Rattle Snake!

I have a crazy story. I was doing a school field trip in the Owens Valley
(Indepedence, CA) and everyone was warned about rattle snakes and I did not want to deal with that fear while sleeping at night or at camp during the day. Thank goodness nobody got bitten while there, however we killed about 10 or so in the bushes.

Anyway, I was driving my 93 ford ranger before I got my tacoma and going about 65mph on road going to camp and all of a sudden my rpms went high as if I hit ice and it felt like I went over a bot stot. I backed up and I ran over a ratler sprawled out in the road at least 8 ft long. So I drove away and the crows and buzzards swarm down begin devouring the carcus.

 

The first thing I do with one after dispatching it is to step on the head and cut it off. That avoids your experience. BTW, I assume that, since you said it was stretched across a road, it was 5' long, not 5". That would make a great meal, cut into 3" pieces and fried.

 

I should have been more clear, two different snakes. One was huge, after I shot it, we cut its head off and buried it. The other was tiny, I don't know what I was thinking, I've been around rattle snakes my entire life. I know better and I am lucky it didn't get me. We were about 2 hours from the closest medical, it wouldn't have been good.

 

There are no rattlesnakes "at least 8' long", anywhere, especially in CA. Could it have been a gophersnake? They can reach lengths of 5-6' and are often mistaken.

 

What would be the point of killing a snake that's out in the wild? I understand if it's in your yard or something, but out in nature, while doing an activity that revels in experiencing it? I'm not meaning to be rude; I just do not understand the mentality and am hoping I'm missing something.

 

In short, there is a problem with too many snakes in the area we were in. They are causing major problems with the grouse population. Over the course of the trip i think we saw 10 or 12 snakes, and its only about 8 miles round trip.

 

What part of the country is this?

 

Northern Nevada. Half way between salt lake city and Reno.

 

Old thread, but new pics, a buddy from south Alabama. Big eastern diamondback!!!

 

^^^ That's a pretty bad boy there!! I have seen several dead here in MS that was around 5' little more little less. My uncle killed one 6' that he mounted over his fireplace. I have hunted and spent my whole life in the woods here and only saw two alive and I killed them. I'm 27 and only seen those two. One was average bout 3', and the other was 48" and about as big as a beer can. We mainly always see cottonmouths and copperheads here. Also my brother killed one little over 5' and noticed it had a large bulge in it. The cops stopped by in town where we were at and cut it open. It had a squirrel in it. Pretty neat experience.

 

What is unfortunate is that you seem to simultaneously admire the animal and find fascination with seeing them, yet kill every one that you see. Is it any different to see one out there and just walk away from it, or do you require a trophy each time?

 

Found a 4' long rattler in the office of our baja shop. It took a while to realize what that sound was but when we did... I've never jumped out of a chair that fast in my life.

 

I love snakes! Seen my fair share of Western Diamondbacks, Prairies, Southern Pacifics and Mohaves. The biggest one I ever saw was in southern Arizona when my dad and I came across a five-foot long Western Diamondback near Madera Canyon. Truly a beast it was.

Coolest venomous snakes I've seen are sidewinders, Black Tail Rattlesnakes (because some of them are light green in color) and Coral Snakes. Coolest non-venomous snakes I've ever seen were Mountain Kingsnakes and Desert Kingsnakes (both while in Arizona), Smooth Green Snake (in Tennessee) and Coachwhips.

I raised a Gopher Snake for about 10 years when I was younger. Awesome pet! It associated me with feeding time so every time I walked into the room it would start following me along the walls of its aquarium. Caught it in the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California, when it was about a foot long. Eventually grew to about 4 1/2 feet before I donated it to the local community college's science department, where it still lives to this day.

Good times.

 

Are you talking about timber rattlers (canebreaks)? There are no eastern diamondback in NE Miss. they only occur along the coastal regions if the south-eastern US.

 

My bad I didn't clarify I believe it is cane break rattlers her not eastern diamondbacks. A lot of rocky bluffs and terrain here where they have dens I guess. And too the guy questioning my killing of these snakes I've only killed two and in a way yes they were trophy's. the copperheads and cottonmouths are all around our house and our lake. And their are a lot if children here playing and fishing, and not worth the risk. Several copperheads are killed in my porch every year. I do not mind snakes and I respect them. But the risk of my nephew stepping if the porch and getting bit is not worth it. If it makes u feel better I do not harm non venomous snakes I've actually caught several rat and chicken snakes and released them. The worst ass whooping I ever had was because I killed a king snake when I was 10 with my 22 in the yard. Didn't know that it would kill poisonous snakes but now I do that great big boot in the crack of my ass helped me remember too

 

We have eastern diamond back rattle snakes where I'm from (meridian, mississippi) which is east central mississippi. We have the Eastern Diamondback, Timber, Pigmy and the Canebrake species.

 

I've run across Coachwhips while playing golf in AZ. They get long and unbelievably fast, and if harassed they will chase you for short distances.

 

Meridian would be on the very edge of their range north, I'm not doubting you. But a canebrake and a timber are the same species, some folks even call them velvet tails, because of the black coloration on thier tails just before the rattle.

 

THAT IS A SERIOUS RATTLER! Crazy to see the different snakes around, def the snake i saw was maybe 4' idk why i said 6 spur of the moment i guess all hyped up!