Rattlesnakes

[lotsa luck 29]

There are too many other things in life to worry about then some simple internet insults or teasing

Well ya sure got that right JB... Here's a little sample of some COOL nugget hunting I'm spending time with. Can just pluck them kind of like apples (with a hammer of course)... Course ya have to do a little swimming to reach it :innocent0009:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnBnQte-pKE

Flooded to the top of the portal = NO FRIGGIN SNAKES of the crawling or two legged type.

[kuger 0]

Hi All

Stan , Kuger , Billy Bob and All as you can see there are several thoughts and beliefs on this subject :shrug: . I hope nobody takes any of this razzin to heart :angry-smiley-010: ?? There are too many other things in life to worry about then some simple internet insults or teasing :poke: ?? I mean hey there are ferocious snakes out there waiting to pounce on non suspecting prospectors !! Happy Huntin John B.

your right John,I realized along time back in this deal what you were up to! Thanks though gets the blood runnin,makes ya feel alive!!!!In reality I dont go out of my way to kill snakes but if they are in my yard like they have been quite a lot,I do.They are an important part of our environment........how about Mosquitos and chiggers though??

[azaware 4]

Hey all

Funny you all talking about snakes. Did you here about the two terrorist. They were out shooting at us good guy. One had to take a sh-$&*%t and got bit right on the :tisc-tisc: ding dong so has comrade radio for help what could he do to save him. The guy told him he would have to suck the venom out. So he was heading back pretty sad. He got back and told has comrade that, your going to die..

[sawmill 69]

The rattlesnake is at the bottom of the list for rodent control.

They only eat once in a while then lay around until it is digested.

Several months out of the year they lay up in dens and don't eat.

At best they only work at it part time. Depending on the altitude

some really work a short time.

They moult or shed up to 3 times per year. During this time they

are really pissed,and almost blind,and will strike without warning.

They can't even control their body temperature,so if it gets too

warm,or too cool,they don't hunt. After mating female rattlers

rarely eat until after giving birth.

Yeah thanks to advances in medicine less people die from their

bite. But time is still the determining factor before you start to

lose limbs or die. If you are in good health and can get treatment

within two hours ,you have a chance.

Since all of us on these forums is young ,in great health,and only

prospect close to hospitals,no problem. Only a small percent die,

it doesn't matter what percent it is if you become part of the

statistics.

There is plenty good snakes that do the same job,and don't

cause death or suffering.

Owls,Hawks,Coyotes,Foxes,and Bobcats,are on the job 24/7

365 days a year. All consume massive amounts of rodents .

Just so Earl doesn't get confused ,the owls work the night

shift,and the hawks work day shift.

A roadrunner is a killing machine when it comes to small

rodents ,lizards,and yes rattlesnakes. I have had them ride

the hood on a D7 while pushing mesquite. When you push a

critter out ,the race is on,and they ain't too picky about what

it is. :ph34r2:

If a guy has really spent time in the desert,or forests,he

would know the hunting habits of predators,and birds of

prey.

I have spent most of 60 years camping on jobs in the middle

of nowhere with the critters. They don't fear me and I don't fear

them,never felt the need for a gun.

I do own guns,and sometimes hunt. Never shot a snake in my

life,but have dispatched quite a few by other means.

We work on our claims and leaving a rattlesnake to hang

around is just like leaving an exposed electric wire in your

work place. Get rid of it ,and you won't get zapped. Neither

may kill you,but it could sure put a crimp in your plans.

[Earl 0]

The rattlesnake is at the bottom of the list for rodent control.

They only eat once in a while then lay around until it is digested.

Several months out of the year they lay up in dens and don't eat.

At best they only work at it part time. Depending on the altitude

some really work a short time.

They moult or shed up to 3 times per year. During this time they

are really pissed,and almost blind,and will strike without warning.

They can't even control their body temperature,so if it gets too

warm,or too cool,they don't hunt. After mating female rattlers

rarely eat until after giving birth.

It is better to conceal one's knowledge than to reveal one's ignorance.

Spanish Proverb

But then in your case Sawmill: "Every ass loves to hear himself bray"

Check this link out about snakes, let me direct your attention to The Fun Facts where it says: Snakes are the world's most effective natural control on rodent population.

http://www.reptilegardens.com/learning-pages/snakes/

[lotsa luck 29]

Whats up john B? Why the sudden need for the ego strokin?

I have been bitten twice by Western Diamond Backs. Once in the palm of my left hand and scarred for life from the grafts. Once on the back of my right hand with little envinamation. Both times while climbing steep terrain during night rescues of hikers/hunters who had become stranded. Both times air lifted to a good hospital at great expense. Neither snake rattled and neither died from my wrath. Both times the odds simply caught up to me and my hands chose holds right in thier hidden faces, they acted out of instinct. One time I got hurt pretty bad, the other I got VERY lucky. I have no fear of death be it from a snake or other. The much larger issue IMHO from pit viper bite is the expense and physical damage done. It is unlikely to kill you even though the current stats indicate death percentages are climbing fast. I spent $3K on my dog when he got bit and thats CHEAP in comparison. The time off work or total loss of income from loss of a limb (easy to happen) just makes "leaving a rattler alone" in a populated area an ignorant idea. We were given thumbs and reasoning for good use.

Walking the same ground often and leaving a known rattler "alone" is a stupid move akin to playing Russian Roulette. Sure there can always be another one, but "that" one has no chance of being outside your tent, or beside the tool box or wood stack etc. In the middle of nowhere where I will not be again for years I'll still leave em be. So John B. when you walk out your door and find a nice Mohave to have moved in beside your walkway what would you do, move it? If you don't take it a long way it will likely return again for the same reasons it found your place to be its happy place to begin with.

Earl... A rattler normally eats once to twice a month. Yes snakes make a big dent in the rodents but rattlers are a minority in the figure.

Another vid from my recent workings to end this on a good note.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXS2K6IY0Zs

[azdave35 10]

hi earl...i would'nt badmouth those snake chaps too bad...i know of 2 people that were saved by them..both of them were just walking through the brush and were struck in the lower leg and they both thanked god they were wearing chaps...

[dave wiseman 0]

Sawmill didn't say all snakes were ineffective at rodent control,just rattlesnakes........did some creawling in the bygone days and will if I have to.........two-legged Dave

[Paseclipse 3]

Sounds like a nice boa you have there. What are you feeding it, rabbits? I have some photos of my python and cornsnake somewhere on this computer, I will see if I can find them. I hope to get another ball python in the near future. I didn't mean to hijack this topic, but it seemed to be heading in the wrong direction anyway.

Hey Bob, yeah she's a good snake and she's very much considered one of the family pets, though her status isn't as high as the dogs. I feed her frozen rabbits when I can find them, however most of the time she's getting 4-6 large frozen rats every week or two. I know she needs to eat larger food, but frozen rabbits are kind of hard to find you know because it seems the pet shops forget about the snake owners who like the big ones.

Del you have my respect :bowdown: . Before I got into nugget huntin my last hobby was snakes :unsure: , it's the reason I moved to Az. Tucson is the capital of snake variations in the US :woohoo: . There are 11 species of rattles snakes within a 50 mile radious because of the varied habitat :worm1: . Tigers, Mohaves, Blacktails, D backs, Az blacks, Sidewinders, Banded Rocks, Ridge Nosed, Twin Spots, Speckled, Massasaguas, not to mention Gila monsters and coral snakes :cool04: . I think if Kuger came down for a visit our snakes would have a smorgasbourg after he ran outa bullets :chowtime: !! Happy Huntin John B.

Wow John, didn't know you were a snake person and I didn't know AZ had so many different snakes. I guess I'm kind of strange because when I head out there I always hope I'll see a Gila monster. I wouldn't touch it, I would just like to observe one in the wild because they're so crazy looking. The next time we run into each other, we should crack open beer and have a conversation about reptiles, meteorites and gold.

Del

[John B. 36]

Hi All

Snakes are total opportunist and eat while the eatin is good and as much as they can consume and temperatures allow them to digest :smrt1: . Sheds are comenserate to consumption of food and it's growth :unsure: . Female gravid snakes are ravonous eaters until a few weeks before giving birth :chowtime: . For every snake you see there are many more in the nieborhood you don't see :worm1: . My take on snakes and most other reptiles is that they are very intune to thier environments :outtahere: . They are generally aware of weather changes far into the future and rarely are caught by serious weather conditions :rainyday: . But the best thing about rattlesnakes ( which is why the serious gold or space rock hunter should kiss everyone they see ) is the fact that they by bieng completely missunderstood by the general populous is that they single handedly are responsible for keeping most people out of the deserts, woods and back country :escape: . Leaving it for us guys and a few scart gun toten prospectors :shrug: !! Happy Huntin John B.

[John B. 36]

Hi Bob

2xs whew guys like you should leave snake wrangling to guys like me and hill climbing to billygoats !! Happy Huntin John B.

[GotGold 0]

Another vid from my recent workings to end this on a good note.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXS2K6IY0Zs

lotsaluck,

How about starting a new thread on this, very interesting video. It also appears that there is quite a bit of silver ore present. I could not distinguish the gold you were noting due to the brightness of the light, but I'd love to see more from inside this place, facinating.

Anyone else think this snake thing has been beaten to death and would like to see more video from the inside of this mine? This place must have been very rich from seeing what the miners left behind.....Wow!

Ok, I've been teased to the point of drooling on my keyboard.....how about it LL?

Gary

[lotsa luck 29]

GotGold... There will be a large thread eventually once we are done exploiting it. For now I'll keep tossing out teasers here and there. It's a rich find but hard to get into.

[FrogMick 0]

I wonder if rattlers think we taste like chicken?

[Mtnman 0]

I didn't go thru the trouble of going back and reading all the posts on this thread, but isn't this the same one we see come up every year, either on this forum or one of the others? (just got started late this year). After reading all the BS from both sides for years, it all comes down to you have make up your own mind. It's different if you're just taking a poll of the members here, then everyone can state their opinion and we can all get along, but if you phrase it as help for advice, that's when the fight starts. Now PERSONALLY, I say kill them all and let God sort them out, but then again, I don't like snakes, doesn't matter if they're deadly or not. I'm not afraid of anything with legs, but that's just me. What everyone forgot about in the process is that this guy asked about it because of his dog. Now I'll defend my dog before my wife (I hope you know I'm kidding), but the fact is, a dog stands a better chance of surviving a bite wound than a human. Don't ask me why, I never got into the biology of it, but I had a dog that was bit multiple times by copperheads and cottonmouths back home when I was growning up and he came out great with a local remedy we had. But before you say it, it's available here, too, I've seen it at local nurseries. Me? I'll kill every snake I see before it can bite something, whether mine or your's.

Randy

[Guest Potholes Bob-NM]

KILL EM ALL, and let the LORD sort em out!

Potholes :ph34r2:........He's B a a c k....... Quick Henry, the Flit!

[GARY SMITH 13]

Hey there Bob. A few of us old timers are still kicking!!!!

[Guest Potholes Bob-NM]

Hey there Bob. A few of us old timers are still kicking!!!!

Apparently, the' aren't to many left on this forum, or else, the desert sun has affected some

memories out there!

[Randy Wright 0]

Another vid from my recent workings to end this on a good note.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXS2K6IY0Zs

:Huh_anim]: :Huh_anim]: :Huh_anim]: WOWOW!!!!

[29 Prospector 0]

In the 56 years of prospecting and mining I have run into every kind of snake So.Ca. desert's have to offer. I've been biten twice both out of stupidty. I've worked with a friend from the San Diego reptile department for 12 years recording the migration habits of snakes, amount of growth each year on tagged ones etc. The old theroy that rattlesnakes will not cross breed has been disproven. Herpatologists are finding the they will cross breed. Some feel that this is why the upsurge in more dangerious vermon. They are having to develope more effective cross strains of anti-vermon.

As to the subject of kill or not kill, if I'm in an area that I will not be back to, I leave them be. 99.99% of the time they will try to get away from you if possible. I have the proper equipment for caughting and containing the critters for removal. If they are in our camp or main mine site I will remove them a mile so away. If there is a persistants of them in the area then I'll kill them and cook them for dinner. In town or housing areas I will kill them, its a safety matter. Usually a group of people are watching and to contain them would be a bad idea since some fool in the crowd will get the idea he can do the same thing. Now we deal with the stupidity of human beings and usually they get bit.

Ol'29er

[Dakota Slim 1,079]

Bob, do they really taste just like chicken? :confused0013:

Crossbreeding could explain the nasty venom. Up here on the Columbia River they are seeing crossbreeding between the Squawfish, the Peamouth and the Chiselmouth. Someone said that John B was a cross between a Mexican and a buffalo (among other things) but I think that is a stretch.

[29 Prospector 0]

As man has extended it living spaces we have taken areas that belonged to many types of animals. As the snakes dens disapear they move farier away to other dens. Cross breeding started about 15 years ago and the specialists noticed that the vemon was becoming more toxic in the last ten years. The snakes a adapting to their new places of living and as the smaller food supply dwindles larger praymust be found. In the last 15 months 4 new strains of vemon have been discovered. They kill faster and start the internal digestive process 15-20 times faster. This may account for the increase in human deaths. I talked with my herpatolgist friend and there is much alarm for normal anti-vemons are not working as fast as nessassary.

As a side note, they taste like a cross between chicken and turkey, just a little more chrewy, but very good to eat.

Bob

[GARY SMITH 13]

http://www.rattlesnakerecipe.us/recipes.htm

[Paleface 1]

Gary,

Nice bunch of recipies, :hmmmmmm: we will have to get Rick to throw a couple Mohaves in his next batch of chili. :unsure: :chowtime: :;):

Here is a link that pretty much tells it all about Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes.......

Plus.............Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About How To Catch, Kill,

Clean, Cook And Eat A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake But Were Afraid To Ask

http://www.backwoodsbound.com/ysnake.html

Jim

[Regmaglitch 103]

Hi Jim,

That was an article I could really sink my teeth into! Sorry......didn't mean to poison things. Oops............once bitten, twice shy. Er um.....so what wine does one serve with the Baked Western Diamondback?

Ben