Pygmy rattler...

H

hogdogs

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Normally I leave snakes go but if they get in proximity to my dog yard or close to the house they gotta go.
Okay this one is a "ground rattler" other wise officially a pygmy rattle snake.
He was on the 100' foot trail at juniors feet near the dog circles.
When coiled they have a small visible area and are very well camouflaged...
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Reckon them teeth are small but I bet they hurt more than a yeller jacket sting?
Brent
 
We get them down here. They're as bad as Cottonmouth's when it comes to attitude. I have one that's almost 24" on the lid of one of my tool boxes.

Got that one out of Big Cypress. I wouldn't have killed it except we were on our way to a substantial hog kill and the sucker on the trail and wouldn't leave. Had to smack it against a Water Oak.
 
Byron is right... I have a slight belief from ol' woods tales that a small viper has a more potent venom drop for drop like a little pepper seems hotter than a big one of the same type.
What I have to be concerned with is the dogs just ain't scared of any snake. If treated with "Dex", benadryl and cephlexin [sp] dogs don't often die from snake bites but will be out of commission for a long time and often just ain't the same when healed up.
Also we wear them cheap "Crocs" knock off thog things to walk out and feed the dogs as they come off easy when done. I sure wouldn't like taking a strike to the heel or ankle...
Brent
 
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How far north do those things range? The reason I ask is I think I killed one in a creek bed in NE Arkansas, or could it be just a juvenile rattler?
 
If it has that goofy pattern it is likely a pygmy unless it is a "pine snake" which looks alot like this but is non venomous. Young, small rattlers still have the trademark diamond pattern just smaller than a grown rattler pretty much.
Brent
 
zahnzieh said:
How far north do those things range? The reason I ask is I think I killed one in a creek bed in NE Arkansas, or could it be just a juvenile rattler?
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I know that they range as far north as Oklahoma, I have found many of these things hiding under our firewood piles and have come pretty close to being bitten when hiking.



Mike.
 
How far north do those things range? The reason I ask is I think I killed one in a creek bed in NE Arkansas, or could it be just a juvenile rattler?
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They get up to at least southern Missouri but as far as I know they're not very common. I spent a summer working in the Missouri Ozark forests outside of Van Buren Mo. During that time I saw one sunning himself on a rock on the edge of a glade about 40mi north of the Arkansas border. It's one of only 3 rattlesnakes I've ever seen in Mo. the other two were Timber rattlers.

Mav
 
:eek: I bet those would be hard to see in the woods.

Originally Posted by zahnzieh
How far north do those things range? The reason I ask is I think I killed one in a creek bed in NE Arkansas, or could it be just a juvenile rattler?
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I haven't seen any here but I'm right across the river from NE AR so I will surely be on the lookout next turkey season. The only ones I've seen around here are the Timber and Canebrake rattlesnakes but they get rather large and easy to spot if you are looking out for snakes.
 
AS, They are very hard to see! Looks like a broken pine branch 1/2 inch diameter when out stretched but nearly impossible to spot when coiled up. They really blend in. I had my son call me to him and he says "What do you see dad?" I looked and looked and saw nothing for a minute or better than finally spotted it. I was lookin in a spot of only 12 sq feet!
Brent
 
I climbed into a hunting blind before sunlight one morning with a buddy of mine. We were hog hunting in south Florida near a corn feeder. We sat for about an hour until there was enough light to see a pygmy rattler coiled up at our feet. I eased back on my stool and slid the .22 mag barrel down and dispatched the snake. Ruined our hunt and scared the hell out of us.
 
Snapping turtles love 'em.

I used to catch the pygmies in Florida, and feed them to the resident snappers that lived in my pond. For such a dumb-looking animal, they sure could figure out the 'bad' parts of anything you fed them. As soon as the death-snap was out of the way, they would hook a few claws behind the snake's head. With a steady push, the head would be cleanly ripped off the body, and left for me to dispose of.
 
When I was around 9 or 10 years old, I was fishing with family in a farm pond in Missouri. I sat down on a log and looked around. There, 6 feet to my left, on the same log, sat a cottonmouth. He didn't look pleased to see me. I got up and walked quickly over to my Dad and told him. He didn't believe me at first until he saw it. He then proceeded to empty his .22 Ruger pistol into it.

I used to know two things for certain and now you have added a third:

1. I hate snakes

2. All snakes are poisonous no matter what anyone says

3. I now have something else to worry about in the woods.

Thanks a lot...
 
Rattlesnakes have both a hemotoxin and neurotoxin, the former breaks down tissue and the latter affects the nervous system. A healthy adult will usually survive a bite with the exception of the Western Diamondback which is exceptionally lethal.

Believe it or not they have the ability to decide to inject venom or not. Snakes in dry regions are most likely to 'dry bite' as they need fluid to restock the venom. In the swamp, they are 'wet snakes' as water is not a problem and it's safe to assume that all bites are wet.

Not all snakes are poisonous. Here's a small Banded Kingsnake.

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Most snakes are a lot more worried about you and go into defense mode, if you give most of them an exit they will leave in a hurry with the exception of Cottonmouth's and Pygmy's. Practice throwing a knife, it's much quieter than unloading a firearm at a stupid snake when you're hunting.
 
Most people cant tell the difference between a king snake and a coral snake, Its better to be safe than sorry.
Theirs a little rhyme to rememer which is which, I forget how it goes but red then yellow is the bad one.
If Its close to my home Its gettin halved right their, if not ill go the other way.
 
Red next to black, friend of Jack,
Red next to yellow, kill a fellow.

Also think traffic signal. Yellow is warning and red is stop.

The truth about Coral Snakes is that they're really pretty docile and picking one up doesn't really put them on the defense. They have small mouths and rear fangs so that (for adults) they have to get ahold of something small like a finger or toe and then work it back to the fangs, most people would have pulled it off before this could happen.

The real dangers are with kids because the snakes are pretty, kids have smaller body parts and they will treat the animal roughly thus forcing it to defend itself. Another real danger is that they have almost stopped producing the antivenin for them.
 
When I lived is coral snake country we had a rhyme too.
Red on yellow will kill a fella but red on black is a happy jack...
Brent
 
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Swampghost said:
We get them down here. They're as bad as Cottonmouth's when it comes to attitude
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Not even close. Cotton mouths are much more aggressive.

This is my 1000'th post...kind of anti climatic
 
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