rattle snake

[Shed Hunter]

went detecting today and seen this rattle snake.:shock::shock:
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/shed_hunting_927.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=9773&size=big&cat=500)

[Shed Hunter]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/shed_hunting_926.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=9772&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/shed_hunting_926.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=9772&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/shed_hunting_926.jpg (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=9772&size=big&cat=recent&limit=recent)

[bsa30-06]

finders keepers......and you can have him.Creeps me out just lookin at that guy.

[Steeleco]

At least all you got was his picture!!! That's something I've not seen in the wild, not in a rush too either!!

[Sharkey]

I live in Rattlesnake country and rarely see them. Hear them ALL the time but you are lucky to have seen this feller!

[mark]

So did you poke him with a stick????? What the heck is detecting??? Are you a detective?

[Caveman]

So did you poke him with a stick????? What the heck is detecting??? Are you a detective?

He must be one of those old guys you see in the parks and beaches in wool socks and sandals with their metal detectors

[wolverine]

So how "little" was the "little guy" and where did you spot him, just so I can stay the hell out of there. Not a fan of spiders and snakes, like the song says.

[endtimerwithabow]

they are supposed to be good eatin! mmmmm stuffed rattler! LOL

[Mr. Friendly]

in the 29 years I've lived in Kamloops, I've never once seen one.

[hunter1947]

Nice find SH ,I love snakes.

[Pete]

As part of the work that I do I get a chance to handle these guys at least a couple of dozen times a year which at times can be somewhat challanging. They are a protected a non agressive species as are all snakes in BC. They will usually give you lots of warning if you get too close. Most people that get bit are because they start playing with them or are not paying attention and either step on them or get bitten when they put their hands under something where you cannot see under. It is very interesting to watch them and what they do. They do have an attitude if they get poked and prodded to much. Great photos!!!!!! well done

[horshur]

in the 29 years I've lived in Kamloops, I've never once seen one.

deadmans creek area down low near a seep or small crik during a drought they are not hard to find.

[Monashee]

Rattlesnakes are purely defensive. Their habitat is at risk , if you see one leave it alone as they eat mainly mice. Bull snakes are cool too as are the gentle rubber boas.... yes in BC we have a boa snake. http://www.bcreptiles.ca/snakes/rubberboa.htm

[Caveman]

deadmans creek area down low near a seep or small crik during a drought they are not hard to find.
The rock faces along Ord Road, you better be paying attention!

[bckev]

I don't think that was a rattler, I think it was a politician on a picnic

[Wildfoot]

i must be unlucky. i see them everywhere. Saw tons of them when I lived in kamloops. Ive seen plenty around penticton. and I saw lots when I was living in osoyoos last year

Ive been pretty close to being bitten on more than one occasion

[longhairmtnman]

Walk the bank on the north side of the Thompson. I'll bet you will see one.

[longhairmtnman]

deadmans creek area down low near a seep or small crik during a drought they are not hard to find.

I didn't see this before I posted. ^ what he said! and for whatever reason they seem to like hanging out in clay?

[mark4]

There are a lot of rattlers in Oyama bc- we used to see them quite often as kids. Osoyoos has to be the rattler capital of BC though. Nice pictures.

[Gateholio]

When I was a kid, I killed one with a stick and ate it....I wasn't very wise then.:shock:

[Mr. Dean]

You pretty much need to hunt one to find one. They're pretty secretive.

[interceptor]

I like it, Great pics mate.

Cheers Noel

[huntwriter]

Great pictures. Personally I don’t like snakes. Yes they freak me out. Hunting in Texas some years ago we run into them all the time, also saw a lot of rattlers run over on the road. I learned in Texas that rattlers make very delicious table fare and that is the only way I will get near them.

[Gateholio]

I'm surprised that no 1 asked -how was it prepared & what did it taste like?:eek:

Skinned it and grilled it over open flame....

No fresh meat for a abot 5 days, at that point, so it was pretty good.8-)

[Shed Hunter]

mpotzold- I was metal detecting in the Vernon area when I seen it.
mark- I think your trying my lag ( are you a detective)
like the mother in-law says-your always hunting for sum thing.

[Bpower]

FYI
http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-a-Snake (http://www.wikihow.com/Cook-a-Snake)

[Caveman]

mpotzold- I was metal detecting in the Vernon area when I seen it.
mark- I think your trying my lag ( are you a detective)
like the mother in-law says-your always hunting for sum thing.

You don't wear wool socks with your sandals do you??? :wink:

[huntwriter]

I'm surprised that no 1 asked -how was it prepared & what did it taste like?:eek:

In Texas and later in China I learned that rattlesnakes and other snakes can be cooked in a variety of delicious ways. My favorite is cured in spice, herbs and whisky for 24 hours and then grill or bake.

[hunter1947]

When I was down in Texas about 4 years ago I run over a 8 foot water moccasin ,it was in the middle of the road ,I turned around right away and when I got back to it ,it was heading off into the brush.

[Shed Hunter]

You don't wear wool socks with your sandals do you??? :wink:
I wear neoprenes, wool socks.
Bpower-looks yummy them recipes

[Surrey Boy]

Awesome pics!

Are they legal to harvest?

[phoenix]

Awesome pics!

Are they legal to harvest?
No, protected species. I had 2 for pets for a while in the 80's. Rattle and Hum.
Kim

[IronNoggin]

... Are they legal to harvest?

In some jurisdictions. Someone else will have to reply about BC.

They serve a rather useful function in keeping the rodents (and feral cats :twisted: ) down to a dull roar. When my Alberta ranching Buddy was alive, he used to gather up all those he found and let them go in the ranch yard. No mice, no cats and little in the way of other vermin. The dogs certainly knew enough to STAY AWAY!!!

Here's my Biggie Pa got taxied for me for my B-Day a few years back:

http://gallery.fishbc.com/albums/Ironnoggin/Diamondback_Mount.jpg

Utah Diamondback. NASTY Looking Bugger!!

Cheers,
Nog

[kennyj]

Very cool!
kenny

[BigfishCanada]

I was teaching my daughter to drive up behind savona and she drove over one, you see him still alive with a tire mark across it still


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWrNZlLMNTw&feature=plcp

[Ronforca]

Run into a couple in the hills above Oliver.A couple of years ago Oliver was called the Rattle snake bite capital of B.C.A few people and dogs got bit.They were bugging the snakes.Lots on the golf course .

[The Dude]

Almost sat on one in N Temagami, Ont, a Massassagua rattler. Came into our fishing camp for the fire's heat. I cut off the head and rattle, skinned it, and put the meat in a plastic container. Next AM, the body was still moving......... so I ate it. Made a great hatband as well

Almost sat on one again near Keremeos. I was too tired to deal with it, and I'm pretty sure they're protected, so I found another rock. :D

[The Dude]

Yup, that's a Western Rattlesnake, and it is definitely protected. Just learned me somethin today!

[.330 Dakota]

The snakes in Ontario are also protected

[hunter1947]

Nice picture of the snake thanks for sharing.

[The Dude]

The snakes in Ontario are also protected

The one that took my seat was protected by butter and pepper.

[Walksalot]

I have seen quite a few at lower elevation in the Okanagan. One must be cautious and alert when fishing our lower elevation streams as the sound of the creek drowns out the buzz of the rattlesnake, I was air born a time or two. When walking in snake country you never step over a log/rock you step up on it, look down and then step down.

[Big Lew]

I've also seen them near Savona. In the rock bluffs at the foot of Six Mile Hill, and along the Thompson River rail right-away south of town toward Walhachin.
My Dad had a friend in Savona that was a grader operator in the area and he would collect the rattles from road kill. He had boxes full of them.
Years ago, the locals in Lytton told me there was a concentration of them across from Lytton on the west side of the Fraser although I didn't go check it out.

[lovemywinchester]

I saw rattlers back in the day in Ontario while going to summer camp in Georgian Bay. Have yet to see one here in BC yet. Just a matter of time now that I am living in Kamloops. Here is a short vid of a Great Basin Gopher Snake. These bad boys can get to be over 2m long. Non venomous. FYI, there are no Bull snakes in BC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG_MvkbqdZk&feature=youtu.be

[thehammer]

My dog run over one while hunting above Spencers Bridge but didn't get bit. Got me wondering what to do if she did get a bite. Phoned Vet in Merrit and they said they have never had a snake bit dog in the clinic. My question is, has anyone had their dog get bit? If so what did you do?

[Ourea]

I saw rattlers back in the day in Ontario while going to summer camp in Georgian Bay. Have yet to see one here in BC yet. Just a matter of time now that I am living in Kamloops. Here is a short vid of a Great Basin Gopher Snake. These bad boys can get to be over 2m long. Non venomous. FYI, there are no Bull snakes in BC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG_MvkbqdZk&feature=youtu.be

On the contraire.
BC does have bull snakes.
This one strayed out on the golf course last year. Had a gal stand in the background for scale. At first I thought it was someone's exotic that had been released due to its size.......nope...it was a bull snake, and a very, very, very large one.
It was pretty funny as I heard more than one scream eminate from hole #3 as people came across him.
Gorgeous snake.

http://i1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd428/browndog100/IMG00696.jpg

[Singleshotneeded]

I don't care if they're protected by the Klingon Empire, I see one, I kill it...of course, I would then grill it!
There used to be a Rattlesnake Grill in Kitsilano when I used to work there, and we went there once a week
for a lunch of grilled rattler! Delicious!

[ruger#1]

I saw rattlers back in the day in Ontario while going to summer camp in Georgian Bay. Have yet to see one here in BC yet. Just a matter of time now that I am living in Kamloops. Here is a short vid of a Great Basin Gopher Snake. These bad boys can get to be over 2m long. Non venomous. FYI, there are no Bull snakes in BC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG_MvkbqdZk&feature=youtu.be No Bullsnakes, You might want to talk to some of the guys that fish the Thompson river north of Lytton. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/okanagan/esd/atlas/species/gopher_snake.html

[The Hermit]

I grew up in cottage country Ontario where the mighty Mississauga Rattler is plentiful. They are small but their venom is particularly deadly. Two memorable encounters from when I was about 12 years old... had been flinging arrows out behind the cottage and while walking out to retrieve them had a rattler strike at my leg while in full stride. Luckily I was wearing the groovy fashion of the day (bell bottom jeans) and the snake hit the trailing edge of my cool pants and got its fangs stuck in the fabric... picture the young hippy with a two foot rattler dangling from my leg held high while hopping around trying to shake it off... finally had to grab it and unhook the little bugger like a barbed hook from a pike! Should have seen the look on my parents eyes when I walked into the kitchen holding a very pissed off and rattling snake! Ha!

The second remembrance was again at the cottage... got up at about 3am and went outside to pee... took a couple steps across the deck and realized that there were about a dozen baby rattlers and a momma all around me! YIKES! When he was about 90 years old my father still gave me shit about what happened after... ran back inside, grabbed the 22 revolver loaded it with snake shot and blasted all the snakes... the deck was a mess of dead snake and little slivers of wire sticking everywhere! Scared the hell out of them too! LOL

[Ourea]

i grew up in cottage country ontario where the mighty mississauga rattler is plentiful. They are small but their venom is particularly deadly. Two memorable encounters from when i was about 12 years old... Had been flinging arrows out behind the cottage and while walking out to retrieve them had a rattler strike at my leg while in full stride. Luckily i was wearing the groovy fashion of the day (bell bottom jeans) and the snake hit the trailing edge of my cool pants and got its fangs stuck in the fabric... Picture the young hippy with a two foot rattler dangling from my leg held high while hopping around trying to shake it off... Finally had to grab it and unhook the little bugger like a barbed hook from a pike! Should have seen the look on my parents eyes when i walked into the kitchen holding a very pissed off and rattling snake! Ha!

The second remembrance was again at the cottage... Got up at about 3am and went outside to pee... Took a couple steps across the deck and realized that there were about a dozen baby rattlers and a momma all around me! Yikes! When he was about 90 years old my father still gave me shit about what happened after... Ran back inside, grabbed the 22 revolver loaded it with snake shot and blasted all the snakes... The deck was a mess of dead snake and little slivers of wire sticking everywhere! Scared the hell out of them too! Lol


epic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lovemywinchester]

No Bullsnakes, You might want to talk to some of the guys that fish the Thompson river north of Lytton. http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/okanagan/esd/atlas/species/gopher_snake.html

Exactly. Its not a Bull Snake. Its a Great Basin Gopher snake. The Bull snake is a sub species of the Gopher snake and lives in the south of Alberta/Sask and into the states. We call them Bull snakes but they are not. The bull snake is not considered a species of snake in BC. Its just a common name but it is wrong. It's like sand fleas. There is no real animal called a sand flea but when the dog has fleas it's a sand flea. It's not a sand flea, its a cat or dog flea, but people call them sand fleas. The way animals are moving around to new habitat these days you may encounter a Bull snake near the border, who knows?, but ANY big snake (that looks like a gopher snake) you see from Kamloops area and the Okanogan is NOT a Bull snake. Its a Gopher snake.

http://www.bcreptiles.ca/snakes.htm

[Ourea]

Exactly. Its not a Bull Snake. Its a Great Basin Gopher snake. The Bull snake is a sub species of the Gopher snake and lives in the south of Alberta/Sask and into the states. We call them Bull snakes but they are not. The bull snake is not considered a species of snake in BC. Its just a common name but it is wrong. It's like sand fleas. There is no real animal called a sand flea but when the dog has fleas it's a sand flea. It's not a sand flea, its a cat or dog flea, but people call them sand fleas. The way animals are moving around to new habitat these days you may encounter a Bull snake near the border, who knows?, but ANY big snake (that looks like a gopher snake) you see from Kamloops area and the Okanogan is NOT a Bull snake. Its a Gopher snake.

http://www.bcreptiles.ca/snakes.htm

Well then, duly noted!
The info I looked up after I took the picture ( posted up earlier) claimed, " The Western Gopher Snake, commonly referred to as a Bull Snake....."
Gopher Snake it is!

[ruger#1]

•Other Names: Great Basin Bull Snake, or Desert Gopher Snake.
•Length: 1 to 2 m; large, heavy-bodied snakes.
•Tan-coloured body marked with rows of dark brown or black blotches; dark blotches become a series of cross-bands on the tail.
•Small head; dark lines run from jaw to eyes and across head.
•Readily distinguished from the Western Rattlesnake which has a broad, triangle-shaped head and rattle at end of tail.

[ruger#1]

Interesting Facts

•Gopher Snakes are British Columbia's largest snake.
•Able to hiss and make sharp, sudden sounds like the snort of a bull (hence the nickname "Bull Snake" ) or the rattling sound of a rattlesnake.
•Juvenile snakes follow scent trails of adult snakes, which may assist young snakes in location of den sites.
•Good climbers; these snakes can sometimes be found in trees.
•Hibernating dens may be shared with rattlesnakes, racers and garter snakes.
I couldn't give a crap what he calls it.

[thehammer]

"Good climbers; these snakes can sometimes be found in trees. "

Now I really hate them.

[Rubicon500]

When hiking in a disclosed location , passed a older fellow damm near having a heart attack he had gone for a little hike and had 7 different encounters with rattlers , one being IN A TREE. I would never have believed him , untill he pulled his camera out and showed me , it was up on a branch about 3-4 feet off the ground.

[Monashee]

Rattlesnakes are cool , eat plenty of mice . I've seen them from 9" babies to one almost 5 feet long . Wasps kill more people in BC ... not sure if anyone has died from a rattlesnake bite ever in BC. http://www.bcreptiles.ca/snakes/n_pacificrattle.htm

Bull-snakes put on a show much more impressive than a rattlesnake they will hiss and blow , strike at you then when that doesn't work they leave. I found a dead bull snake on the road in March with patches of snow still on the ground , very odd but it was on a southern exposure so the sun must have woken him up. http://www.bcreptiles.ca/snakes/grtbasingopher.htm

[bigwhiteys]

There used to be a restaurant in Victoria called "Pounders" and you could get all kinds of exotic meats like Rattlesnake, Alligator and a host of other exotic meats from around the world. You'd pick out all the stuff raw, and put it in big bowl and they would stir fry it up for you. If you got 1lb exactly I think you got a free dessert. It was a cool place.

As for rattlesnakes I think spiders creep me out worse.

[4pointer91]

Always a good idea to keep a watchful eye out for rattlers in the lower terrain of the Okanagan when hiking, walking your dog or climbing (Skaha Bluffs).
http://climbing.inthekoots.com/2010/a-dead-snake-can-still-bite-and-14-other-things-you-need-to-know-about-skahas-rattlesnakes/

[Jagermeister]

You can encounter rattlesnakes, and lots of them at the 3500' level on the Camp McKinley road east of Oliver. The area that I have in mind is where the road comes close to the power line as the power line descends over some small rock bluffs. So not all the rattlers are at low elevation.

[ruger#1]

You can encounter rattlesnakes, and lots of them at the 3500' level on the Camp McKinley road east of Oliver. The area that I have in mind is where the road comes close to the power line as the power line descends over some small rock bluffs. So not all the rattlers are at low elevation. If this is the same area that I think it is, They have logged a lot of trees in that area.

[skully]

great pic of the little guy, and yes it is little. a few years ago i lived in new mexico, and we would go around hunting these buggers. we would go out find them, tape their mouth and toss them in a bucket then head to the local hospital. we where paid $25-40 a snake depending on their size and age, the younger the better.
i have been bit 3 times and only worried once, it was a very little guy(under 2 feet) the younger ones have stronger venom and dont know control yet. they usually pump all they have in the storage sac. if your going to get bit by a rattler make sure the thing is huge, same goes for scorpions the bigger the better.

[Wrayzer]

Was out scouting a week ago and came across a Rattler at 5 yards while we were watching a bull moose at 20 yards, and black bear at 150 yards.

Tail was up, semi aggressive manner, we stood still for 5 minutes, watched the moose, let the rattler calm down and then backed around it. Too bad those suckers are protected.......

Thanks for those links Monashee, I guess all this paperwork on my desk can wait now while I read more.

[tadpole]

He must be one of those old guys you see in the parks and beaches in wool socks and sandals with their metal detectors

I resent that. I wear wool socks and the sandals.:mrgreen::-D

[Singleshotneeded]

Kill and grill, they taste a lot like pheasant...yummy!

[greybark]

Several years ago at a IBO 3-D Championship in Spokane an archer was bitten by a rattlesnake while retreving a missed arrow . Next thing I knew the archer was rushed to the hospital and the snake that turned out to be a Bull snake was doing the spread eagle thing on a picnic table for later backing on a bow ...
Cheers

[yamadirt 426]

I've got a boa and tree python. Always liked them. I would like to see them in the wild. Good pics. Thx

[skuntor]

Had about 40 high school kids on a rafting trip near Lytton. Stopped to shore lunch with our guides and when getting ready to leave the picnick table I looked under it to see if the kids had dropped any garbage I needed to give them shit for. Saw a rattle snake sitting there curled about 2 inches from a kids foot. Calmly told the kids to go back to the boats. They had no idea. I had to poke it with a stick to get any rattling out of it one the kids were gone. Lucky it was late spring I think he was moving a little slow. Could have been ugly.
Another one was in Australia. Saw about a 3 yard long snake on a trail in some rocks. People sitting all around it, people walking by. Grabbed the closest Aussie and he had a look said it was a brown snake. Very very deadly. I knew it was serious when the Aussies scattered! Our bus driver nearly shit when we showed him a picture. Very rare to see one and they can be very agressive.