Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Wyoming Rattle Snakes - how much danger?

My wife and I went for a stroll today in one of the areas we will be antelope hunting in the Buffalo area. Being from the north east this was a new experience.

I showed off some dance moves, I called it the "Rattlesnake 2-step". Scared the crap out of us. Walking along a hill side and heard the rattle, never really heard it before, but reacted before I realized what it was and after a quick 2 steps or so I was 8-10 feet from a coiled rattler with about a 2 inch rattle. While walking out later another one slithered away, actually on that one it may or may not have been a rattler, same basic color but didn't get a good look.

So, how common and how dangerous are these things during August archery antelope season? I have zero experience with these things. Are they common around here? Are they dangerous, well aside from getting bit, or do they run rather than fight? Are snake boots worth it? Would snow-shoe gators protect us or would they get right through that, then pants, then my leg?

Has me second guessing archery hunting, at least there.

Idaho has the same Prairie rattler as WY. They can bite but as long as you're a bit careful they aren't anything to worry about. I sure wouldn't spend the money for boots. They're timid and you will often see one crawling away. If it coils, just back up a step. They can only strike 1/2 their length and most aren't all that long, at least not compared to some of the southern snakes. Most are under 4' so there's a total striking distance of under 2'. I've been kicking around the Idaho desert for 70 years and have only seen a handful. Only a few of those coiled and rattled. Most just crawled away.
Just keep your eyes open and have a good hunt.

I am in Buffalo right now, and was wondering how many were around here.

I've got quite a bit of experience with them in Idaho and Montana, as well as SW Wyoming. We're lucky around here as far as snakes go.....they're about as shy and timid as snakes come. People do occasionally get bit, but it is really rare if you're not a drunken teen and messing around with it.

I have never felt the need for snake proof boots of gaitors. I have never not gone hunting for fear of them.

You're fine, as long as you use common sense around them.

I wear snake boots here... it is a LOT THICKER and you cannot see a lot of what you are walking through. Up there it is really open. As long as you pay attention to where you put your feet you will be fine.

I wear them because I DO NOT want to watch where I put my feet... I want to look for game.

Wyoming Rattlers bite the same as Texas Rattlers or any other. Venom is venom no matter the manner of injection.

Just don’t mess with ‘em.

Gotta disagree, to an extent. Venom is not venom.

The midget faded, along with the Mojave and a few other rattlesnake species have venom much more potent, and much higher in neurotoxins than other species. From what I understand, the prairie rattler and Great Basin rattler are relatively low on the toxicity scale, and they're certainly shyer than other rattler's I have been around. They're still dangerous, but not as bad as some other species.

Prairie rattlers aren't aggressive and like most snakes, just want to be left alone. Like Reloder28 said, just don't mess with 'em. Watch where you step and you should be fine.

Another piece of advice which will serve you well when antelope hunting on the prairie is to look before you sit down. Not only for snakes but mostly because of prickly pear cactus. I've spent some time with my pants around my ankles pulling cactus spines out of my rear end because I sat down to glass without looking at the ground first.

I don't know what techniques you'll be using to hunt antelope, but if you'll be doing any stalking, you'll often be crawling. Kneepads and leather gloves make crawling in gravelly cactus country a little easier.

Good luck with your hunt.

I forgot to add that there are bull snakes out on the prairie. They are not venomous but do look very similar to a rattler and will coil up in a strike posture and emit a hiss or rattle type of sound when threatened. But they're harmless so just let them be, too.

Don't wear snake protection. Just be a little more vigilant while your crawling thru the brush. They don't want noth'in to do with you.
The ones you should worry about, are the skin shedding ones. They don't always have the ability to rattle, and they could be blind for a short time.
I was walking thru the grass one time and heard a bumble bee humm. Looked down and found a baby rattler not 6" long, with only one button. Stomped on him and found a mouse inside he had just eaten.

They’re not aggressive... they’ll leave you alone if you leave them alone...you really have to get them angry to get them to strike at you...

We must have a different gene pool here in eastern Colorado of prairie rattlers. I have come upon them ten feet away. They coil then cut the distance in half,coil again and if waiting long enough they are 2-3 feet away. Dove season is always challenging with them abou tand tall weeds/grass. Most aggressive rattler I have come across is the side winder in Nevada.Nasty little buggers

Yours are all Democrats that really are out to get you.

Ran into 3 in one weekend hunting chucks this spring. It's one thing when they are in the open and you can see them, totally another when they are in knee deep grass. Not a big fan of rattlers.

While the snake will not go on the offensive and attack you he will bite if accidentally stepped on or disturbed, feels threatened.
Boots or snake leggings are a good idea in the south east in the warm seasons as they do blend in with the ground colors are are very difficult to see.
I'm a bit colorblind to those color combinations of camouflage and it is very difficult to see one in his native environment.

G

the one coiled that rattled, was in 4 inch grass on a slope that was some sage, some low grass, some open gravel. Even at 8 feet when I knew he was there, he was damn near invisible.

Scared my wife from wanting to tag along archery hunting, scared me enough to worry about going to get my camera again (I had set it on a fence post just before finding the little guy)

The second ran at our approach, which I am fine with!

You might spend some time on hands and knees and prone. Gloves and kneepads are much more useful than gaiters or snake boots for me. Once you have had your 'close encounter' it is difficult to not be worried about the next one


mike r

Like others have posted most of Wyoming is less brushy than the south and areas like South Texas, where snake boots are warranted. I think the Black tail must be at the same level of aggressiveness as the prairie rattlers. We have stepped over these and they hardly even woke up. Sidwinders and Timber Rattlers are very active in comparison. When they come towards you I think it is curiosity rather than aggression.

A friend who works ranches in South Texas had his vision compromised by a stroke and he has had several strikes on his snake boots as a result. When you can't see them is when there is a problem.

I realize there is a huge difference between being struck by a rattler and dying from it, but the Wiki page on snake deaths just consumed an hour!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_snake_bites_in_the_United_States

I tried to paste the chart but it turns into a huge jumble... some interesting facts from their chart from 1950 to the present.

From 1950 to present they list 73 deaths by snake bite and 54 of those were rattlers.

Nine were exotics

Six by copperhead

Two by cottonmouth

57 males and 16 females.

13 were professional snake handlers killed by their keepers and I added one in there that died during the Brownsville Round-up.

20 died handling snakes at church services

So that means 53 deaths by wild snakes in almost 69 years.

In 2018 an 18 year old committed suicide by monocled cobra in TX.

Looks like your chances of being killed by a snake are mighty skinny if you do not go looking for them. There are no deaths listed for WY and only one in CO. Florida, TX, WV, TN, and a few others make up the vast majority. I saw a statement that a quarter of the snake bites in the US happen in TX, but cannot find it again. I also recognize the fact many instances in past decades would not get reported the way they are today and many are not included.

Sorry for the sidetrack...

The Crocodile Hunter would reach down, grab it.

I live in Buffalo and have hunted around here for 30 some years and have never seen one when out hunting. I've seen them other times, but not nearly as many around here as in eastern Montana where I grew up.

Death by rattler may be rare but I know two people that have been bitten. One nearly lost his leg below the knee. The other was me.

Forgot my boots on a dove hunt and was retracing my path around a copse of trees next to a hay field that had been cut, baled and the bales picked up. Thought I had walked into a yucca plant at first, then realized where I was and that no yuccas were anywhere around. Got a fang next to my Achilles tendon and one in my Nikes. Foot swelled up like a football and walking was painful for over a week. The first day just setting my foot on the floor was nearly intolerable due to extreme pain.

Not recommended at all. Wear boots and watch where you walk.

Interesting stats.

The one stat I did NOT see was how many people got bitten and WISHED they had died. Google "rattlesnake bite aftermath" and hit "images".......... It ain't exactly pretty. Additionally, the hospital bill that ensues is routinely in the $100K+ range.

I hunt (predominantly) spring turkeys in Wyoming, Nebraska, Texas, Old Mexico, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland............all places that have a variety of rattler species. I'd much rather look around and take in my surroundings and ENJOY my hunts rather than have to look every time I put a foot down. My Irish Setter snake boots were about $150.

Good point!

In the newspaper today, it had an article about a local lady that got bit by a baby rattlesnake while fishing. It took 34 doses of CroFab to save her at several thousand dollars per dose. Some kind of record for doses according to the article. The recovery didn't sound like much fun either. But at least she did survive.

I love my Russell Turtle skin boots and the Danners are not bad either just hotter. I leave the top open when it is hot and not too bad even for dove hunting. I like that I can concentrate on hunting instead of having to watch my step. I think I have only seen two rattlers when deer hunting but sure do see them on spring turkey hunts and when setting up blinds. My closest calls have all been with Copperheads and Water Moccasin. I have stepped on them, had them slither down my back, and have had a copperhead join us on a picnic blanket when I was preoccupied with my girl friend.

The snake boots are the go to for any thorny country which is all of South & West Texas, the added snake insurance is nice too. In Wyoming I would only be concerned while putting on a crawl for Antelope. That sure could blow a stalk.

Was antelope hunting near Casper around the 20th of September one year. The whole time was windy and cool (the day I shot mine was 38). Never saw a rattler. Crawled on my belly through sage brush about 20 yards to get in position for mine. I was talking to my BIL over the holidays and he had gone either a week earlier or later, and the weather was in the 70's or 80's. He said they were surrounded by rattlesnakes.

Long story short, I'd be real cautious in August.

I used to live in Casper, and often went west along the N. Platte river to fish, hunt sage grouse, etc.

Often encountered rattlers in the sagebrush areas near the river. Hard to spot, due to their sage green coloration, which made them blend perfectly into the foliage!

Just another reason to watch where you're going and watch the ground, not the screen, when you are out with Ma Nature. We have lots of rattlers here in SoCal, but the only time you see one is when you weren't expecting to. I saw three last Saturday on a tree planting workday at the local wildlife preserve, which is very close to the ocean and several suburban developments. One was a Mojave (sent the pic to a rattler biologist, since we aren't supposed to have them here. It WAS a Mojave.). But although two were coiled, none rattled and the Mojave boogied away down a ground squirrel hole as fast as he could go, which was pretty fast.

Almost all the snakes we are discussing, Mojave, Prairie, Pacific Rattlesnakes (Southern and Northern) are sub-species of the true Eastern Timber Rattler. I say "true" because popular names for snakes are often pretty far from accurate, biologically speaking. Where I come from in Northern CA (I DON'T mean the San Francisco Bay Area--We lived over a hundred miles north of there, and didn't consider Frisco Northern California) Northern Pacific Rattlers were called "Timber Rattlers."

Rattlers have personalities, or at least different threat-response instincts. Some are grouchy and touchy. Most are uninterested in anything they can't eat that isn't looking like it wants to eat them. NONE of them will tolereate being touched and if they only see a hand or a finger, they may decide that they COULD eat that!

A snake that gets caught out in the open while shedding its skin may strike at anything that comes near it, since it may not be able to see, or move efficiently, or sense body heat of a threat to tell how big or near it is. Most try to shed underground for that reason.

They are also touchy about getting caught in the sex act, like most folks.

As you can perhaps tell, I'm fascinated by rattlers, but mostly I just keep my eyes and ears open and watch where I put my hands and feet. The only time I will kill one is if it is in an area where kids are likely to be playing unsupervised or if it gets into a building or car. Kids and dogs are just too vulnerable to snakebite to take chances. Otherwise, leave 'em alone and enjoy seeing them. I only wear snake chaps when hunting quail where you often need to move fast through brush and can't look at every stepping place before you step there. But most rattlers hear or feel you coming and are gone before you arrive, or it is too chilly for them during hunting season.

Just another reason to watch where you're going and watch the ground, not the screen, when you are out with Ma Nature. We have lots of rattlers here in SoCal, but the only time you see one is when you weren't expecting to. I saw three last Saturday on a tree planting workday at the local wildlife preserve, which is very close to the ocean and several suburban developments. One was a Mojave (sent the pic to a rattler biologist, since we aren't supposed to have them here. It WAS a Mojave.). But although two were coiled, none rattled and the Mojave boogied away down a ground squirrel hole as fast as he could go, which was pretty fast.

Almost all the snakes we are discussing, Mojave, Prairie, Pacific Rattlesnakes (Southern and Northern) are sub-species of the true Eastern Timber Rattler. I say "true" because popular names for snakes are often pretty far from accurate, biologically speaking. Where I come from in Northern CA (I DON'T mean the San Francisco Bay Area--We lived over a hundred miles north of there, and didn't consider Frisco Northern California) Northern Pacific Rattlers were called "Timber Rattlers."

Rattlers have personalities, or at least different threat-response instincts. Some are grouchy and touchy. Most are uninterested in anything they can't eat that isn't looking like it wants to eat them. NONE of them will tolereate being touched and if they only see a hand or a finger, they may decide that they COULD eat that!

A snake that gets caught out in the open while shedding its skin may strike at anything that comes near it, since it may not be able to see, or move efficiently, or sense body heat of a threat to tell how big or near it is. Most try to shed underground for that reason.

They are also touchy about getting caught in the sex act, like most folks.

As you can perhaps tell, I'm fascinated by rattlers, but mostly I just keep my eyes and ears open and watch where I put my hands and feet. The only time I will kill one is if it is in an area where kids are likely to be playing unsupervised or if it gets into a building or car. Kids and dogs are just too vulnerable to snakebite to take chances. Otherwise, leave 'em alone and enjoy seeing them. I only wear snake chaps when hunting quail where you often need to move fast through brush and can't look at every stepping place before you step there. But most rattlers hear or feel you coming and are gone before you arrive, or it is too chilly for them during hunting season.

Ive hunted out near Buffalo and a little farther south near Kaycee for about 25 years now, and have seen a couple of rattlers while hunting. One of the properties we hunt has a well known rattlesnake den, so we need to keep an eye out in that area when they begin to congregate just prior to denning up. Otherwise, just watch where you step and put your hands if you crawl, especially if going through sagebrush or rocks. Normally you have adequate notification they are there at walking pace or slower, and can just stop to see where they are, and adjust course as needed. Dogs have the most encounters as them move more quickly and aren’t always paying attention to what they are walking through. You’ll be fine, so don’t worry at all about it. Just go enjoy your hunt.

You just have to pay some attention and avoid stepping on them, and you’ll be fine.

As an example, I live in South Florida, and was born and raised here. Our snakes are generally pissed off here, it’s hot quite a lot of the year so they have energy, and some of the habitat we hunt you absolutely cannot see the snake at all, even if you are looking for them. A good example is running into a large Eastern Diamondback while walking back from your hunt, in the dark, in 90* heat, wading through waist high palmetto scrub. When the rattle goes off, generally you are close enough to be hit, and a large snake can hit you well above the knee, so you cant be certain of being protected, even with snake boots. Similar situations arise with Timber/Canebrake Rattlers farther north. Another wonderful situation is wading out of your boat at 4am to go set up duck decoys, in thigh high water, and having one of our wonderful cottonmouths greet you by swimming right up to you in the dark. These guys have no rattle, so no early warning here. Both have happened to me, more than once, and I’m still here to tell the tale with no bites.

So go enjoy your hunt, don’t worry about snakes, and post pics of your goat when you have them.

Craig

OK here's the scoop..Ive been around them all my life and actively hunted them for decades. If they coil and rattle they are not being aggressive or angry...they are being scared. That said, its not the time to press them.
Otherwise they will do whatever it takes to get away from you...one of the most innocuous creatures out there. Never seen a prairie rattler that displayed ANY degree of aggression that wasn't forced intro it...

Is there a better/worse time to wander out there? Snakes are cold blooded so maybe early/late as it cools? Or would that just put them out for the last sunshine.

Cloudy/cool days? Hot days?

I need to go grab that camera in the next 2 days, just wondering what time is best. Our eyes have been opened per se, and we will bring our hiking poles, there's no trees around , just sage, grass and rocks.

Snakes slow down considerably when it's cold. I've seen them out sunning but barely able to move. It's like watching a slow motion film.

No man, no need to apologize, good post. This is a great thread.

Here in the Central Texas Gulf Coast on the Lavaca-Matagorda Bay system there's a lot of rattlers, mostly Western Diamondbacks. Actually, the Eastern is more venomous and gets about a foot longer on the maximum end, but the Western is more aggressive or so they say and more prone to make multiple strikes. They also have
a lot of venom especially when coming out of hibernation when they havent eaten in a few months.

A guy that worked on the same shift with me but in another unit in the plant I worked in came to work one morning and called me and we talked about ten minutes. We hung up and got ready for our day and then I called him back about an hour later, but they told me he had an emergency and had to go home. I found out what happened that afternoon, His wife was getting the kids on the school bus and she stepped out the front door. A 4 foot Diamonback bit her on the back of the calf. A neighbor took her to the hospital in Victoria, about 20 miles away. He was called and met them at the Hospital. They were testing her to see if she was allergic to the antivenom. They give 4 test. Well the doc came out about half way through and told him he'd given her two test but her BP was dropping and they were loosing her and that he needed his permission to go ahead and give her the antivenom right then. So he did and they gave it to her. He said almost immediately she started improving. She survived but her leg got huge and black for about a week. Luckily she improved and went home in a few days.

That and a couple other incidents around here made me a believer. When I hear people play down the danger of venomous snakes I think they are clueless. Venomous snakes are not to be fooled with. I take every precaution when I'm out and about. Along these bays and out on these prairies rattlers abound. Back when I was in high school we had a savy game warden that told me this county, Calhoun, had the second highest population of rattlers in the whole state of Texas. I believed him because I had seen many when I was a kid living out on the prairie about a half mile from the bay. They may not be very aggressive but if you step on one or even get too close there's a good chance you will be bitten and if you're far from your transportation and far from town you may very well be in the middle of a situation.

I'd be more worried about the Buffalo.

We all hear stories about the thigh sized rattlers in TX or the demonic cottonmouths in LA but here in ID and WY, the only poisonous game is the little prairie rattler. They're small and timid, very unlikely to bite if you use a little common sense. They aren't that much of an issue. Just keep your eyes open and enjoy the hunt.

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

THIS


If I was that concerned about things that bite etc. I'd never leave the house...

Thanks everyone! It was a bit startling for a NH couple who've never seen one of them rattle things!

We went last night again to pull the camera, straight in and out, no snakes, just lots of cool antelope pictures :-) We just took our hiking poles and smacked all the bushes and rock piles we had to walk past.

Puttees...

These are a hoot.

Add this to the list of things I worry about for you....

I'm from Texas Born and Bread, lived here all my life. We do have big serious snakes here, though thigh size s a little bit of a stretch. I've seen 'em big around as my forearm but I haven't see a python in a zoo big around as my thighs.

But our snakes are truly dangerous if you step on one or get too close, so I do exactly as you describe, I beat the grass and every where I walk if the ground isn't clear to walk on. And to say a snake would rather get away from you, well that may be true, but it doesn't always happen like that. Some times the snake doesn't know you're there until you're almost on top of him. If you get close to a 6 foot snake he can strike out at least 3 feet. If he's a foot and a half off a trail and you startle him he can strike at you and give you a bad bite. Snake leggings to the hip are the way to go, especially where there there are snakes known to be five-six feet long. and a snake that big is going to inject a lot of venom if he bites you.

Welllllll.......


I can say that Pacific Diamondbacks can be a little more ouchy than Prairie Rattlers, Copperheads just dont want to be stepped on, and Moccasins just don't give a schitt...

Texas toast?

One fang in a foot was enough for me. Boots and pay the f attention since then and in the future.

You play with nasty snakes, travel internationally to hot zones, get targeted and almost blown up by terror organizations, train dogs to do all manner of things we don't know about (Wounded Warriors - yeah, wink, wink... "Fido, take this C-4 over to Achmed's hovel and drop it off...")

No, Ingwe is just another ordinary guy that used to sell Berrettas and Glocks down at the store...... (Cue: "Dirty deeds, done dirt cheap...")

MOI....?




I'm just a harmless old man with a puppy dog....

I’ve lived in Wyoming for 13 years and never seen one, yet. I spend a lot of time outdoors. There’s a section of state land across the road from me that I walk my dog on every day and it’s pretty scrubby. The guy I bought my house from said in 7 years he saw only one rattler. But the big mountain I see from my back porch is named Rattlesnake Mountain, so there’s that.

Uh, you got blood on yer hands........

and

What a great looking boy.

Slave


P.S. I'm talkin' 'bout the dog, old man.

No venomous snakes here. I do hunt WY for antelope and had a question......do leather boots stop the fangs? How about cordura boots?

The dog bit me.


we were playing.


Its what I do....