Rattle Snake

[Ken Jones]

I fishing partner and I was heading to the Mountain Man lodge after crappie and channel cat. We came across this snake and he killed it. I have the rattle snakes buttons at home. 9 Buttons. We caught over a hundred crappie. Plus we caught half a gunny sack of catfish. That was a overnight trip.

[Luke77]

Did your buddy say why he killed the snake?

[poppop]

That reminds me of fishing on Tuckertown Lake many years ago...Me, my wife and young daughter used to park at the end at Ellis Creek and hike down the railroad tracks about a mile and fish off the train trussel close to the main channel. One evening it was about dusk dark as we headed out and we met this guy carrying what I though was a golf club. We stopped and spoke with him, it was one of those snake catching sticks that looks like a putter. I asked him what he was doing, he said "oh the rattlesnakes comes out of the rocks and lay on the warm tracks after the sun does down". He went on to tell how many he had caught in the last few days on the tracks. Needless to say that was a long ways back to the truck that evening....and I have never walked down those tracks again. And that area is rattlesnake country.

[joejv4]

Did your buddy say why he killed the snake?

My guess would be because it's a snake and he's like me - don't like snakes.

[ejones1961]

My guess would be because it's a snake and he's like me - don't like snakes.

That would be my excuse too.

[LMBarnett]

That would be my excuse too.

But I don't like people...

[joejv4]

But I don't like people...

LOL!!! Might find that to be a problem!

[IndianPaintbrush]

LOL!!! Might find that to be a problem!

I leave snakes alone, they keep the more noxious vermin down! That holds for rattlers.

When I was a youth, rattlers were a problem in the "pot holes" of Western Washington (mostly trout). The way in went up/down over lava flats and extrusions, and it was easy to put your hand/foot near a rattler. For mutual safety, fishermen killed the rattlers, and out of ignorance a lot of other snakes.

I know of no North American snake that can survive an encounter with a fisherman with a fishing pole.

[GRIZZ]

You have to be careful. There are places where its illegal to kill snakes. I once killed a large rattler camped out in the middle of a rock pile on a trail in the blue ridge mountains. I later told a ranger and he informed me there was a $500 fine for killing snakes there, but he cut me some slack because I was just trying to make the trail safer for others and i didn't know. Knowing todays law enforcement, they would probably have arrested me. Anyways, be careful who you tell.

[Wiskers]

You have to be careful. There are places where its illegal to kill snakes.

Some of yall know about me and snakes (camper story)! If a snake bites me he's gonna have to bite me in the butt cause that's what he's gonna be see'n. I'm gonna be headed the other way and if he there when I get back... I'll pay a fine. :D