Rattle Snakes

[docsouce]

My wife and I are going to be slow poke RVing for 8 to 10 weeks in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado. Be leaving mid June. I've spent the last couple of hours on internet searches, and I searched here about rattle snakes. I know there are lots and lots of people that live around them.. I live in New england. I have never seen one. My searches gave me good info, and I always try to be aware of my surroundings. But I found an interesting comment here. It mentioned that if camped out at Gouldings RV park in Monument Valley and take a walk to the Natural Bridge, keep an eye out for rattle snakes (what is different about this trail?). I'm sure they can be anywhere and Google gave me good examples. But I've found folks here usually have certain situations that raises their attention level. Mostly from personal experience. Some basic tips would be appreciated. We plan on doing a lot of boondocking. No panic here nor am I changing my plans. Just askin.

[JaxDad]

Bobbo wrote:

down home wrote:
Picked up one as a child at Grand Ma's near back door and chased my Uncle with it. I was not four yet. Ha a hard time letting go of it. Uncle Jim, the Sheriff, shot it's head off while I held it. Grand Ma and Mam like to have had a hissy fit. Didn't know that a Rattle Snake was supposed to be dangerous.

I was visiting a friend one time when his 10 year old son walked up to show his dad this neat snake he found. It was a copperhead. Fortunately, the kid picked it up right behind the head. The dad calmly told him to hold the snake just like that for a minute, went in the house and came out with a sheath knife. He had the kid hold the snake's head against the ground, and drove the knife through the snake's head pinning it to the ground. The dad then had "vigorous" words with his son.

Yeah, lots of folks perpetuate that whole ‘better to kill it than just leave it alone’ myth.


I’ll bet a whole bunch of indigenous people would still be here if.........


Oh, never mind..........

[bigred1cav]

eat the rattle snakes

[joshuajim]

Bumpyroad wrote:

Ski Pro 3 wrote:


I see from your map you've been just about every place BUT California. Which makes you an expert on nuts I suppose.

no but reading any newspaper makes me an expert on CA.
and remember that that map is just areas RVed to/in.
bumpy

Well, you know what they say... If you’re not the lead dog the view never changes.

How’s the view back there?

[Bobbo]

down home wrote:
Picked up one as a child at Grand Ma's near back door and chased my Uncle with it. I was not four yet. Ha a hard time letting go of it. Uncle Jim, the Sheriff, shot it's head off while I held it. Grand Ma and Mam like to have had a hissy fit. Didn't know that a Rattle Snake was supposed to be dangerous.

I was visiting a friend one time when his 10 year old son walked up to show his dad this neat snake he found. It was a copperhead. Fortunately, the kid picked it up right behind the head. The dad calmly told him to hold the snake just like that for a minute, went in the house and came out with a sheath knife. He had the kid hold the snake's head against the ground, and drove the knife through the snake's head pinning it to the ground. The dad then had "vigorous" words with his son.

[Bumpyroad]

Ski Pro 3 wrote:


I see from your map you've been just about every place BUT California. Which makes you an expert on nuts I suppose.

no but reading any newspaper makes me an expert on CA.
and remember that that map is just areas RVed to/in.
bumpy

[Ski_Pro_3]

Bumpyroad wrote:

OK, you corrected the snake part. but the NuttyFornia issue still stands.
bumpy

I see from your map you've been just about every place BUT California. Which makes you an expert on nuts I suppose. As long as folks stay out of LA and SF areas, it's not nearly as bad as the news reports.
For example; Sheriff in my county hands out CCW permits to anyone who applies as long as there are no federal restrictions, such as felony record. No reason other than to state that LEO's are minutes away when seconds count. Got one for me and one for DW so she won't go to jail if I leave one in the car and she takes off without me and pulled over.

[Ski_Pro_3]

Fish and Game Code 7149.3, written by the California Legislature and signed by the State Governor, makes it the law that a license is not needed to collect rattlesnakes:

"Notwithstanding Section 7149, a sport fishing license is not required for any resident to take any rattlesnake (genus Crotalus or Sistrurus)." (The inclusion of genus Sistrurus is not necessary since that genus is not found in California.)

The regulations regarding reptiles state that "No sportfishing license is required for the sport take of any rattlesnake, but bag and possession limits do apply."

This law regarding rattlesnakes was not written by CDFW, but the agency enforces the law and has imposed bag and possession limits on rattlesnakes Some people interpret the no-license-required regulation to mean that they can collect, kill, or possess as many rattlesnakes as they want but this is not true. For all species of rattlesnakes the CDFW regulations show a daily bag and possession limit of two.

My opinion is that this law exists to allow someone to remove or kill a rattlesnake on private property in order to protect themselves, their family, or their animals, without having to obtain a license first. Rattlesnakes play a valuable role in the ecosystem and they are greatly misunderstood, but they are dangerous and they do occasionally cause physical harm and suffering to people and pets and the treatment for rattlesnake envenomation can be very expensive, so rattlesnakes need to be treated differently from harmless snakes.

This law might seem to encourage the unnecessary killing of rattlesnakes, however most property owners are probably not aware that they would need a license to remove or kill rattlesnakes, if that was the law, since they do not need a license to kill other "pests" on their property such as gophers and rodents. And it's also an unfortunate fact that most people will remove or kill any kind of snake they find near their home without checking first to make sure it is dangerous, and regardless of whether or not they need a license.

[MrWizard]

Well I don't know about the land around Placerville
But large sections of southern Calif and all the national forests and park lands
Have rules about protecting the rattlesnakes

Now private property is another matter

That statement about bag limits is the first I have ever read
I wonder what that bag limit is?
I bet it's pretty **** small? , is it? Do you know what it is?
Anytime you have a limit on the amount taken, you are protecting that species from over hunting and keeping a breeding population growing

[down_home]

State brought in a lot of rattle snakes to the county to the west.
They generally don't survive our environment.
We have no problem with rats or anything else. Just thee Enviros that spend half of hunting and fishing license money etc but don't contribute a dime.
This part of Tn historically, Cotton Mouths, can't exist. Rattle Snakes only in small pockets, and on the mountains to our west in small areas. even to the east the other side of the ridge line there are very few.
Historically this large wedge of land into Ky, Cattle etc would not live and deer due to deadly milk sickness except on ridges and the sides and some pockets.
So these Enviros decided we needed some Rattle Snakes.
I've only seen three since 1970 and all three in the same few feet.
Picked up one as a child at Grand Ma's near back door and chased my Uncle with it. I was not four yet. Ha a hard time letting go of it. Uncle Jim, the Sheriff, shot it's head off while I held it. Grand Ma and Mam like to have had a hissy fit. Didn't know that a Rattle Snake was supposed to be dangerous.

[Bumpyroad]

Ski Pro 3 wrote:

MrWizard wrote:
in calif they are a protected species
but i suspect NuttyFornia is in the minority

Seriously? A moderator posts B.S. as fact AND insults a huge demographic of the forum membership to boot?

Pit vipers, or rattlesnakes, are listed in the California Code of Regulations as detrimental to public health and safety, native wildlife or state agriculture and are not protected.Apr 2, 2010

However;
Reptiles fall under fishing license regulations, but the rules state that no sportfishing license is required for the sport take of any rattlesnake, but bag and possession limits do apply. No reptiles shall be taken from ecological reserves designated by the commission in Section 630 or from state parks, or national parks or monuments.

OK, you corrected the snake part. but the NuttyFornia issue still stands.
bumpy

[Ski_Pro_3]

MrWizard wrote:
in calif they are a protected species
but i suspect NuttyFornia is in the minority

Seriously? A moderator posts B.S. as fact AND insults a huge demographic of the forum membership to boot?

Pit vipers, or rattlesnakes, are listed in the California Code of Regulations as detrimental to public health and safety, native wildlife or state agriculture and are not protected.Apr 2, 2010

However;
Reptiles fall under fishing license regulations, but the rules state that no sportfishing license is required for the sport take of any rattlesnake, but bag and possession limits do apply. No reptiles shall be taken from ecological reserves designated by the commission in Section 630 or from state parks, or national parks or monuments.

[joshuajim]

Hmmm...

[time2roll]

City removed a diamondback from my front yard today. About 2.5 feet long and a fat tummy.

[Bobbo]

In TN, all snakes are protected. However, that didn't stop me from shooting the copperhead that took up residence in DW's flower beds. Biggest copperhead I had ever seen. Just about 3 feet in length.

[Saltworks]

Every state which contains rattlesnakes protects some species of rattlesnakes. It’s not a California “thing”. Google is your friend.