to face level. And fall off at your feet when you rustle brush. They've fallen out of trees onto my kayak numerous times.

The small ones are almost undetectable, innumerable, and the most poisonous. I'll tell you snake boots or not its tons of fun to walk every step in high grass shaking a stick. You can only see a few inches of the snakes moving in front of you and it takes a seeming eternity to finish crossing your path.

Respect for life? I'm sure when you have mosquitos on you that you let them fill up the tank and fly away. No, I don't think. There are millions of them and so you don't hesitate to kill them. Well that is what cotton mouths are like in my neck of the woods.

@ ISHI. cotton mouths just aren't that pretty. Small young males are pretty and banded red/black. They make good arrow wraps but too small for anything substantial.

I was bit by several snakes while growing up in the high deserts in southern Ca, but they were all non poisonous snakes, usually gopher (the meanest I dealt/played with) or red racers: most of the time it was because we were playing with them and were not careful enough.  On three occasions while hunting rabbits or chucker in the desert I was struck on the leg (once) or boot (twice) by Mojave Green's, one of the most toxic snakes in North America.  At that time (the early 1970's) nobody had lived after being bitten by one; from what I saw last year on the discovery channel there is now anti-venom.  None of the strike's by the green's were provoked other then my walking too close to a bush they happened to be under.  Luckily the strike on the leg did not fully penetrate my cowboy boot and the strikes on my cowboy boots hit the heel.  My brother Gary was struck twice on his boots by greens while hunting during high school too.  Luckily, none of my friends or me were struck by a green while catching them to sell to the researchers at UCLA, who were working on the anti-venom.  Not the norm, but on several occasions friends and I were chased by different types of rattlesnakes, most often sidewinders, but also diamondbacks and greens, while looking for greens on paved roads late at night (The snakes would move from the desert onto the blacktop when the temperature dropped because the black top retained the heat longer after the sun went down.).  Now days, let's just say, the only snakes I like are on the back of a bow.

All the snake talk makes me scratch my head (maybe that's why I'm bald).  A lot of us (most of us?) pee down our hind legs in anticipation of a bear hunt with a skinny little pointy stick.  Wild hogs?  Bring us the biggest and baddest -- day or night, doesn't matter.  Bull elk or moose, rutted up and full of fight, lots of long daggers on their head -- can't get enough of 'em.  And a lot of us would give our left testicle for a shot at either a cape or water buffalo, the kind of critters that would happily turn us into toe jam.

Kinda see where I'm going?  We intentionally put ourselves in harm's way.  Might even exaggerate the danger at times -- that might just be part of the fun.  But when it comes to snakes, what happens to us tough outdoorsy types?  

I looked at the National Weather Service's website.  On average, there are 62 deaths from lightning each year.  Coincidentally, tornadoes account for the same number of deaths.  There have been 27 fatal bear attacks since 2000 (Wikipedia).  For snake bites in the US, the site eMedicine reports "The national average has been less than 4 deaths per year for the last several years.

Hmmm...   :rolleyes:

It is just hard for me to gather a lot of understanding, or empathy, for critters that can move so fast without a sign of a leg, and are more flexible than the most agile cat. Contrary to popular believe, perpetuated even by my own words and actions at times, I'm really not afraid of snakes, even though they do startle me often, and scare me sometimes (heck, so do some of my best friends - and girlfriends/wives) - I JUST DON"T LIKE THE SUCKERS! Even though I think some of them are beautiful  - in a strange, creepy, fascinating sort of way. Sorry - to both "factions" of the subject -   :D

Hey guys, sorry I have been away for a while and haven't been able to see how this thread is going. Like hunting for anything else, if the whole snake was used I don't mind killing it but a lot of people kill snakes because they are afraid or misunderstand them. And I'm not saying this because I'm from Canada and have never dealt with snakes before. I worked for a nature centre doing research on Massasauga Rattlesnakes, and fox snakes which are both now endangered through most of their range because of human interference. A lot of snakes species are becoming threatened because of people killing them for no reason, and they are an important part of every ecosystem. I just don't see a very good reason to kill them. I guess its just hard to see something I have worked hard to try to save be killed lol. Texas Bubba also brings up very good points and knife river proves exactly what is true, the threat of a snake bite is greatly over exaggerated and it is just a part of being outdoors just like every other "dangerous" animal. This is a hard topic for me to understand as well though, because I kill deer, bear, rabbits and squirrels, so where do you draw the line on what you can kill? I guess its just a personal choice. I just think too many see snakes automatically as an evil and gross creature and that is why they are not doing so well. I also believe in a lot of places it is illegal to kill them, I know it is in Ontario. An interesting topic though would like to hear more.
Shane

After reading all of the posts, I wonder where conservation and preservation has gone in the hunting community. Its kind of sad because after reading the opinions of some of these people it is no wonder why species are extinct and many are going extinct. Would you not think it would be sad if further generations could not witness such beatiful creatures and only read about them in textbooks?
Shane