Rattlesnakes...

BlackHills

BlackHills

Joined
Nov 6, 2006
Messages
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I thought you all might enjoy this. It was taken not too far from me on Mother's Day by some people out rock hunting. These are Prairie Rattlers as that's the only species that live here.

Sorry for the low quality but this is how I received it.
 

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Two threads on these critters?
What'ya tryin' to do, give me nightmares?

:p
 
1 part gasoline 1 part used motor oil 1 large glass container one cotton rag. Shake, ignite, throw.
 
Man, look at all those sheath inlays. And you guys are talking about grenades and gasoline. Tsk Tsk.
 
Fantastic photo! Thanks. It's interesting. When I do snake education programs for schools, I get more intelligent responses from the children, than I do from most of the adults!
 
Looks like a great place for the Democratic candidates to go for a nice little hike.
 
A real mosh pit. :D

I'm no green weenie but rattlesnakes are a vital part of the eco system. They help keep the rodents population in check. Their purpose in life is not to bite you anyway. I have seen several of them, and considered myself fortunate. They usually disappear long before you get near them. You are not food to them so they have no real purpose in wasting their venom on you because they need it to procure food. Even in instances when a person is bitten it is common, I believe up to 80% of bites are dry bites. Meaning no venom was injected. If I remember correctly baby snakes are the most dangerous biters because they don't have the muscle control of adults and will often inject all the vemon that they have.

Yep, I had snakes as pets as a kid. No poisonous ones though. :eek:
KR
 
So why do you reckon there's so many there?

I have read that during winter that the snakes den up with other ones. You figure they are coming out of hibernation there?

There are no rattlesnakes where I live. Copperheads are the only poision ones we get. My buddy Dave has been struck twice by copperheads and didn't go for treatment. He said the main thing is it hurts like hell. He got bit on the leg when one was under his tarp with him.

However where I go backpacking there are supposedly a lot of them but I have never seen one. However my friend Mike who leads hikes has stepped over one on the trail without realizing it and also hiked fast and wound up with one right in front of him coiled and shaking:eek: The ones we have are Eastern Diamond backs, which supposedly are really docile.

When I go to Roaring Plains where there are supposedly a lot of them I always look really close at rocks I set on and stuff.

Just from reading about bites it appears that a majority of people struck around here are not looking and actually struck on their hands while they are setting down or reaching for something down on the ground.:rolleyes:
 
Yes HD, they were coming out of the den. They may not have actually left the den yet as it can still get below freezing here at night. When it first warms up they will come out and get some sun then go back into the den when the sun goes down.
 
wow.. that is a lot of snakes...:eek:

snakeskin makes great bowbacking, for primitive bows..
 
Awe man,Sheaths for Andy,Meal to me with rice & beans.... Looks like a Rattle snake round up persons dream spot.....
 
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