Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Rattlesnakes

I keep a nine iron handy when shooting p-dogs. Also either my 357 or 45acp with snake loads.

Fuque! Oh well, dying while doing something you love is supposed to be good. At least that's what the eulogist say.

A couple of days ago I started to reach down and pull some tumbleweed that was growing by the garage door. I changed my mind for some reason or another and reached into the corner for the hoe.
When I reached in with the hoe to get to the base of the tumbleweed there was a rattler coiled up right at the base of it. It was just a bit irritated with me for disturbing him.

Turns out I'm too hard of hearing to hear them rattle. It would of been ugly had I done what I normally do which is just reach down and grab the tumbleweed by the base to yank them out.
He wasn't very big, not quite 2 foot long and 7 rattles.

I'm too deaf to hear them too. Friends have pulled me away from the bastids twice.

Depends on where we are. A little plot of family land in unincorporated St. Clair County just outside Springville, AL is slam covered up with timbers from top to bottom. If I go turning over wood and rocks, I'll see twenty in a day. Also covered up with king snakes. We kill three to five big ones per year that won't stay out of the yard. They aren't aggressive, just in the way and I'm not risking them getting stepped on. The place in Tallahassee, we almost never see any snakes of any kind - 1 time in 5 years two house cats bayed a little eastern diamondback and we've seen a couple of rat snakes. The family place kind of in the swamp in Mobile, AL had a lot of both (and other snakes of every variety) but then the pigs moved in. Very few snakes of any kind now.

I go out of my way not to kill them but relocation does not work (lots of studies on that), if they eyeball the wife in her face, it's over. All the dogs are snake broke right now but again, if they won't boogie when harassed, it's over. Don't want an accidental bite while peeing in the dark.

Reny50 - my dutch shepherd Nyx lets me know when they're around and where the snakes are. If I tell her to hunt them, she parks it where she can see the rock pile or fence line or whatever cover it's in and woofs at me when it pokes it's head out so I can zap it with a pellet gun/shotgun/.17 hmr/etc. Most of them have human like intelligence and end up able to understand english with their handlers for sure (dutchies - not snakes).

We killed 17 at our place last year so bought a little 38 always loaded with snake shot for my wife to have handy & to wear weed whacking. Our little Thai ridgeback is a great snake dog - she will let you know if they are aroun - different agitated bark.

Prettiest one I’ve ever seen was 4’+ black with white diamonds on the 4th hole at Torrey Pines golf course overlooking the ocean. Grabbed a perfect shovel from one of the greens keepers but of course he was gone the 3 minutes it took me.

I remember a video that I believe STX posted a few years ago about a rattlesnake down in Mexico that was really big, fuqking thing looked as long as a small python.

When I’m in the woods during the warm weather months working on stands or cutting up fallen trees, I carry my Glock 27 in a Blackhawk Serpa holster. First 2 rounds are CCI snake shot followed by Double Tap 200 grain WFNGC rounds in the rest of the mag. Southeastern Ohio where I hunt does have Timber Rattlesnakes, although we haven’t seen any. Copperheads on the other hand are more numerous. Not as many as the southern and western states, but it’s still wise to watch where you step or reach with your hands.

Ron

Just three evenings ago I let my GWPs out at dusk. At the same time the female began barking and I heard the rattle! I got them in then went for the recently acquired snake tongs. Was able to locate the snake as it was still rattling. Deep in the understory of a large bush I finally spotted it with my headlamp. I grabbed the body and yanked him out. This four foot diamondback was striking like mad but out of reach with that four foot tong. I body slammed the snake till it was dead. Easiest way to kill on the property yet. Hoping it is the only one this summer.

This is why the S&W Govenor is an amazing implement. This thread make me want to purchase one.

A lot of you need some type of bodyguard going in the scary woods by yourself if you are worried about a snake...

Huh??? What ??? Me too David. 😬

Why not just have a regular revolver instead of sonething with an oversized cylinder, and carry a couple little snake loads in your pocket?

Here is a grown one we got bushhoggin, 17 and a button

I once was belly crawling to some antelope in NW SD and bumped into a nest of babies. Stalk was over instantly as I stood up and put the boots to them. Quite a few and no longer than a foot. Nearest hospital was a mile walk to the truck and an hr away from that. Gives me goosebumps thinking about it.

We grew up on the edge of the small town of Pascagoula MS. We were surrounded by woods and waters. As kids, we used to go snake hunting to kill time in the summer. We caught Gulf Salt Marsh snakes. They have a small range. They would immediately become docile and would eat a minnow out of our hands after being in captivity for about a week. Found an Indigo on a mountain bike ride about 30 years ago. Coolest find by far.

I’ve owned both the S&W Governor and the Taurus Judge.
Couldn’t give me another Taurus.
Gave the Judge to my nephew.
The Governor was fine in reliability and accuracy.
Just too bulky for a belt holster, IMO. Mine ended up riding mostly in the side door compartment of my F-150. Worked great for when I had to get out of the truck at night to open the Ranch Gate in the Summertime. Seems like that was when I ran into more Rattlers than anywhere on the Ranch.

Went back to using my Charter Arms Bulldog .44 special for my dedicated snake gun when hunting arrowheads.
Loaded the first 2 cylinders with 2 rounds of CCI Snake Shot. The last 3 rounds were 250 gr WFN hard cast bullets over 8 grains of Unique. Good feral hog or varmint medicine, if I needed them. And it would fit in the pocket of my Wrangler Riggs Work Jeans or shorts too. 🤠

In S TEXAS near Corpus i think, if under his boot.

Ditto. I want a hatband.

A hat band would be a total waste of that bad boy.