The last time I stood on the shore of the Deschutes barefoot I had a 3' rattler zip out of a grass clump on my right, directly over all 10 toes and into the grass clump on my left. That distinctive shaped head was all I could focus on and I was happy he decided I was not a worthy victim.
Those snakes like the moist areas near Springs, creeks and rivers.......lots of mice and critters to eat. I have been around them most of my life.....they don't bother me a lot even though I have been bitten but I really worry about little kids, dogs and livestock. They are not really aggressive like southern snakes but something to be very aware of. I have eaten more than my share of them, particularly in survival school. My great aunt used to can them in a pickleing brine and serve cut into small bites with a toothpick as an appetizer.On the Deschutes my wife and I were near the water watching some rafts come down a rapid. We turned to go back to the trail and suddenly my wife levitated in front of me and landed about 5' further out... I know something was up, due to her excessive fear of snakes, stopped mid-step and looked down... a rattler was traveling about 5" under my foot, right where it would have landed if I finished my step.
That was quite a trip, ticks, snakes, spiders, and a mad bull!
I will admit that I would have a tough time passing on those as they're rather tasty and would make a great pair of shoes with that color pattern.
There is a species of rattler called the Mojave Green that is a rare color variance. They make great hatbands.
Wow, you must have the patience of a saint to wait for that process! I cook as soon as they stop twitching.
That is the start of a life long friendship. I have all the gear now to move them aside unharmed when needed, but I subscribed to a philosophy from a friend that teaches ophiology in Texas, to take the ones that don't rattle when it would be reasonable for them to do so. I have not hear if they have enough data to make a conclusion as they why they would be quieter, but I am sure it will be thoroughly tested!
I kill them whenever I see them. Particularly when near places frequented by people. You might be able to move around one safely but what about the next family that is going down the trail. There are plenty of rarely visited wild places they can live but if they are in a place frequented by people.......they are dead by whatever means nessisary. I have been eye to eye with several through the years, once in a wrecking yard in the California gold country, I crawled under an old military truck that I was interested in to see what parts were missing, the snake was a foot from my head when I saw him. Backed out slowly and killed him with a stick. I had a colt bitten in his nose also in the gold country.......nearly lost him even after 1000.00 spent with the vet. If they are near people or stock, they need to be killed. Many bull snakes are mistaken for rattlers by less experienced people. We never kill them unless I catch them after my chickens. They will gorge themselves on chicks and eggs. Otherwise they are good guys. The rattlesnake venom isn't nessisarley the worst part, the bite often permotes serious infections and gang green.
Are there any snakes that don't swim when needed? Along the Row river there are several warm pools and we, being naughty little boys would keep an eye out for the water snakes that were crazy long and skinny to catch by their tails as they lay floating in warm splendor and crack them like a whip and count how many times that little head would skip across the little river. Never got old!
Not that I can really think of. There are those worm snakes, maybe they swim in a flood, but they mostly burrow around underground.
