Snake hunters?

huntinaz

huntinaz

New member
Anybody hunt snakes in the summer? I'm in Tucson AZ and supposedly ratttlesnakes are abundant and good eating. I like hiking and hunting so this seems like a good deal for me. Also I basically dislike snakes. Anybody have any tips on where to find them? I have done A LOT of hiking in AZ and have seen only a handful of snakes. I want to increase my odds. Thanks for any advice.
 
I rattlesnake hunt all the time in the Spring.Ya'll got western diamondbacks,mojave rattlesnakes,blacktailed rattlers and maybe a few other species of rattlesnake in Arizona but I aint sure.Rocky outcrops are where I would start lookin for them cause thats where they den up.Dont wait until summer to start lookin for them because once it warms up they aint gonna be in their dens their gonna be spread out and harder to find.If you find a den of rattlers there is gonna be alot more than one so be ready to have some fun or get the everlivin scared out of ya or both.I know Western Diamondbacks den up in big groups but I dont think Mojave Rattlers do that as much and they probably dont live in the same habitat as the Diamondbacks either but I dont know for sure.My guess is that their probably more likely to be on the flat stuff near cactus and whatever other plants ya'll got there but I havent ever looked for those before so its hard tellin.
I would check the regulations and make sure none of the snakes are protected before you start killin them or whatever.Blacktailed rattlers might be but I cant really say they are for sure.Just to be on the safe side I'd check anyway.
Oh and you really might want to get some snake boots if you dont have any already.They tend to catch you by suprise sometimes. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Well I hope I helped ya out a little,have fun and be sure to post pics when you find a few. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
When my brother and I were kids in Az, we would hop on our mini bikes and and ride the roads where the border patrol dragged tires to smooth out old tracks. That made snake hunting very easy. When we found a fresh track in the sand, crossing the road, we'd follow it right to the snake.
ETA: I killed a 3 1/2 froot rattler in the shop at work Monday. It was on a shelf, shoulder high, coiled up. They're starting to stir here.
 
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Having lived in AZ for about 8 years I've never seen a buzz tail in the wild. With all of the hunting and 4 wheeling that I do. I have seen them in neighborhoods but that's it. I never seem to pay attention when I'm out in the field. Maybe this year I'll even get a pair of snake boots and really look for them.


John
 
Here in Ky we have a few timber rattlers but they are not commen.. The most commen venomous snake would be the copperhead or cotton mouth.. I once opened a well top that did'nt look that old from the outside, it had obviously been grouted as you could see the old original bricks inside the well..
The well was full of crickets & I had a metal rod about 3' long I had previously used to turn rocks over in the field while arrow head hunting.. I was rakeing the crickets off the wall of the well with the rod, when I seen something move, a closer look revealed the cracks in the old bricks of the well was just full of copperheads! I have always wondered if the venom is sellable??
 
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Find some rock piles pour a litttle gas down in them and stand back for the fun!!



Thats an expensive way to hunt them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
And probably not legal.I know the snake hunters at the Waynoka Rattlesnake Roundup arent supposed to use gas to get rattlers out of the dens but Im shure they still do.It might be different in Texas though. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif

I know where a few dens are but we mostly just hunt them in prairie dog towns.It took us a while to figure out how to get them out of the holes.Sometimes we could get them out with a long stick and other times we had to dig them out.One time we were out lookin around and all the sudden we heard one so we looked around for it but couldnt see it anywere.The sound was kinda muffled a little bit and when I looked down I spotted the rattlesnake.Luckily only its head was stickin out of a kangaroo rat hole but it was about two inches from my left foot.I jumped back and shot it in the head and it fell down the hole.I wanted to keep the skin so we headed back to the house and got a shovel and went back out and started diggin.We got down to where we could see some of the snakes body and poked it with a stick and to our suprise it was pretty much alive....and mad.Luckily we had dug down deep enough that it couldnt climb out and I busted it in the head for real that time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
The same day my rattlesnake huntin buddy shot another big rattler and it fell down a prairie dog hole.He was tired of diggin so we just decided to leave it there.The next day we walked out there and it was layin on the outside of the hole with its head missin.I guess a prairie dog was tired of it stinkin up its house and drug it out. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Coyote#1-Im sure the venom is worth some money but Im not sure how you'd go about selling it.My guess is that the best way is to catch them and sell them and you might be able to get some money that way.You could also kill em' and sell their hides.Some people decorate long bows with dryed snake skins and I heard that copperheads are worth the most.A guy my uncle talked to buys them from people and he said that he would pay $45 for a single copperhead skin but unfortunetly they dont live in my part of Oklahoma so that dont me much good.
You might think about goin back and gettin those copperheads.I know I would. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
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Pour gas and wait helll pour gas and light it. Only good snake is a dead snake. I hate then suckers. They dont bother me any just hate them. They all ways seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time all ways get you by suprise. Well i have a suprise for the 357 with bird shot loaded in it. Makes a pretty good mess of those puppys.
 
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Having lived in AZ for about 8 years I've never seen a buzz tail in the wild. With all of the hunting and 4 wheeling that I do. I have seen them in neighborhoods but that's it. I never seem to pay attention when I'm out in the field. Maybe this year I'll even get a pair of snake boots and really look for them.
John



That is incredible. Last season I bet I stepped within 3 feet of 5 and saw probably close to 15. Andrew and Tyler were with me on several of those. When I get ready to stand next to a tree or sit beside a bush I ALWAYS look down in the slight shade the tree/bush provides and have found many snakes coiled up.
 
You guys would have a blast here.I saw over 200 snakes last year.I saw over 50 of them in 3 days.Mostly little ones so I let alot of them go.I killed one a little over 4 foot long and had 10 buttons though which is the best one I've ever gotten.
Thats a baby compared to the snakes ya'll got in Arizona though.Im pretty jealous of you guys.
 
I would say bring a anti venom kit, take a friend, and tell the hospital what you doing, so incase of a accident you will have people ready.
 
it is VERY illegal to pour gasoline or other solvents on the ground...
better watch that stuff
it is a federally punishable crime with fines and imprisonment attached (EVEN ON PRIVATE PROPERTY)
the laws are enforced by the epa
fat chance they would ever catch you but...
a felony crime also will affect your gun ownership

good luck catchin snakes if that is your thing
hunt down a herpatologist in your area (ask your vet where to find these folks)
they love to take newbies along
they get a big kick out of it
they can also lead you to places that purchase the milkings

guero
 
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good luck catchin snakes if that is your thing



No, I am going to shoot them and eat them. I have no use for live rattlesnakes myself.
 
I used to hunt them yearly. Wait until Monsoon season then head out to Willow Springs road right after a good rain and run the first three miles of that ranch road. We used to average about six or eight a night. They are delicious. I pound them both sides with a tenderizing hammer ( after filleting them), then dip in an egg wash and coat them with a good butter cracker ground up. Sautee in butter and enjoy. Email me if you need more info...
 
Huntinaz,
I was going to try eating one until this happened. Hit him with 357 Mag. in neck. Was coiled up to strike at the time. Bullet went thru neck and thru middle of body. When I picked it up, I thought it was some guts hanging out the big hole so I shook it out and that rat fell out. Was hardly digested. Snake was Timber Rattler 52 inches. Rat was about 6 inches. Lost my appetite for snake right there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif


IMG_1053_0001.jpg
Picture274.jpg


This was the head to that one. Fangs were about 9/16 inches long.
 
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