# Rattle Snake!



## Barnbum374 (Mar 14, 2013)

Ran into this bad boy by the barn today.









His head is on the other side of my shovel. I hate to kill snakes, since they eat mice, but around here the poisonous ones get taken out. Forgot where my hubby put the ranch rifle so I had to use the closest thing that would do the trick. This was my first kill. Usually my hubby does the dirty work, but he was at work. Luckily it was only about a foot long.


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## Jim (Sep 26, 2012)

Yikes!......


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

*GOOD WORK !!!! *( Halleluya *! *)

My Grandfather always kept _sharpened _hoes and shovels around.

One of those shovels came in _handy_ on a day when a fella threatened my Father with a hunting-knife.
( The fella was wise-enough to _drop _the hunting-knife _before _he ended up like that snake ! )

*Ha-Ha !
*-ReTIRED-


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## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

Barnbum374 said:


> Ran into this bad boy by the barn today.
> 
> View attachment 8438
> 
> ...


You may want to find out where he put it! I keep a snake shot .22 around for my wife and I just in case. I would hate to think of her with her short arms taking a snakes head off with a shovel.

I hate to kill them too. Especially rattlesnakes as they are more docile than most species.


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

I can say with MUCH EXPERIENCE that the _rattlesnakes _in THIS part of the U.S.A. are *anything but* "docile".
*Mean Buggers !

-*ReTIRED-


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## Barnbum374 (Mar 14, 2013)

Forgot the .22 was in the tack room. I'll be better prepared next time. 

I guess there may be some docile rattlers, the only ones I see are the ones that start shaking their rattles at me. ; )

We had one of our dogs get bit by a rattler a couple of months ago. Luckily she got it on the bridge of the nose so the fangs didn't penetrate into the skin. Hubby was working on a water line and had just turned a valve close to where the snake was. I think I'll be purchasing some snake shot for the .22. We don't call our place Cascabel Ranch for nothing! Cascabel is Spanish for the rattles on a rattle snake.


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## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

ReTIRED said:


> I can say with MUCH EXPERIENCE that the _rattlesnakes _in THIS part of the U.S.A. are *anything but* "docile".
> *Mean Buggers !
> 
> -*ReTIRED-


It was a comparative statement. They are not as aggressive as most local species.


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## EdisNiksic (Apr 1, 2013)

The rattleing is a warning. At least they give u a chance to get away unlike other snakes. Here in missouri we have 5 venomous snakes. Three species of rattlesnakes,the cotton mouth or water moccison,and the copperhead.


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

_*Fortunately*_, we don't have Water-Moccasins, Copperheads, Coral Snakes, OR Cobras....in New Mexico.
_Comparatively, then...._we are fortunate...( so far ) to only have those _*danged*_ Rattlesnakes *!
*_~~shudder~~
_-ReTIRED-


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## Barnbum374 (Mar 14, 2013)

I'm thankful we only have poisonous snakes with a warning system installed in S. Texas! 

The scorpions, black widows and recluse spiders on the other hand...


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

_*BE*__* AWARE*_* !!! *Rattling Snakes _DON'T _always rattle _before _they STRIKE *!!!
*
-ReTIRED-


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

_ALSO_......."Sidewinder" Rattlesnakes ( a rather _small _variety ) don't COIL prior to striking...they just strike *! *....in ANY direction that they choose....and _OFTEN _don't rattle _beforehand. _AND .....their "rattles" are SO SMALL that you are unlikely to hear them anyway.

-ReTIRED-
*P.S. *Years ago...I killed dozens of them....even though they were "protected" under Arizona Law. When you can kill 6 to 8 any evening that you choose....they AIN'T _scarce _*!!!*


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## Barnbum374 (Mar 14, 2013)

Thanks for the info. I'll have to do some research into what variety we have down here.


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## sideways (Sep 19, 2012)

Gosh I'm glad we don't have anything like that in England....


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## ChickenAdmin (Jun 4, 2012)

ReTIRED said:


> _*Fortunately*_, we don't have Water-Moccasins, Copperheads, Coral Snakes, OR Cobras....in New Mexico.
> _Comparatively, then...._we are fortunate...( so far ) to only have those _*danged*_ Rattlesnakes *!
> *_~~shudder~~
> _-ReTIRED-


We have everything but Cobras, but we might as well have them.


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

Barnbum374 said:


> Thanks for the info. I'll have to do some research into what variety we have down here.


No "Research" needed.
Your picture is of what WE called a "****-Tailed" Rattler. It is a "Diamond-Back" rattlesnake.

They can get VERY BIG ( expecially in TEXAS...where _everything is bigger and better. _*Ha-Ha ! *)

I've killed "****-Tails" that were as long as 6 feet and were near 3 to 4 inches in diameter....in New Mexico AND Arizona.

They get BIGGER than THAT in Texas *!!!! *( _truly _)

~~~_SHUDDER~~~~~_
-ReTIRED-


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

A Quick Story _told to me by my Father.......

_In World War II, under Siege by the Japanese in the "Battle of Bataan", Dad was enduring a Bomb Attack from Japanese airplanes.
He dove into a foxhole and some other guys piled-in on top of him.
He looked down....and between his feet was a "Rice-Snake".
A "Rice-Snake" was ( I believe) a type of small COBRA. Probably similar to a "Two-Stepper" in Vietnam.
*IF *it bit you.....You wouldn't last more than a minute or two...._perhaps._

Dad told those guys, "Get OFF me ! I've got a snake between my legs !!!"
But the bombs were falling...and the other fellas wouldn't budge.

_Amazingly....Dad wasn't bit.

_I'm surprised that he didn't DIE of "Heart-Failure" !!!

NOT Funny...._spooky _!

~~~~_Shudder~~~~
-_ReTIRED-


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## Barnbum374 (Mar 14, 2013)

Wow! I know how scared I was and I was an arms length and a shovel away! Amazing story! I used to love hearing my grandfather tell war stories, when I could get him to tell them. He was a very quiet man.

We have seen some pretty big rattle snakes down the road and on our ranch, but luckily not at the house (yet). I wouldn't have tried the shovel with them!


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

Barnbum374 said:


> Wow! I know how scared I was and I was an arms length and a shovel away! Amazing story! I used to love hearing my grandfather tell war stories, when I could get him to tell them. He was a very quiet man.
> 
> We have seen some pretty big rattle snakes down the road and on our ranch, but luckily not at the house (yet). I wouldn't have tried the shovel with them!


 A *shotgun *is VERY EFFECTIVE.
( NEVER _failed _for me...no matter HOW _nervous _*! *)
It doesn't much matter whether it is a .410 or 12 gauge...OR 10 GAUGE !
------Not likely that you'll miss----* Ha-Ha !!! 
*
-ReTIRED-


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## ReTIRED (Mar 28, 2013)

Barnbum374 said:


> Wow! I know how scared I was and I was an arms length and a shovel away! Amazing story! I used to love hearing my grandfather tell war stories, when I could get him to tell them. He was a very quiet man.
> 
> We have seen some pretty big rattle snakes down the road and on our ranch, but luckily not at the house (yet). I wouldn't have tried the shovel with them!


My Father _endured _AND _survived _some of the WORST of World WAR II.....
...including 3+ years of starvation and forced labor in Japanese Prison Camps.
At age 32...he was "_repatriated" _...and weighed *78 pounds. *( Height = 5' 11" ).
He was smart and tough.
They said he would be LUCKY to live another 10 years.
He lived another 22 years.
Died at 54. TOUGH "Hard-Working" *MAN.*

*He wouldn't TALK *much about HIS "WAR Experiences" except a _little-bit _with me AND his "Survivor Buddies". WHEN He and his buddies talked....they mostly talked about the FUNNY THINGS....*NONE *of them were interested in talking about the BAD times. It's just that way, I am quite sure.

I think that we are ALL that way about "BAD-TIMES".

We forget most of it...if we can.

-ReTIRED-


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