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Hunting rattlesnakes

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horsesdofly

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hunting rattlesnakes. :???: :???:
On our ranch we have never encountered a rattler. In fact none of the neighboring ranchers have ever seen a rattler around our little valley. Well 3 days ago one of our Reg. Black Angus cows sure found her self one. She is doing fine but we don't know where to find this little venom loaded snake. Even our Vet was suprised to see a snake bite around here. Our live creeks have run hot and heavy this spring with really muddy water. Does anyone know what time of day is the best to hunt a rattler? I know this sounds crazy, but that sucker and any others have to go! :evil:
 
We've got plenty of rattlesnakes down here, boa constrictors too. I generally let the boas go on about their business but the rattlesnakes I kill. I've lost 2 cows to snakebite.

Fortunately, the rattlers here aren't very aggressive....nothing like the Western Diamondback you'd likely have in your area.

I do know that rattlers tend to "hole-up" in the winter and are often found in numbers in the same den but beyond that I can't be much help. At my place, we don't really hunt them, they're generally where we find them. :wink:

Here's a pic of a boa next to my bermuda grass.

100_1294.jpg
 
I have seen the Prairie rattlesnake in other areas but not around here. We dont have the western diamondback in this area at least that is what the old timers say. Darn I just relised the younger ranchers around think of us as old timers! We are in Southwestern Colorado. All we have ever seen on our ranch and around is the big bull snakes. We all try to avoid chopping them up during haying season and try to keep them around. Everyone seems to think they keep the rattlers away. I dont know, but since we try to make our living with the reg angus these little b's have to go! Now as to agressive I have seen with my own eyes the Prairie rattler chase a guy on a horse! The cowboys went after it and the dumb (dude)guy on the horse was just oblivious. Lucky so was his horse!
They are little like sidewinders and mean buggers. The only areas I have run into them is more rocky and dry. The rattle sound is very high picthed like a bunch of grasshoppers! Not at all like the big diamondbacks I have seen in CA or AZ.
I would just have a stroke right on the spot, if I ran into one of your pythons! Not kidding! :shock:
 
We don't have many snakes around the north place- but already had one calf and maybe another bitten...The bull calf got it just above the hoof- and that area all swelled up- and the hair fell off and then I could see the fang marks...He's coming out of it good- and healing up--but he was one of my top bull prospects (OCC Magnitude X Cole Creek Juanada Lad 81T)...If he keeps healing up good I may keep him for myself- but would never sell him with the possibility of tissue damage making him unsound...

The other heifer we found with a huge softball size knot on her front leg- and not very convinced that was a snake....Maybe a sliver that got infected- as it was full of puss when we lanced it and flushed it out with iodine...I couldn't find any fang marks on that one...

Looking for snakes around here- the best time is early in the morning when they lay out around their dens and sun themselves to warm up- before the heat of the day runs them for cover...

One morning on a trip south of the Missouri (Fort Peck to Flowing Wells) we killed 13 rattlers that were out on the hiway sunning themselves...
 
They den up on prairie dog towns and in or around October up home on the ranch in SD when it was cold for a bit then had one of them 70-80 degree days you could go down and they'd just be swarming the dog town. Me and mom came across them once while bow hunting and kilt like 70 or so of them..big and small. We had machetes about two feet long and chopped them up. Other years have killed over a 100 of them this way. Snakes don't bother me and the prairie rattlers aren't aggressive at all unless you pester them and then they might put up a fight but what critter don't when you start whacking at it. Usually they are trying to get away from you as quickly as possible. Although I have cut a snake open before that had young inside of her alive and they are like worms but come out striking. She was obviously about to have them as rattlesnakes give live birth and the eggs actually hatch inside of her. In your case where no one has EVER seen one in your area and now suddenly you have a bit cow...geeesh I'd just go about your business and not lose sleep over it. I've seen a lot of things bitten by snakes but very few things actually die from it. Depends on the location of the bite....if it is on the legs then not likely they will die but just be laid up for a few weeks. If it is on the nose/throat it could possibly affect airways. As far as how/when to track down this one that bit your critter....that is probably about like finding a needle in a haystack.
 
There is some talk here of people seeing Puff Adders.
I hope they are wrong. I can't imagine them being here
as they are an African snake.

I agree with you Tibbs. Gonna be highly unlikely to find that
snake. He's most likely long gone by now.
 
Faster horses said:
There is some talk here of people seeing Puff Adders.
I hope they are wrong. I can't imagine them being here
as they are an African snake.

I agree with you Tibbs. Gonna be highly unlikely to find that
snake. He's most likely long gone by now.
Click to expand...

Not calling your "people" liars Faster (well ok maybe I am) but I'm almost 100% positive that this little snake is what they are seeing and mistaking for a true "puff adder". It is the Western Hog-nosed Snake. We have them on the ranch up home there and I've seen them on occasion, and locals commonly simply call them "puff adders" when in fact they arn't. They are more elusive and not as common as a lot of snakes. But when you disturb them they puff up and make a hissing sound which resembles a rattlesnake but is just that a hiss. This puffing and hissing is what people ASSUME is a Puff Adder - but Faster you know what Assuming does :wink:. Their markings resemble a rattlesnake also, but their unique hog-nose is a characteristic that can't be missed. They are smaller in length and are really quite harmless. Kinda cute almost :p

Here is a link I found so you can study up or pass along :p :p

http://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_ARADB17010.aspx

If this isn't what your "people" are seeing then I'd be very curious to know what it is???
 
TXTibbs said:
Faster horses said:
There is some talk here of people seeing Puff Adders.
I hope they are wrong. I can't imagine them being here
as they are an African snake.

I agree with you Tibbs. Gonna be highly unlikely to find that
snake. He's most likely long gone by now.
Click to expand...

Not calling your "people" liars Faster (well ok maybe I am) but I'm almost 100% positive that this little snake is what they are seeing and mistaking for a true "puff adder". It is the Western Hog-nosed Snake. We have them on the ranch up home there and I've seen them on occasion, and locals commonly simply call them "puff adders" when in fact they arn't. They are more elusive and not as common as a lot of snakes. But when you disturb them they puff up and make a hissing sound which resembles a rattlesnake but is just that a hiss. This puffing and hissing is what people ASSUME is a Puff Adder - but Faster you know what Assuming does :wink:. Their markings resemble a rattlesnake also, but their unique hog-nose is a characteristic that can't be missed. They are smaller in length and are really quite harmless. Kinda cute almost :p

Here is a link I found so you can study up or pass along :p :p

http://fieldguide.mt.gov/detail_ARADB17010.aspx

If this isn't what your "people" are seeing then I'd be very curious to know what it is???
Click to expand...

Agree with the hog-nosed snake theory. They even flatten out the "neck" as they hiss and strike. And what's interesting about them is that if that doesn't work, they start convulsing and then "die"......literally roll over on their backs and hang their tongues out. Flip 'em upright and they'll flip right back over and assume the death position. :lol:
 
We got them little fat rascuals down here. If they can't bluff u, they twist around and puke up a frog or bug. We call people that won't to bow up and act bad puff adders.
 
Darn snakes just end up costing a rancher money just like the prairie dogs do. I had better be on the watch for the PETA people coming! 8)
I figure if one has come around it cound turn into more and more esp if it is a preg., she snake.
Not going to Take no chances; since our reg seedstock cows are our bread and butter.We raise high altutude yearling calving ease, reg bulls and reg replacement heifers.

Just like the praire dogs they are a good way to lose good stock or good hay fields. If I could figure out how to add photo in this reply I would show y'all how she (cow) looks afer a few days of antiinflammatory drugs and tetrdure (sp). First night was the very worst. Bit right on the nose and very easy to see the fang marks!
any way Thank you for all the great hunting ideas! Cuse we are going hunting! I even found a snake fishing idea, white mice tied to fishing line you get the idea!
God Bless and have a good night![/img]
 
We have Timber Rattles around here and they can be pretty aggressive when they have babies around. But I have never hear of one killing a cows they mostly swell up for a few days then goes down unless they are bitted around the head area. Then it could turn into something, but we have never lost a cow to one. Here a picture of one. King snakes keep them in check around here.

timber_rattle_C_800_fs.jpg
 
we have rattlers every where. We dont really hunt them but we normally get them in the middle of the day when it is really hot. They are normally under a rock or under some sage brush. When we find them is when we are trailing cows from one part of the permit to the other. All I can say is have a lot of rocks or a pistol with you when you find them and when you think you have killed it hit it again they are pretty hardy animals.
 
There real good fried. They skin real easy and not a lot of nasty guts. You'd be suprised how much meat that lttle backstrap has above them ribs. Now I aint gonin to go to huntin them but if I kill one of a good size its goin to get et. And feed to some unwarry soul for a good laugh.
 
Talking with my old friend yesterday a rancher about 15 miles away more in the foothills. He has lost 4 cows to rattlesnake bites.
Our cow is doing much better; but that may be thanks to fast treatment. Just glad it was not a horse we had 21 horses in that pasture just a few weeks ago.
 
We've got rattlesnakes. In fact a boy was bitten a couple weeks ago while turkey hunting with his dad on a neighbor's ranch. He's going to make it, but it was close.

Ken, the old rancher who sold the to ranch to us always carried a cow whip with him while on horse back. For the longest time, I just assumed he carried it to sort cattle. Then one day we found a rattler. The whip was his snake killer. He just whipped them until he could walk up stomp on it's head. Works great.
 
Here in south central Louisiana we have a few rattlesnakes, but the
water mocassins or "cotton-mouths" are a lot worse. My experience
is that most rattlesnakes will try to move away but the mocassins are
pretty agressive. They will come to meet you. I had a dog that was
snakebit 3 times. The first time he ran off and I could not find him for
a day. When he came back his head was about twice normal size. I
always figured that if he hadn't had a collar on he probably would have
died. We treated him and he recovered. The next two times he hardly
swole up. We usually have a couple of cows snakebit every year. Most
recover but don't always do well later.

Lane
 
Mocasuns are bad here and agressive. We get a few cows bit but never loose one to a watersnake. I've had a few dogs bit and have lost some on acount of there head swellin and the colar chocks them to death. Me, not knowin they were snake bit. We got a little rattler called a pigmi rattler. They only get about 12 ins long. They geny won't kill a dog but if struck on he head, that colar sure will.
 

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