Jeff Reardon said:
Vince Pagliaroli said:
Pistol for snakes?
You better be a darn good shot, even very close. From personal experience, in rattle snake country in north central PA, while back country fly fishing years ago. Shoot a rattle snake now there , and your in big trouble.
Really? I grew up in a place with no poisonous snakes. After college, I was exiled in NJ for a few years and used to head out to Central PA looking for trout. One day I made a long bushwhack from a gravel road cross country to a nice little stream, fished a couple miles of the stream, then bushwhacked back up to the road for a quick route back to my car. It was mid afternoon, and there was a steady of stream of cars and truck driving very slowly down the road. Finally a truck stopped, asked me if I wanted a ride, and I hoppped in the back with two kids. As their dad drove me back to my car, they explained they were looking for snakes, and showed me a sack in a trash can they swore held two big rattlers. Apparently that little valley was the favorite spot for the local round up.
"Really ?" Ya Really. Then the young lad that was bitten, and died in north central PA., 2 years ago, must have been bitten by trash.
It's where you put your hands, not where you walk, that gets you in trouble, and ya sure as hell don't have to be in deep woods. He reached into a stack of wood, to feed the fire at his camp. By the next day he was dead.
I am not in favor of killing any snakes, unless your life, or your dogs life is in danger.
Hunt Montana during early upland bird season and when the temp gets to 60 degrees, you will see more rattle snakes than you ever thought existed. Your in their house, and it's time for you to leave, if you have common sense.
Folks drive the roads in rattle snake country cuz that's where the snakes go to warm up. So they grab them there, or kill them and sell the rattles. There are no more rattle snake round ups in PA, thank goodness. So the snakes can live in peace.
Here in western NY, they are common in our area of deep rock & shale river, and stream. gorges. A stick, or wading staff has more than one purpose.