I’ve seen one but was too young to remember it well. Would love to see one now though.
-
-
We have tons of them, see them pretty regularly. Only encountered one that was aggressive, and it didn’t want to be messed with. Here’s a few recent ones.
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkComment
-
Is that last one a timber rattler, or what they call a canebrake rattler? Either way it’s really pretty.Originally posted by Aggiebush View PostWe have tons of them, see them pretty regularly. Only encountered one that was aggressive, and it didn’t want to be messed with. Here’s a few recent ones.
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkComment
-
Beautiful snakes. How large do they get?Comment
-
AKA Canebrake rattlers, Velvet tail, etc. I killed one well over 5 feet long in '66 or '67 near Spring Lake east of Conroe. That was over 5 feet minus whatever my 12 gauge took out of the neck. The San Jac river bottoms have them. Used to see them a lot when I was young, probably because I was always out in their territory. Saw one a few years ago just east of my place at Huntsville, and saw another last year on Hwy 7 between Crockett and Centerville.Comment
-
No reason to kill themComment
-
The one in the middle picture I posted was one of the larger I’ve caught, every bit of 5’. Barely rattled, and wouldn’t strike at all. I like to catch them, snaps few pics and release. Pygmy Rattlers are even prettier, catch lots of them, too.Comment
-
-
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkComment
-
Ran across one once on my last lease in East Texas. Very beautiful snake. Never made a sound and laid there long enough for us to get tired of looking at him. I have many pictures of him somewhere.Comment
-
Originally posted by curtintex View Post
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This was sent to me by my game warden buddy.
Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkComment
-
-
Me too. I grew up in the heart of east Texas and I lived in the woods 24/7, never saw one....never even heard of any growing up.Originally posted by Christianhuff View PostComment
-
A buddy of mine was hunting type 2 land in Newton county on this past Thursday while I hunted further north on the Sabine NF, and he sent me a photo of a big timber rattler he almost stepped on that scared the crap out of him. Apparently someone among the crowd of turkey hunters that filled the woods on opening day had already killed it and cut the tail off.
I know with a lot of folks mind the only good snake is a dead snake. I can't blame them and I can't get mad at someone taking one out that's gotten too close to a house and kids or animals, but I guess for an ol country boy like me, if I'm going out in the forest to hunt and I come across one I tend to leave them be because I'm in their territory and I expect them to be there. I just move along and find somewhere else to setup if I can't spook them or get them to move.
On top of that, as a woodsman I try to be pretty informed about everything in the woods that I might encounter, so I've known for years what they looked like and that they're protected, so I wouldn't risk killing one if I didn't have to even if I knew that no one would find out. I'm a huge advocate of getting youth and new hunters in the woods, but at the same time I'm finding these days a lot of folks getting into hunting don't know much about the woods and the creatures that live in them nor o they care. Most just want to shoot something which is one of the reasons I try to educate as many people as I can and just will not hunt with a knucklehead who's careless and doesn't have integrity or make wise decisions.
Not to knock anybody but some of us here who've been doing this for a minute just have a different view and appreciation for the land and wild things because everything has a role to play. I can't understand a man who can trash an area he was supposedly hunting, or coming across something like a snake in the wild that protected, and killing it just because it's there and take it's rattle as a souvenir.
I was turkey hunting the Sabine with a young man last year and he freaked out when he saw a big black 6+ foot long snake on the forest. He was about to blast away and I stopped him and told him number one, you're in his territory. Number two you're not about to ruin our turkey hunt. We just moved, setup against another tree, and less than an hour later I harvested an eastern bird that might have been spooked by that shot. If you're going to be a woods man you can't be freaking out when you come across snakes and spiders and such...lolComment
-
Well maybe they're doing better but still most people don't see them...especially not as common as a western diamond back. I still wouldn't kill one unless I'm put in a situation where it's him or me, and I'm actually at risk of getting bitten...
Originally posted by curtintex View PostComment
Comment