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I have got permission to hunt on a ranch in South Dakota. The rancher warmed me about rattlers.
I have never hunted around these in any other places. I guess I will carry a handgun.
I think a 12 gauge would be better?
I will be hunting prairie dogs.
whelennut

I carry a 22 LR revolver with birdshot, usually one shot and it is all over.

I have used a 38 revolver with shot capsules but a couple of times they were close enough that the capsule did not have enough distance to shred and I ended up with a quarter size hole in the dirt. The 22 LR is has opened up better for me a closer distances.

drover

And get you some snake gaitors.

Snake leggings and a .22 handgun with shot. The #12 shot melts snakes up close. ,......

Why pack the extra weight. Just use the firearm one hunting with or give them a 3 ft wide buffer.

Shoot them with what you have in your hand at the time, or just walk on by.

Usually the rifle scope has 20 X magnification and does not focus well at 5 ft away.
That was my reason for packing the handgun.

Ah, don't worry about them to much. Like one guy told me years ago, he said they like to hang out in the fence lines. So watch out if you have to cross a fence.

Stay away from rocks and holes. Generly pastures are ate down so much this time of year, kinda like a golf course.

Have fun.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^



This. Pretty simple really.



I even shot one with a .375 one day.


It killed him.

When a situation like this arises, we need to ask ourselves, "what would Flave do?" The answer is, take more guns. Handguns in particular.

I just whackem or stab them with my Stoney Point shooting sticks.

I believe if you don't have at least a dozen various handguns with you on prairie dog trips, you're doing something wrong..



Note the revolver.....





See? The cool guys are packing while prairie doggin'....





Hope this was helpful...

.22 shot is perfect for rattlers up to about 15'..

Ben, I only ever shot one rattler with .22 bird shot. Four feet away, shot him in the face and all it did was piss him off in a major way.....I never did it again....went to .38 special shot. That stuff works!

That is really strange, I have never had it not work.. And I've shot more than a couple with it.

Be snake conscious, if you can do that without becoming jumpy. Don't step nor put your hand within reach of where a snake could be hiding. That has saved me from being bitten on hand or on boot a number of times. I'm only afraid of the rattler that I haven't noticed.

Re artillery: I proved for myself that a 180 grain Nosler Partition is adequate for a rattlesnake. On a prairie dog shoot you are bound to have something that will do and the sound of another shot doesn't make any difference.

Rattlesnakes are not very agressive if you pay attention and don't get to close, especially on chilly days. A birdshot handgun works well, now days I carry a Judge with 410 birdshot in snake country. A word of caution though, I came across a rattlesnake when I was hunting deer with my 44Mag handgun. It was a small one and all coiled up ready to strike. I just overshot him and the resulting dirt explosion lifted him up and flung him onto my boot. If you have never seen a fat boy dance, you should have been there.

Shot in the face with .22 birdshot via Ruger single six.

It works.

I don't go anywhere without a handgun.

WTF is wrong with you people?

I think I have at least half-a-dozen in my vehicle right now.




Dave

We don't have snakes in this valley, but north of us they are around.. Have shot them with everything, but made my best shots with a Ruger BK 4 5/8's .357.

We don't have snakes in this valley, but north of us they are around.. Have shot them with everything, but made my best shots with a Ruger BK 4 5/8's .357.

Yeah Ben...thats what everyone always told me...but with my luck....


I used to hunt them for their hides in Washington...Pacific Diamondbacks. Killed hundreds over the years.

I even had two get out from under the .38 bird shot! One had his head pinned and the gun was no more than 18 inches from it. Blew a crater where his head was, unpinned it...but somehow the pattern went around him
Out of the dusty crater came a perfectly healthy rattler,head intact, and he was open for business!

The other I just walked up on, he held still and I shot him...no problemo.....I opened my gun and was reloading that chamber when my partner yelled " Look out!" and I heard his gun go off. The snake had regrouped somehow and was having a go at my leg...caught a couple #8s on that one ( he was that close to getting the job done...)

Nash carries two pistols and every snake gets 12 rounds.

No exceptions.




Dave

Nash and Ben are so cool they remind me of me.



And you.

you won't call in many coyotes if you start shooting snakes, just take your boot and stomp them to death

I've shot enough critters with .22 shot shells to know that there is no way I'd ever intentionally go up against a 3' + ratter with it. If you do, the range better be measured in inches and not feet. Closer than I care to get.

The G19 has tallied up 6 rattlers, one copperhead and one water moccasin this summer. You don't need shot shells, just aim better.

In Georgia many moons ago I shot a big ass moccasin in the face with a .22 hollow point from six feet...figured it would all be over then with no drama....

Wrong again...it acted as a major motivator to him.


And you can take a wild guess what he was then motivated to do....

I never use shot shells either.



Dave

We try to make everyone that is not use to dog town "dangers" aware. It's kinda like a warning label on your box of ammo, "DANGER"
I've been shooting dogs for years and have only seen a few rattlers. Just look before you crawl up on a mound to lay down and shoot. They wont come after you, until you piss them off.

I have never seen a snake while hunting prairie dogs. We did have some at Ft. HOOD Texas.
I will carry my Model 66 S&W with wadcutters.
If I see a Coyote it will be a miracle.
I am going to try and burn out my Ruger#1 220 Swift.

Whelennut: I have been dealing with Prairie Dogs and Rattlesnakes for 50+ years now.
I prefer to carry my Smith & Wesson Model 651 in 22 Magnum - loaded with bird shot!
Here's a tip for you - if you Hunt near or from your vehicle then drive around in a small circle once or twice as you are parking. This gets the snakes "moving".
Then don't "leave" your hearing protection on while YOU are walking around!
This allows you to hear Rattlesnakes better.
Rattlesnakes rarely come toward my Prairie Dog set-up spots due to the commotion (vibrations?) humans make -so make some noise as you set up (stomp around) and try to set up in shorter grass areas.
Take it from one who HAS been bitten by a Rattler you DON'T want to be bitten by a Rattler!
August is a top month for Rattlesnake bites (I was bitten on August 22nd seven years ago) so be cautious and stomp a bit.
Enjoy your Hunt and let us know how you do.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

That is a big azz snake!




I've seen plenty of rattlers while bowhunting muley's but only one during the day and that was crossing the road.
The others were all on roads at night trying to stay warm.

As others have said, if you watch where you are walking and putting your hands you shouldn't have any trouble.

whelennut,

did the rancher request you kill the rattlers you were warned about?

Probably just me, I'm one of those folks that likes snakes, but if I was a rancher with a prairie dog problem, I'd want every snake around to keep living and eating the dang things.

I'm with the few folks that say if the snake is outside striking distance, it gets to crawl away.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not entirely against killing them. One place I lived, I killed or removed 21 in the 5 years I was there, just from the 'confines" of the yard. Ate a couple of them too! If they're in an area where my wife or dogs (or even myself) is in danger, they don't get to stay.

A prairie dog town is another matter.

Enjoy your hunt,

Geno

Valsad: Do not take this as a personal attack.
You policy is ignorant!
Take it from someone who, HAS, been bitten by a Rattlesnake - YOU do not want to be bitten by a Rattlesnake!
NOR... do you want to be responsible for allowing a poisonous snake to go on about its business and later bite someone else and have them go through the agony and damage a Rattlesnake bite will instill.
Reconsider your ill advised policy.
I kill every Rattlesnake I come across - period!
And I strongly recommend you do the same.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I am going to wear a Colt Diamondback 22lr.
I have owned it for over 40 years and it shoots very well. I hope I don't need it, however.
Hopefully the shooting starts later this morning after the cowboy shows me where he wants me to setup.
I promise some pictures.
whelennut

It's OK Varmintguy,

I'll not look at it as a personal attack. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

I'd no more kill every rattler I see than shoot every dog I see running loose because more than one chased me at times and wanted to bite me.

Or shoot every hawk I see because they got some of my chickens once. Same goes for raccoons.

Or shoot every bear or mt. lion, etc, I see because someone else got attacked by one.

If something is an immediate danger to me or my loved ones, two or four legged, then they get the axe.

I can certainly understand your reluctance to let them live though, and I might change my mind if I am ever bitten.

Respectfully,

Geno

I don't much care for the idea of leaving a mobile land mine on the ground for the next poor soul to step on later down the road. Or me for that matter.

They don't get a pass. Ever.

Spot on Geno......

The only "ignorant" one in this conversation is VarminyGay when he says not killing every rattler you see makes you personally responsible if said snke bites someone at a later date.....





I take that back.....it's not ignorant....it's f*cking stupid....







On a lighter note....if I were to kill every snake I saw I'd have to start packing a garden hoe with me cause I can't hit chit with a handgun.....


PS....that's "hoe" not "ho"......

Varmintgay tried that argument on me years ago. Said if I let a snake go and it bit a sacred child, then I was directly to blame.


I told him if thats the case, I should pull over every stupid driver I see, drag them from their car and shoot them. They kill a LOT more children than snakes.

VG must have a big ol butt hole cause he sure pulls some doozie's out of there.....

FWIW I had a rattlesnake (apparently) come to a predator call, a high pitched cottontail hand call. He arrived just as I quit the stand. He was within 6 feet of me and coming my way, and seemed agitated or mad from the get go.

Snakes are deaf. Cannot her anything, only sense vibrations.

Lefty C

Even though I try to convince my wife this is a good idea, not only for the children, but, becuase they are a direct threat to my life and hers, (not to mention the property damage they do to some folks sacred vehicles ) ............. she won't let me.

SLM

Snake lives matter,

(sorry SLM, for borrowing your moniker!)

guess we can change that to RLM

Geno

PS, I hate friggen rats, therefor a snake is better in this world than in another.

Sure, but did it over-penetrate?

MM

Yep, which is what had me curious as to why he seemed to be coming to where I was calling. I've always wondered if he picked up vibes from the call somehow or something else I did or if it had nothing to do with me. Hearing is sensing vibrations of course.

Yes. But I think it had more to do with the close range than the cartridge. Snake was shot at about 18 inches from the muzzle. Bullet went the whole way through.

Well, at least you had a backstop so no one else got hurt..........

MM

Was it a rough tracking job? Penetration like that there should have been a great blood trail.

Geno

No tracking..it was DRT.


And DROTT....






( Dead Right Over There Too.... )

If ya gotta, carry a revolver with bird shot.

Or use a shovel.

Rattlers in the country arent hurting anything, and I cant imagine a situation where I would NEED to kill one out on the prairie.

Just walk around them, or do what I do, pay no attention at all. Only time I every see a snake is if I am watching for one.

But just in case, wear your Stetson hat. You can confuse them by throwing the hat on them, and stomp them when they peek out.

Sound advice.....

Sounds like good advice. I hunted three days, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Never saw a single snake.

Stunt shooter. Ebberboddy knows that's not enough gun!

(My snake shooter is a Contender 12 inch .410 barrel. 3" shells with #9 shot seem better than .22 birdshot.)

Not to change the subject but how often do you guys clean the barrel on a target rich environment rifle like a prairie dog rifle?
I like to clean after dark or every hundred rounds whichever I am in the mood for.

After dark, or after I get home......if I cleaned it every hundred rounds it would really slow up my day shooting....

Killed a rattler with a .45 some years ago. It did work.

Never have used snake shot on a real snake but experimented on soda cans at 10-12 feet. a .22 shotshell had little effect. The .38/357 put a few neat holes in it. The .44 shotshell shredded the can.

When ground squirrel shooting 600-700 round days are not uncommon, PD's are generally more like 400 round days. I usually have 2 or 3 rifles and switch out when one starts warming up too much. Cleaning is at the end of the day when shooting is done.

drover

22 mag shot shells from CCI. does the trick for me every time.

Now that I have a 45 Colt I am looking for affordable 444 brass to make some shot shells. Bit the CCI 22 mag did snake in every time.

I hate snakes. Had a real scare with them as a wee lad and the memories remain.

Most of the time I run into them while out hunting doves or quail or partridge and am carrying a double barrel 20 gauge with 7.5's. Turns out that is a perfect weapon for rattlers and I have the unique ability to run into them on about 30-35 % of my trips.

Tried the .22lr shot shells and found them not satisfactory and requires getting too close. I usually am carrying a Sig .40 loaded with 180g and have found that to make heads disappear like the 20 gauge.

Here is another way to kill rattlers. This dude is certifiable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22aYCoTe-0I

Heck with that , I don't like getting close enough to use a handgun with shotshells . Much less snapping his neck

I found two pounds of #10 shot at a gun shop years ago and it works great loaded in 38 cal. Speer shot capsules.

Yeah i've always loaded #9 in 44 cases . Works well on mainly copperheads . I tend to leave the Rattlers alone unless they're at the house . Copperheads are just nasty little buggers so they rarely get a second chance no matter where they are .

I have had my fair share of rattlesnake run ins between controlled pd detonation sessions and working in the oilfield here in colorado, and I don't like em. I see them, they die. Was shooting at a batch of pd's out at about 400 yards when i noticed a dumb one looking at me from 100 yards to my right, so I shot him/her, and the 220 swift exploded it nicely, and was close enough to take a look. On the way back to my shooting spot, stepped over a hole and a rattler hit the bottom of my boot. Didn't rattle or anything. 230 grain loads out of my 45 did just fine

A .45 works just fine on snakes. I walked up on a big pissed off cotton mouth on the pond bank the other day, And since my grand kids fish in that pond he wasn't staying there.

.45 Federal 230 grain HST's out of a Government model are down right impressive on snakes. Didn't need a follow up shot either.

Holy smokes, new one to me!!!

Jeeze, its not like it was in a play ground for blind and deaf orphans!

No reason to kill that snake.

I like #12 shot in my 45 Colt. Fun to shoot potatoes too.

I'm in the camp of not trusting 22 shotshells. I have shot them from 3' away and not drawn blood; any closer and you are asking for trouble.

My last snake was shot with a 260AI at 40 yards. Apparently Sierra bullets are stout enough for Arizona rattlesnakes. If I encounter snakes where people typically are found, I tend to kill them. If they are in wild places, I mostly just go around them.

My sentiments also.

Rather snakes as neighbors than those whom come from the other side of the Potomac. Snakes may bite, but they don't always, and they leave the place as they found it. The others always inject venom into the region, and work to change it to the Hell they "left".

Besides, rattlers and even copperheads are pretty cool. F'k a cottonmouth.

A cottonmouth and I had a disagreement monday, it lost. A 38 shot shell end it

Worked in the oilfield 36 yrs 99% in a 3 1/2 mile square. The last 25 yrs the pumpjacks are air balanced meaning there is a air compressor at the back supplying air to a cylinder in front to keep it balanced with the weight of rods down hole. And they suck every day 20 out of 60 are going to be leaking somewhere, so you have to check it out and a hissing air comp cancels a rattle i carried a 38 w/rat shot then a judge and killed alot was hit three times but my leggings saved me left a hell of a bruise. Retired 2 yrs ago knowing i killed everyone i seen. When we were young we caught and sold them at the Sweetwater Rattle snake Roundup but it was more fun to help the ranchers kill them at night this time of year when they are on the warm roads,Aim low with the 12 and you will get air time.One of the reason's i hate them is a friends 3 yr old was bit on his arm they had to split it wide open i never forgot about that. He's in his mid 30's and the scar brings back memories.