Rattlers

Rattlers (timber rattlers) seem to be increasing their movement earlier. They usually move more in early fall but early August is a bit unusual.

Had a 3 footer kill the wife's rooster and a hen. Killed the rooster DRT with bite on head. Hen died about 2 days later with bite on her side under her wing. Wife discovered rattler at chicken pen one morning last week... rattler didnt survive.

The one in the pic above was crossing a dirt road a few days ago. He got to live as it was not near my stomping grounds.

Pretty. I miss catching snakes up here in Alaska. Nothing but ice snakes up here.

To my way of thinking, that is a real handsome snake. We've got Prairie rattlers and Pacific rattlers, but neither are as vividly marked as the one you show in the photo. Thank you for sharing the photo, Sir.

Jack

Great pic SW, if legal he'd been on my grill lol.

You best not kill them in TEXAS..

Protected...

Don't kill them in New York, fully protected

Bullet.....I’ve only ever seen a few here in the wild in east Texas, and they were young....the Lufkin zoo has one with a head the size of a softball lol.... let that one rise up from the other side of a stump from me and there wouldn’t be enough protection in the world to keep me from drawing and firing all six in that thing lol

That's because they don't want regular folks confusing them with the Politicians.

I know it is wishful thinking Butttt , maybe we are gonna have a early fall . This 100 plus heat is rough on this old fat boy .

Pictures don't do them justice. A well marked timber seems to play tricks with the light.

They do got some great colors, I stepped on that bottle and they started rattling. Good thing I had on my snake boots. This one was 47" not counting the rattle, the other one was well over52" but guessing it was a female and I didn't mess with that one. Both were let go.

You know, I think I will quit griping about 40 below zero if it keeps those things away!

They look best right after they shed their skin. If you look close up then the scales shimmer in all the rainbow colors.

I thought the only thing in Texas that's protected was whoever Chuck Norris is hanging out with at the time?

Our mornings and evenings have seemed like early fall even though it heats up quickly in the mornings. The sun angle and shadows in the evenings are very fall-like. More so than past Augusts.

All poisonous snakes in Georgia are NOT protected by law. There has been some recent talk about protecting the Eastern Dbacks.

All non-poisonous snakes are protected.

I wish protection would be extended to all and enforcement for those dummies that kill all snakes on sight.

They're all pretty much protected except your allowed 1 rattler and copperhead a year.

If they ever put protection on water moccasins then I'll just have to be an outlaw.

Same here in Minnesota but I remember when there was a bounty on them

They seem to be on the rise here in Mn at least I have seen more then in years when I am down in the southern part of the state and they seem to be moving more as well

Brother Dave had one on his deer lease, that was big enough to set off a game camera...

It was a hoss...

A friend of mine had a picture of one that his Grandfather took care of back in the 40"s and that durn thing was a long as a piece of well rope...

Always heard they swim with their rattles out of the water. This one didn’t.

Here in these swampy piney woods the timber rattlers live in the bays, bottoms, sloughs, drier creek and high river bluffs...mostly the edges where uplands and wetlands meet.....but they aren't scared of water.


The Diamondbacks mostly stick to the uplands...especially the sandy ridges.

Nothing gets your attention like the buzzing of a rattler, walk up on a den of them sunning on a warm fall day and you can move your head like an owl! LOL

The only poisonous snakes I have ever seen in he wild were both itty bitty Massasaugas right around 18 inches, neither had rattles.

For those who know the area the first was here in Wisconsin, just north of lacrosse a place called van loon, with seven bridges road running through it.

I was bow hunting in late October around 1990 on an unusually hot fall day. I had seen several different snakes on my way in, then I saw a snake I did not recognize. I had recently moved from Minnesota and thought the only poisonous snake in Wisconsin were timber rattlers.

So as l looked at this snake trying to figure out what it never occurred to me that it may be poisonous, as it clearly was not a timber.

So like a complete moron, I poked it with my bow a few times to change his course of travel.

Then I decided I wanted a closer look so I picked him up by the middle of his body.

I saw him turn his head and look at my hand. I never saw him move forward, I just saw him pulling back and I saw the fangs retract, and I thought, well that was stupid...

A lot more happened that day but that was my first poisonous snake in the wild. I heard many rattling in the dark in the desert, but never saw them.

Anyone else been bitten?

We have massasaugas here. The big ones are as big as your forearm and about 3' long. Those are the only poisonous snakes here. I have only seen one. Glad we do not have any others.

I have a long time ago through my own stupidity by a small Timber rattler that I was teasing for fun hurt like h&&& but I learned my lesson to give them the respect they deserve

Glad they took the bounty off them here even though at the time I made extra money killing them for it back when I was a kid because even back then they were getting hard to find

I have had many encounters with rattlers. Snake gaurds are used anytime working on fencing etc.. Need to be very observent and have your hearing aids turn up full blast. Lol

Typically, Idaho doesn't have big rattlesnakes like further south. Where I live, there are prairie rattlesnakes, and a 48" snake is about as long as they get.



Jack

we have timbers and have seen some very pretty ones, from almost all black to some with amazing reds and yellow dorsal stripes.

came across this guys several years ago - he was high up (for VA anyways, over 3500') in late may.
my brother walked right over him, but he never rattled once. not even when i moved him off the trail

I note a bunch of rattles on his tail. Here in the Adirondacks they inhabit the mountains along the shores of Lake George and Lake Champlain. Two color phases;black and yellow. I used to look for them to photograph. Never killed any snake. My experience is that they are shy creatures and would rather get away from you. Did have one rattle at me one time at a picnic table at an island campsite in Lake George. He was out hunting was attracted by the lantern on the table.

Nice photo !

Protected or not if I see one it will be past tense

A lot of venomous snakes have some striking markings. And I know they have an important purpose.

If I run across one on its "turf" I will do my best to give it a wide berth and move on... If I run across one on my turf... barn, chicken coop, woodpile etc... They're done for, protected or not.

Mike

Why?

Jack, that's a phenomenal photo.

Any of you folks that live where there are lots of feral hogs noticed a decline in snake population?

No.

Did you have to go through the anti venom?

I had a reaction to it that was far worse than the bite itself.

Exactly, they are just like a bee, don't mess with them, and you don't get bit.

I didn't even kill the one that bit me.

UUUGH maybe because God commanded it when he banish them to slither on their bellies and be struck on the head by man ... LOL You know that whole Adam and Eve and the apple thing ......

That isn't true.Some hives are more aggressive than others,all you need to do is go near them and that's enough provocation for them.I would imagine its the same for snakes.

Great picture of a rattlesnake taxi






Happen to know what plant that is blooming?


Awesome picture






Taxi and jack,


Is that what y’all call a prairie rattlesnake?

About a 2' timber rattler.

Lupine.....aka "Blue Bonnet.

Those timber rattlers are pretty snakes. We’re supposed to have them here, but I’ve yet to see one

My understanding is they are pretty thin in your area.

Aix (and others) -

The picture I have posted above, and I assume that of Taxi, are Crotalus viridis, Prairie rattlesnakes. The blue flowers are indeed lupine (Lupinus caudatus). There are only two counties in Idaho that have that particular species of rattlesnake, the rest of the drier, lowland parts of the state have a different species. Of course, the higher mountains and the heavily timbered panhandle don't have rattlers. Here where I live, they are relatively common.

I sure like the vivid coloration on those timber rattlers.

Jack

Can't get bit by a dead snake.... If you guys that are snake advocates think it's a justification to say, well they east mice, you should quit killing coyotes and fox. Mammals can eat a lot more. I can see a reason to not kill all snakes but ones that can send you to the hospital don't go far with me.

I have picked a few up with a stick and put them off the road. I think that cars will kill more of them than humans ever will. They like to lay in the warm road.

Picture made in the Clear Springs Wilderness of Shawnee National Forest by friend Don Tjader

Nice pic, thanks for posting it. They are very cool looking both the yellow and gray phase.