Watch out for Rattlesnakes.

[hunter1000]

Glad your dog looks to be doing well!!! A few weeks ago I was doing a training hike behind my house and my lab ran right by a rattle snake in the middle of the trail. It coiled up and started rattling when I was about 8' from it. My dog didn't notice it, so I let her run about 40 yards then told her to sit and stay. I killed the snake with a few rocks and moved it off the trail so it wouldn't harm anyone passing by. I see rattle snakes often and they don't seem to aggressive in my part of the country. That being said, I try to be aware and avoid them when possible.....

 

[eLightfoot]

snakes are part of the ecosystem just like any other animal. They belong here and play an important role in rodent control. Keep your eyes open and avoid them. The vast majority of people who are bitten are messing with the snake.

Rattlesnakes evolved the rattle to warn off large hoofed animals from trampling them. Since the the gross expansion of people in north america, the rattle has become counter productive for the snake. Rather than scare us away it lures us to the snake to kill it. Therefore you have reverse evolution occurring. the snakes that rattle heavily are killed off and do not reproduce further generations. Mean while the snakes that don't rattle are usually not seen and live to continue breeding. So don't be mad at the snakes for not rattling.

On another note, glad to hear the dog is getting better. Thats gotta be tough. love my dogs too

 

[ChadS]

They better evolve into becoming invisible cause if I see one im killing it

 

[unm1136]

Glad the dog is better.

Last week I was bowhunting and had a prairie rattler play dead in the road right in front of me. He was about a foot long and had three rattles on his tail. I decided that I was going to kill him and eat him, and turn his skin into a bookmark. I didn't think to use an arrow, and stepped away from him to get a stout stick. I got about 10-12 feet away, and he slithered away. Just out of curiosity, I took a couple of steps toward him, and he slithered away, keeping his weapon pointed at me the whole time. He rattled once, quickly, when I stepped towards him, but quickly stopped and never stopped slithering away from me with his nose pointed at me. I have seen plenty of other snakes play dead, but never a rattler. I have seen them coil and rattle, coil and not rattle, and try to slither away quietly, but playing dead was something new.

pat

 

[Gambyt]

Here's what crawled into someone's blind when they were hog hunting. View attachment 18914