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View Poll Results: Do you feel rattlesnake hunting is a legitimate form of hunting.
Yes 63 75.00%
No 8 9.52%
On the fence need more info 13 15.48%
Voters: 84. You may not vote on this poll

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Old December 8, 2012, 04:12 PM   #26
Shotgun693
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Animals Rights people want to outlaw all hunting but you don't swallow an elephant whole. If they can outlaw the hunting of any animal it takes them one step farther toward outlawing all hunting. Let'm outlaw hunting snakes now and later you could be sitting home on what used to be the opening day of deer season.
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Old December 8, 2012, 04:16 PM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeepstrapped
Do you need a magnum caliber to shoot them?

I'd imagine a heart or lung shot would be a little tough.
A bud of mine is a professional rattlesnake wrangler and he catches them live, takes them home and keeps them in cages until ready for harvest.

He sells the meat, the skin, the head and the rattles. The only thing that goes to waste is the inards.

You ought to hear the din when you walk into his garage. Stands the hair up on your neck.

When people come over he warns them to watch where they sit because a couple got loose. It's his favorite prank.
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Old December 8, 2012, 04:48 PM   #28
fatwhiteboy
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Most snakes are relatively easy to kill. A pellet to the head will kill most. Any of the .22's will do the job....
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Old December 8, 2012, 05:13 PM   #29
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Shotgun's statement is exactly what my fears are. I've been following several online debates and they have a strong following. Even some supposed experts are twisting facts, omitting others and stereotyping the hunters with outlandish lies about abuse and to torture. I have never seen such a narrow minded bunch of people. If anyone speaks up to support hunting, they are called ignorant and uneducated and worse.
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Old December 8, 2012, 05:38 PM   #30
mete
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"ignorant and uneducated " ? that would include NY State Dept of Environmental Conservation !! They have no idea of the number and location of rattlers .They think they're all very endangered ! SSS


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ls-snakes.html

Here's the Florida Python story --
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Old December 8, 2012, 06:42 PM   #31
buck460XVR
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"ignorant and uneducated " ? that would include NY State Dept of Environmental Conservation !! They have no idea of the number and location of rattlers .They think they're all very endangered ! SSS
Regardless of how one feels about game regulations or the threatened/endangered classification of protected animals, there is never any reason to endorse or promote breaking the law. Especially if they consider themselves a sportsman/hunter. Gun owners and hunters already get enough negative press, we don't need our own kind giving us a black eye. SSS/shoot, shovel, shut-up is nuttin' but a poacher/violators battle cry. Don't like a rule or regulation, do something to change it or voice your opinion against it. But tellin' others to flagrantly ignore it, or braggin' about doin' it yourself is nuttin' but Bubbaism.........
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Old December 8, 2012, 06:59 PM   #32
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Just to be clear, I'm talking about western diamondbacks, legal to hunt in Texas and are not near endangered yet
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Old December 9, 2012, 08:08 AM   #33
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Buck ,I'm old enough to remember when the NYDEC had people who actually knew something about the environment and spent time in in the woods .In the late '60s they [and other states too] began to hire only the tree huggers who never went into the woods and never learned how the woods functioned .I could tell you many stories about rattlesnakes and the bizarre ideas of the DEC. I don't bother with snakes but if you have a bunch of rattlers around your house along with little kids you might have a different idea when the DEC says you'll go to jail if you touch them [screw your kids].
And copperheads ? The DEC 'expert' said they are extinct ! Our DEC magazine then was innudated with letters inviting the expert to come to their home to see all the copperheads !
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Old December 9, 2012, 09:27 AM   #34
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peetza,not meaning to nitpick,but guerillas and gorillas are a different tag!'

There is a trail I walk sometimes that has lots of rattlers.I pay attention!!At dusk,beside the trail I can expect to hear buzzing.Makes a fellow go primal!!
I have not bothered any of them,they belong there.

Anyplace around the house or workplace,though,dead!

Some of the snake roundups,aren't they primarily about gathering venom for anti-venin?

If you search "rattlesnake bites" you can get an idea of the trauma.Here is a link to one story and pics of treatment.
The following link, while informative, does contain graphic images of the repair/reconstruction process... You have been duly warned
http://www.rattlesnakebite.org/rattlesnakepics.htm

Last edited by hogdogs; December 10, 2012 at 01:14 AM. Reason: Adding a graphic image disclaimer...
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Old December 9, 2012, 11:39 PM   #35
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Tell you what, send me the name and address of one of those animal activists, and the next time I step out my back door and see a 5 foot Western Diamondback coiled up under my wife's swing, I'll box him up and mail him to the activist. I got no use for those critters up close to the house.

Snakes or activists for that matter.
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Old December 10, 2012, 12:02 AM   #36
jknaup
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legitimate "hunting"

Going to an animals den while hibernating and collecting it I would not call legitimate.

As long as the laws allow it, it is though.

I do know this about rattlesnakes as well it goes for all snakes...If there is a food source for them they will be there.

Its simple root cause analysis get rid of the vermin and you wont have to kill them. Statistically many bites unfortunately occur from people try to dispatch rattlesnakes.

Don't get me wrong If i had issues on property with them I would not hesitate to take care of the problem. they have there place and that is not around me.
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Old December 10, 2012, 12:21 AM   #37
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Brian Pfleuger, I'm generally not opposed to hunting guerillas, at least the hostile ones.

OTOH, hunting gorillas is not so cool. Given the vocabularies in ASL that some of the test subjects have developed, I'd put their intelligence and self-awareness at a level that I think should be protected.

Rattlesnakes are a different matter.
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Old December 10, 2012, 01:11 AM   #38
hogdogs
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If legally done...??? Sure it is legitimate hunting... No less so than those folks who shoot marmots in their natural habitat where they are doing no harm unlike the same critter near your home...

But to digress a little... That link to the injury and repair sequence is one I seen a long time ago... Someone (here I think) asked if my left arm injury was a rattle snake injury... They showed me this as my scars looked similar... I will add the similarity is uncanny...

Mine went thru a similar progression of many surgeries with a final skin grafting....

My arm got between roof and road/ground in an SUV rollover...

Brent
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Old December 10, 2012, 04:57 AM   #39
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rattlesnake

definitely a no-no in tenn. one could possibly get prison time. if there is no season on it leave the animal be no matter what it is.
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Old December 10, 2012, 10:37 AM   #40
rickyrick
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This is legal I assure you. You can ignore all claims of population control, venom and everything else and there is still a legal market for snake hides. That in my book makes it hunting. I don't understand the hatred for snake hunters. It stems from protest of the roundups, where protestors feel all captured diamondbacks of the western variety. Whopping the heads off cleanly and skinning is the main complaint.
The species is listed as stable, despite the eradication efforts.

I feel that many landowners will have them killed anyways, so why not let them at least go to market?
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Old December 10, 2012, 10:49 AM   #41
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I don't think some people realize how thick they are in some places rickyrick. If they had to deal with them all the time, all over their property, they might change their tune.
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Old December 10, 2012, 12:48 PM   #42
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I don't know if I'd call it "hunting" but if it's legal, then by all means, do it. I don't think that rights activists should have the ability to ban it if there is no present danger to the species. I wouldn't do it, but I'm sure it gets some people going.
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Old December 10, 2012, 01:16 PM   #43
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I don't see a problem with rattlesnake hunting if you are going to eat it or use it in some way (i.e. skins) or if it is a nuisance in the area that its in. If its not for one of those reasons I don't think it should be legal no matter what the animal is though.

Also, here in Tennessee rattlesnakes are protected. They may be plentiful in other states or maybe even other parts of Tennessee but their population has decreased a lot where I live. Back when I was a kid it was normal to see at least 5 rattlesnakes in our yard every summer. I'm 27 now and I haven't seen a rattlesnake in 5 years.
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Old December 11, 2012, 03:37 PM   #44
rickyrick
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Well, I could be paranoid, but with all of the hatred I'm reading, it looks like the beginning of the end to hunting in the US.
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Old December 11, 2012, 06:46 PM   #45
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rickyrick, that is one way to look at it.

The other way to look at it is that in some areas, rattlesnakes are not nuisances due to scarcity, and also due to scarcity they are protected.

I am not sure how that translates to hatred or anti-hunter sentiment - unless you are saying that hunters don't care about elimination of a species. If that is what you are suggesting, then you should look first at yourself, if hunting gets banned.
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Old December 11, 2012, 07:05 PM   #46
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Quote:
The other way to look at it is that in some areas, rattlesnakes are not nuisances due to scarcity, and also due to scarcity they are protected.

I am not sure how that translates to hatred or anti-hunter sentiment - unless you are saying that hunters don't care about elimination of a species. If that is what you are suggesting, then you should look first at yourself, if hunting gets banned.
Exactly. Hunters are the reason we have hunt-able species in many areas. The reintroduction of Wild Turkeys and Elk to areas where they had previously eradicated, along with the continued stocking of other native and non-native game animals is all because hunters want them there. Hunters license fees and taxes from hunting equipment buy land and pay for food plots for the general public to enjoy. Hunters are the true conversationalists. Many folks don't realize that without hunters, many of the animals they enjoy having around would be gone, their habitat greatly reduced and those cute little forest creatures soon become frustrating pests. What sticks in the heads of these same folks is negative images of hunters. Newspaper articles about poachers/violators needlessly killing animals out of season or way over their bag limits. Pictures or hearsay of property damage done by hunters, either on purpose or just negligence. Disrespectful public display of dead animals, as hangin' in trees or nailin' to the side of a building for long periods of time.

No one here has voiced an objection to the hunting of rattlesnakes where legal. Some have suggested the illegal hunting of snakes in areas where they are protected. Which one of these opinions would most likely upset a non-hunter or someone neutral to hunting?
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Old December 12, 2012, 04:45 PM   #47
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When I was young and going to high school (and T-Rex roamed). I used to hunt rattlesnakes and take them to the college so they could be milked for anti venom. My weapon of choice was a custom made aluminium pole with noose. I had an aluminium pet cage and some gunney sacks. Catch a snake, bag it, tie it, put it in the case. The college paid me $3 each. Which was a lot of money back then. I was able to buy my cigarettes, get a lunch or two, and sometimes even take out a date to the movies. Makes me wonder if the Western DB is on the California endangered list now. Oh well, if it is, then there is still surfing.
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Old December 12, 2012, 04:51 PM   #48
youngunz4life
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Quote:
Do you feel that Rattlesnake hunting is legitimate hunting?
yes
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Old December 12, 2012, 05:47 PM   #49
Woody55
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I haven't seen one around here in a long, long time. So I reckon I'd let it go.

On the other hand, we have lots and lots of cottonmouths. I kill them on sight and will continue to do so until I start seeing rats or other vermin.

We've killed them with .22LR, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, .380 Auto and my son got one with a bow and arrow. I think a short .410 shotgun would be ideal, but they never seem to be around if I have a shotgun.

You don't suppose they ate the rattlesnakes do you?
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Old December 16, 2012, 09:09 AM   #50
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Well, the good news is; I silenced one opposing forums claims by providing overwhelming evidence countering every claim made against the snake hunters. I don't hunt them, but I couldn't stand by while half of Texas was being insulted with racial slurs, accused of animal torture and environmental destruction. This argument was crossing into all forms of hunting.
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