Landmark event

[skinheaddave]

I learned something today. Sooner or later if you spend your time trekking through the wilds looking for cool stuff, you are going to be dealing with a venomous snake. Today was just such a day trekking about the Denver area on the way down to the ATS conference. Tamara came very close to this beauty, who tongue flicked and didn't rattle at all for a good minute. It then slipped back under its rock before I could close the distance between us. We returned the same way, however, and sure enough it was out again. I used my hook to move it into some grass and then snapped some pics. It was a truly momentous experience in my life -- one I will not soon forget but which I fully intend to repeat.

Cheers,
Dave

 

[xBurntBytheSunx]

when we were camping we were walking on a path and my room mate almost stepped on a huge rattler, and i was about 6 inches from it when i saw it and jumped back and was like "OH SH*T!!!!!!" not the most pleasant experience...

 

[spidergoddess]

Sooner or later if you spend your time trekking through the wilds looking for cool stuff, you are going to be dealing with a venomous snake.

Great picture! Most impressive.

No venomous snakes where I live (or non-venomous either, for that matter). Wonder if a hook would be effective for moving Kodiak bears...

Oh, I am truly envious of everyone who is able to attend the ATS Conference this week. Hope everyone has a great time and brings back many stories to share with the rest of us.

 

[Iktomi]

Welcome to my part of the world, Dave!!
I grew up hunting these guys until I realized how beautiful and important they are. Now I only kill about 1 in every 30 or so I find (still go looking for them almost every weekend) for the meat only. Go camping, break out your tin foil with a pre-chopped coil of meat, cook it over the fire and don't tell your girl what she is eating until afterwards!
(Yes, I've done this a couple of times.)
Please don't hate me for the occasional kill for meat. I don't do it for enjoyment, and I don't participate in rattlesnake roundups!
By the way, you learned something that is very good for people to know...rattlers DO NOT always rattle! Glad you got to see this beauty.

 

[biznacho]

Ya know I've been camping on a monthly basis in the CA mountains and deserts sine I was about 10 and I've never seen a rattler. I'm stating to feel ripped off.

biznacho

 

[skinheaddave]

Just got back to Denver after the ATS/post-ATS trip. Ran into two Mojave rattlers since the prarie rattler picture above. John (Kugellager) almost stepped on the one Mojave. Anyhow, all the trip pics will be posted upon my return to Canada on Monday (well, give me a few days to put everything together.)

Cheers,
Dave

 

[scorpio]

Theres only one venemous snake species where I live.

I keep meaning to go looking for it...but its becoming threatened so I doubt I ever will see one.

 

[LPacker79]

Theres only one venemous snake species where I live.

I keep meaning to go looking for it...but its becoming threatened so I doubt I ever will see one.

The Missuagua right? I saw one about 7 or 8 years ago. I was leading one of our broodmares down the driveway from one pasture to another and it was in the driveway. Pretty neat. We took a wide berth around it. The mare was rather freaked out too.

 

[woijchik89]

I live in florida...........I'm surrounded by them.........and yet I haven't seen one come close to me yet..............YEEESH close call.

 

[scorpio]

Yeah, the Eastern Massasauga. They have one at the zoo, and its really a very, very pretty snake.

Sorta reddish/bluish.

 

[Lasiodora]

That's awesome Dave. Must have been pretty cool sight. Wish I could come upon rattlers out here in the city. It's too bad I have to travel so far to see any rattlers in the wild.

Iktomi,
I don't know how you do it. Killing any reptile for food to me would be like killing and eating the occasional dog or cat.
Mike

 

[Iktomi]

Iktomi,
I don't know how you do it. Killing any reptile for food to me would be like killing and eating the occasional dog or cat.

I think as I get older I'm starting to see things more like you. I used to do it easily...like I said, I used to actually hunt and kill rattlers. Then I started just hunting them, collecting them and moving them out of certain areas in the state park next to where I grew up. I couldn't kill them anymore except for meat sometimes. It was like fishing, I guess. I had no "attachments" to them.
I haven't killed one for food in quite a while, and as I grew I got into the reptile hobby. (Beardies and Snakes) I doubt I will do it again now that I think about it.