They are out and about

[BSK]

We see them pretty frequently, especially around the tall-grass powerline right-of-ways.

 

[tellico4x4]

Two for me so far this summer at camp. One with 7 & other with 13 rattles

 

[Willysman]

Had one strike at me one morning while turkey hunting on the South Cherokee. Temperature was cold enough that he wasn't very active and just barely touched my pant leg. Very nerve racking. Carried a pager for work at that time. Later in the day the pager starting buzzing. I found out a man can jump 6 foot straight up.

 

[redblood]

I would have had to caught him. Its on my list, ive only seen one in my life.

 

[redblood]

Sorry but one that close to where I'm moving around would have to die. I don't want to encounter him in the dark. Besides, you can eat them and still have a nice hatband.

They are protected i do believe

 

[JCDEERMAN]

Had one strike at me one morning while turkey hunting on the South Cherokee. Temperature was cold enough that he wasn't very active and just barely touched my pant leg. Very nerve racking. Carried a pager for work at that time. Later in the day the pager starting buzzing. I found out a man can jump 6 foot straight up.

I would have been 10 feet up in the air

 

[Hillbilly Hunter]

I haven't seen one here in 12-14 years.

 

[BSK]

Had one strike at me one morning while turkey hunting on the South Cherokee. Temperature was cold enough that he wasn't very active and just barely touched my pant leg. Very nerve racking. Carried a pager for work at that time. Later in the day the pager starting buzzing. I found out a man can jump 6 foot straight up.

Wait until you actually do get bitten. You CAN jump very high. And scream very loud!

 

[OffHand85]

I'm glad those come with warnings systems!
opeming gun season a few years ago my dad and I followed this swamp, lined up and down the bank were copperheads and cottonmouths coiled up frozen from the cold front that moved in fast, sunrise it was in the 60s then around 11 temp was rapidly falling. One of the craziest things I've ever seen hunting!

 

[portugeejn]

Sorry but one that close to where I'm moving around would have to die. I don't want to encounter him in the dark. Besides, you can eat them and still have a nice hatband.

Or if it was long enough, or you got another, a good backing for a traditional bow…

 

[Wildcat]

Walking my dog last week I had 2 copperheads in my front yard.

 

[iowavf]

They are protected i do believe

Well it would've been an accident of course.

 

[jag1]

Reminds me of a time years ago when I was mountain biking up in south Cherokee and I saw a rattlesnake stretched out across the trail. I stopped and got off my bike just to check it out. The snake was extremely docile and just stayed where it was doing nothing. Then I get the bright idea that it would be cool to have a "rattle" for a ringtone (this was in the flip phone day's) so I commence to find two sticks, one forked to hold my phone and another to poke the snake. I was really surprised to see just how much poking it took to aggravate the snake. It finally coiled up into striking position but wouldn't rattle so I poked harder and it finally started to sound off. I was holding my phone in the forked stick and recording the sound. I'd play it back and was dissatisfied with the sound quality and I'd repeat the process with the same results. The snake never crawled off but was becoming extremely agitated! I finally told myself, dude, your in the middle of nowhere on a Wednesday and haven't seen a soul all day and intentionally trying to piss off a rattlesnake for a cool ringtone. I got back on my bike and me and the snake went our separate ways unharmed. Lol

In another life, I was a park ranger out in California for a summer. We had a species there called the Pacific rattlesnake, as I remember. Saw several that summer and like you, wanted to hear one rattle. The first one, I didn't mess with & he didn't rattle. The 2nd, I sort of shooed him out of the parking lot into the brush using a shovel. He never rattled once until he got into the brush and I gave him a poke. He curled up & started rattling quicker than a heartbeat. It was pretty awesome!

 

[7mm08]

Reminds me of a time years ago when I was mountain biking up in south Cherokee and I saw a rattlesnake stretched out across the trail. I stopped and got off my bike just to check it out. The snake was extremely docile and just stayed where it was doing nothing. Then I get the bright idea that it would be cool to have a "rattle" for a ringtone (this was in the flip phone day's) so I commence to find two sticks, one forked to hold my phone and another to poke the snake. I was really surprised to see just how much poking it took to aggravate the snake. It finally coiled up into striking position but wouldn't rattle so I poked harder and it finally started to sound off. I was holding my phone in the forked stick and recording the sound. I'd play it back and was dissatisfied with the sound quality and I'd repeat the process with the same results. The snake never crawled off but was becoming extremely agitated! I finally told myself, dude, your in the middle of nowhere on a Wednesday and haven't seen a soul all day and intentionally trying to piss off a rattlesnake for a cool ringtone. I got back on my bike and me and the snake went our separate ways unharmed. Lol

Are you from Alabama originally? The state with the most venomous snake bites. " watch Chis"!

 

[Tom Collins]

Beautiful and vital creatures. You're 6 times more likely to be killed by a lightning strike than a rattlesnake. No sense in killing them, plus it's illegal.

 

[Tom Collins]

Many times I've smelled rattlers before even seeing them. Very strong and distinct smell that comes from their glands around their tail.

 

[Knothead]

Many times I've smelled rattlers before even seeing them. Very strong and distinct smell that comes from their glands around their tail.

I've heard of smelling a cottonmouth ( and I've smelled a few myself before ever seeing them), but I've never heard of smelling a rattlesnake. Cottonmouths have that nasty "muddy vinegar" smell. What do rattlers smell like? Caught many snakes in my younger and dumber days. Last one was a timber rattler with 13 rattlers and a button. Measured 8 1/2" in diameter and 6'2" long. That was 10 years ago and will be my last one. I'm done.

 

[Planking]

I interrupred one's dinner a couple of weeks ago. There was a rat that ran in front of me right before i saw it.