Went back to where I killed the rhododendron turkey. Sure enough one was gobbling his fool head off at daybreak down in that holler. Instead of calling him up through the laurel I figured I would get on his side this time. He was gobbling every breath on his own.
An hour and 15 minutes later got to where I wanted to be and he hammered above me about 60 yards. I was sitting facing up the ridge. I had a ridge to my left and a ridge on my right. Both were about 40 yards from me and I could see about 40 yards in front of me. He was at about my 10 oclock. I yelped and he triple gobbled. Few seconds later I could hear him drumming and walking in the leaves. He kept going back and forth and wouldnt pop his head up over the ridge.
He started going to the right and down the holler. I didnt want that cause it would have been a super close shot if he popped up just a little below me. I decided to get up and get to where he was when we started. We were playing musical chairs ;D
I get up and take about 10 steps and was getting ready to step over a log. Well I dont know where the turkey went cause he probably thought that was a really stinky hen. I was about to set my foot on a rattler! I jumped back, took my pants off, wiped my rear, sat down and gathered my thoughts for a sec. Hmm what to do now? I got up walked around the log and was looking at it. This is the first one I've ever seen so I was both in shock and in amazement.
After all the thrashing that turkey is probably in another county by now but I was shot after that and didnt really care lol. Looks like he died of natural causes ;D I sat there for a few minutes and decided it would be best for me to go home. A 15 minute walked turned into an hour. I looked behind every tree, rock, stump, log that I came upon. Heres some pics of the rascal. Took with my cell phone as I left my camera on the computer desk :bike2:
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g217/nate121080/Rattlesnake1.jpg)
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g217/nate121080/Rattlesnake3.jpg)
That is the main reason us boys down here in the south wear snake boots!
Quote from: Basser69 on April 25, 2011, 11:12:50 AM
That is the main reason us boys down here in the south wear snake boots!
you got that right :icon_thumright:
Quote from: Basser69 on April 25, 2011, 11:12:50 AM
That is the main reason us boys down here in the south wear snake boots!
Heck ya. Please tell me you don't wear those shoes in the woods with snakes like that around.
Nice story up until the part where you killed the snake. There is absolutely no need to do that.
I hate it when people kill snakes for no reason.
Quote from: ShotgunDave on April 25, 2011, 12:04:41 PM
Nice story up until the part where you killed the snake. There is absolutely no need to do that.
I hate it when people kill snakes for no reason.
The only good snake is a "DEAD" snake
I actually liked the ''killin' the snake'' part..Mike :you_rock:
Quote from: ShotgunDave on April 25, 2011, 12:04:41 PM
Nice story up until the part where you killed the snake. There is absolutely no need to do that.
I hate it when people kill snakes for no reason.
Killing the snake was my favorite part of the story.
WTG man--that one could have messed up your whole turkey hunt.
Quote from: ShotgunDave on April 25, 2011, 12:04:41 PM
Nice story up until the part where you killed the snake. There is absolutely no need to do that.
I hate it when people kill snakes for no reason.
HUH? Kill em all!
I don't mind the non-poisonous ones but I kill the ones that can kill you!
Here in NC the cane brake and diamond backs are protected...I will kill the hell out of a copperhead/moccasin though...the others get a free pass and my recently ruined drawers dropped on them...LOL...
He doesn't look that old...how many rattles did he have?
they are starting to come out and I agree with others...if your in an area with the chance of running into one you need on snake boots...those shoes you have on ain't gonna stop them one bit...I was told by many that they would hit you around the ankle to 6" up on the boot...mine are up to the knee and I would still like them to be higher...:P
Kill em all
Quote from: CASH on April 25, 2011, 11:32:45 AM
Quote from: Basser69 on April 25, 2011, 11:12:50 AM
That is the main reason us boys down here in the south wear snake boots!
Heck ya. Please tell me you don't wear those shoes in the woods with snakes like that around.
Sadly yes and these are an upgrade. I usually just wear my under armour running shoes if I dont have to cross a creek or walk through dew soaked grass. Boots get hot and heavy walking these mountains. In 18 years of turkey hunting this is my first one I've ran across. We have copperheads as well but only seen them during the summer. The past few days have been unseasonably warm with temps in the upper 80's so it has them moving earlier than normal. You got any snake boots you recommend that are light and dont get hot?
Quote from: ShotgunDave on April 25, 2011, 12:04:41 PM
Nice story up until the part where you killed the snake. There is absolutely no need to do that.
I hate it when people kill snakes for no reason.
I can agree with you to a certain extent. You need a little of everything to keep a balanced eco system but what if I left him alone and he got me the next time. They way I look at it I did a little balancing myself! So dont you go shooting those turkeys cause there really is no need to do that!
Quote from: tiggere on April 25, 2011, 01:18:10 PM
Here in NC the cane brake and diamond backs are protected...I will kill the hell out of a copperhead/moccasin though...the others get a free pass and my recently ruined drawers dropped on them...LOL...
He doesn't look that old...how many rattles did he have?
they are starting to come out and I agree with others...if your in an area with the chance of running into one you need on snake boots...those shoes you have on ain't gonna stop them one bit...I was told by many that they would hit you around the ankle to 6" up on the boot...mine are up to the knee and I would still like them to be higher...:P
6. Hard to see them cause they are black like the rest of his back half. Should have took a pic of them. How big can a timber rattler get?
i caught a rattlesnake here in bama a few years ago that has 16 rattles and the button and was 5'11" long. he was a HOSS!
Quote from: bowhunter84 on April 25, 2011, 02:36:45 PM
i caught a rattlesnake here in bama a few years ago that has 16 rattles and the button and was 5'11" long. he was a HOSS!
You CAUGHT him? ??? Your nuts I would have emptied the gun! I started to shoot this then I thought about it and said nah he aint worth a TSS shell! :D Didnt want to spook the bird either.
Quote from: turkey_slayer on April 25, 2011, 02:39:53 PM
Quote from: bowhunter84 on April 25, 2011, 02:36:45 PM
i caught a rattlesnake here in bama a few years ago that has 16 rattles and the button and was 5'11" long. he was a HOSS!
You CAUGHT him? ??? Your nuts I would have emptied the gun! I started to shoot this then I thought about it and said nah he aint worth a TSS shell! :D Didnt want to spook the bird either.
dont get me wrong i killed him after i caught him. i had caught quite a few before him but he was/is by far the biggest rattlesnake i've personally ever seen.
That's about as big as a timber rattler get's,they usually don't have a lot of rattles on their tail.!!
That's a good un!!,found one one the dirt road here in bama two weeks ago,let him go.
After having a couple of horses and a ranch hand bit by diamond backs if I see them they are going to die and be headless as I bury the head always. Do not care if they are protected or not they will die and feed the yotes of hogs.
Been there & done that with a rattlesnake while turkey huntin'.
Makes you think!
Quote from: turkey_slayer on April 25, 2011, 02:20:55 PM
Quote from: CASH on April 25, 2011, 11:32:45 AM
Quote from: Basser69 on April 25, 2011, 11:12:50 AM
That is the main reason us boys down here in the south wear snake boots!
Heck ya. Please tell me you don't wear those shoes in the woods with snakes like that around.
Sadly yes and these are an upgrade. I usually just wear my under armour running shoes if I dont have to cross a creek or walk through dew soaked grass. Boots get hot and heavy walking these mountains. In 18 years of turkey hunting this is my first one I've ran across. We have copperheads as well but only seen them during the summer. The past few days have been unseasonably warm with temps in the upper 80's so it has them moving earlier than normal. You got any snake boots you recommend that are light and dont get hot?
Lot of light ones on the market. THEY ALL GET HOT
I have a pair of LaCross and a pair of browning ones and like them both but down here, I am not going in the woods without them unless it is not getting above 32 degrees. I have killed timber rattlers evey month of the year in Bama.
Quote from: WyoHunter on April 25, 2011, 12:47:46 PM
I don't mind the non-poisonous ones but I kill the ones that can kill you!
This is the mindset that will lead to the extiction of these animals. Those snakes can't kill you. You'll get sick as hell but you won't die.
People are so uneducated about snakes. They do way more good than harm. Leave them alone.
And by the way, there's no such thing as a poisonous snake...they're venomous.
Quote from: ShotgunDave on April 25, 2011, 06:40:04 PM
Quote from: WyoHunter on April 25, 2011, 12:47:46 PM
I don't mind the non-poisonous ones but I kill the ones that can kill you!
This is the mindset that will lead to the extiction of these animals. Those snakes can't kill you. You'll get sick as hell but you won't die.
People are so uneducated about snakes. They do way more good than harm. Leave them alone.
And by the way, there's no such thing as a poisonous snake...they're venomous.
if u dont mind me asking then i must not know much about snakes so can you educate me alittle bit on why they shouldnt go extinct :lol: For real give me some knowledge here bout snakes i have no clue, but to kill everyone.
I carry a dove load for them suckers
Quote from: tiggere on April 25, 2011, 01:18:10 PM
Here in NC the cane brake and diamond backs are protected...I will kill the hell out of a copperhead/moccasin though...the others get a free pass and my recently ruined drawers dropped on them...LOL...
He doesn't look that old...how many rattles did he have?
they are starting to come out and I agree with others...if your in an area with the chance of running into one you need on snake boots...those shoes you have on ain't gonna stop them one bit...I was told by many that they would hit you around the ankle to 6" up on the boot...mine are up to the knee and I would still like them to be higher...:P
[/quote
I was told by a guy from Opp Rattle Snake Round-up if they are looking up they will strike above your boot. Those crazy guys line em up & race em. Only in Alabama I guess... ;D
Quoteif u dont mind me asking then i must not know much about snakes so can you educate me alittle bit on why they shouldnt go extinct :lol: For real give me some knowledge here bout snakes i have no clue, but to kill everyone.
A balanced ecosystem is alot more fickle than most people realize...it doesn't take much to throw it off but takes many many years for it to balance back out...if snakes went extinct then the mouse/rodent population would get out of control and could lead to the plague (worst case senario)...here's one thats closer to home for us...in Alabama about 7 years ago they had a very good turkey population...I mean VERY good...well a few things happened...the predator population exploded...all of a sudden there were more coons, possums, fox, bobcat, and coyotes...then the state comes in and sprays the pine trees to kill the pine beetles...well I don't know which hit the turkey the hardest but it has still not rebounded to where it was when I first started going down to hunt...now you have all the predators with a limited food source...so the coons and possums move into the towns to eat trash and the fox, bobcats and coyotes start devastating the quail...and then they go onto the rabbits...when all the food is gone the predators either die off or move on to different areas...the wildlife affected will take a long time to recover from just that one incident...
Snakes are the same way...they serve a purpose and "usually" will go out of their way to avoid humans...remember...you are in THEIR home...they are not in your hunting area...alot of things eat baby snakes and they do not reproduce all that quickly...the Canebrake (aka Timber Rattler) and the Eastern Diamond Back usually give fair enough warning to avoid...not to mention a good pair of snake boots (and chaps if your a wuss like me) is pretty much a requirement if your in rattler country...
Another thing to keep in mind (as mentioned above) more than likely you will only get sick if you are bitten...then reason for this is the snake can control if he is going to bite and inject venom or if he is going to "dry bite"...this is when they just bite (with fangs) and do not inject venom...they do this because you are not a food they want to eat...they are just trying to get you away from them and they know their venom is too precious to waste...this is usually the case when humans get bitten but due to the tubes containing venom they do get a very small dose...if you mess around with it and piss it off its probably gonna hit you with everything its got...so they are best given a wide berth...
hope this helps...
Dang! I hate them sneaky suckers. Glad you killed that thing. I don't care if they do some kind of good or not...I'd rather have a bazillion frogs than one snake that can bite you and make you sick.
Sorry...just the way I feel about that.
So does a rattel snake tell you if he just dry bit you??
I wouldnt call possibly losing a foot or other appendage only getting sick as hell.
Rattlesnakes can kill you!
Their venom cause necrosis of the flesh and rots it away and attacks the nervous system with a neurotoxin.
There have been cases of people getting hit from a rattler and being pumped with 50 vials of anti venom and still being snatched by the reaper.
Stone dead.
Theres a show on one of the hunting channels I just saw the other day. Savage Wild I think it is... Long haired gray bearded guy got barley stuck on his finger by one fang picking up a rattler and ended up losing that finger, but not before his hand ballooned up and he almost kicked the bucket.
These are highly venomous dangerous snakes.
Please dont underestimate them. Might get you killed.
Quote from: turkey_slayer on April 25, 2011, 02:23:04 PM
Quote from: ShotgunDave on April 25, 2011, 12:04:41 PM
Nice story up until the part where you killed the snake. There is absolutely no need to do that.
I hate it when people kill snakes for no reason.
I can agree with you to a certain extent. You need a little of everything to keep a balanced eco system but what if I left him alone and he got me the next time. They way I look at it I did a little balancing myself! So dont you go shooting those turkeys cause there really is no need to do that!
Amen brother!
Yeah I would say natural causes is what he died from, around here they have brain hemeriaging alot....
I let the non-venomous kind walk. The venomous get whooped. The only instance where I will kill a good snake, is if he is in the wood duck nest box I am checking, or if he is in my back yard like the one I killed saturday. Cant have my little ones getting tapped by a snake and getting a serious infection.
Nice pic