# be careful people!!!



## sawtooth (Sep 16, 2010)

me and chase were walking out of the woods just after dark yesterday shootin the breeze and not really paying attention.... when all of a sudden we heard BZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!! we both jumped and kinda spooked, I cussed a little bit. Chase was about 2' from a 4.5 foot canebreak... good thing he rattled cause we would've never seen him otherwise. and he would've popped one of us for sure. 
    sometimes in the morning i'll walk to my stand trying to be stealthy or whatever, but you can bet your last cigar i'll have my pheonix light on bright as it'll go from now on! 
         I cant think of much that would ruin a hunt faster that getting punched by one of them evil -lookin jokers
            I'm gonna post a pic even though it's not a good one cause of the light..
             chase is holding the snake....


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## Nicodemus (Sep 16, 2010)

Fair size snake, Dendy. Ya`ll didn`t see the mate anywhere around did you?


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## sawtooth (Sep 16, 2010)

no sir, but that's the same thing my daddy said.... mating..  he said the other one might not have been too far away..


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## BOFF (Sep 16, 2010)

WOWZERS!!!

Glad it buzzed y'all first. 


God Bless,
David B.


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## johnweaver (Sep 17, 2010)

Rattlers have caused more than one bowhunter to take up fishing untill after the first frost!!!  A buddy of mine was walking thru a cudzo patch right at dark, and one started rattling at him.  He could'nt see it but he could hear it.  He didn't know where it was so he threw his bow  one way and ran the other way.  Never went back for his bow, and now hunts during gun season only.  Totes two flashlights every time he goes to the stand.


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## Al33 (Sep 17, 2010)

Wow, that was a close one for sure!!!  Gives me the willie-nillies just reading about it. Don'tcha know a one eyed feller is a little spooky walking through the woods this time of year, especially during dark hours.

Glad it all turned out well for you guys! Looks like a nice backing for a self bow.


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## hogdgz (Sep 17, 2010)

Yep, I had to clean my pants after that, we were literally inches away from him when he started rattling.


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## Nicodemus (Sep 17, 2010)

I can`t speak for how it is in the other areas of the state, but in the Coastal Plain, frost and winter is not a time relax your guard. Even on cold days, they will come out to sun occasionaly. I killed a pair of twin 6 foot diamondbacks on a Thanksgivin` weekend in the afternoon, and it had been in the 20s that mornin`.  For ya`ll that are familiar with the area, it was back in the woods about a mile from the flashin` light at the intersection of Philema Road and HWY 32. And a friend of mine right down the road from me, killed a big one crawlin` across his yard on Christmas afternoon. The temp was in the low 40s.

So be mindful anytime, down here. There are snakes in the Garden of Eden.


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## dm/wolfskin (Sep 17, 2010)

Oowee that's a big one. I saw a guy the other day that had caught a timber rattler here in Athens and had it in a 5 gal bucket and was going to take it to a State Park and turn him loose. Can ya'll smell them? I swear I can. I know this time of the year is their breeding season and working their way back to their den area while leaving a scent trail. Boy whenever I'm walking out of the woods and smell  this scent I get a little nervous. Mike


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## Bubbaforsure (Sep 17, 2010)

hogdgz said:


> Yep, I had to clean my pants after that, we were literally inches away from him when he started rattling.



Thank the Good Lord above you guys are "OK". You just never know anymore...That's one reason I wear my snake boots year round now  Won't go in the woods without them on....
Ole Mr Rattler will show up when you least expect it!


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## LongBow01 (Sep 17, 2010)

wow !!! that was a close one fellers!!


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## robert carter (Sep 17, 2010)

I killed a Timber rattler 4 days before Christmas this past year.Pay attention all the time. I`ve been hunting ever sice I could hold a 410 and can tell you MANY close calls. The Good Lord looks after me no doubt.RC


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## devolve (Sep 17, 2010)

nice! Ive killed a few in my day down in FL but not up here yet.


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## johnweaver (Sep 17, 2010)

As the daddy of a young lady who enjoys the company of reptiles, she had her own business breeding reptiles so we had a lot of them around the house,  the main thing that you need to know when you or someone else is bitten by a snake is to make a positive identification of the snake.  Try to stay calm and get in touch with Emergency Services.  Do not worry about trying to treat the bite yourself.  The emergency room will call Poison Control and get the anti-venom that you need.  Stay calm, you have time.


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## eman1885 (Sep 18, 2010)

my uncle and i found one a redlands wma a few weeks  ago. only about 2 1/2 ft. we let it go on its way. glad noone got bit.


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## OconeeDan (Sep 18, 2010)

Hmmm....I see knife sheaths!


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## SOS (Sep 18, 2010)

I'm thinking a good looking bow....


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## sawtooth (Sep 19, 2010)

I'll bump into another one I'm sure.........just let me know and the skin can be yours...


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## Barry Duggan (Sep 20, 2010)

That is an unmistakable sound that is sure to get your attention. Glad no one, other than the snake, was hurt in the taking of that picture.


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## Ta-ton-ka chips (Sep 20, 2010)

Al33 said:


> Wow, that was a close one for sure!!!  Gives me the willie-nillies just reading about it. Don'tcha know a one eyed feller is a little spooky walking through the woods this time of year, especially during dark hours.
> 
> Glad it all turned out well for you guys! Looks like a nice backing for a self bow.



So that's why you always make me walk in front.

Glad you two saw it in time.


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## GregoryB. (Sep 20, 2010)

Makes me glad I wear snake boots.


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## sawtooth (Sep 22, 2010)

alright! here's another one... stumbled up on this one in a pecan orchard between two irrigation ditches.......  for those of you who might not be able to see the ruler (because of a bad phone-taken picture), this thing is just over four feet.. I'm not a cottonmouth expert, but i do know that this thing is GROWN!


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## TNGIRL (Sep 22, 2010)

He also looked well fed!!!!


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## Nicodemus (Sep 22, 2010)

Congratulations Dendy! That is one sho-nuff BIG cottonmouth!! You should have caught it and brought it in alive!!


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## sawtooth (Sep 22, 2010)

Nicodemus said:


> Congratulations Dendy! That is one sho-nuff BIG cottonmouth!! You should have caught it and brought it in alive!!



I hear ya brother! I've done some foolish things in my day but..........this dude was standing his ground and meaner than uncovered cat-scat. He almost chewed the end off of my shotgun stick..... sometimes the thought of catching a venomous snake crosses my mind and i think of the crocodile hunter and the thought vaporizes..... 
   Okeefenokee Joe came to see my class in the 5th grade...
he let us know that the cottonmouth, or Agkistrodon piscivorus, did not reach more that 36" in length...
   He may be "swampwise", but i had a ruler with me yesterday. This one's clearly longer than three feet.


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## TNGIRL (Sep 22, 2010)

Dendy, I like you and anyone else posting pictures of snakes. Keeps what they look like in my mind's eye and therefore makes me watchful and more observant than I am. Did you keep the skin for a future bow or fine piece of leather work?????


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## sawtooth (Sep 22, 2010)

No Tomi...i didnt keep it. I called several people to see if they wanted it and a friend of mine wanted it for a belt.


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## coaster500 (Sep 22, 2010)

Dendy, fortunatly we only have the rattlin kind to deal with in California....I'll take the ones with the warning system over that nasty lookin Cottonmouth


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## Barry Duggan (Sep 22, 2010)

Kip, do you have mojaves as well as westerns?


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## coaster500 (Sep 22, 2010)

Barry in the north where my ranch is (Lake County) we have Western Diamond backs. To the south we have Mojaves ? My place here I've seen both not far from home. My house is on the central coast of California (San Luis Obispo County).

Just like the folks here we got varity of snakes as well


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## dm/wolfskin (Sep 23, 2010)

I don't know how many of ya have smelled a timber rattlers after ya killed it but they do have a distinct smell. I know every fall I smell this odor that I associate with the Timber rattler in the woods at near dark or after dark when walking out. Anyone else think they can smell their scent trail. Mike

Life History
Timber rattlesnakes are active from late April until mid-October, although in northern New York they may not emerge until mid-May. Upon emerging from the den, they are very lethargic. Little feeding occurs early in the spring. Mating occurs in the spring and fall. Males are especially active at this time, seeking out females by following the ***pheromone (sex attractant odor) they emit. The gestation period is 4-5 months. Females give birth to 4-14 (average 9) young every three to five years during late August to mid-September. The young are approximately 1 foot (30 cm) in length at birth and emerge singly from the female, encased in a transparent membrane which is shed in a few minutes. Each is equipped with venom, hollow fangs and a tiny rattle segment called a "button." Their skin has a velvety texture and the coloring is essentially the same as the adult's. They remain in the area for 1-2 weeks before shedding their skin and dispersing. ***The young follow the adult's scent trail back to the den. Males are sexually mature in 5 years, females in 7-11 years. Their average life span is 16-22 years, with a maximum age of about 30 years. During winter, dozens of timber rattlers may congregate together in a den to hibernate below the frost line in association with copperheads (Akgistrodon contortrix), other snakes, and skinks (Eumeces spp.). Dens are generally on open, steep, south facing slopes with rock fissures or talus surrounded by hardwood


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## Nicodemus (Sep 23, 2010)

I`ve smelled them, and diamondbacks. It`s great fun to be workin` late at night on a right of way, with gopher holes everywhere, and that distinct smell is lettin` you know it is there, somewhere.


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## dm/wolfskin (Sep 23, 2010)

Keeps ya on your toes doesn't Nicodemus? Mike


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## Luckybuck (Sep 23, 2010)

I know cottonmouths have a definite odor.


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## coaster500 (Sep 24, 2010)

Hope I'm never close enough to smell them !!


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## Miguel Cervantes (Sep 24, 2010)

Nicodemus said:


> I`ve smelled them, and diamondbacks. It`s great fun to be workin` late at night on a right of way, with gopher holes everywhere, and that distinct smell is lettin` you know it is there, somewhere.



Yep, we smelled them when we hunted down in Twiggs county. Never had a Canebrake rattle at me first, but those diamondbacks sure don't mind soundin off, especially in deep grass where you can't see them..

I was goin up the trail to do some rock climbin on Yonah years ago and smelled one. Couldn't see him, so I chose a different trail.


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## Warped Arrow (Oct 2, 2010)

Poor snakes!!!! I used to keep snakes and I will NOT kill one unless I have to. They play a vital role for the enviroment. That said, my Unckle was deathlly afraid of snakes. He literally couldnt look at a pic of one. I understand how most people feel about them. Before anyone ask, yes I have been bitten, a few times, and no it isnt fun. 

WA


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## pine nut (Oct 2, 2010)

My nose is failling me but I've always heard that rattlers smell like cucumbers.  What say ya'll?


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