Rattle Snakes -> Spences Bridge / Lyton

[BCrams]

Question:

Has anyone ran into snakes in this area or does anyone know if anyone has been bitten by one in Sept / Oct?

Thanks!

[monasheemountainman]

planning on getting a draw are we?

[BCrams]

Its a GOS!

I know there's snakes by varying accounts from folks. Would like to hear if anyone has come close to 'maybe' getting bitten or see plenty of them in that country?

[boxhitch]

pack enough gun and you will be alright

[digger dogger]

Saw one behind the hill top, 10yrs ago or more.
In september.

[monasheemountainman]

I see them often on ok mtn...I would imagine they would be there too!

[358mag]

Yes have seen more than a "few" but never have be bitten by one . Have been bitten a few times by sheep fever ....
Trouble is once you almost step on a 4ft rattler is just a bit hard to be looking for sheep when your always looking at your feet .:-D

[albravo2]

Yes have seen more than a "few" but never have be bitten by one . Have been bitten a few times by sheep fever ....
Trouble is once you almost step on a 4ft rattler is just a bit hard to be looking for sheep when your always looking at your feet .:-D

What he said! I've almost stepped on a few at our lake house in the Okanagan and I have trouble looking up from my feet when I hike. Buggers are pretty well camouflaged and late in the season they can be pretty slow to move out of your way.

For what its worth, the locals all say that it isn't the big ones you have to worry about. A bite will usually make you sick but not kill you. The immature ones can't control how much venom they inject and they are the dangerous ones.

Somebody on here has probably already pointed out that it takes a magnum to kill a snake with less than three bullets.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

It's certainly an asset to be able to hear them before you step next to one.

Had one cross my path when I shot a fall bear over there in September back in 2001.
Hot as heck.
I was more concerned about dealing with the yellow jackets that wanted my bear than the puny little reptile that slithered away.

SSS

[Ambush]

National Geographic just did a special on their "Predators" series concerning this very area.

It seems that all the rattlers have migrated from areas west of Kamloops to Kamloops, in particular to the Reserve lands.

Keep that in mind when filling out your LEH's.

[srupp]

Hmm yes Greg I have seen them many times..even last fall I came accross one on a trail next to some large rocks...the most I have seen were up Boatanie valley under the wooden water flumes...3 in 5 days..the concerning number is not the ones I did see but the ones I didnt see...

Cheers
Steven

[bighornbob]

It separates the men ( bighorn hunters) from the boys ( stone sheep guys)😜😜
BHB

[snow]

does anyone have good experience with a snake bite kit, specifically with an extractor pump?
by good i mean - does it work well?

[troutseeker]

Yeah Greg, they are around. Never heard of anyone getting bitten, but you never know. Like SSS said, it helps to hear their rattle, so maybe bring him along? what am I saying, you guys are like joined at the hip. :-).

Them snakes really like to cuddle up to a warm body in a sleeping bag...

P.S. I'm moving to Quesnel just to stay away from snakes!

[BCrams]

It separates the men ( bighorn hunters) from the boys ( stone sheep guys)
BHB

There's a reason you don't leave the vehicle!!

Not hearing rattles is unsettling and I think getting a pair of these for rock climbs and hiking will help with the nerves.

Turtleskin gloves and snakeproof gaiters

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Whitewater-Snakeproof-Gaiters/725400.uts?WT.tsrc=CRR&WT.mc_id=crrdtfd

https://www.turtleskin.com/webstore/content/images/thumbs/0000059_turtleskin-fullcoverage-natural-plus-gloves_300.jpeg

[walks with deer]

Always have encountered them when stalking mule deer in steep rocky terain.

Kamloops and Narmata.

Had 1 rattle at me 5 feet away when I was at full draw sept 5th.

[srupp]

Hmmm am aware of 2 individuals being bit and requiring ambulance transport and tx...so it does happen..biggest one I have seen was directly above the fruit stand just north of sb....was fat and sassy lots of rings on his tail....
Srupp

[carnivore]

Be extra careful when you are urinating outside near any rocks. If you get bitten on the Willie you will have trouble getting anyone to assist in using suction to get the venom out.:mrgreen:

[goatdancer]

Be extra careful when you are urinating outside near any rocks. If you get bitten on the Willie you will have trouble getting anyone to assist in using suction to get the venom out.:mrgreen:

Yeh. That is most likely going to be a fatal bite.........

[mr7mm]

i ran into a grand dad rattler right in spences bridge last summer while working a residence. thank god he gave a rattle unnerving , slowly backed away and he held his ground figured roughly 5'

[Fred1]

Be extra careful when you are urinating outside near any rocks. If you get bitten on the Willie you will have trouble getting anyone to assist in using suction to get the venom out.:mrgreen:

Yup... I'd let you die... Sorry...

[walks with deer]

Less concerned dragging out a caribou shot at last light then snake and widow experiences. Have had to snakes strike at me one time totaly scared me.
Widows are almost bigger concern they are so small. Hot day hot rock ex burns pay attention.
I have blown text book stocks on record book animals due to snake conflict on vertical terain.

[walks with deer]

Seen them in pavillion aswell.
Sheep and snakes are almost hand and hand in southern bc.

[JoeJoe]

I remember packing a sheep out of a place we called the hole .. I stopped for a rest and while I was standing there I felt something hitting my leg just below boot level. I looked down and I was standing on a rattler and there wasn't enough of him free to hit me higher up. He was trying.. we had seen six rattlers on the was in around the mountain. You get used to them if you hunt there much. I have never heard if anyone dying from a Pacific Rattler... It' like a bee sting.. affects some people worse than others. Panic is your worst enemy if you get stung.

[Ride Red]

Rattlers down by the river too in Spenses bridge. Seen them when fly fishing the river.

[bighornbob]

There's a reason you don't leave the vehicle!!

Not hearing rattles is unsettling and I think getting a pair of these for rock climbs and hiking will help with the nerves.



I think you should be more concerned with knowing what areas are open to hunting:mrgreen:

All joking a side in 20+ years of hunting that area and up the fraser into the cali areas I have never seen or heard a rattler. I did find this guy in the Skihist parking lot. Not sure if its a rattler or when the rattles appear on a rattler.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Picture_2.jpg

I have seen more then a few of these.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/Picture_002.jpg

Ornery buggers but not poinsonous.

The one rattler I have seen in region 3 (above kamloops) was found high up in the timber. I would have expected this guy a lot lower down in the grass and sage brush but like I said was high up above Mara Mtn. The snake was dead on the road and appears it may have been run over by a dirt bike or something like that.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/IMG_0495.JPG

I dont think I would worry about snake gaiters and heavy duty gloves. Do you wear bear bells and put up an electric fence when sleeping in a tent anytime while hunting around PG as there are grizzly bears in the area? Its the same sort of thing, sure they are in the area and sure some people have been bitten by a rattler but the same could be said for getting mauled by a grizz while hunting moose around PG. If you are not worried enough to wear bear bells when hunting moose then dont bother getting the gaiters.

If you are still worried about it get the gaiters as they definately wont break the bank. Either that or phone me when you come down and I will go with you as I will be tagged out with a stone ram:)

BHB

[albravo2]

Gopher snakes are very similar in appearance to a rattler and they coil, hiss and shake their tail like a rattler but they are non-venomous constrictors. They still have fangs.

Some folks say to leave the gopher snakes alone for pest control purposes but my first reaction upon seeing a snake is usually to kill it and look for rattles afterwards. I'll shoot an extra gopher or two to make up for it.

[albravo2]

does anyone have good experience with a snake bite kit, specifically with an extractor pump?
by good i mean - does it work well?

I bought a snake bite kit but the extractor was so hokey it wasn't worth carrying. I probably should have spent more than $6 on it.

Here's a to-do list from the interwebs:
DO



Identify the species of snake, make sure that it is a rattlesnake.
Move the victim away from the snakes striking distance to prevent any further bites.
Keep victim down, still and calm.
Remove all clothing or jewelry that may become constrictive. Swelling may become a problem with any constricting articles of clothing.
Wash the wound with water.
Immobilize the bite area with a sling or some sort of non-constricting object.
Suction the wound, but only if you have a snake bite kit. DO NOT use your mouth.
Keep the wounded area lower than heart level, but do not allow it to hang down.
Carry victim if possible; this will slow the movement of the venom
Transport victim to the nearest medical facility for anti-venom.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

My niece's friend's dad got hammered on leg in Kal Lake Park. Didn't even know he got bit...thought it was some prickly bushes on the trailside. Spend a week in an out of a coma.

SSS

[Pete]

it is unlawful to kill any snake in BC

[BigfishCanada]

Ive seen Gopher snakes, boa's and a shit load of gardners near my house north of savona, I decided to teach my girl how to drive at age 10, and when i told her to slow down and stop, she didn't and when she did I went back to see what she ran over, it was a good 4 foot rattler hissing and rattling. Took a quick video of that thing, the gopher snake was near my firepit of my cabin and scared the crap outta me thinking it was a rattler, my kid grabbed it by the tail and that scared me again lol

Somewhere in this vid, youll see the rattler with a tire mark across its back.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWrNZlLMNTw&feature=share&list=UUz6d_IXf-qfeTumxzCBcfRA&index=3