They sure wouldn't be tall enough. They can strike 2/3 of their body length in height.





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That's pretty much what I was thinking. Also, with that much mass I would think a snake that big could almost break a leg, certainly knock someone down. And the amount of venom....

who is the comedian that said

"the next time someone says doesn't that taste like chicken, it damn well better be chicken" :corn:

I believe good snake boots would turn the bite, and unless the snake was on top of a mound or bush or something then tall enough. I have seen many dogs cattle and people and horses snake bit, and very rarely see a bite above about 10 - 12” above the ground. I have been hit hard twice, both snakes, a western diamonback and a Botswanan puff adder hit ankle high. Tha rattler, a healthy 5 footer felt like being hit by a wild pitch (maybe a change-up), the puff adder more like a fastball. I did not see or hear either snake before they struck. Interstingly, the rattlesnake hit me on a whitewing dove shoot in Mexico, on a 100 degree day. I was wearing shorts, and a pair of cabelas 8” lace up hunting boots, not snake proof, but they successfully turned a direct strike.

Was wearing a pair of all leather gokey snake boots in Africa.

Needed a change of shorts both times.

The taste of rattlesnake depends on how it was cooked and how much you have had to drink.

OMG guys. So much venom about that poor rattlesnake. In my early years, I hunted them for a sepentarium. I found them exciting and they certainly have their place in the environment. The serpenmtarium kept the snakes alive and milked them every two weeks or so for the venom which was used to create antivenin to treat rattlesnake bites.

I caught and sold many and never came across one that was aggressive unless it was cornered and felt it needed to protect itself. About half the snakes never rattled until you tried to pin them to pick them up and put them in the burlap bag I carried. I only killed one and that was because a bar owner wanted a skin to hang over the bar. I felt bad after I killed it. I did eat it and it was a bit tough and looked and tasted a lot like calamari to me. Good but not a lot of flavor. It didn’t taste like chicken Dean. It tasted like rattlesnake!

I came to admire those snakes and had a healthy respect for what they could do if you let your guard down or became careless. We used to let them loose in my back yard and play with them before taking them to the sepentarium. My buddy was handling a copperhead and got a bit careless. It sank a fang into his index finger. He spent a couple of days in the hospital and his hand swelled and turned blue.

I can understand killing a rattlesnake in one’s yard. But I would have caught it and taken it to a remote area and turned it loose. But someone not well versed in how to catch and properly hold these snake should never try that. The timber rattler is a diminishing species and should never be killed unless there is a real need to. One in a yard needs to be addressed but I would have preferred that someone from DNR had come and removed the snake to be placed elsewhere. I have a soft spot for timber rattlers.

This is me in my younger days with a pretty timber rattler.

[QUOTE=Dean Romig;244127]They sure wouldn't be tall enough. They can strike 2/3 of their body length in height.

I have never been struck but I believe a strike from the ground would rarely be over about a foot above the foot. I used to wear leggings made out of screen but then stopped using them. The biggest risk for me was in climbing rocky outcroppings. You couldn't always see where you put your hands and that involved a degree of risk since the rattlers liked to sun on the ledges, if the weather was right. But it made hunting them more exciting.

The fangs won't penetrate leather boots. They are hollow and not really that strong. They can break easily. A new fang is grown if one is damaged.

I once took a guy with me that wanted to see how I caught the snakes. He got out of the car and strapped on a handgun. I told him that I don't kill snakes so there is no need for a gun. He replied that it wasn't for the snakes but for him if he got hit in the chest or face. He didn't want to suffer. I made him keep the gun in the car and told him that if he got hit, I was not dragging his body out. He can walk out and then shoot himself at the car. I was a bit obnoxious back in the day.

One in a yard needs to be addressed but I would have preferred that someone from DNR had come and removed the snake to be placed elsewhere. I have a soft spot for timber rattlers.


Here are a few that I have had to “address” over just the last 3 years, within 50’ of the house. The first one shown was on the doormat of my attached garage. One snakebit dog, and a bride that is less than thrilled, have led to a directed effort to thin our locl population!!

Yeah thats a Fox gun in the last pic.......I’ll try to do better next time...

Timber rattlesnake populations are way down. It's pretty rare when one shows up in a yard. In fact most people in my town of Pawling, NY don't even realize they are in the area. They are in selected higher elevation pockets of rocky outcropping and ledges and are not found where normal people go.

You Texas boys have different species of rattlesnakes that are abundant. You might have a Timber rattler or two but I imagine they are very rare down there. It's a different story in Texas and a lot of the west. They can show up anywhere and I wouldn't shed a tear over one being killed near a house. But I must admit I do cringe at the thought of rattlesnake roundups.