2024 Snake Thread

[tedwitt]

Longest RS on record is. 7’9”. I bet your buddy says he Is really hung too.

I used to catch 4 and 5 foot rattlers and sell them.

 

[striker55]

Those critters scare the crap out of me. I remember a coworker telling me about rattlesnake 12' long he shot while hunting in TX. If they're that big I'm not going.

Ain't seen no 12 footers, but I have personally seen 6-7 footers. At least. There used to be some big ones years ago. Especially along and east of IH35.

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Longest RS on record is. 7’9”. I bet your buddy says he Is really hung too.

I'm recalling something told to me over 20 years, I'm probably wrong with the length. Don't care if it's 7' or 12' I don't want to be anywhere near it.

 

[glenbo]

I hate snakes.

 

[leVieux]

I'm recalling something told to me over 20 years, I'm probably wrong with the length. Don't care if it's 7' or 12' I don't want to be anywhere near it.

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I know what people say, but I saw an ancient 19th Century photo of a 13.5’ Eastern diamondback killed by a road crew in southern Georgia after the Civil War.

49 states had Elk when the Spanish & Pilgrims got here ?

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[Sasquatch]

Here in SE Arkansas we mostly have timber rattlers. They don't get very large as a rule, but they can still be deadly. I don't personally know of any human that has died from a bite, but several good dogs have crossed the rainbow bridge with their help.
I saw a photo of a BIG rattler somewhere out in Arizona, or New Mexico that somebody had killed. The guy was holding it by the tail as high as could and its head was still on the ground. My understanding is that sidewinders are small. I don't know exactly what kind of rattler it was.
I remember my dad telling me about getting a flat fixed in Oklahoma. Once the tire was off, the guy took a big rag and used it to feel inside there tire. I guess dad must have look surprised because we're used to guys jut using their bare hand. The guy explained that he was from further west, and you didn't run your bared hand inside a flat tire, because you might stab yours self on a rattle snake fang. ??!!??
I can't imagine a snake that could put a fang through a car tire.

Timber rattlers are typically among the largest breed of rattlesnake - they don't have timbers in Arizona as central Texas is about as far west as they range. Out west they have diamondbacks mostly, and on the coast they have southern pacific rattlesnakes, there are a couple other varieties, but the diamondbacks are the largest of the western rattlesnakes. Diamondbacks can grow to 6+ feet but most encountered are around 3-5 feet. Southern pacific rattlers are typically 2' or so long - they're typically about copperhead size and tend to be as chill as copperheads.

Throughout the midwest and eastward there are pygmy rattlesnakes, which are a smaller variety, plus timbers and a few other varieties. You won't find timbers in west texas, and you don't find diamond backs in Arkansas or Tennessee for example. If you do they probably wound up hitching a ride somehow but their extreme ranges don't really overlap that far east.

 

[deemus]

Most of the timber rattlers I have seen were pretty small. Barely a foot long.

 

[Sasquatch]

Most of the timber rattlers I have seen were pretty small. Barely a foot long.

Danger babies

 

[tedwitt]

Timber rattlers are typically among the largest breed of rattlesnake - they don't have timbers in Arizona as central Texas is about as far west as they range. Out west they have diamondbacks mostly, and on the coast they have southern pacific rattlesnakes, there are a couple other varieties, but the diamondbacks are the largest of the western rattlesnakes. Diamondbacks can grow to 6+ feet but most encountered are around 3-5 feet. Southern pacific rattlers are typically 2' or so long - they're typically about copperhead size and tend to be as chill as copperheads.

Throughout the midwest and eastward there are pygmy rattlesnakes, which are a smaller variety, plus timbers and a few other varieties. You won't find timbers in west texas, and you don't find diamond backs in Arkansas or Tennessee for example. If you do they probably wound up hitching a ride somehow but their extreme ranges don't really overlap that far east.

When I lived in Payson, Az. I used to hike into the mountains for days at a time, I always brought out two or three rattlers and a sack full of turquoise.

 

[Sasquatch]

When I lived in Payson, Az. I used to hike into the mountains for days at a time, I always brought out two or three rattlers and a sack full of turquoise.

Did you make jewelry with the turquoise, or sell it to locals / tourists? Seems like there's always demand for it!

 

[billtool]

I was on a buddy's lease outside of Sterling City about 25 years ago. He dropped me off at my (his) stand at about 4am and drove off to his. I gathered my stuff under 6 D cell Maglite glow and opened the stand door only to find a giant frucking Western Diamondback coiled and pissed-off right inside. I dropped everything including my light, jumped back about 10 feet screaming like a 7 year old girl. I had the bearing to skin my 2-1/2" 66-3 stainless S&W (Geezer has it now I think) and started basting into the darkness. After I dumped all six I picked up my still lit flashlight, found my rifle, racked a round in it and waited. No sound from the stand - nuthin'. Dawn finally broke and I got a look inside the stand (I waited scared as crap outside for about 2-1/2 hours. Stood the whole time freezing my butt off). No dead snake, no blood, completely empty. Nothing but .357 holes in the floor of a really nice stand. My bud came to pick me up at about 10:30 and said he heard a ruckus, but thought it cam from an adjoining lease. I offered to re-floor his stand, but he said the story was worth it.

 

[Texasjack]

I was on a buddy's lease outside of Sterling City about 25 years ago. He dropped me off at my (his) stand at about 4am and drove off to his. I gathered my stuff under 6 D cell Maglite glow and opened the stand door only to find a giant frucking Western Diamondback coiled and pissed-off right inside. I dropped everything including my light, jumped back about 10 feet screaming like a 7 year old girl. I had the bearing to skin my 2-1/2" 66-3 stainless S&W (Geezer has it now I think) and started basting into the darkness. After I dumped all six I picked up my still lit flashlight, found my rifle, racked a round in it and waited. No sound from the stand - nuthin'. Dawn finally broke and I got a look inside the stand (I waited scared as crap outside for about 2-1/2 hours. Stood the whole time freezing my butt off). No dead snake, no blood, completely empty. Nothing but .357 holes in the floor of a really nice stand. My bud came to pick me up at about 10:30 and said he heard a ruckus, but thought it cam from an adjoining lease. I offered to re-floor his stand, but he said the story was worth it.

Reminded me of a tower stand I saw out near Iraan years ago. I was climbing up to enter the stand and when I opened the door, a huge hoot owl came flying out of there. Scared the crap out of me. I got in and sat down to calm down. There was a single bullet hole in the tin roof and when we said something about it to the landowner, he laughed and told us that a guy was hunting in the stand when 4 or 5 turkeys flew in and landed on the roof. They were walking around making noise and he decided to shoot one through the roof. With his .300 Win Mag. He missed any of the turkeys, but he had no hearing for a whole day.

 

[oldag]

Timber rattlers are typically among the largest breed of rattlesnake - they don't have timbers in Arizona as central Texas is about as far west as they range. Out west they have diamondbacks mostly, and on the coast they have southern pacific rattlesnakes, there are a couple other varieties, but the diamondbacks are the largest of the western rattlesnakes. Diamondbacks can grow to 6+ feet but most encountered are around 3-5 feet. Southern pacific rattlers are typically 2' or so long - they're typically about copperhead size and tend to be as chill as copperheads.

Throughout the midwest and eastward there are pygmy rattlesnakes, which are a smaller variety, plus timbers and a few other varieties. You won't find timbers in west texas, and you don't find diamond backs in Arkansas or Tennessee for example. If you do they probably wound up hitching a ride somehow but their extreme ranges don't really overlap that far east.

Parts of Cali also have the Mojave green rattlesnake. Extremely potent venom.

And then there are sidewinders, which typically are only 2-3' long.

East Texas has some very large timber rattlers.

 

[tedwitt]

Did you make jewelry with the turquoise, or sell it to locals / tourists? Seems like there's always demand for it!

I had a place in town that bought snakes and turquoise.
This was about 1975 so it's probably worth more now. They sold the snakes to a place that milked them for antivenom, then they were processed and made into canned snake.

I worked for a company hauling salt water off oilwell sites. New wells blow into big tanks, the water coming out of the ground is pretty warm. When you get close to the tanks you gotta be careful, snakes lay near them, I wore snake protectors over my Red Wings and up to just above my knees. I've been struck several times, very lucky.

 

[billtool]

Went to the Sweetwater round-up one year. Fun and Crazy stuff.

Sweetwater Jaycees

Service to humanity, is the best work of life.

www.rattlesnakeroundup.net

 

[Texasgordo]

Wtf

 

[TreyG-20]

Wtf

Did it eat Jennifer Lopez?

 

[Younggun]

Killed this bastard up against the house in the front yard yesterday.

 

[Texasgordo]

Did it eat Jennifer Lopez?

I don't think so, Jennifer Lopez looks way different.

 

[Eastexasrick]

Today, mowing around the chicken coop 18” i carry a frog gig

 

[tedwitt]

Today, mowing around the chicken coop 18” i carry a frog gig View attachment 457645

That looks like a good snake.