warm weather and snakes ?

G

gsh lover

Active member
Looks like its going to be warm for the opener. Just wondering how bad the snakes are going to be in Dodge City part of the country. with all the cover they will be hard to see, even when rattling No frost in sight either.
could be a concern.
 
My father in-law farms Southwest of Dodge, he called a couple days ago and said he just killed the biggest rattler he's even seen!!! I know it's not what you wanted to hear, me either. Ran into one a few years back out there on the opener and scared me to death. Not something I enjoy dealing with.
 
gsh lover said:
Looks like its going to be warm for the opener. Just wondering how bad the snakes are going to be in Dodge City part of the country. with all the cover they will be hard to see, even when rattling No frost in sight either.
could be a concern.
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6 years ago around Thanksgiving my dog was bitten a day it was 50 or so for the high with 20mph winds and the night before it got down into the teens.

After that I did quite a bit of research. Snakes do not hibernate the entire winter in a hole - they can be active at times and come out of the hole/den to sun themselves (that much I know as it explains why my dog was bit - we were in the middle of an old prairie dog town - had lots of tall buffalo grass around it which shielded the snake perfectly from the wind so it was perfectly calm at ground level when it was soaking up the sun) and have spoken to others that have found them dead on the roads on occasion when we get a warm spell etc (likely the road was close to a den) -- Anyways just pay attention to the terrain and guarantee yourself that around an existing or old prairie dog town they'll be around, or other common sense den sites.

My dog survived but I had a hefty vet bill - I personally think it accelerated the end of her life as she was 10 when she was bit and I had to have her put down 2 years later - could have been natural aging - but her health seemed to go to crap in a hurry after that. It took a lot out of her.


Just be careful - I dont know that I have a full plan in place when I'm out but always try to have a working cell phone and know where the nearest hospital's vet clinics are in case you get bit as well.
 
We did find a dead one on the road next to one our hunting spots last winter.
Bring along some benedryl and read up a little bit on dex. I think you could find some at a feedlot or w rancher if you couldn't get a hold of a vet.
 
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Unfortunately, I have killed more rattlesnakes this year than ever and they have been the biggest ever. My GSP got bit in April by a big one. The situation is such that I pretty much wear snake gaiters every day. It has been a long hot dry spell here. I will have to look back at the calendar, but probably two months since the last rain and then not much.

I usually have my GSP vaccinated with Red Rock in the spring, but this year the bite occurred before that happened. The only vet action was antibiotic for infection. He was down for six days, then a full month for the lump in his brisket to finally go away.
 
All these stories of rattlers make me realize how lucky I've been for the last 30 years. We spent opening weekend between Cimarron and Ingalls, north of the highway, for the first 20-25 years of that stretch and never saw or heard a snake. I'm headed back to the area for weekend #2 this year.

Since then we've been a little east and north of there for the opener, and still never seen a snake. They're obviously out there, but I've never worried about it. I guess maybe I should.

There's still 2 weeks until the opener. Maybe we'll get some cooler weather.
 
we hunt sw of Dodge, around Ensign, same place for 35 years. we have come across two or three snakes, but most years, their has been a decent frost, doesn't look like that's going to happen.
I'm not to worried about it, since we are dogless this year, just throwing it out there for all to think about.
 
I still am packing my snake boots. Guess I will just look like a goffball but at least I won't have to worry about my legs and yes I do wear snake proof panties too.
 
My dog found a rattler around dodge city about 8 years ago on Thanksgiving. It was cold at night and cool during the day. It was laying in the sun right next to a big hole.
 
I have never had to deal with a dog that has been snake bit or even ran across one. For somebody that has never had to mess with this before what are the steps to follow if it does happen. What should a fellow do?

I saw someone say something about benedryl in the post. How do you use it.

Thank in advance.
 
Its all second hand internet knowledge. But looking through hound forums the benydryl is harmless and could help with swelling and definately would help calm the dog down. The first thing to do would be take their collar off if it is on their face.
Dexamethasone (steroid)combined with pennicilin is what most of these guys said there vet said to use. One vets response was he would use a non steroidal anti inflamatory such as rymadyl. Talk to your vet.
 
RoosterTim, it never hurts to keep a bottle of children's liquid Benadryl in your first aid kit. You want the liquid for sure. Talk to your vet about an appropriate dose for your dog. For dogs with a snake bite, it is a much larger dose than you would give a human. They metabolize it differently than people if I remember correctly... Your vet can give you a better answer.
 
I bet more peolpe get in car wrecks on the way to their spots then bit by snakes. I'd worry more about my hunting partners and muzzle control.

Always hazards when you get out of bed can't let them keep you out of the field be observant, be safe, and give them a wide berth if you see them....Or stay home and the rest of us will wade through the snakes to find the birds
 
This summer a friend near Hoxie killed the biggest rattler he's ever seen.
 
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Any of you guys got any recipes for them? Figured we'll go shoot some prairie dogs while we are out West and might see one hanging around there. Thinking it might not be too bad tasting???
 
Jubilee said:
The only good snake is a dead snake
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The big eastern racer in the outhouse at the Webster stilling basin did not need to die. After giving scaring me - by its mere presence - he raced away. Rattlers? KABOOM.
 
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