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AZDirtyTaco

Rrrrrattle Rattle

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It's that wonderfully nervous time of year!!!  Looking to learn more about these dang things that send my heart rate through the roof when I have close encounters and typically put me on DEFCON-5 the remainder of the time I'm out n' about. I would like to gain some insight from those of you who don't think twice about heading out into the backcountry morning, noon, or night during rattlesnake season. Those suckers keep me out of some of my favorite coues country during the warmer months and I would like to change that. Who doesn't sweat bullets out there over these things and why?

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My house would be immediately be fore sale!!!!!

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We get them all the time.

 

Out in the bush it's chaps- mandatory. I've seen them when they shouldn't be out.

 

I sweat bullets and more.

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1 hour ago, Jazz said:

We get the all the time.

 

Out in the bush it's chaps- mandatory. I've seen them when they shouldn't be out.

 

I sweat bullets and more.

I've worn the snake gaiters on a number of occasions and they are just hot as ____ and my boots end up overwhelmed with sweat on longer hikes. I've heard or read about dudes not caring much about them. Seems like it's been mostly ranchhands and the like that don't pay the suckers much attention.

I once posed the same question to one of the local reptile groups called Rattle Snake Solutions and the answers I received were a bit comical...  To summarize a bit - they said to basically avoid traveling during their most active hunting times, don't step where you can't clearly see, don't climb or hike in areas with densely concentrated rock formations, nooks n' crannies, etc. Stick to trails and avoid cross-country hiking. All of that after stating rattlesnakes really aren't dangerous unless you are screwing with them and are mostly misunderstood...  LOL.

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I just don’t worry about them. Come across them all the time too. They usually want less to do with you than you do with them. Most of them get a free pass, but when i come across a hyper aggressive one they usually get taken out of the gene pool. 

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I wear turtle skin gators if the grass is so tall and thick, there is no way I am going to see them.  (19a antelope hunting).  Some people disagree, but I usually kill the ones I see.  

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We run into them all the time.  They are no big deal at all.  When you get near they rattle and let you know they are around, simply move away from the rattle if you cant see them.  General when you first encounter them they will coil and rattle, the second encounter is more likely to provoke a strike.  Meaning the first guy walking the trail steps near or on him isn't as likely to get bit as the second guy right behind him.   Be in the lead hahaha.  August Sept when monsoons hit snake are most active and odds of encounters increase.  Humid river bottoms are hot spots for snakes, odd are better to find them.  Avoid those kind of places if you can. 

They shouldn't concern you much just be aware and keep eyes open, they are actually kind of cool to see.  I use to kill them all, now I let them be unless they are in a bad spot.  I had a big black tail a couple years ago stand his ground on a trail when I was leading a pack string.  Middle of now where on a steep hill side and I couldn't get him to slither off so he had to go.

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KoosCrazy - Your take is along the lines of the info I am really wanting to learn. All my guys I hike/hunt with are in the same exact boat as me and most of us have our kids with us 90% of the time or more, which ramps up the anxiety even more.  I would love to have the mindset as GreyGhost85, but my analytical and logical side has way too much control over me.

I haven't killed one and don't intend to at this point. I'm going with the "don't start none - won't be none" philosophy of rattlesnake psychology. So far their kind hasn't done my kind wrong while I've been out and I am hoping that we just have a universal understanding with one and other.

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3 hours ago, Lucafu1 said:

This was handing around my porch yesterday....

20190417_162339.jpg

That’s a gopher snake. That’s a good snake.  

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1 hour ago, KoosCrazy said:

We run into them all the time.  They are no big deal at all.  When you get near they rattle and let you know they are around, simply move away from the rattle if you cant see them.  General when you first encounter them they will coil and rattle, the second encounter is more likely to provoke a strike.  Meaning the first guy walking the trail steps near or on him isn't as likely to get bit as the second guy right behind him.   Be in the lead hahaha.  August Sept when monsoons hit snake are most active and odds of encounters increase.  Humid river bottoms are hot spots for snakes, odd are better to find them.  Avoid those kind of places if you can. 

They shouldn't concern you much just be aware and keep eyes open, they are actually kind of cool to see.  I use to kill them all, now I let them be unless they are in a bad spot.  I had a big black tail a couple years ago stand his ground on a trail when I was leading a pack string.  Middle of now where on a steep hill side and I couldn't get him to slither off so he had to go.

One thing to remember guys.. rattlesnakes don't always rattle. Maybe what.. half the time? If you're lucky.. Out of the hundreds I've killed, I think maybe 20 or so I actually heard.

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If I have to put my feet where I cant see,, I'm with HuntHarder and wearing the TurtleSkins.  I wear them hiking in the dark on early Coues hunts.  Sweaty feet beats the heck out of the alternative.  Especially in Mojave country.

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5 hours ago, GreyGhost85 said:

I just don’t worry about them. Come across them all the time too. They usually want less to do with you than you do with them. Most of them get a free pass, but when i come across a hyper aggressive one they usually get taken out of the gene pool. 

Pretty much the same boat.  Heck I've even had the unfortunate situation where I stepped on one and he just slid out from under the gap in front of my boot heel.  Yeah that will get your blood pumping.

The way I feel about this is about pretty much how I feel about any dangerous situation I partake in.   I'm gonna just roll with it and see what happens.  I mean in all reality I'm sure its probably way more dangerous driving out to the sticks than actually walking around.  

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