Unexpected find today: My second Rattlesnake!

oxbowbarefoot · Aug 11, 2014

Sorry Iron Patch, didn't mean to get your hopes up. Found this little fellow this afternoon at very heavily trafficked hiking site called Ashley Pond in Holyoke Massachusetts. Timber Rattlers are considered endangered in Massachusetts but they are around. I've spent my entire life in the woods and this is only the second live one I've seen. He or she was at least five feet long and I count 11 or 12 buttons on its rattle. If it had 13 it'd been the perfect match for my Rattlesnake and Eggs button (see my avatar). Moose last weekend, a bear on Saturday during my hunt with Greylock (detecting finds to come), and now a rattler today. Perhaps a mountain lion next? Stay safe and happy hunting!

testing123 · Aug 12, 2014

wow, nice mix of animal "finds"! There are rumors about having mountain lions here in NH but no one will admit there are any here. Snag a pic if you do see a mountain lion... then run faster than your hunting buddy!

Greylock · Aug 12, 2014

testing123 said:
wow, nice mix of animal "finds"! There are rumors about having mountain lions here in NH but no one will admit there are any here. Snag a pic if you do see a mountain lion... then run faster than your hunting buddy!

Wait a minute. That could be me. Hope it never comes to that because I know Oxbowbarefoot is faster than me.

Ahab8 · Aug 12, 2014

Greylock said:
Wait a minute. That could be me. Hope it never comes to that because I know Oxbowbarefoot is faster than me.

You better find a 3rd hunting partner who's a lil bigger and slower. He will think you're doing him a favor....in reality he's just slow bait :-)

Hendo0601 · Aug 12, 2014

Ever since I got bit by a rattler when I was 15 years old I have a strong dislike for them. Didn't even rattle until AFTER it tagged me on my right calf. I give those things a WIDE berth now. Just seeing those pictures made me shudder LOL. There is a reason why cowboys wear the boots with their namesake, and if it weren't for my cowboy boots I would have been a lot worse off. Stay safe out there, and always always always watch where you are about to put your feet (or hands).

unfound · Aug 12, 2014

a regular sight in our area...love the yellow phase...there are clubs here, snake guys, that go and hunt them. your allowed to keep one for so long and then release back into the wild. lots of video on you tube on the timber rattlers from this area. northwestern PA. Thats a nice one you saw, I've seen them around five feet long here. I've been in the woods all my life, never once gave them a thought until I started hunting old locations in the woods.

jewelerguy · Aug 12, 2014

brrrr..... I'd take the long way around that thing

oxbowbarefoot · Aug 12, 2014

She had no concern for me. I wasn't actually detecting at the time, I was hiking with a group of students. It's a very popular spot, level flat ground around a reservoir. Hundreds of people cross that same spot daily. I'm quite experienced in handling snakes, but would never dare get too close to one that dangerous. I didn't get closer than 1.5x it's body length. It is illegal in Massachusetts to harass Timber Rattlers as they are considered endangered here, otherwise I would have attempted to follow it while calling wildlife officials to relocate it. The fact that it slithered right into a forest of poison ivy was another deterant.
While detecting with Greylock earlier this Spring I was bit by a very large garder snake. Harmless as it was, it was still quite a shock as there was still snow on the ground. I must have woke him up from his winter slumber, because he was not happy.
There are certainly mountain lions in New England. I've personally seen two (one in Westhampton, Ma and one in Northampton, Ma). One was hit and killed by a car in Ct a few years back. I'm sure there are many of us who have seen them in the hills of CT, MA, VT, NH and ME. I would love to see another, but I know I certainly would not see it coming while wearing my Grey Ghosts and looking at the ground.

Trezurehunter · Aug 12, 2014

Little fellow at 5 feet long ? Hope you don't bump into his parents anytime soon !!

stewielouie · Aug 12, 2014

Thats a nice one!

Kodiak43351 · Aug 12, 2014

I see snakes a lot when detecting and especially while in the water but around here they aren't venomous but I've been told their bite has a lot of bacteria and could make you sick. I should prob stop catching them. I don't kill them but if I can catch one I will and look at it and let it go. But I would never do that with a venomous snake.