# Stumbled into a nest of rattlesnakes



## fritz423b (Jun 17, 2016)

As I was clearing a fence line on my property I got a little surprise.

Be careful out there! Mr. Buzz is waiting.


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## dbarham (Aug 13, 2005)

O no


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## Spots and Dots (May 23, 2004)

In!


The entire county should be burned!


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

yall be sure to wear them Chippawa's and keep yer Judge in hand

7.5, 3in 410...

they'll come and get 'cha..


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## fritz423b (Jun 17, 2016)

kweber said:


> yall be sure to wear them Chippawa's and keep yer Judge in hand
> 
> 7.5, 3in 410...
> 
> they'll come and get 'cha..


What's a Chippawa? Snake boot?


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## Lagunaroy (Dec 30, 2013)

Holy ****!! Nice touch with the aloha Snackbar. 

MC is gonna stroke out


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## bearwhiz (Jan 30, 2011)

That is exactly why I carry my Judge.


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

fritz423b said:


> What's a Chippawa? Snake boot?


 yeah.. and I'm just funnin' w/the post....


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## USNHM-DV (Jan 6, 2014)

Lunch


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## phiz83 (Jan 16, 2012)

I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I pretty much leave them alone. If they are 
Near the house, that's different. From my experience, they want nothing to do with humans. 

I had to make some decisions when I got the ranch and one of them was I just couldn't go around killing everything. Pigs, coyotes and ***** are exceptions. I don't particularly care for snakes but I dont care for rodents either. You can't kill your snakes and then gripe about rats and mice. 

But I certainly understand the other side. I'm actually more afraid of copperheads than rattlesnakes because I never see them until they are six inches from my ankle. Absolutely scares the heck out of me. 

But rattlers well away from the house, they can go ahead and do whatever they do. 

Now you can expand that argument to black widows. In which case, I kill everyone I see. . Same for scorpions. I put my shorts on once with one of those things inside. It's been since high school since I took my shorts off so fast. :rotfl: nailed three times in the crotch in less than 2 seconds.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

My uncle stepped on a rattler opening a gate well away from the house and spent the last 10 years of his life as a cripple.


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## whitepv (Sep 26, 2006)

I don't like anything higher than me in the food chain. That means lions, gators, venomous snakes and anything else that can take me out will die first if I have the opportunity first.


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## phiz83 (Jan 16, 2012)

I sure as heck understand the argument. Right now I am on the fence, believe me. I know 2 different services that will come out and catch them. I guess they are milked to make anti-venom. I know where two dens are and the things are thick there. 

What makes me I think I should blow them away is I would be really upset if one of my kids got bitten. 

I need to make a decision. :headknock


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## 98aggie77566 (Jul 7, 2009)

Think about it this way....what would you do after you or one of your loved ones is bitten by a rattler?

Well....id say it's smart to just go ahead and do that same thing now and try to avoid it all together.


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## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

I am thinking that he is clearing the fence row with a thrasher head on a bobcat, that killed the snakes. 

For me, if dangerous snakes are close to where my family lives or plays, they won't make it.


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## Aggieangler (May 28, 2004)

I would call the services. The anti-venom is desperately needed right now. Had a friend get bit this weekend and it took 6 hours for the hospital to get her the anti-venom.


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## Flat's Hunter (Oct 18, 2007)

Aggieangler said:


> I would call the services. The anti-venom is desperately needed right now. Had a friend get bit this weekend and it took 6 hours for the hospital to get her the anti-venom.


There is not a problem getting the antivenom for pit vipers. The drug is called crofab. Go to there website and download the app. It has a map feature that will show you the nearest hospital with antivenom. Only for Apple right now. They are working on the Android version.

The problem with crofab is it is very expensive and smaller hospitals don't like to carry it due to cost. Some only carry first dose and then will send you to bigger hospital.

Making the antivenom is a long process. The snakes aren't the problem. It takes 18-24 months to make a batch. Venom has to be milked, processed, then injected into sheep to make antibodies, then processed into powder.

Dont get bit. If you do have insurance. The initial dose runs in the $50,000 range and subsequent doses if needed are around $15,000 each and you could get 6 more of those.

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## Swampus (Sep 1, 2005)

Nope!


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## kweber (Sep 20, 2005)

I have a bunch of them around my place....


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## phiz83 (Jan 16, 2012)

Ok, I've made a decision. They're all gonna be deader than fried chicken. I would come apart at the seams if one of my kids got bit. I hate doing it. I don't want to be the God that decides life and death on the ranch, but my kids run around like maniacs with their friends and they aren't the savvy white trash their Dad is. 

Now, my Mountain lions are gonna be left alone. I heard one kill a pig a couple of years ago. Brutal. 

Time to put snake shot in the ranger glove compartment with my 22 mag. 

But I will call the snake wranglers. 

I've got about a 7' Texas rat snake and probably the same size grey racer (really a royal coachwhip) around the house. No rattlers. I've never seen a big snake jump a smaller one, but supposedly it happens.


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## yfarm (Aug 19, 2016)

Google Boyer and Viper Institute and read the analysis on cost of Crofab. Most of the charges were for hospital markup over cost. If you have insurance most of that goes away due to the discounts. If you are uninsured look out for snakes. Same drug in Mexico costs $100 as the government buys it direct and supplies clinics at no cost as a public health issue


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## fritz423b (Jun 17, 2016)

phiz83 said:


> Ok, I've made a decision. They're all gonna be deader than fried chicken. I would come apart at the seams if one of my kids got bit. I hate doing it. I don't want to be the God that decides life and death on the ranch, but my kids run around like maniacs with their friends and they aren't the savvy white trash their Dad is.
> 
> Now, my Mountain lions are gonna be left alone. I heard one kill a pig a couple of years ago. Brutal.
> 
> ...


I think that's a good call. There may come a time when we have to worry about the survival of these guys but it's not now in my humble opinion.


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## phiz83 (Jan 16, 2012)

I've appreciated the conversation and apologize for hijacking the thread. :spineyes:


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## wal1809 (May 27, 2005)

I stopped killing them as well. I don't look over my glasses at those that do, I just personally decided not to myself. When I find detrimental snakes I catch them and carry them way out in the middle of nowhere and let them go. Usually that involved a great big chicken snake. The water mocs I just pass by. I could kill them over and over and never dent the population at my place. We don't have rattlers there so we are good.


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## fritz423b (Jun 17, 2016)

phiz83 said:


> I've appreciated the conversation and apologize for hijacking the thread. :spineyes:


Just out of curiosity do you live out in the country? It seems like those of us who live in the boonies have a different take on this issue.


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## mrsh978 (Apr 24, 2006)

I used to give them a " out-of-camp " pass. But , after $60k at south Tx hospital , I go out of my way to revoke privileges .


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## fritz423b (Jun 17, 2016)

mrsh978 said:


> I used to give them a " out-of-camp " pass. But , after $60k at south Tx hospital , I go out of my way to revoke privileges .


What happened?


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## Main Frame 8 (Mar 16, 2007)

fritz423b said:


> What happened?


Sounds like he got bit and did not have health insurance.


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## phiz83 (Jan 16, 2012)

fritz423b said:


> Just out of curiosity do you live out in the country? It seems like those of us who live in the boonies have a different take on this issue.


I've got a ranch near Llano. Very rough, rugged country. I love it.


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## mrsh978 (Apr 24, 2006)

Yup got bit - had insurance and the total on ticket was $63k. Luckily this was before obamas great insurance plan otherwise there would have been a huge co-pay.


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