Rapid rise in rattlesnakes debated

San Diego Union Tribune Sign On San Diego.com ^ | 6-19-05 | Mike Lee

[nuke rocketeer]

"Either way, commonly cited rattlesnake bite statistics are reassuring: More than half of the victims are young men trying to show off their snake-handling skills while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, say park officials and snakebite specialists."

Hey, hold my beer and watch this!

[Bear_Slayer]

More than half of the victims are young men trying to show off their snake-handling skills while under the influence of drugs or alcohol

Two out of the three incidents I know of personally, involved drugs. Two stoners showing off there pet rattlesnakes.

[sticker]

I ran across one during bow season, that was fun, NOT!!!!!!!

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Here is a baby Texas Rattler! Florida Rattlers ain't what they used to be, the tourists have run over all the big ones!

[Red Badger]

More rats = more snakes.......

[Ditter]

Uh........ did I mention, I HATE SNAKES, especially rattlesnakes?

Do you remember the cartoon B.C.? My husband used to call me "the fat babe" because she had the club and was always hitting the snake. Difference was the ones I hit didn't live to crawl away.

[Freebird Forever]

My big dog is a snake killer!

My first job after finishing college was managing a cow calf operation in Central Texas. The ranch had 10 or 11 semi-feral cats which would do the same thing. It was like watching ballet seeing the way those felines would gang up upon, then taunt and distract the snake until one could get a kill shot.

The only time I ever saw cats earn their keep.

[myprecious]

The only time I ever saw cats earn their keep.

Now I know how I can justify the house cats to my husband. See, honey, at least we don't have snakes in the kitchen......

I will have to work on that.

[Freebird Forever]

Now I know how I can justify the house cats to my husband. See, honey, at least we don't have snakes in the kitchen......

Bear in mind, these weren't house cats. If they didn't kill their own dinner they didn't eat.

[myprecious]

I guess that cricket that was savagely hunted down does not count.....

[martin_fierro]

When Life gives you rattlesnakes...

[Tijeras_Slim]

My preference...

[Constitution Day]

I remember the TV commercial for this giving me nightmares when I was a kid.
Snakes were coming out of the faucet, or something.

[ApplegateRanch]

"We are seeing rattlesnakes everywhere in the county this year, and they are very aggressive,"

That is a vile canard.

Like grizzly bears, wolves, mountain lions, and great white sharks, they will only bite you as a last resort, if you corner and attack them. They will do everything in their power to avoid nasty, marauding humans.

How do I know?

An envirowhacko told me so!

[martin_fierro]

Allow me to add to your list of Angst:

[martin_fierro]

Yeah, but to get your holster, you had to first shoot the snake with the enclosed pistol.

To get my boots, I had to stomp the rattler with my sandals.

I'd rather not talk about my rattlesnake skin codpiece.

[1Old Pro]

I hate snakes

[mad_as_he$$]

Well if the Mohave Rattler lives as far South as SD I can see why people are concerned. Those snakes are born pissed and don't back down. As I recall their venom is nastier than the regular western rattler.

[tiki]

I always joke that I have seen very few rattlesnakes. That is because I'm always preoccupied and I forget to pay attention. The only time I see them is when I walk right up on them and they rattle. So I'm sure their goal is not to bite me but I don't like them anyway.

My husband has had encounters with thousands of them in his outdoor life and has only been hit by a rattler once, it hit at the top of his boot and so caused no harm but he didn't live to strike again, very few of the snakes he encounters live to see another day.

[Tijeras_Slim]

To get my boots, I had to stomp the rattler with my sandals.

Do that wrong and its called "The Last Hurrache".