Rattlesnake

[HbDane]

How did it taste??

I’ll ask the yotes

 

[Mighty Mouse]

First time I encountered a rattlesnake was a couple months out of college working for Chevron in west Texas. I was collecting coordinates for a pipeline we had just laid, looking at my GPS and not paying much attention to my surroundings. I came to a barbed wire fence across the pipeline route, dropped to my hands and knees, and started crawling under the wire. Halfway across the fence I looked up and found myself eye to eye with a rattler. Fortunately he backed up then coiled and rattled instead of biting me on the nose. I crawfished back under the fence and got out of Dodge.

 

[HairyScandinavian]

How did it taste??

We've eaten a couple and don't bother anymore, they're terrible and dry and there's very little meat on them.

 

[Darn_deer]

First time I encountered a rattlesnake was a couple months out of college working for Chevron in west Texas. I was collecting coordinates for a pipeline we had just laid, looking at my GPS and not paying much attention to my surroundings. I came to a barbed wire fence across the pipeline route, dropped to my hands and knees, and started crawling under the wire. Halfway across the fence I looked up and found myself eye to eye with a rattler. Fortunately he backed up then coiled and rattled instead of biting me on the nose. I crawfished back under the fence and got out of Dodge.

Were you out in that stuff west of Orla? I really hope you were alone at the time haha. I know the guys I worked with wouldn’t let me live crawling under a fence down

 

[Taudisio]

Ran into this one the day before I killed my bear. It was the most aggressive/angry snake I have run across. I used to kill them out in the woods. They get a pass from me now. On the property is a different story. I have killed two by stomping on them (on purpose). I have shush kabob-ed two of them together with an arrow. Probably killed 50 in my teens/20’s. Don’t know how many I have let “walk” now.

 

[wytx]

This was the 1st of the year for us this Spring, we relocate if they are in iffy spots but this guy was just fine where he was.

 

[AZ Gator]

This was the 1st of the year for us this Spring, we relocate if they are in iffy spots but this guy was just fine where he was.

View attachment 1078039

That one looks like a Mojave, but could just be the lighting/camera.

 

[Steve300xcw]

I really hope you were alone at the time haha. I know the guys I worked with wouldn’t let me live crawling under a fence down

No shit! Get on yer hands an knees to cross a fence and I'm goona throw rocks at you

 

[Jake Larsen]

Killed this one during archery a few years back. Made a nice frame for it

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[Okie84]

Still one of my favorites

 

[Okie84]

Velvet tail from the yard

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Were you out in that stuff west of Orla? I really hope you were alone at the time haha. I know the guys I worked with wouldn’t let me live crawling under a fence down

The rattlesnake incident was at an old EOR field called the Dollarhide that straddles the Texas-New Mexico line a few miles east of Jal.

That wasn't the first or last time I've crawled under a fence. I would rather go over or through it, but if I come up to a high and tight 5 strand fence without a good post nearby to climb, I'm going under...after I look for snakes on the other side.

 

[Darn_deer]

The rattlesnake incident was at an old EOR field called the Dollarhide that straddles the Texas-New Mexico line a few miles east of Jal.

That wasn't the first or last time I've crawled under a fence. I would rather go over or through it, but if I come up to a high and tight 5 strand fence without a good post nearby to climb, I'm going under...after I look for snakes on the other side.

I am from Artesia, NM, but did some work in WT by Orla, and then was a lease operator south of Carlsbad for Cimarex/Coterra. Unfortunately I didn’t get to spend much time by Jal, but there are some giant deer over there. Hopefully, you’re applying for deer in that area (unit 31) because that unit has some of the best deer in the state after the NW corner! Let me know if you draw there and I’d be happy to help! Except I will give you a hard time for going under a fence haha

 

[Rich M]

Found two baby rattlers while scouting for sheep. Here’s one of them.
View attachment 1077959

Looks like a pygmie to me. We get a lot of those down here. They are fiesty at times, usually sleeping on the trails at 0500.

 

[strousek]

Went fishing with some buddies over the weekend in western CO. Two of the guys there have been fishing this canyon for 25 and 15 years respectfully. These are river rat fly fisherman that probably wade that river section 20-30 times a year each. Neither one had ever even heard of a rattler in there. Well Saturday night late walking out we bump into a midget faded rattler. Very docile and quiet almost cicada sounding rattle. Only thing we shot him with was the camera as he sure showed no sign of wanting to harm others. Picture sucks since it was so late but he was a crazy maroon red color.

 

[Sinistram]

Might be a fun post. I ran across this one today. Big and sassy in the Nebraska Sandhills.

Feel free to share what you got!


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Dude.

 

[ChrisAU]

Had two prairie rattlers try to cuddle with me on my glassing knob in Wyoming on Oct 1st at last light in WY last year. Was probably 40* outside or less. I did not take the time to take any pictures. The big one survived, though he was hit with a large rock. The smaller one got yeeted into the canyon by my trekking pole and likely did not survive that lol.

 

[wytx]

That one looks like a Mojave, but could just be the lighting/camera.

Prairie rattler

 

[Chris in TN]

People don't think of middle TN as rattlesnake country (nor did I, before we moved here - knew they existed, didn't realize how many) but we've lived on our farm for 8 years now and I have killed eight timber rattlers within 300 yards of the house. Six of those were within 200 yards. Four of them within 100 yards.

I greatly respect the role they play in an ecosystem but do not want them near my house and kids or even my livestock. One of our goats was bitten in 2020 - we got the goats to clean up our chicken coop area to make it safer, and he got popped in the face and hauled to the vet. He bounced right back. Vet believed his envenomization was mild. Then in 2023 one of our pigs got bit and got really, really sick. We thought it would die but it bounced back. Killed the (a?) snake a few days later about 50 yards from where the pig was hanging out when it was bit.

 

[Trumpkin The Dwarf]

Nope, nope, nope… my sanity in Texas brush is only maintained by wearing snake gaiters and the truth that snakes don’t actually exist (if you don’t look too hard, that is).