snake hunting?

[GMN]

I'm dying to know, how does a person go about snake hunting?

Gail

 

[Alice]

When I was in college, lo those many years ago, I went to what's called a rattle snake round-up. Trucks would back into this arena looking thing and empty large barrels of rattle snakes into it. There were several snake wranglers in there with tall rubber boots on snatching them up with these snake sticks, for lack of a better description, and then milking the snakes into a water glass.

You could hardly hear for the rattling and hissing and snakes were striking from everywhere. The floor of the arena was covered with rattle snakes and the wranglers were just walking over them like they would a rug or something. It was incredible, and chilling, and an experience I'm glad I had, but one I'll never repeat.

Alice

 

[backhoeboogie]

Been to the Walnut Springs Rattlesnake Round-Up many times in my youth. Before it is warm, they gas them out of dens and crevices. The snakes are slow moving. They use burlap sacks to hold them once caught. They are usually retrieved with cables on poles. They hit the same dens year after year. Ranchers find dens and then call and report them. The snakes are taken live to pits and shows are put on. They are used for anti-venom.

If it gets warm during winter days (i.e. Indian Summer they call it) the snakes will slip out of the den and lay up in the sun close by, returning by night. I have seen them on ledges and cliffs looking like cow pies in a pasture.

Can't tell you about other snake varieties or other methods, other than copperheads like to get under my truck when I get home in the fall. (motor is warm and it attracts them)

 

[L.A.]

Around here they drive the paved roads early morning. The snakes will crawl there for the warmth the roads hold. They stay there until sun up warms the rest of the ground. They move very slow when cold. A friend use to go most every day, catch alive, & sell to the Rapid City place for $2 a foot.

 

[Avalon]

I hate snakes. Yes I know some are helpful. But even when my Tarleton buddies were going to the Rattle Snake Roundup, I just went the other way.

 

[Just_a_girl]

I was fresh out of high school....a long time ago. :lol:

I went one night with my brother and group of friends to a few ponds in the area.

I think we had same stuff used when frog gigging, flashlight, frog gig, or some sort of pole, and a sack to put the snakes in.

I just remember snakes being all over the place.....never again! :shock:

 

[sidney411]

Yeah, I was a little freaked out at the rattlesnake round up too but it was kind of neat. I remember having bad dreams of snake heads chasing me after going though. Rattlesnake DOES taste a little like chicken though :lol: My uncle used to hunt them. He used a snake pole and burlap bag. I think he gassed them out of the dens.

 

[chrisy]

Ask Ryder...he sure has a thing about snakes.. ;-)

 

[GMN]

Ask Ryder...he sure has a thing about snakes.. ;-)

Is Ryder still around? I know he loves snakes, he is just all talk that he doesn't ;-)

 

[Jogeephus]

Around here we have gopher turtles that dig holes in the ground. Rattlesnakes will den up with them during the cooler months. A water hose and a pinch of gas is all it takes to get them to come out. Of course, there are sometimes more than one exit hole and the snake or snakes can end up behind you which isn't too good on the heart.

 

[GMN]

Around here we have gopher turtles that dig holes in the ground. Rattlesnakes will den up with them during the cooler months. A water hose and a pinch of gas is all it takes to get them to come out. Of course, there are sometimes more than one exit hole and the snake or snakes can end up behind you which isn't too good on the heart.

Is that where they live in winter, underground? I always wondered where they kept themselves in winter?

Gail

 

[grannysoo]

They will live in the gopher holes and also bed up in the palmetto plants.

If you ever wonder why saw-palmetto berries are so expensive, go pick them. After you've picked up a few rattlesnakes to go along with them, you'll understand why they cost so much. It takes either a brave or crazy soul to do this job.

Several places in South GA have rattlesnake round-ups every year. The only place I want to see them however is in the sites of my gun. They give me the heeby-jeebys.....

 

[Jogeephus]

Around here we have gopher turtles that dig holes in the ground. Rattlesnakes will den up with them during the cooler months. A water hose and a pinch of gas is all it takes to get them to come out. Of course, there are sometimes more than one exit hole and the snake or snakes can end up behind you which isn't too good on the heart.

Is that where they live in winter, underground? I always wondered where they kept themselves in winter?

Gail

For the most part they will go in holes in the ground. For hunting purposes the gopher hole is the easiest to find and work. Bad thing though is if you use too much gasoline it can kill the gopher turtle and the snake. I think this method is outlawed for this reason. Also, sharing the hole will sometimes be the Indigo Snake aka Gopher Snake which is endangered. If you have never seen one of these you have missed something special. They are spectacular snakes and common sizes are 8-10 feet long but I have seen them stretch nearly across a dirt road before. They are nonvenomous and will eat rattlesnakes. There size is what gets them killed crossing the roads. We have a healthy population of these in one area and I'm always careful not to do something that will hurt them or their habitat. They are a good snake if there ever was one. They are one of the reasons I chose not to hunt snakes.

 

[spoon]

This thread brings back old memories. Around here they hunt snakes late at night by driving up and down back roads slowly finding them warming themselves on the roadway as was mentioned above. My dad's family did this all the time. You have to picture 2 70+ men (my grandfather and his brother) and 1 70+ woman (my grandmother) and a 50ish woman (dads' sister) driving up and down the roads slowly taking turns sitting on the hood of the car with a shotgun. They hated snakes so much they did this just to try to eradicate them from the face of the earth. Didn't matter what kind of snake it was. It was dead meat.

 

[peg4x4]

They will live in the gopher holes and also bed up in the palmetto plants.

If you ever wonder why saw-palmetto berries are so expensive, go pick them. After you've picked up a few rattlesnakes to go along with them, you'll understand why they cost so much. It takes either a brave or crazy soul to do this job.

Several places in South GA have rattlesnake round-ups every year. The only place I want to see them however is in the sites of my gun. They give me the heeby-jeebys.....

What are saw-palmetto berries and what are they used for??

 

[ROCKSPRINGS]

http://www.kingsnake.com/roundup/

 

[GMN]

http://www.kingsnake.com/roundup/

Seems kind of mean and senseless to me. I guess I'm kind of the live and let live person with animals in the wild, if they aren't hurting me, they shouldn't be bothered, everything has its place in hte world, etc...

I guess everyone has their own ideas of fun. Not for me.

Gail

 

[Calman]

Been to Waurika OK. rattlesnake roundup several times. Enjoyed the shows and the big flea mkt type of deal but I sure didn't go out with them on the snake hunt. Saw a woman in a bikini crawl into a sleeping bag full of rattlers one time. Still aint figured that one out.

Cal