Rrrrrattle Rattle

[HyNoon]

Saw this one hiking on March 7th. It gave me plenty of warning, which was nice. 

[Delw]

seen a ton of Rattle snakes, caught a ton of Rattle snakes. I hate them, got bit once but didn't puncture, was snow on the ground in some spots up by castle creek quail hunting.

think was sunning on the rocks bit my pant leg and got stuck. put the .410 up against his head and shot him off.

2 times bear hunting. buddy and I were walking , he goes dont step on the snakes( as in plural) so I did. it was just getting warm out we were 1 mile from the truck in heavy manzinita. he took a stick and shoed one away held the other one down and we ran like heck to a boulder and stayed the till dark.

best one ever was on the 4 peaks road going towards mount ord bear huntng again(on the top) driving through a reveine that you couldn't open your doors and ac blowing and windows down little toyota 4x4. I hear this loud hissing. said shoot punctured a tire. buddy goes stop i'll look out the window. rolled it down stuck his head out the window hitting the side of the reviene, yelling no  tires good whats that hissing noise. just pops his head back in window and a snake is looking at him face to face 3/4 of the way up the ravine maybe 2 foot away at the most. he literally shoot his self.

youngest daughter looks for them , shes never found one. I havent seen one in 15 years unless I was driving or in a boat. I finannly got to the point were I wasnt worried about them. then 4 years ago we were out archery deer hunting in unit 8, cold and rainy. guys on the side of the road, we asked he if needed a hand. he goes No just looking for rattlers. I laughed said its too cold. he goes nope got one al ready when the sun comes breaks the clouds they will be everywhere. he worked for USF&W service doing a research on them. when we got back home I bought cots never slept on the ground again up there.

 

 

[CatfishKev]

The ones that dont rattle are the scary ones. Years ago tromping around in high grass looking for signs of blood, I was tired and not paying attention almost stepped on him until last second he moved. Beutiful looking snake, I let him live, think it was a blacktail. Never rattled til I messed with him. Another time hiking Miller peak in the huachucas almost stepped on a baby. 

Now I find I wear shin high boots for hunting and just try to be aware. When hiking with wife or kids I make them stay behind on trail and I lead for this reason. They are nothing to be afraid, just something to be aware of.  A little awareness goes a long way.  

For the record,  I'm not opposed to you guys that kill them. For me personally I will kill depending on the situation and some will live. Mostly the decision is made by the likelyhood of kids or dogs being nearby.

 

[Riflehunter]

Last October a buddy living in New river went out to feed the chickens and goats while raining after dark and got hit by a rattler in the top of his foot. Barely broke skin took 4 vials of anti venom and day in the hospital. I don't take chances with them.

[10Turkeys]

I remember in the 70's there was a story in the Arizona Repulsive about a long haired, tattooed gentleman on a motorcycle who came across a rattlesnake by Canyon Lake, he first was going to shoot it with his pistol, but a crowd was gathering and I guess that he had enough alcohol in his system that he decided that he was going mano a mano with the slithery creature, so he handed his revolver to a nearby watcher. Well after the snake bit him about 4 times, the cops and ambulance was called, before getting loaded onto the ambulance he ask the cops if he could retrieve his handgun, come to find out whoever he gave it to took off with it. Just not his day I guess.

[10Turkeys]

This was my Wife's show horse, he was struck in the rear leg, after numerous surgeries he was able to come back to about 85%. Every rattlesnake that comes on the property is treated like a tresspasser.

[Jazz]

16 hours ago, Riflehunter said:

Last October a buddy living in New river went out to feed the chickens and goats while raining after dark and got hit by a rattler in the top of his foot. Barely broke skin took 4 vials of anti venom and day in the hospital. I don't take chances with them.

If you tell me his name is John I'm going to tell you it's a small world.

[AZDirtyTaco]

Man...  Some of you have some great stories of some wicked close encounters! I don't know if I'm any less leary of them at this point but I'm gaining confidence based on the fact that there haven't been any stories shared like, "well...  my good ol' pal Dale was a good feller and huntin buddy till that unfortunate day back in July of 20__ when he and that wiley blacktail crossed paths". I spend a lot of time in 20B, 21 and 22 and would love to get to the point where that Aug archery deer hunt isn't off the table for me as it has been. This is all good conversation for me and I appreciate you all sharing your experience.  

 

[AZAV8ER]

On 4/19/2019 at 11:41 AM, Non-Typical Solutions said:

I have posted this before but this was basically my introduction to rattlesnakes.......down in the bootheel of New Mexico in what some would consider middle of nowhere nothing! My dad's ditch banks were clean from weeds, our house......clean from weeds all the way around! If you went off the main path you made sure you had a shovel in your hand! Lots of great memories and lots of PTSD memories about growing up there! 

We have had several encounters out in the boonies with rattlers, walk loud and carry a big stick!!!!

 

The most rattlers I have ever come across was a year working on a ranch between Deming and Lordsburg NM and S of I-10. Man I saw snakes everywhere. You would see them get baled up in the alfalfa, under the clothes line off the back porch heck one time rounding up cows to push em from one range to the other I looked down to see half dozed little 4inchers wiggling around. The part that got my attention was driving down a dirt road one afternoon I saw one crossing the road and stopped to shoot it with a 22 pistol it reared up and came at me, the heck with the 22 I grabbed a shovel from the truck and smacked it. Lots of snakes and luckily no close encounters that year. The closest was when I was about 13 or 14 and quail hunting between Pinnacle Peak and the Verde River. Had a covey in my sights and advancing to get a shot when just as I stepped over a little bush I heard the boy start to buzz. I don't know how I did it but from one foot on the ground and one foot over the bush I levitated up about 10 inches spun around 180 degrees leveled my 12GA and took that suckers heads off and cutout into three pieces with that one shot.

[Delw]

3 hours ago, AZAV8ER said:

The most rattlers I have ever come across was a year working on a ranch between Deming and Lordsburg NM and S of I-10. Man I saw snakes everywhere. You would see them get baled up in the alfalfa,

I remember those days, back in selaha and the weenas valley buddy of mine use to bail alfalfa late 70s. on the small lots we would just use a trailer and hooks. 3 guys one guy driving, one guy picking up bails from the ground and passing to the guy on the trailer. I was on the trailer one cutting, buddy grabbed bail on ground swung it around, I sunk hooks into it with a rattler wrapped into it. nothing you an do, your in motion and its too late. you have a hooked 80-90lb  3 wire bale and your facing a snake face to face and your mind doesn't think to let go of the hooks that fast. not to mention the momentum of the bale hitting your body midsection to swing it around and stack it on the pile. when its all figured out by your brain you drop everything and scream like a bitch and no one has a clue whats going on.

later he got a harrow bed that made it much better

the good times back then.

 

[ctracingraptor]

Found this little fella this morning 

[Hoss50]

21 minutes ago, ctracingraptor said:

Found this little fella this morning 

I have only ever run into 1 in the wild. They are pretty cool. The one I found was working it's way across the river bed at Table Mesa road and it was cool watching him move and make his way across. 

[10Turkeys]

Saw one on the road by Ft. Thomas and another in 36C.

[ctracingraptor]

1 hour ago, Hoss50 said:

I have only ever run into 1 in the wild. They are pretty cool. The one I found was working it's way across the river bed at Table Mesa road and it was cool watching him move and make his way across. 

I've found them a handful of times. I was at Bartlett a few years back, and it was around this time, it must of been breeding time, I counted 36 that day 

[131]

I ride mountain bikes all the time to stay in shape for hunting. Last weekend we rode from Mayer to Black Canyon City on the Black Canyon trail. Ran into two rattle snakes that were extremely mad, one gila monster and one king snake. I often wonder how many I ride by that I never see or hear. I spend 75% of the time looking for snakes and 25% watching the trail. Friday morning at South Mountain while riding was the first one I saw this year that was not mad.