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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: dosbow56 on April 06, 2007, 06:42:00 PM
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What's your take on snake boots or gaiters? Would ya recommend them? Not either/or but using them at all....We'll be hunting Southern GA end of this month. Would the green rubber Northerner boots suffice?
Thanks,
Dave
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I have hunted the southern swamps about most my life and have never been bit. BUT I have been almost bit at least ten times. I got struck by copperheads twice and did not have snake boots on . God watches over fools they say.Both times they only got pants leggs. I stepped within a foot or so from a BIG diamond back in the swamp a couple of years ago, Mudfeather shot him in the head. He only had twenty rattles and was about five feet long.Again the fool thing.I could go on and on. You will more than likely not get bit if you hunted a year solid down here but man would it ruin a trip.PS my good friend John Bookharts Grandaddy died from a rattlesnake bite.. Gaters no, boots yes.RC
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Robert,
Like a good friend of ours says, "Boots are optional, snakes are not." Probly kinda like insurance or seat belts, ya don't need em, til ya need em......Any thougts on the rubber boots? They're pretty thick although I'm sure not as thick or tough as a snake boot.
Dave
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I would not trust the rubber boots. People think the snake will bite you up the leg some where the boots are away from your leg but a cottonmouth or copperhead will bite around the foot or ankle. A rattle snake will get around the calf or higher.RC
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Thanks RC, good stuff to know....
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I was struck at by a cottonmouth not too long ago, luckily, he was too short, and stopped within inches of my hand when I bent down to pick up an arrow
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I have a pair and have found them more useful for cactus than snakes,,especially in the dark early mornings
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dont use either, just knee high lacrosse boots. They are really not a worry(snakes), just watch where ya put your hands. You are more liable to e bit there than on the ankle or foot, if you have good boots on.
Later
Jason
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Rubber will stop em no worries.
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Snake boots are a regular part of your gear here in SC Low Country. Several cases of snake bites come thru the Emergency Room every year, some get awfully sick. I have heard of snakes biting thru Lacrosse rubber boots. Walking in/out of stand in the dark I like the extra insurance snake boots give. They can ruin your day pretty quickly. In the daylight pretty easy to go around them. If traveling through a lot of brush chaps are used as I have encountered snakes up in the bushes.
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Snakes seem to have a habit of finding me and not anybody else. Last year I purchased a pair of the Much Boots Woody Armor for just that reason. I don't care, garter, cotton mouth, copperhead, timber rattler, I feel just a little bit safer wearing them. I wear gaiters when I'm just tending the fields.
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I don't wear them but I just saw that Cabelas has some rubber snake proof boots on sale and now I'm debating getting a pair. I've never been afraid of snakes, poisonous or not, that said, I AM VERY CAUTIOUS OF WEAR I PUT MY HANDS, FEET, OR ANYTHING ELSE. I usually spot the snake before I get within 2 or 3 feet of it. The only time I get nervous is going through high grass or palmetto's where I can't see the ground well. My experience has been that a rattler won't strike unless he is poked, prodded, stepped on etc. Cotton mouths are another story, they will strike unprovoked, and will give chase, but not all the time. I've only came across 2 or thrre copperheads and they were not aggressive. The most nervous I've ever been was 5 years ago in July, I was sitting in a chair back by my pond with my grandfather fishing and a cottonmouth came from behind me, crawled in between my feet when I saw it, flicking it's tongue on my left shoe, then crawling out about 5 feet from me and coiling up. I just sat still ,i.e. to scared to move, and let him get away from me before getting up. My grandfather was more scaried than me I believe, he told me I was crazy for just sitting there not moving. I believe that since the snake wasn't disturbed by me moving, it didn't feel threatened.
so, as I said before, I've never wore them, but honestly, they are a fairly cheap insurance policy. Get them if you like, but just remember, even if you have them on, you'll probably forget about them if you get struck at and your friends will get a show they WILL NEVER FORGET. You'd be better off being VERY CAUTIOUS, just watch out in front of you a couple steps. My father said it best "don't ever put your hands, feet, or any part of you were you haven't looked at closely"
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I just returned home from a week long hunt in Southern Ga. I didnt bring snake boots, and I saw only one snake(road-killed coachwhip). However, my hunting partner had this thing about getting off the trails...I couldnt get him "in the woods" to save my life.LOL.
I never thought about snake boots, and luckily it didnt matter this time. I think if I ever go again I will have a pair. Better safe than sorry.
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Dave
While yer down there, catch a 5 footer, skin him out and we'll roast him on the spit at Cloverdale!!!!
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I don't wear them down here in the South Texas brush. I have considered getting a pair but more for the brush than anything. I will say that I would be more concerned hunting swamps than this brush. The only poisonous snakes I encounter where I hunt is rattlers and they usually try to get out of your way pretty quick. If I hunted where the cottonmouths and copperheads were thick, I would get a little more serious about it.
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What does it mean when your palms are sweating while you read these.....?LOL Thanks for the input guys, I'm pretty sure I'll be purchasing boots before I go. Joe Skipp sent me some info on Turtleskin gaiters. They look pretty good but a little pricey, I have to buy two of everything,
me and Little John......
Thanks, Dave
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Steve,
If'n I see a 5 footer, I'll figger out what to do with it while I'm cleanin out my drawers.......then we'll do a skin-along while we're roastin it. They say it tastes like chicken.......
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I hunt south Texas and kill several rattle snakes each year. Some try to crawl away and some don't. If I am not in bed I am wearing snake boots, even in camp.
If you buy a pair get the ones that zip up they are much easier to take off and on. Buy a boot jack also. If you can take your boots off and on easier you will be more prone to wear them. Mike.
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Been hunting around snakes all my life.Never got into a rattlesnake plenty of cottonmounth and copperheads.The only agressive snake I have run across is the cottonmouth you are in more danger on the hiway getting there than getting bit.But the only time I have seen cottonmounths come after me was in a swamp about to dry up late fall.When you walked within 20-30 feet of a small pool of water it had two or three snakes and one of them would come after you even that far away It happened to me more than once also to other hunters I guess it was the swamp drying up that caused it.I also recommend ankle fit Lacrosse booths, will stop most or all bites.Kip
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Wanted to finish with the rubber boots will also help in the low or swamp areas you will be probably hunting.Kip
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Buy the boots and be safe, you won't be sorry. Enjoy the hunt. Regards, Carl
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Daggone.....THAT's a SNAKE!!!!
Man, I get the heebie jeebies just lookin at that!!!
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Turtle skin also makes snake pants, check em out on thier website. My only advice on snake boots is wearem alot before you go hunting. There is something about the tall lace up boots that cause blisters for alot of folks.
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That snake would look nice on my new chekmate....
LOL.
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I picked up a set of gaiters at Bass Pro for my upcoming S. GA hog and turkey hunt that fit me a lot better and provide better air flow than any boot. They allow me to wear them over regular hunting or black rubber boots, too. I have also found that if you have running back calves, as I do, the tall lace up boot just aren't comfortable at all. The gaiters come up to just below the crease of my knee and cost about $60. They'll help in briars, too.
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Thanks Steve, could'nta said it better myself....Troy, that aint you, that's Burt Reynolds doin yer stunt work for ya...... :notworthy:
DDDDDDDave
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How long were ya in the hospital? We picked up a rattle bit dude on an EMS run and he was in the Hospital for 2 and a half weeks! he really took it bad.
I still aint worring bout em gettin through though. been there done that and he didn't make it. Wasn't as big as the one yer holdin and he struck the foot of the boot not the calf. I agree but he measured 61.5 inches(timber). I mounted him. Run across one on OPENING DAY! last year bout four foot he was a diamondback so I let him crawl as they are protected as of now on my area, but was neat to see.
Just cant see lettin something worry me enough to go and wear a bulky set of gaiters or chaps. too hot when we get started here, and as much as I have actually had a BAD encounter where I might have been bitten? not worth the dollars. Now black widows on the other hand are a different story, rather deal with that rattler.
Yall have a good one
Jason
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I will add this as a fireman around here I have seen a few snakebites, I know paramedics who have seen even more BUT, I have NEVER seen someone bitten who was just walking through the woods. They were always bitten trying to kill the snake or screw with it. Much like DTala/Troy there in the picture, THAT IS HOW PEOPLE ARE BITTEN, much more so than just diddy boppin through the woods and bam a snake hit them.
Best advice, leave them alone. no worries.
Jason
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I bought a pair of the redhead snake boots at bass pro last year, supposed to be waterproof too. Wore them last year during turkey season only, and so far this year. They aren't waterproof, so if your huntin swamps dont get them, if they were they tear up pretty quick, also not very comfortable for long hikes chasing turkeys,
I hate snakes and hunt some swamps so i'm looking now for a better brand.
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I was carrying one out "dead" one time a timber 36 inches long. I had a forked stick using it to keep his head in the notch and away from my body, had his tail in the other hand. WELL that "dead" snake had liek a muscle spasm i guess, but just let out this big jerk in my hand! scared the bejeezes out of me, I threw the stick one way and took off the other!
Nother one I tried to pull a Irwin on he came back around so fast I thought I was had, still got his rattles as they came off in my hand and he got away. Two Black fellas were there and they thought they had met the craziest person in their lives.
BUT if ya want to have real fun take a mounted one(crawling pose) and hide it in the bathroom and cut the lights out, so when someone walks in and turns on the lights the big rattler is at their feet. Just be sure the person your scaring doesn't have a heart condition(ask me how I know)
Later
J
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I was lookin at hiking boots at BP last week and the kid in the shoe dept. said stay away from the Redheads, not very good quality.....so there ya go huh? LOL
Troy, I heard rattlers didn't die after ya kilt em til after sunset, or is that just in the westerns?......8-)
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I got the zip up kind and like them . I`m on my third pair. I have never played with a snake and will not tolerate someone messing with me with one. I`ll cut you and pray for you to stop bleeding if you try. Point is if you step on him you will more than likely get bit. I think anything that deserves this much discussion has already answered itself.The zip ups are on sale at bass pro for 89 bucks. I`d buy`em.RC
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Dave,
I was wrong, the sale isn't at Cabelas
www.scottsoutdoors.com (http://www.scottsoutdoors.com) has Lacrosse Alpha burly venom boots on sale for $79.95. Hope this helps.
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If your that scared then by all means wear them.
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The last two rattle snakes I killed, two weeks ago, were curled up right under the breaker box for our trailer at the lease.
They did not rattle. They were just laying in wait for me to take two more steps.
It is too easy to step on or near a snake in only ankle high grass. Walking down a narrow trail in tall grass with a light is fun too.
Everyone talks about people getting bitten on the hand because they reached for something near the snake. Reaching or standing getting close enough to be bitten is too close regardless of what you are doing.
They have a very effective camo job for you to see them every time and you only have to be bitten once to really give you a bad time. I am careful when I drive but I have auto insurance.
I do not feel comfortable with the reasoning powers of a reptile with the brain the size of a quarter.
I am not terrified of them. I will not let them keep me out of the woods. I do not hate them enough to go on a snake killing expedition. However I will kill every one I come across and I come across several every year.
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Nik,
Believe me, I will be "packin" by the time we leave......LOL
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i got hit just above my high tops while muley hunting in NW Nebraska by a small rattler{38''].Felt like a limb hitting me and had a stream of venom on my camo- due to tall grass I think. Ruined my spot @ stalk hunting after stepped on another 300 yards later.Do not have to worry about them in w.central In.
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In my Neck of the Wood's, your more likely to get struck by a Car, than Bit by a Snake. We have some Mighty Big Timber Rattlers but in all my times in Gods Great Outdoors, Iv only seen several Bad Snakes, and Luckily ,I seen them first.Im more concentrated on the Hunt than the Snakes, but im always mindfull, of their presence.
Have a GREAT Easter!
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52 bow? did it get you as far as a venomous bite?? I have to say there would have been another stain on my camo beside the streak of venom!
Yeah they dont rattle like people think, that is a misconception. I was bass fishing a few years back standing on a bank, just happened to look down and noticed something that didn't look right in the grass. turned out to be a diamondback less than three inches from my boot coiled, just laying there, not in a strike stance or anything? I tried to step away as calmly as I could. but he had me dead to rights.
I guess I have had enough encounters with them as not to see them as much threat that I need to buy 100 dollar pair of boots. Maybe I run across one that nails me one day, but as much time as I have spent in snakey country I doubt that will happen. I know if you step on them your bit, if you screw with them your bit, and alot of times as I mentioned if you are trying to kill them you could be bit.
In the end if it gives you a piece of mind wearing the boots then go for it. just concentrate on the hunt, dont let snakes worry you so much that you dont hunt well or dont enjoy the hunt.
Jason
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The only time I have ever seen snakes just hit anything is during the molt, I reckon that they are blind and feel vulnerable.
I would imagine if a guy knew how many snakes he/she had stepped over/around/on/next to in their years of huntin', he might be just nervous enough to get some protective gear.
I know that I would much prefer to wear protective boots in a land where there are Cottonmouths and Copperheads!
JMTCW
Jeff
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Has anyone seen or had any experience with the Crackshot Snakeguardz Gaiters? or would ya stick with the boots. I guess I'm concerned about getting them broke-in in less than 2 weeks. Yes, I'm the President and CEO of the Procrastinators Club...... :knothead:
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I have had them
rattle, not rattle, hold their ground like they were ready to fight, stay still trying to hide like a rabbit, try to crawl away.
I have had arrows pinning them to the ground and all they did was try to get away. Never struck once.
I also had one raise up a foot over the top of knee high grass and let me know he did not enjoy my pressence on the same planet. He was about 15 yards away! I would have never seen him.
As I said I do not trust a reptile with a brain the size of a quarter. You just never know what one will do.
Once when I 16 yrs old on a church trip we stopped at a road side park. I was walking around on bare dirt and thought I heard a Cricket. I looked down and a 4' rattle snake was coiled and not happy. I froze and about a 1/2 centry later it crawled off. I have never heard one sound like that since.
Onther thing about rattles. I have killed 4 so far this year.
One was 4' and had one rattle. A coyote had him upset when I came across him and he was trying his best to rattle and did not make much noise.
one was 4' and had 8 rattles
one was 5' and had 3 rattles
one was 5' and had 11 rattles.
What I am trying to say is that even if the snake WANTS to warn you he might not be able to.
Judo's and SGH "those claw shaped things" are great. Stay about 6' back and shoot them through the top of the head. Those heads will just about turn a snakes head inside out.
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I hunt Rattlers. I was struck once when Antelope hunting. Rattler hit my White Logger boots, which were leather. Bounced right off. When we are in the den sites, we wear snake leggins...very noisy, so you can't use them for hunting. I wear normal rubber boots (thick rubber) and no rattler can get through them. Rattlers have small, thin fangs and they will actually retract (so I am told) their fangs when they hit something which might break them off.
I have hunted Georgia and Alabama and just wore good, higher rubber boots.
Too Short
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TTT with edit
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Don't mean to scare anyone but here's my story. I have a vet. friend in south Ga. I used to go bird hunting there. This was near the Altamaha River. He told me he treated a birddog from a nearby town that had been bitten by an assumed rattler. When he prepped the bite site he put a ruler on the fang marks and measured 4" between the two marks. The snake had penetrated the chest wall and put his load in the thoracic cavity. The dog did not survive.
As narrow as the head is on the front that would have been one HUGE snake. It was never seen and could still be there.
I saw a rattler start across the road in front of my van about eight miles from the area of the previous story. I only saw the head but knew instantly it was a diamondback of major proportions. It was easily six inches across his head. He jerked his head back into the grass as I went by. I stopped to look for him but never saw a trace.
Moral of the stories is Be Careful there are some bruisers out there. The odds are small but they will fill your dance card quickly if you are careless.
My son used to hunt them and had a captive in an aquarium in his blazer. I asked him what he planned to do in the event some other idiot were to wreck his truck and how he planned to "handle" an angry rattler stuck in a car with him. He saw the folly thank God. Bill
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I grew up hunting in the swamps of South Louisiana and wore rubber boots and never was afraid of getting bitten. You just have to be aware of where you put your hands and feet.
I have also hunted in the South Texas brush country with all of it's thorns and rattlesnakes for about 10 or 12 years and never wore a pair of snake boots. My theory is that if you know the terrain in dangerous, you tend to be on your guard more. If you have on knee high snake boots, you might have a tendency to be a little more laxed. I do know that I don't come back with any more thorns in my old hide than my buddies that wear the snake boots religiously.
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For years I have managed crews and workers who have to work off road, in swamps, marshes and all sorts of stuff, without the protection of vehicles. I have also been on collecting excursions for professors in college for smakes in the swamps. I was always real good about seeing everything and being careful around poisonous snakes and have HAD to kill very, very few of them. When you are working, and you might as well count hunting in the swamps as work, you need to be wearing snake boots. If you are like me, you don't have the luxury of being able to tippy-toe around in the woods, especially while recovering an animal.
All snake boots and gaiters are not created equal. Get the good ones, the name brand ones. Don't have to be the handmade ones, their great if you can afford them. We go through up to three pair of Rocky's a year for each person. So far they seem to be a good value even though we go through a bunck of them. They don't wear out, they leak and when your are standing up to your ankles in water a good portion of the time, dry is good.
Gaiters sound like a good option but they ride up and stop protection for the back of the ankle and the foot. I wouldn't trust them in the swamps.
BTW, consumer rubber boots, hip waders, waders DO NOT stop a big canebreak, Timber Rattler, or ever a copperhead. Commercial grade, industrial grade boot MAY. I know I've been through it.
Also, I have "running back calves" and one of my guys wears a knee brace and the only thing that fits both of us is the lace-up style, neither of us can get the slip-on to work.
If you are coming South on a trip, a $130 pair boots is cheap - you'll spend more money than that on gas. Peace of mind is priceless and you might be needing them more than just once :) ?
charles
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Any feedback on these gaiters?
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Well I was at the lease on Tuesday. I heard a snake rattle and I stopped to see where it was.
It was BEHIND me. I had just stepped OVER it on a bare dirt trail. I always thought that I looked where I am going. I would have never known it had happened if it had not rattled after I walked over it.
I probably should have let it live since it did not strike me but I could not help myself. I love most animals but every one has their limits I suppose............
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Man I hunted S. Texas and now the hillcountry a couple of years ago I climbed in a pit blind with a 27" Coral snake they are poisonous like Cobras, but can't bite without fangs. But I have killed several large Diamond Backs and a few Copperheads. So be careful when wearing any kind of boots
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WHEW!! These snake stories are killin' me. I am scared to death of 'em!
I haven't been hunting in a long time, but up here they're usually all gone when deer season is in. I did see a garter snake on one deer hunt though, he was sunning himself on top of bare branches of a small bush and I only seen him on my way out, still gave me the willys.
Now I do see them rather often when I go Bass fishing with my friends, but they're almost always some type of water snake. There have been a couple of close calls while night fishing though. We fish with a black light on the side of the boat and that attracts insects galore. It don't take too long till you get some other "visitors" to take a look and see what's going on. Thank GOD I have never seen a poisonous snake in the wild.
If I would've had some of the encounters you all are telling about, the only chance the snake would have to bite me would be on my BIG FAT BUTT cause that's all he'd see of me!
Nala
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Two years ago I climbed into one of my deer stands about 15' up, in early deer season. As I reached down to pull my bow up I saw a snake about 10" from my face. I couldn't tell what it was and didn't fancy climbing back down, as I climbed up I had to pass within 3 or 4" from it. I got my bow and used the limb tip to push it off the limb. I turned out to be a large rat snake, but now I tend to look carefully before I get in my stands.