My New Neighbors...
- Thread starter JMc
- Start date
He was just keeping the mice out of the house while you moved in.
Birdhuntr1
Member
I'd still be working on installing a new window after the shotgun blast!
onpoint
Active member
My son was all but standing on this Rattler this last week. We were so very lucky he didn't get bit.
The snake was coiled up along the base of this cement marker on top of a butte. My son and I had just drove up there and stepped out of the ATV. He walked over and banged on the metal cap and I heard a "BUZZ" looked down and seen her coil up. I yelled rattler and we both jumped back several steps. I jumped in the box of the ATV and had him back it up to the cement marker. I could continue to hear her rattling(more like a BUZZ). I dug her out of the grass with the blade of our brush cutter. I got ency and was thinking she was going to go down a hole and I shot her in half with the 410. I then could see her head and shot her head off. As you can see in the one photo, she was full of future rattlers.
The snake was coiled up along the base of this cement marker on top of a butte. My son and I had just drove up there and stepped out of the ATV. He walked over and banged on the metal cap and I heard a "BUZZ" looked down and seen her coil up. I yelled rattler and we both jumped back several steps. I jumped in the box of the ATV and had him back it up to the cement marker. I could continue to hear her rattling(more like a BUZZ). I dug her out of the grass with the blade of our brush cutter. I got ency and was thinking she was going to go down a hole and I shot her in half with the 410. I then could see her head and shot her head off. As you can see in the one photo, she was full of future rattlers.
Prairie Drifter
Well-known member
Ya'll sure live in a lively neighborhood! Been there, done that! Moved into a house outside Washington, Kansas when I got my first wildlife job. We had several ring neck snakes come up through the floor furnace. Finally had a bullsnake about 3 feet long come up through the furnace in the kitchen and glide into the bathroom closet. Wife called the landlord and luckily got his wife. She pulled him off of the tractor and had him repointing the foundation that day. Guess she didn't like snakes either.
I've been lucky here. In 19 years I haven't seen a rattler. We have a 5 foot black rat snake here in the yard and water snakes are prominent at the lake. Plenty of garters as well as racers and others. Further south, in the oil fields, they find Massassagua rattlers pretty regularly.
I've been lucky here. In 19 years I haven't seen a rattler. We have a 5 foot black rat snake here in the yard and water snakes are prominent at the lake. Plenty of garters as well as racers and others. Further south, in the oil fields, they find Massassagua rattlers pretty regularly.
jeffstally
Member
My son was all but standing on this Rattler this last week. We were so very lucky he didn't get bit.
The snake was coiled up along the base of this cement marker on top of a butte. My son and I had just drove up there and stepped out of the ATV. He walked over and banged on the metal cap and I heard a "BUZZ" looked down and seen her coil up. I yelled rattler and we both jumped back several steps. I jumped in the box of the ATV and had him back it up to the cement marker. I could continue to hear her rattling(more like a BUZZ). I dug her out of the grass with the blade of our brush cutter. I got ency and was thinking she was going to go down a hole and I shot her in half with the 410. I then could see her head and shot her head off. As you can see in the one photo, she was full of future rattlers.
Onpoint- Where was this photo taken?
BleuBijou
Active member
Pulled this off the net!!!! I would be moving!! In fact probably be half way there when I quit running!!!!! Point, you are a nut!! Now you have to clean your barrel!!! I would be cleaning my britches!!!!! Jmc, that bull snake has different markings, especially on the head then we have here!!!! I hate surprises!!!!!
Gove County Britts
New member
blue thats one of those shit snakes you know the ones where you look for a place to shit the only good snake is a dead one no matter the breed i have the willies just thinking about it
onpoint
Active member
Bleu, you should see what that snake juice did to the bluing on the barrel. My son wiped it down that evening. It still messed up the bluing. Even after he cleaned it off with a oily rag. It still started rusting again the next day. Some corrosive stuff I tell ya and people like to eat them bastards. Not me!!!
We seen two more after that but they took off into the high grass.
That's one big snake pic, that would rate right there as needing a dangerous game stopper....LOL
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JMc
Super Moderator
Bleu...you're right about the markings...kind of different. We sent the pic to a zoologist at OU and await the determination. Most people around here don't believe the 'myth' that bull snakes and rattlers don't get along. They claim they have seen them in the same dens together. This may be a hybrid bull. Note the diamond viper type head and the coon tail but no rattlers. Either way a snake is a snake. Just ordered 3 boxes of .357 shot shells and looking for a cheap used judge.
With the drought here in the Panhandle, the snakes, skunks, porcupines, badgers, you name it; are all headed to town or the nearest water. I have a my GSP's two large water bowls, a pool and hottub, so my backyard is a critter magnet. Plus I'm now in the county and not city so bang, bang, to all creepy crawly things.
With the drought here in the Panhandle, the snakes, skunks, porcupines, badgers, you name it; are all headed to town or the nearest water. I have a my GSP's two large water bowls, a pool and hottub, so my backyard is a critter magnet. Plus I'm now in the county and not city so bang, bang, to all creepy crawly things.
BleuBijou
Active member
This first pic reminds me of GCB!!! Wish I had this Vertical!!!!! The second pic is why you do not play around with snakes!!!!!! JMc, could be a corn snake, they have a bunch of color variations. Still it would of been decapped, cause really I have no idea what it is!!!!!!Point I hope you get that bluing fixed!!!! LOL
onpoint
Active member
Here's a little info on the Prairie Rattler that you could run across in South Dakota hunting Pheasants.
http://www.sdsnake.com/Rat.htm
The color of the Prairie Rattlesnake varies from light brown to green, with a yellowish belly. Dark oval blotches with light colored borders run along the center of its back. The blotches become crossbands on the back part of the body and rings around the tail. Adults will range in length from 30-40 inches, with a record of 57 inches. 3 foot rattlesnakes normally weigh 1 pound (a 54 incher weighed 4 1/2 pounds).
Many South Dakotans admit they have never seen a rattlesnake in the wild, even those in rattlesnake country. If they knew how many times they where within 10-15 feet of a snake, there would be many places they would never go back to. Use your mouse and click on this graphic to see if you can see the snake. The snakes are there; if you leave them alone, they will likely do the same to you. If you did not find the snake, click on this rattlesnake graphic to see the location of the snake lying outstreched in the grass. As seen with my graphic, snakes have a great display of camouflage. Most snakes are normally timid and secretive. When approached, they usually remain quiet to avoid detection. They may try to escape if given an opportunity. When frightened, cornered, or attacked, snakes will stand their ground and may attempt to strike at or bite their intruder.
There was an interesting article in the South Dakota Magazine (September/October 1991) "Rattlesnake Hunt at Mobridge". Several men went snake hunting on a prairie dog town on a warm fall afternoon. When the hunt was over, the men had killed over 400 rattlesnakes at this denning area. Most dens will average 250 snakes, but some dens have been reported to have up to 1,000 snakes of the different species, denning in the underground structure.
Rattlesnakes are cold-blooded or ectothermic animals. Their body temperature is influenced more by the temperature at the grounds surface where they are lying, rather than the air temperature. High or low temperatures cause the snakes to seek escape cover or shady areas. Most snakes cannot survive exposure to direct sunlight with temperatures over 100 degrees F, but rattlesnakes have a greater endurance to lower or freezing temperatures. Lethal temperatures for the snakes depend on the time of exposure. Unlike warm-blooded or endothermic animals, snakes are unable to produce their own body heat. To maintain a desirable temperature, snakes must rely the temperature or warmth of their surroundings. The snake's circulatory/nervous systems aid in controlling the warming or cooling of their body.
With the harsh winter conditions in the northern states, rattlesnakes need to find an underground refuge for the winter months. Early fall frosts and shortening daylight, encourage snakes to move toward the dens, normally found on hillsides, bluffs, and rocky outcrops with underground openings used as denning sites. Snakes will also den up in holes or burrow systems of prairie dogs or other animals. Any such underground hole, crevice, mammal burrow, or other retreat area must be deep and extend to a depth below the frost line. The dens are normally found on hillsides with a southerly sun exposure allowing for spring and fall basking in the sun. Preferred dens are found on higher elevations above creeks and drainages that may be prone to spring flooding. Snakes cannot dig their own holes, although they can push or root out material with their noses. Vacant holes left behind by other animals are often used as escape cover or denning over the winter months. The first freezing temperatures in the fall months, snakes start their movements toward the den and will congregate near the den until the lower temperatures drive them underground. In the late March or April, triggered by increasing ground temperatures, the snakes will move toward the ground surface or the den opening. With the warming nighttime temperatures and the prolonged period of sunlight, snakes leave the den to find food, mate, and have young during their summer travels. Throughout the summer months, the dens are abandoned and the snakes will travel 2-4 miles from their den. In a Wyoming study, radio transmitters were implanted in various snakes and one female rattlesnake traveled a distance of 8 miles from its den. Snakes return to the same den year after year, provided the den is not disturbed or destroyed. These dens or hibernaculums have been used by many generations of snakes over the years. Some people feel that snakes leave scent trails or pheromes to identify past travels. Other snakes, such as juveniles, may use their sense of smell to follow the odor or pheromes trails of adult snakes, to locate their dens.
http://www.sdsnake.com/Rat.htm
The color of the Prairie Rattlesnake varies from light brown to green, with a yellowish belly. Dark oval blotches with light colored borders run along the center of its back. The blotches become crossbands on the back part of the body and rings around the tail. Adults will range in length from 30-40 inches, with a record of 57 inches. 3 foot rattlesnakes normally weigh 1 pound (a 54 incher weighed 4 1/2 pounds).
Many South Dakotans admit they have never seen a rattlesnake in the wild, even those in rattlesnake country. If they knew how many times they where within 10-15 feet of a snake, there would be many places they would never go back to. Use your mouse and click on this graphic to see if you can see the snake. The snakes are there; if you leave them alone, they will likely do the same to you. If you did not find the snake, click on this rattlesnake graphic to see the location of the snake lying outstreched in the grass. As seen with my graphic, snakes have a great display of camouflage. Most snakes are normally timid and secretive. When approached, they usually remain quiet to avoid detection. They may try to escape if given an opportunity. When frightened, cornered, or attacked, snakes will stand their ground and may attempt to strike at or bite their intruder.
There was an interesting article in the South Dakota Magazine (September/October 1991) "Rattlesnake Hunt at Mobridge". Several men went snake hunting on a prairie dog town on a warm fall afternoon. When the hunt was over, the men had killed over 400 rattlesnakes at this denning area. Most dens will average 250 snakes, but some dens have been reported to have up to 1,000 snakes of the different species, denning in the underground structure.
Rattlesnakes are cold-blooded or ectothermic animals. Their body temperature is influenced more by the temperature at the grounds surface where they are lying, rather than the air temperature. High or low temperatures cause the snakes to seek escape cover or shady areas. Most snakes cannot survive exposure to direct sunlight with temperatures over 100 degrees F, but rattlesnakes have a greater endurance to lower or freezing temperatures. Lethal temperatures for the snakes depend on the time of exposure. Unlike warm-blooded or endothermic animals, snakes are unable to produce their own body heat. To maintain a desirable temperature, snakes must rely the temperature or warmth of their surroundings. The snake's circulatory/nervous systems aid in controlling the warming or cooling of their body.
With the harsh winter conditions in the northern states, rattlesnakes need to find an underground refuge for the winter months. Early fall frosts and shortening daylight, encourage snakes to move toward the dens, normally found on hillsides, bluffs, and rocky outcrops with underground openings used as denning sites. Snakes will also den up in holes or burrow systems of prairie dogs or other animals. Any such underground hole, crevice, mammal burrow, or other retreat area must be deep and extend to a depth below the frost line. The dens are normally found on hillsides with a southerly sun exposure allowing for spring and fall basking in the sun. Preferred dens are found on higher elevations above creeks and drainages that may be prone to spring flooding. Snakes cannot dig their own holes, although they can push or root out material with their noses. Vacant holes left behind by other animals are often used as escape cover or denning over the winter months. The first freezing temperatures in the fall months, snakes start their movements toward the den and will congregate near the den until the lower temperatures drive them underground. In the late March or April, triggered by increasing ground temperatures, the snakes will move toward the ground surface or the den opening. With the warming nighttime temperatures and the prolonged period of sunlight, snakes leave the den to find food, mate, and have young during their summer travels. Throughout the summer months, the dens are abandoned and the snakes will travel 2-4 miles from their den. In a Wyoming study, radio transmitters were implanted in various snakes and one female rattlesnake traveled a distance of 8 miles from its den. Snakes return to the same den year after year, provided the den is not disturbed or destroyed. These dens or hibernaculums have been used by many generations of snakes over the years. Some people feel that snakes leave scent trails or pheromes to identify past travels. Other snakes, such as juveniles, may use their sense of smell to follow the odor or pheromes trails of adult snakes, to locate their dens.
copheasanthunter
Member
bleu,
If I had come across that snake you sent the picture of one of us would have died, probably me as I truely hate snakes but I would attemp to have captured it just to give to GCB, I probably wouldn't be invited back though :cheers:
If I had come across that snake you sent the picture of one of us would have died, probably me as I truely hate snakes but I would attemp to have captured it just to give to GCB, I probably wouldn't be invited back though :cheers: