Posted on 10/17/2017 5:08:54 AM PDT by w1n1
this is why you should own a pair of snake boots in Texas Rattlesnakes are no joke, especially when they grow to this size. This hunter was just a few inches away from having a really bad day when he spotted this incredible snake around Zapata, Texas.
Luckily, he spotted what lay ahead right before things were about to go down. The rattlesnake never even rattled, but he happened to spot it when he was a step away. And good thing he did, because it looks like it could have done some damage.
At almost 6 foot an 7 inches, the giant rattlesnake had 20 buttons on its rattler. A sure sign that this was no young pup of a snake. Safe to say this hunter wished he would have used those 20 buttons to give him some what of a warning that he was near. See this huge rattlesnake video here.
Now if they had named the town Zapada because you need tall boots and he wasn’t wearing them, and was bitten, Irony would be the word.
Everything’s bigger in TEXAS!....................
Kitty...Kitty!
Good Eating?
When I was 12 me and a friend when frog gigging one night. My daddy said “Son, whatever you do, do NOT gig a snake.”. First snake I saw I couldn’t resist. I gig a cotton mouth. Of Course, it didn’t kill it and we couldn’t get it off the hook. We couldn’t find a stick so we beat it to death with the frog stringer. The frog hunt was over for the night.
*** “My daddy said Son, whatever you do, do NOT gig a snake.***
I used to give my Son those bits of wisdom... when he was little he would ask “Why?”
When he got a little older it was “How do you know” and a grin.
Do you mean the large Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge north of Lago Vista, or one of the tracts of wild, undeveloped land belonging to the unrelated Balcones Canyonlands Preserve system in Travis County? We live next to one of the latter. We hear coyotes and occasional turkeys at night, have found a rattlesnake in our garage, a copperhead in our yard, coral snakes in neighbors' swimming pools, and neighborhood dogs bitten by rattlesnakes. Like you, we've had scorpions in our house (I once found one in the hair on my head).
I have to ask: Do you think cats keep them away? I’ve got rural Texas land with feral cats. Have seen one snake (bull snake) in 6 years.
Cut the head off about 6 inches back just to make sure you don't get any of the venom. Skin and gut it. Chop it into about 6 inch chunks. Dip into an egg mixture and then into a cornmeal mixture. Fry in oil.
Hey! That snake does not have a blown off head. Are you crazy?
Yes, cats are great hunters. Mine aren’t feral (were but not so much now) so they bring me live wiggly presents several times a day - snakes, squirrels, lizards, salamanders, bugs, birds, mice, etc. Try to keep them around. Give them a water source and they’ll kept the varmint population down.
One morning, when I was a kid, the neighbor drove up honking like it was an emergency. We all ran out and he proudly showed off a big rattlesnake he’d shot. When he shot, lots of something flew hitting him in the body and face. Apparently, the snake was giving birth and little snakes came flying out at him. He put all he could find in the truck bed. That’s something I’ll never forget.
Yummy!
Snake Boots and Chaps are a must here in Texas .....
~~~~~~~~~~
If it had been me, I would've backed off and used that scoped, suppressed AR rifle at lower left to decap the "snattlerake". (I copied the photo into post-processing software, and used a "shadow illumination" adjustment on it...)
It's also cool that the handgun was suppressed, too. My guess is the guy was cat hunting, and just bumbled onto the snake...
IIRC, suppressors for hunting are legal in Texas.
Not a bobcat; too much tail...
Well, that’s what I thought but I have no real clue. So, what ... still a mystery to me.
He said he was looking for a coyote he’d shot.
Seen my share of 6+ ft eastern d-backs. They are impressive, but its the tiny ones that worried me - aggressive and very venemous.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.