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Nightmares: Wyo Angler Reminds Public That Rattlesnakes Swim In Lakes, Reservoirs
https://cowboystatedaily.com ^ | July 20, 2022 | By Clair McFarland, Cowboy State Daily

Posted on 07/25/2022 5:08:24 AM PDT by Red Badger

When a rattlesnake glided across the lake Sunday to visit a Wyoming fisherman, the fisherman wasn’t flattered.

Patrick Edwards, avid fisherman and voice of Radcast Outdoors, recorded a video Sunday evening of a rattlesnake slithering toward him across the surface of Boysen Reservoir. He’d been fishing for Walleye with two of his four children – an 8-year-old and 12-year-old – and with his father and his wife’s grandfather.

“This is not what you want to see when you go fishing,” said Edwards in the video. “That is a big’n… and he’s wanting to come hang out while I am fishing. Not very cool.”

Edwards posted the video to one of his Facebook pages and was surprised when it was linked by photography profile Wyoming Through the Lens – and went viral.

VIDEO AT LINK...............

About half the people responding to the post were shocked that rattlesnakes would swim across the lake, said Edwards. But he’s been seeing it all his life.

“They actually cross Boysen all the time. I’ve seen it probably 20 times at least on Boysen, I’ve seen it on the Seminoe Reservoir down by Sinclair, the Glendo Reservoir… Flaming Gorge,” he said. “They’re not afraid to get in the water.”

About 20 years ago, a rattler tried slithering into the boat while Edwards and his dad fished.

Edwards said the rattlers often will cross the lake when the water is warmest in the early evening, but even then they need a moment to recover their body heat when they hit the bank.

When Edwards’ video reached the sand 10 yards away from him, he thought the snake would relax for a few minutes. But the snake recovered quickly.

“He sat there for a minute and he started to slither toward me,” said Edwards, recounting what happened after he stopped recording. “I thought ‘Oh crap – I don’t want you over here.’”

Edwards threw a few rocks toward the snake and it meandered the other direction.

Second Rattler

But that was only the first rattler of the evening.

The family discovered a second snake by accident while ambling toward their truck in the half-dark of evening, about 9:30.

Edwards came within five feet of the rattlesnake, and it let him know.

“He started rattling really loud.”

The family avoided the snake as they got into their truck and left. That incident concerned Edwards because unlike the earlier snake encounter, it was a complete surprise.

“I’ve always been terrified of snakes, so that was not helpful.”

‘The Ones You Can’t See’

Edwards said his children handled the shock fine, since they’d seen other rattlesnakes on the family farm earlier this year.

“It’s the ones you can’t see that you’ve got to worry about,” he said, adding that many people have approached him since he made the viral post, and have told him they paddleboard and play in the lake water.

Edwards tells those people to pay close attention to what’s in the water, watch for graceful serpentine movement. And paddle away.

“I always worry about people who are waterskiing,” Edwards said. “You can run over a rattlesnake.”

Non-venomous bull snakes and many other breeds also swim in lakes, but the rattlesnake has a flatter, broader head and can be identified by its rattles as well.


TOPICS: Food; Outdoors; Pets/Animals; Travel
KEYWORDS: angler; rattlesnake; wyoming
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To: Red Badger

If you kill a rattlesnake, will the eco-nutcases have you thrown in jail and fined?


21 posted on 07/25/2022 6:24:01 AM PDT by Savage Beast (The American People DESPISE the corrupt US elite and their corruption of the US government!)
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To: Savage Beast

If they can.


22 posted on 07/25/2022 6:24:48 AM PDT by sport
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To: Savage Beast

Only if you kill the two-legged kind......................


23 posted on 07/25/2022 6:25:19 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger
I'd never thought about them swimming before I saw one crossing a creek near where I live. Grew up miles from any water bodies but plenty of snakes.

Carried one out of my shop this past Friday. I'd offered it a hot beverage but it was rejected so I dispatched him and went into the house and spent a while cooling down and lowering my heart rate. Not the first of the hated critters in my shop; it's a wonder I get any work done in there.

24 posted on 07/25/2022 6:25:36 AM PDT by Dust in the Wind (Drill, Drill, Drill then refine it.)
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To: Dust in the Wind

When I was a kid way back in the 60’s, I was playing ‘Batman’ and under the above-grade house was my ‘Batcave’.

I had been under there for a while, and accidentally kicked an old stovepipe.

It felt oddly heavy since I knew what one was and how much it was supposed to weigh.

I crawled around to look into the end of it and came face to face with a COPPERHEAD!.....................


25 posted on 07/25/2022 6:33:09 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger
Whoa!! I don't go out of my way to hunt them but I've all my life end gamed all rattlers in close proximity to my living space.
I've had weird dreams the past few nights.
26 posted on 07/25/2022 6:40:24 AM PDT by Dust in the Wind (Drill, Drill, Drill then refine it.)
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To: Red Badger

Fishing in deep south Georgia when I was growing up, we always took a shotgun in the boat with us just for this reason. We mainly saw copperheads, never a rattler.


27 posted on 07/25/2022 7:15:56 AM PDT by Midwesterner53
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To: Dust in the Wind

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fkaldvt3EOw


28 posted on 07/25/2022 7:18:37 AM PDT by 4 Libertys sake (Fighting the good fight against enemies, domestic and unrepentant!!!)
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To: Red Badger

One place I like those 410 shotgun shell pistols (like the Governor) is in a boat. They are great snake guns.


29 posted on 07/25/2022 7:22:47 AM PDT by circlecity
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To: Red Badger

Is this a true story?


30 posted on 07/25/2022 7:36:04 AM PDT by NetAddicted (Just looking)
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To: NetAddicted

Which one?...........🤣😂😉..........................


31 posted on 07/25/2022 7:39:01 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger
half the people responding to the post were shocked that rattlesnakes would swim across the lake

There's a protected nest in the Adirondacks. The rattlers swim across Lake George and are often found on the Islands.

32 posted on 07/25/2022 7:43:07 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: bert
I don’t know what happened to the rattlesnake

He died, from laughter.

33 posted on 07/25/2022 7:46:27 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: 1Old Pro

34 posted on 07/25/2022 7:47:55 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger

Were Liz Cheney and Kinzinger swimming, too?


35 posted on 07/25/2022 7:53:50 AM PDT by Night Hides Not (Remember the Alamo! Remember Goliad! Remember Gonzales! Come and Take It!)
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To: Psalm 73

Yes, most snakes can swim. Scary to watch Cobras do it.


36 posted on 07/25/2022 8:13:19 AM PDT by Socon-Econ (adi)
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To: 4 Libertys sake

LOL


37 posted on 07/25/2022 8:30:56 AM PDT by Dust in the Wind (Drill, Drill, Drill then refine it.)
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To: bert

Myself and another person were going fishing in my 17-foot canoe once, and we picked up the vessel and carried it over our heads. We strapped it on top of the car and drove to the lake, and when we took it off the car and turned it over there was a snake in it. Fortunately it wan’t poisonous. I had a friend in Louisiana who lifted his stringer of fish into his boat and there was a cottonmouth hanging onto a fish. It bit him. I’m not sure how he got it out of the boat.


38 posted on 07/25/2022 9:16:39 AM PDT by girlangler (Fish Fear Me)
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To: Socon-Econ
"Yes, most snakes can swim."

Grew up down south - nothing ruins a hazy, hot, humid day at the swimmin' hole than the sight of a few snakes in the water.

39 posted on 07/25/2022 9:48:03 AM PDT by Psalm 73 ("You'll never hear surf music again" - J. Hendrix)
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To: Midwesterner53

Shotgun will sink a boat real quick.😁


40 posted on 07/25/2022 9:50:08 AM PDT by BiteYourSelf ( Earth first we'll strip mine the other planets later.)
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