Rattlesnake on Patio

Rzrbk

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Jan 10, 2021
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785
Killed this guy on our patio this morning. Last summer my old bird dog barely survived being bitten by a rattlesnake in our yard. I decided to test the aggressiveness of the rattlesnake by moving the shovel increasingly closer to the snake. The snake started rattling while we were still 5 feet or more away. It made itself appear very aggressive as it rose up into a coil while rattling profusely. I moved the shovel into it's face and back and forth within inches of the snakes head and it never struck, but continued it's aggressive posture. I didn't touch it with the shovel except for the fatal strike behind the head. In the end, I felt bad dispatching the snake since it obviously was doing everything in it's power to avoid striking. Still, you can't have a poisonous snake in your yard with two young kids and an old bird dog that can't see or hear very well. I suppose I could have caught and released, but what if I read a story of someone fatally bitten while hiking near where I released the snake? We have a tremendous mouse/desert rat population around our house and so snakes are very much welcome outside the venomous variety. We have bull snakes, rat snakes and others that cruise through occasionally. Wish it didn't have to turn out like that. I leave them alone in the wild. Rattlesnake.jpg
 
We have them out at the farm. Our lab has learned to stay away through some pretty simple aversion training. No kids though and I still kill the ones that come in too close to the house and shop.
 
You’re nicer than me for thinking twice.
Funny story. When I was in high school I got a call from my mom that my dog had been bitten on the nose by a copperhead, and that there were actually two snakes at the stump where the incident occurred. I skipped chemistry and drove my 96 white Bronco back home like OJ.
Thirty minutes later, and after emptying a fully stoked Marlin 60 and Ithaca 37, I brought out the gas can, matches and shovel because juveniles kept pouring out of that stump like an Indiana Jones movie. Total body count was fifteen.
 
When I was younger and my pioneer grandmother was living, I had a dog get bitten on the nose by a copperhead. It's nose swelled up huge. We were way out in the country and so local remedies were all that were available. I had read about people using battery jump cables to electrocute the venom injection spot and denature the proteins in the venom. I had no idea if this was true (still don't). Anyway, I gave it a try on the dog since I figured it was better than dying of poison. Dog didn't like it too much as I connected the two sides together on it's swollen nose. My grandmother suggested a cocleburr sp? poultice made from crushing fresh cockleburrs. I went out in search of coccleburrs but couldn't find any. So, she suggested using a cow manure poultice. Sounds crazy, but this is old school pioneer knowledge speaking. Being a cattle ranch, I found fresh cow manure without too much trouble and wrapped the poultice around the dogs nose. The dog survived, but PETA should track me down for inflicting torment on a dog that had just been snake bitten.
 
I may have posted this story before, but at my age you get the pleasure of telling stories every time as if it were the first.

When I was a small child on the ranch in California, our house was about 1/4 mile over the hill from my Grandparents. I was a completely free-range kid, even that young. Our black lab, Smokey, went everywhere with me. Once I was running from our house to Grandma Rubie's house and Smokey knocked me to the side and took a snakebite right on the nose. I would guess I was about 4-5 when this happened.

My dad was a cattleman and he had a store of old cowboy vet skills they don't teach at university. He dipped Smokey's nose in kerosene, which he said prevented coagulation. The idea was that the venom would bleed out as well. I remember Smokey sitting on the front step looking miserable with his nose bleeding, but he pulled through.

The only animal we ever lost to snakebite was an Appaloosa which my dad spent too much money to get.

Other kids' mothers would send them out to play with the mantra, "Be careful!". My mother ALWAYS said, "Watch for snakes!"
 
Your pup may be beyond this in years but both of our dogs have been through snake avoidance training and it has been effective. My lab will avoid a garden hose in the grass if he doesn't know what it is.

Also rattle snakes have heat sensing pits between the eyes and nostrils. They have an ability to "see" infrared. This makes your shovel test problematic. I find the boot test to invoke a lot more strikes.
YMMV.
 
Your pup may be beyond this in years but both of our dogs have been through snake avoidance training and it has been effective. My lab will avoid a garden hose in the grass if he doesn't know what it is.

Also rattle snakes have heat sensing pits between the eyes and nostrils. They have an ability to "see" infrared. This makes your shovel test problematic. I find the boot test to invoke a lot more strikes.
YMMV.
I was going to speculate the same.
 
Black-tailed rattlesnake? We ran into a couple of those in the Gila elk hunting. They rattled but otherwise didn’t seem too aggressive. I gladly let them live but I don’t think you have anything to feel bad about killing one in your situation. I’d have done the same.
 
I may have posted this story before, but at my age you get the pleasure of telling stories every time as if it were the first.

When I was a small child on the ranch in California, our house was about 1/4 mile over the hill from my Grandparents. I was a completely free-range kid, even that young. Our black lab, Smokey, went everywhere with me. Once I was running from our house to Grandma Rubie's house and Smokey knocked me to the side and took a snakebite right on the nose. I would guess I was about 4-5 when this happened.

My dad was a cattleman and he had a store of old cowboy vet skills they don't teach at university. He dipped Smokey's nose in kerosene, which he said prevented coagulation. The idea was that the venom would bleed out as well. I remember Smokey sitting on the front step looking miserable with his nose bleeding, but he pulled through.

The only animal we ever lost to snakebite was an Appaloosa which my dad spent too much money to get.

Other kids' mothers would send them out to play with the mantra, "Be careful!". My mother ALWAYS said, "Watch for snakes!"
Yep, Turpentine and Kerosene were the answer for almost any ailment.

I agree with the comment pointing out the lack of thermal on my aggression test. Hadn't considered that. It would be interesting, but I doubt I take the time to tie a heating pad to the end of the shovel.

This reminds me that I've been lax in walking out of the house at night without being able to clearly see the ground. Even a non-aggressive snake is going to bite when you step on it.
 
My neighbor killed a small rattler last week by our back fence, only about 18 inches long. It was very light colored and looked the mesquite seed pods laying on the ground.
He has 3 very small dogs and our dogs like to always go check out that back corner. I'm sure his dogs wouldn't have survived a bite and our dogs are curious about everything.
 
I may have posted this story before, but at my age you get the pleasure of telling stories every time as if it were the first.

When I was a small child on the ranch in California, our house was about 1/4 mile over the hill from my Grandparents. I was a completely free-range kid, even that young. Our black lab, Smokey, went everywhere with me. Once I was running from our house to Grandma Rubie's house and Smokey knocked me to the side and took a snakebite right on the nose. I would guess I was about 4-5 when this happened.

My dad was a cattleman and he had a store of old cowboy vet skills they don't teach at university. He dipped Smokey's nose in kerosene, which he said prevented coagulation. The idea was that the venom would bleed out as well. I remember Smokey sitting on the front step looking miserable with his nose bleeding, but he pulled through.

The only animal we ever lost to snakebite was an Appaloosa which my dad spent too much money to get.

Other kids' mothers would send them out to play with the mantra, "Be careful!". My mother ALWAYS said, "Watch for snakes!"
Yes sir! I like retelling stories too! LOL!

A few years back, the wife and me were cleaning up around the yard after mowing.
I heard her scream and when I looked up, I saw the black widow fall off her hand. We DO live a ways from reliable healthcare.
I had also heard of the "shock" thing.
My mind reeled as she grabbed her hand and came towards me.
I suddenly remembered the "electric" fence around our yard.
The fence charger "pulsed".
I told her, "Touch the ground wire, when the charger clicks, touch the bite to the hot wire!"
She looked at me askance and gingerly touched the ground wire and the charger clicked. She touched the hot wire as the charger pulsed again, shocking her bite.
"One more time!", I urged her.
Unfortunately, in her reluctance to be shocked again, she hesitated.
She touched the hot wire just as the charger pulsed.
It looked like a lightening bolt flew between her finger and the hot wire! 🤯!
Within about 10 minutes, you could not tell where the bite was, even though it was marked by a tiny burn mark! LOL!

My thoughts on the "shock" therapy for bites.
All "venom" is a supercharged protein. Bees, wasps, scorpions, snakes, whatever. That's why steak tenderizer works on jellyfish stings, it breaks down protein.
Protein is full of metallic ions.
It's my "uneducated" 🤓 opinion that the electrical charge upsets or neutralizes those metallic ions, making the venom ineffective.
A farmer who was subject to anaphylactic shock was mowing, hit a wasp nest and they swarmed him.
He was trying to make it to the house for his "epi-pen" when he passed out and fell down.
When he woke up, he was laying across an electric fence.
When he related his experience, word got out and it's been out there since.

DOES IT WORK?
I saw it happen! I even killed the spider to make sure it was a black widow.
My wife's hand never swelled, puffed up, turned red...nothing! ...and we sought NO medical treatment.
Was it a "dry bite"?
I dunno?

Use you own judgement!
 
P.S. Nonsensical Trivia!

What is THE most poisonous spider in the world?
A. Black Widow
B. Grandaddy Longlegs
C. Tarantula
D. Brown Recluse
 
Back in the spring, the youngest kicked the dogs out in the back yard before bed time when all hell broke loose!
The youngest came screaming through th ed house and grabbed the shotgun that sits by the front door and raced back towards the dog yard.
After applying 2 5/8 ounces of #6's (3 rounds of 7/8 ounces!) out of a twenty gauge, this is what was left!

20210503_212837.jpg
Figuring what's missing, about 5 foot.
 
Ask Alexa, she'll tell you.
Brazilian wandering spider.
Of the four listed I would guess the Brown Recluse.
But I have been told a Daddy long legs is also venomous.
P.S. there are no spiders or snakes in Az. so I'm just guessing. lol! 💥
 
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