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Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
#5258442
08/17/14 10:55 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 236
Wisemd123
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 236 |
Hey everyone, hope your all doing well! I haven't been Hog hunting at Granger for a while, but I plan on going this week. The last time i went in late spring, the grass started getting pretty high. I can only imagine what type of jungle it is now. My question is, how wary should I be of rattlesnakes in the grass? Or anything for that matter. How serious is the threat?
Last edited by Wisemd123; 08/17/14 10:56 PM.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5258452
08/17/14 11:01 PM
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 279
thruxton
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 279 |
I haven't been to granger in ages. Let me know how it goes.
I've been out walking in thick brush out in Lampasas twice this month and haven't ran into anything.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5258593
08/18/14 12:20 AM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 27
cthunter
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 27 |
Threat or not is it worth the hospital visit? I would use caution, cause you just never know.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5258656
08/18/14 12:56 AM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 15
sango10
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 15 |
Use caution have not heard of very many snake stories this year,maybe because its been wetter than usual
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5258870
08/18/14 02:38 AM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,743
Mr Redneck
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,743 |
Spend $40 and get ya some snake leggings, IT"S CHEAP INSURANCE !!
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Mr Redneck]
#5258872
08/18/14 02:39 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 236
Wisemd123
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 236 |
Spend $40 and get ya some snake leggings, IT"S CHEAP INSURANCE !! Thats kinda what I was thinking! What type are the best? Straight up snake chaps?
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5258889
08/18/14 02:48 AM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,743
Mr Redneck
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,743 |
I like chaps, but either is better than nothing.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5258891
08/18/14 02:49 AM
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Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,039
jetdad
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,039 |
All snakes enjoy tall grass, including rattlesnakes, as that's where the mice, rats and rabbits hang. I've found several when parting tall weeds with my gun barrel looking for downed doves.
+1 on the leggings
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: thruxton]
#5259025
08/18/14 05:01 AM
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Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 767
N.La.Beagler
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 767 |
I haven't been to granger in ages. Let me know how it goes.
I've been out walking in thick brush out in Lampasas twice this month and haven't ran into anything. I bet you have, and didn't know it. I'd probably stop going outside if I knew how many I've walked past without knowing it.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5262213
08/19/14 10:35 PM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,743
Mr Redneck
Extreme Tracker
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Extreme Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 3,743 |
I've heard that for every one you see that you walked by four that you didn't see.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5262986
08/20/14 04:42 AM
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Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 316
BigBucky2014
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 316 |
Get some chaps or boots. I agree it isn't worth the risk, especially this time of year. We killed a big one on our lease 2 weekends ago. Dove season is always an active time. We've killed big rattlers each of the past 2 years. My hunting buddies don't think much of it, but I wear my snake boots and my son wears chaps.
Good luck.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5263012
08/20/14 05:33 AM
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Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 607
Antler Addicts
Tracker
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Tracker
Joined: Dec 2013
Posts: 607 |
snake chaps are the best if walking through thorny brush like in south texas, but they are very hot.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Mr Redneck]
#5263036
08/20/14 09:00 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,913
Simple Searcher
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 11,913 |
I've heard that for every one you see that you walked by four that you didn't see. I bet it is more than that. I walked a yucca patch a while back that we were clearing, and we never saw a single snake. By the time the guys had finished clearing it, they had killed 10 rattlers. I can't imagine that they even saw them all. I have been told that there is a rattler per acre in our area. That field had more than that, as we only cleared 5 acres.
"Man is still a hunter, still a simple searcher after meat..." Robert C. Ruark
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5263074
08/20/14 11:18 AM
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Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,287
scalebuster
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 6,287 |
I think your more likely to get heat stroke wearing those chaps than you are to get snake bit. I have only had one friend bitten by a rattler and he was playing with it. I have come close several times and my son was struck on the boot last year. Almost every bird dog I had growing up got bitten. Every time they got it on the head. I had one dog bitten three times. the first time his head swelled up like a melon and I let him sleep in the kitchen for a week so I could take care of him. After the third time it hardly swelled up at all.
I think guards and boots are a good idea if your in the tall grass but there's no way I'd wear those chaps in this heat.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5263106
08/20/14 12:11 PM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,156
kry226
The General
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The General
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,156 |
I bet if we ask the boys that have been bitten, they would unanimously implore people to wear snake protection. I've had snake boots for a couple of years, but now that my family is joining me more for hunting, I got my wife her first pair this weekend, and the kids' youth chaps should arrive today. Wasn't there a toddler killed on a playground at Possum Kingdom a couple of years back? Why risk it? http://www.snakeboots.com/
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5263119
08/20/14 12:23 PM
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 11,657
colt45-90
Texas colt45
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Texas colt45
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 11,657 |
its mostly about temps, if the ground is shaded or not, in the heat of the day, they are going to looking for a cool shady spot, evenings they start moving. in this heat, boots, be careful stepping over logs etc.
hold on Newt, we got a runaway
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5263252
08/20/14 01:49 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,738
passthru
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,738 |
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5263903
08/20/14 08:09 PM
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Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 268
little nate
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 268 |
i dont go deer hunting with out them or at least where i hunt boots are you best chance mine go up to my knee
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5267946
08/23/14 11:03 AM
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,336
Dave Davidson
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,336 |
I've never heard about anyone but hunters wearing snake protection. Ever seen a landowner wearing snake boots or chaps? The darn things are hot and uncomfortable. I only wear jeans and either sneakers or low work boots. All landowners do. I own land and the snakes are there. I'm sure that more snakes see me than I see. I've come uncomfortably close a couple of times but have only found one aggressive rattler in the last 35 years of owning my own place. I don't sweat it.
I only kill them if they're around the house, tractors, etc. I have a mobile home, affectionately called my poor white trailer house, and it is under pinned. Due to the lack of mice and their droppings in the house, I'm betting that there is a rattle snake under there. It doesn't bother me. It's welcome to all the mice it wants. They also keep down the mice that chew wires on my equipment. I wish they would get more of the mice.
I've never PERSONALLY known anyone that has been snake bit. I know it happens but is pretty darn rare.
Last edited by Dave Davidson; 08/23/14 11:05 AM.
Without a sense of urgency, nothing ever happens.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5268585
08/23/14 09:31 PM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 236
Wisemd123
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 236 |
Oh ok cool, thanks! My main concern was trudging through a lot of really tall grass where I can't see where I'm stepping.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5269017
08/24/14 04:21 AM
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Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 301
deerdude2000
Bird Dog
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Bird Dog
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 301 |
I'm a rancher in Freer in deep south texas i don't wear snake boots or chaps. But i don't go walking through tall grass where i can't see!!!
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5272242
08/26/14 04:02 AM
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Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 166
texasbowhunter321
Woodsman
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Woodsman
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 166 |
After my last trip to east Texas, Yes I wear good boots with snake guards, and the same for the rest of the family.
I never saw so many cotton mouths and timber rattlers on one property before. It was in Red River county.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5272423
08/26/14 10:07 AM
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,336
Dave Davidson
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 8,336 |
Well said deerdude. Common sense beats armor every time.
Something to think about is that the snake can't regulate it's body temp. In warmer weather it will be in shade. When the temps drop some, it will be in the sun.
Without a sense of urgency, nothing ever happens.
Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5272438
08/26/14 10:46 AM
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,156
kry226
The General
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The General
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 12,156 |
Some these days might say armor is common sense. You just never know.
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Re: Are Rattlesnakes a real Threat?
[Re: Wisemd123]
#5273340
08/26/14 08:09 PM
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 12
bnoyle
Light Foot
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Light Foot
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 12 |
Wife got bit while 5 miles in to a 10 mile trail run in 2007. As you can imagine, getting your heart rate up around 155 and getting bit ain't the greatest thing. Earned her a helicopter ride, 2 weeks in ICU, 18 vials of anti-venom, and a 6 figure hospital bill. Boots for me...
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