In Defense of Rattlesnakes

Townhall.com ^ | February 28, 2016 | Steve Chapman

[Hugin]

You are right, a yellow-bellied water snake it is!

[DoughtyOne]

[DrJeff]

I've been to Sweetwater for the roundup - it's a good time, like a fair. There is a midway, tons of food booths, beer/brauts/funnel cakes, shopping, games. Town is packed getting to the coliseum. If you're headed out west - it's just outside of Abilene. The Jaycees run the show and the funds go for a good cause.

Couple pics from last year's roundup

[cpdiii]

I have them on my place. I do not kill them unless they are close to the house. They can kill my dogs.

[Nuc 1.1]

It’s a fat finger steak. ;D)

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

She is fixing to be mean to that poor snake.

[polymuser]

The rattlesnake was very nearly our national animal symbol. As on the Gadsden flag.

Leave them alone, no problem. Mess with them, you have a problem.

[Ditter]

I know better, some of them are copperheads, water moccasins and coral snakes and I have killed all of those in my yard.

[yarddog]

They have a rattlesnake rodeo in Opp, Alabama every year.

It is a pretty big event.

[mrpotatohead]

The rattlesnakes are milked, skinned and eaten. They’ve done this for years, yet the snake population stays the same if not higher.

It wouldn’t bother me if they killed them all. I know I do my part killing every rattler I see in the field.

[TXnMA]

Noticed that, did ya? '-)

Knew that wasn't a rattler -- my trigger finger didn't twitch reflexively when I saw it...

[ridesthemiles]

There is a species of rattlesnake in the Mojave Desert & adjacent areas called the ‘Mojave Green’.

THEY WILL COME AFTER YOU——Been there —had that experience. Seen plenty of diamondback rattlers when riding, but the Mojave Green is very aggressive. Was coming UPHILL on a fire road as fast as it could—turned around & trotted away from it.

[central_va]

Copperheads are not aggressive when alone. The problem is when you see one there are probably 10 more nearby. You could accidentally step on one while backing away form another one.

[tacticalogic]

Copperheads are not aggressive when alone. The problem is when you see one there are probably 10 more nearby. You could accidentally step on one while backing away form another one.

I have only seen an occasional copperhead on my property. Might have something to do with the salt-and-pepper king snakes I see more frequently.

[Cen-Tejas]

ditto!

As a kid of about 10 years old, we lived in the country and bought a pure bred beagle for me to go hunt rabbits with. Six months later, he got bit and died after several hours of suffering.

So, we bought another one a year later. Same thing. After that, I didn’t like rattlesnakes and have killed scores of them in my half century plus on this earth.

[Cen-Tejas]

............on copperheads, I always told my young kids “don’t worry about the one you see, worry about the one you don’t see............they ALWAYS travel in pairs”!

[central_va]

In cool weather copperheads are VERY lethargic. I’ve never seen one make a sudden move or get excited.

[Salamander]

Nah.

Gonna make it a pet and put a hat on it.

[Salamander]

This snake does not seem to be enjoying the festivities, over much.

How would you react if somebody was sewing dog and cat mouths shut for a "good cause"?

[Twinkie]

Rattlesnakes warn you before they strike. We’ve got
copperheads & rattlesnakes out here. Coppers won’t warn
you. If the Jihadists come out crawling through these
woods, they’ll be in for a surprise. - Not that we have
planted snakes out here; they came with the place.