Not your typical hunting

[lentz]

Went out yesterday with a good friend for a little rattlesnake hunting. He is a bird taxidermist but has also taken to mounting snakes. Here is the post that he put on a taxidermy site. Thought that you guys might want to take a look for something new.
Hey ya all, I went back agin to the den sites and check out another area that Ive been wanting to check. It was 64 degrees at 1430 hours and no wind. The other den locations that I have shared with you in the last 2 post were pretty unproductive, one had a gopher snake sunning himself the other have one small juvinile rattler....yawn....., so I decided to go to another draw a ways over that had a very good area of cliffs and rim rocks in it. I should have snapped a pic for you but I wasent too hopfull. When i hiked over to I found multiple snake skins all aound the area. This area had a long network of small caves, cracks and crevices throughout about a 1/8 mile long. All were a southern exposure so I got pretty excited.



Found this juvy right off the bat by almost kneeling on him while I was trying to look back in a cave, thank God he had a 1 rattle as he did his job and alerted me as I was kneeling down......... wheeeeew..... Thanks buddy I let him be. Found another gopher snake also.



Snakes arent the only dangers lurking in the cliffs, thank goodness it was cold

I kept looking in each hole and than jack pot, I found this big one. He is pushing high 30'S to 40. I grabbe dhim out and photo opped him.









As continued to look I found another one eye level in a hole but he was back in the rock and I wasnt able to hook it without hurting it so while I was trying to figure out how to get him out, he escape deeper into the cracks, another nice one missed. Soon after I was checking the base of the cliff network and there coiled in the leaves under a ledge was this one. I tonged him and got another photo opp.







Had alot fun and learned more about snaking at den sites, ive been told by my farmer freinds that they have another farmer up the road that is supposed to have a big den on his property, they said I can get access to it. If I do ill share more pics with you all.

[tracker]

Cool stuff but I just dont like those things. Had one hit me when I was 16. Fangs never made it through my boots but in the process I came close to shooting my foot off in the excitement!

[Twitchs_Tackle]

Great pics! Had a couple dens on the ranch I used to work on also. For some reason, they REALLY liked the well house. One afternoon we took 32 out of there after going to check the chlorine and

My uncle who does construction in the Owyhee country once took a scoop out of a den on accident with a backhoe, has a pic of snakes just spilling out of the bucket.

[duckboy]

Awesome photos.
really top notch

Please do not get bit.

[Mad Mikey]

Great pics, wow.

You actually go out and try to find snakes?

Good gawd Margaret!

Ugh.

Ugh.

That's all I can say.

Ugh.

those are some great photos!

[Incredible_Bulk]

Originally Posted by duckboy

Please do not get bit.

I appreciate being able to chat with you on Friday Nights...

[motcha]

Mee..... noooo.... likeyyyy.... snakeyyy....snakeyyyy.......


...now I have to go from my chair to the bed without touching the floor.........

[lentz]

Motcha...you not snake friendly? These were actually pretty "calm" considering the time of year and the temp. It still gets the blood pumping tho.

We use tongs and a snake stick. They go directly to a 5 gallon bucket with a very tight fitting lid and then off to the freezer. I'm sure that Jeremy will probably get the bigger one mounted up soon and then i will post pics of that.

[Don Fischer]

Those are some super photo's! If I took them they'd all be dead. Only thing I really got a phobia about is snakes. They make my skin crawl!

[thefishslayer]

buzz worms are pretty tasty

[Mr. BrownTrout]

I have been running around Southwest Idaho for the last 11 years and have yet to run into a rattlesnake.

[lentz]

Originally Posted by Mr. BrownTrout

I have been running around Southwest Idaho for the last 11 years and have yet to run into a rattlesnake.

Thats pretty common. I know alot of guys around this area that have done alot of chucker and pheasant hunting but have not encountered one yet. During the summer we drive roads and find them crossing or stopping to get some heat. This time of year they are staying pretty close to their den.

[Scrillznac]

That's pretty cool man. So far this year down here in Utah I've gotten 3. One of them had 11 rattles and a button. BIG snake......

[motcha]

Originally Posted by lentz

Motcha...you not snake friendly? These were actually pretty "calm" considering the time of year and the temp. It still gets the blood pumping tho.

We use tongs and a snake stick. They go directly to a 5 gallon bucket with a very tight fitting lid and then off to the freezer. I'm sure that Jeremy will probably get the bigger one mounted up soon and then i will post pics of that.

..... nope, no sir eeee...... I cannot stand to see them let alone be around them! Where were you at?? That way I can stear clear of the area....... or plant a big bomb!

[huntercgr]

Lentz, sounds like a blood raising good time. Great pics.

[lake creek charlie]

We got one up the burnt river canyon this year,8 rattles small one .In 1981 or2 (we call it the year of the snake) we hunted the same area we have hunted since 1957 and instead of 1 or 2 rattlers we killed 28 and we were not looking for them.One was 6 feet and had 22 rattles(ive got movie films).One was under my dads lawn chair when we stopped in camp for lunch.

[Basskit]

Originally Posted by motcha

..... nope, no sir eeee...... I cannot stand to see them let alone be around them! Where were you at?? That way I can stear clear of the area....... or plant a big bomb!

I'm with Motcha!!


Basskit

_____________________

Member OHA, Member RMEF, Life Member BASS

[nakoa]

i hate snakes

[KingSlew]

Great pics! Thanks!

[shadowstalker]

I'm sure you are a nice guy and all; but I have to ask: ARE YOU NUTS???

[nevermiss]

Many was the time some friends and I would head to certain areas in AZ we knew had rattlers. We'd catch 'em, skin and gut 'em , then COOK 'EM! Very good eating. Now that I once more have a hunting dog I have to watch out for his sake.
I once caught one in Jackson county almost 6 feet long. (I should say, shot one.)

[mr_bones4]

You're crazy...

[hawgcatcher]

Had an uncle that worked on the John Day Dam when they were building it. He told me that during a cold period, that his dozer was working on the bank near the river. He sheared off a rock cropping and there was a den of snakes. He never saw so many. The workers killed over a hundred and there were still many that made it off into the rocks. After that everyone was careful. Before that, they didn't think there were that many around. He was working on the Washington side but he felt there were some on the Oregon side.

I have seen them along the Deschutes and the Rogue. When I was in the Air Force in Spokane, we would see them along the river and the lakes, but not a lot.

[lentz]

Originally Posted by shadowstalker

I'm sure you are a nice guy and all; but I have to ask: ARE YOU NUTS???

I've been told that a time or two.

[lentz]

Originally Posted by hawgcatcher

Had an uncle that worked on the John Day Dam when they were building it. He told me that during a cold period, that his dozer was working on the bank near the river. He sheared off a rock cropping and there was a den of snakes. He never saw so many. The workers killed over a hundred and there were still many that made it off into the rocks. After that everyone was careful. Before that, they didn't think there were that many around. He was working on the Washington side but he felt there were some on the Oregon side.

I have seen them along the Deschutes and the Rogue. When I was in the Air Force in Spokane, we would see them along the river and the lakes, but not a lot.

Sounds like he hit a big den...the mother load.

[blacktail hunter]

i was out momday and found a nice rubber boa.

[Uplanders]

Originally Posted by blacktail hunter

i was out momday and found a nice rubber boa.

Sweet find, did you keep him? They make some of the best pets as far as a snake goes, they are very docile. I found one 3 years back antelope huntung out of Paulina, I brought homr to my 3 girls and we kept him for over a year. We named him Herbie. How big was he?

[Uplanders]

Originally Posted by Scrillznac

That's pretty cool man. So far this year down here in Utah I've gotten 3. One of them had 11 rattles and a button. BIG snake......

Thats cool, do you know what species they were?

[sliverpicker]

A couple of those would look so awesome on the back of one of my bows!

[PacificPointer]

A friend of mine did some R-snake hunting down around Creswell along a certain ridge/hill cant remember. The snakes were sm-med 12"-24" and dark.

Growing up in San Diego when my parents bought our house there was a bottle with a nest of baby rattlers packed and pickled. And in the spring of the year there were times when they were under everything. They like to lay along the corner of the tread and riser on the steps.

One time while swimmmng in at Box Canyon in La Costa Ca, I was floting on a sawed off surfboard and there was a rock sticking 8" out of the water just enough for a snake to wrap around and get out. It was up againt the wall of the canyon and I yelled "snake" as it rattled and my uncle found a empty beer bottle and proceeded to hit it and the snake dived into the water 2' from me ..................................

[jacobp]

Those are some awesome pictures. You did a great job getting some cool shots.

[Uplanders]

Originally Posted by jacobp

Those are some awesome pictures. You did a great job getting some cool shots.

Thanks if Lentz and I get to the other den this year, ill take more and post them on here for you all.