Hunting Rabbits with a Shovel!

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

No cast boolits, just good old fashioned venom & and a shovel . . .

I work at a elementary school, and a Western Diamondback Rattle Snake had come into our well / water storage area, and had bitten a juvenile cottontail, I watched it, not wanting it to slither off, and bite someone, but also was interested in seeing it swallow the rabbit!

I also realized that once the snake had the rabbit in it's belly, that it would be less agile, and easier for me to kill it with a shovel. This was only my second encounter with a rattler in the 2.5 years living out here in Arizona. It was still angry with me when I came towards it with a shovel, my first time hearing one rattle, it struck towards me a few times, I gave it a fatal blow to the head on the fourth try, I hit it once in the body when it moved it's head, they sure are quick!

I called my wife to bring my camera, by the time she came, it had already started on it's head.

http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s220/ShawnTVT/Guns/Hunting/1.jpg

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No . . . I did not eat the rabbit, or the snake! But I did chop open the snake to see the bunny . . .

I measured it after I chopped of it's head and tail at 38"

I have some video also, just taking awhile to download to youtube . . .:violin:

[runfiverun]

i'd rather eat the snake.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

i'd rather eat the snake.

I like eating rabbits, but figured that since it had venom through it would not be good, young rabbits are good!

How would you prepare snake? Is this size worth fusing with?

[EMC45]

Excellent pics and great write up!

[Boz330]

I like eating rabbits, but figured that since it had venom through it would not be good, young rabbits are good!

How would you prepare snake? Is this size worth fusing with?

I only tried it once almost 40 years ago. Not bad tasting but a lot of small bones. I think it would better with a fairly large one, otherwise a survival type meal.

Bob

[JeffinNZ]

Why did you kill the snake?

[357maximum]

Why did you kill the snake?

He was going to make a small caliber ball bag out of it's "parts" but realized a bit too late that the snake was not named Harry Ballzac. :kidding:

[twotrees]

Skin and gut snake. Cross cut into 2 inch steaks. Soak in plastic zip loc bag in salt water. 2 changes in 24 hours, store in fridge.

Drain and pat dry. Coat as you would for frying chicken, but add more cayenne pepper.

With abut 1 inch of hot oil in a fry pan, cook until breading is light brown.

If you did it right, use your front teeth and the meat will come right off the bones (They are underlined with a membrane).

Consistency of shrimp and tastes like frog legs.

GooooooooD !!!!

[Triggerhappy]

Add some garlic and saute in butter. Never tried it breaded. Cooked right it's easy to eat.
I grew up in a farming area in NV, we saw a LOT of rattlers. Never seen one eat a rabbit though. Impressive.

I once skinned one out that had eaten a large lizard, almost half it's body length. Scared me at first. Ran my finger up inside to clean it and flipped the lizard tail out. Didn't expect to see that and it surprised me. Thought it was another snake.

TH

[runfiverun]

butter and garlic here also.

[SciFiJim]

Why did you kill the snake?

Because in these parts its what you do. They are certainly not endangered. After it had digested the rabbit it would be a threat again. He said it was in the well/storage area at an elementary school. The kids are out of school this time of year, but will be back in August. You always watch out for snakes where kids will be.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Because in these parts its what you do. They are certainly not endangered. After it had digested the rabbit it would be a threat again. He said it was in the well/storage area at an elementary school. The kids are out of school this time of year, but will be back in August. You always watch out for snakes where kids will be.

Exactly, we let bull snakes alone, if they come on the property, as they won't hurt the children, and they actually will eat small rodents, and I've heard even rattle snakes! Most people wouldn't want a rattle snake over 3.5' long in the playground with their kindergartner . . .

Here is the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08DVMzVZsyw I had never heard one rattle before now! at 4:47 (You can hear the well pump in the back ground (actually the meter clunk, clunk, clunk) and the buzz of the boost pumps)

It is amazing how much their skin stretches to allow swallowing something so big.

I was standing in the sun, shooting into the shade, hard sometimes for me to see the screen, and for the camera to adjust.

[Avery Arms]

Cool pictures but very regrettable behavior on your part, those snakes are native predators that are vital to the ecosystem.

Almost all predators of humans are extinct or nearly so and thus we are doomed to overpopulation, disease and starvation. The rabbits are fortunate enough to still have predators, don't participate in taking that away from them.

As for the school children yes there is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance one will get bitten and a 1 in 1,000 chance that bitten child will die but that is life.


PP

[bearcove]

Cool pictures but very regrettable behavior on your part, those snakes are native predators that are vital to the ecosystem.

Almost all predators of humans are extinct or nearly so and thus we are doomed to overpopulation, disease and starvation. The rabbits are fortunate enough to still have predators, don't participate in taking that away from them.

As for the school children yes there is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance one will get bitten and a 1 in 1,000 chance that bitten child will die but that is life.


PP

Yeah I have 4 little kids, When I found a Copperhead in the front yard I just left it there and sat on the porch and waited to see if it bit one of the kids.

NOT

Actually I caught it since it was about 18" took it out in the woods.

Try grabbing hold of a three to four foot rattler.

[Gee_Wizz01]

Cool pictures but very regrettable behavior on your part, those snakes are native predators that are vital to the ecosystem.

Almost all predators of humans are extinct or nearly so and thus we are doomed to overpopulation, disease and starvation. The rabbits are fortunate enough to still have predators, don't participate in taking that away from them.

As for the school children yes there is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance one will get bitten and a 1 in 1,000 chance that bitten child will die but that is life.


PP

PP
I grew up in South Texas I have 3 different friends who were bitten by rattlesnakes. A 5 year old boy that lived down the road from us was KILLED by a rattlesnake bite. We are still over run with them. I don't kill snakes except for Water Moccasins, Rattlesnakes and Copperheads. They aren't anywhere near endangered in Texas. We used to have an over abundance of cotton tail rabbits and Jack rabbits, but now they are few. We do have an over abundance of coyotes, feral pigs and rattlesnakes. As for your predator comment, the rattlesnake has very few predators; man is the predominant one, so we shouldn't take that away from the rattlesnake either. Over the years, we have killed 2 rattlesnakes on the front porch of our house that were over 6' long. That doesn't take into account the smaller ones. We have lost 2 dogs and a cat to rattlesnake bites. As I look at it, I am protecting the rattlesnake gene pool, the ones that aren't smart enough to stay away from the house don't survive.

"Rant Off"

G

[deerslayer]

Cool pictures but very regrettable behavior on your part, those snakes are native predators that are vital to the ecosystem.

Almost all predators of humans are extinct or nearly so and thus we are doomed to overpopulation, disease and starvation. The rabbits are fortunate enough to still have predators, don't participate in taking that away from them.

As for the school children yes there is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance one will get bitten and a 1 in 1,000 chance that bitten child will die but that is life.


PP

You can't be serious!
Regrettable behavior! I would hate to live with the regret that I let that snake live to bite a child. And as for the statistics I know what my luck would be and I can gaurantee you if I were in his shoes that would have been a dead snake.

I hit a snake with the mower the other day and have no regrets. As far as the species I hit all I can say is dead and mangled.

[Eagles6]

Sorry. The OP did what needed doin'
Hate snakes but I leave 'em be if they're non-poisonous. Poisonous and in my sphere of influence, not so much.
If you think otherwise my kin won't visit.

[3006guns]

Northern Nevada is my adopted camping/exploring/shooting home. In all the years I've tramped over the state, I can count all the "buzz worms" I've seen on one hand......very reclusive creatures.......and only had to shoot one. Normally I simply turn and walk away. After all, the snake has no intention of deliberately harming me.....and I'm in HIS backyard. I let 'em be unless they pose an immediate threat.

The OP's action is justified though. Small kids and venemous reptiles don't mix, although it would be a good idea to somehow limit the water in the area. That draws them in for sure.

[outdoorfan]

Almost all predators of humans are extinct or nearly so and thus we are doomed to overpopulation, disease and starvation. The rabbits are fortunate enough to still have predators, don't participate in taking that away from them.



PP


Your Darwinist attitude/philosophy stinks!!

[Storydude]

Would you rather get Plague from Rabbit Fleas?

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Oh WOW!

I just got back in from shooting . . . :Fire: My wife and I had a blast! :mrgreen:

I don't want to offend anybody, nor did I intend to.

We don't allow dangerous critters around our children. If while on the bus, I stop to drop of a student, and it does not look safe for whatever reason, I don't let them get off.

PP I ask you "How do you feel about killing a coyote?" Most people don't eat them . . . their pelts aren't worth much . . . yet people spend thousands to kill them off . . . go talk to a sheep farmer . . .

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Do you ever wonder about statistics... ???
Were the statistics about Rattlesnake bites taken for the whole United States ? Was it for just Texas ? Did this include all the big city popolations ?
I bet-cha if the statistics are taken for snake country it would be a whole bunch higher. Example... how many children are stung by scorpions here in my big city of 2 million.. FEW. But how many kids growing up in the mountain villages are stung yearly by scorpions... about 20% yearly ! Fortunately scorpion stings are not usually leathal but it still hurts and can cause serious medical problems.
So study the statistics and how they are collected before you start badmouthing a feller for protecting little people fron a venemous snake that is hanging about a playground. I trust there will always be individuals willing to risk thier personal future for the welfare of others no matter what the statistics say.

Mike in Peru

[Cactus Farmer]

We find 10-15 buzz worms (although some get up to 5 feet or more) each year. If I don't kill 'em,they kill my dogs and cats. So, if you don't want them dead,where do I send the live varmits? Does Florida need the extra,we sure don't.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

Cool pictures but very regrettable behavior on your part, those snakes are native predators that are vital to the ecosystem.

Almost all predators of humans are extinct or nearly so and thus we are doomed to overpopulation, disease and starvation. The rabbits are fortunate enough to still have predators, don't participate in taking that away from them.

As for the school children yes there is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance one will get bitten and a 1 in 1,000 chance that bitten child will die but that is life.


PP



The over population myth is a despicable lie spread around by those on the far left to justify atrocities such as abortion and euthanasia.

I don’t kill all snakes just the poisonous ones which in my area are Rattlers and Water Moccasins. The Blue Indigos, Bull Snakes, and other various harmless snakes are welcome.

There are lies and then there are statistics, but according to yours one snake bit child out of a thousand dies, I see that as a way bigger loss that any number of snakes.

Good work 123.DieselBenz.

[Gee_Wizz01]

We find 10-15 buzz worms (although some get up to 5 feet or more) each year. If I don't kill 'em,they kill my dogs and cats. So, if you don't want them dead,where do I send the live varmits? Does Florida need the extra,we sure don't.

Cactus Farmer: I grew up in Texas, but I am currently stationed in FL and I can tell you we have plenty of Rattlesnakes and water moccasins here! So far in the last year a gentlemen was bitten in the garden department at a Wally World in s. Jacksonville. Last time I heard it looked like he was going to lose his hand. He reached down to pick up a plant off the shelf and got nailed by a Pygmy rattler. Then a few months ago the sheriffs dept killed a 7 1/2 ft rattler at school bus stop. The local bleeding hearts, that didn't live near the site complained because they killed the poor native reptile and didn't relocate it to a safer area! About 2 months ago my wife came in the house screaming that there was a snake in the pool. When I went out I was expecting a black snake or a corn snake, what I found was a 12" copperhead with a very bad attitude. He met Mr. Shovel. As I stated earlier if they are poisonous I will kill them.

G

[ghh3rd]

My vote is the the OP did the correct thing, considering the location that the snake was in. Here in Florida, you aren't allowed to have a gun within 1000 feet? of a school -- why allow a deadly snake?

[HollowPoint]

No matter what you would have done in this situation there would have always been some that were offended and some that were in complete agreement with your actions.

As a kid in elementary school I recall running around with friends out in the boonies after school. We came across this huge garbage pit that folks from that area would fill with their trash and eventually bury.

We started digging around that trash pile when we uncovered a huge snake. We could only see a small section of it underneath a piece of trash that we'd inadvertently kicked over. The four of us ran out of that garbage pile like roaches when the lights get turned on.

It's no exaggeration that the section of the snake we'd uncovered was about four inches in diameter.

Being the kids that we were, we started throwing rocks at. When we saw that it wasn't moving we got a little braver and started poking it with the longest pieces of wood we could find; 8 ft long pieces of old lumber and such.

It still didn't move so we got a little braver and started using those sticks to move more trash aside to see if we could get it to slither deeper into that pile of trash.

It turns out that we had initially uncovered the center of its body. With those long pieces of lumber (they were furring strips) we managed to uncover the four foot length that made up its tail end and it still wasn't moving.

By then we were feeling superhuman so we started pushing away the trash covering the front half of its body; poking it as we went; trying to get it to move.

When we got to the head of the snake we found it had a cottontail rabbit lodged in its throat. It was all the way past its head but we could see the back legs of the rabbit were sticking out from the underside of the snake.

Apparently the rabbit wasn't completely dead before that snake started swallowing it. The back legs of that cottontail just shredded the underside of that snakes throat.

One of the other kids got really brave and dragged the snake up out of that trash pit just to see how long it was.

I'm not kidding you guys; the tallest one of us kids was maybe four feet tall. That snake was easily twice as long as we were.

I'm no reptile expert but it looked like a gopher snake or something.

I hadn't thought about that incident in a coons-age. Reading DieselBenz's account just sort of brought it back to mind.

HollowPoint

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

Cool pictures but very regrettable behavior on your part, those snakes are native predators that are vital to the ecosystem.

Almost all predators of humans are extinct or nearly so and thus we are doomed to overpopulation, disease and starvation. The rabbits are fortunate enough to still have predators, don't participate in taking that away from them.

As for the school children yes there is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance one will get bitten and a 1 in 1,000 chance that bitten child will die but that is life.


PP

What if that one was you, or even your child if you have one?

Also just so you know . . . there is a reason why there are so few children bitten at school . . . we remove the ones we find!:bigsmyl2:

Poisonous critters don't belong in a school yard. If somebody wants to come and get them before I do, more power to them!:Fire:

If I had a "do over" I'd call my wife sooner, and tell her to drive faster!

We still got quite few rabbits growing fat on our nice green lawn . . . wish I could bring my 22 or even my pellet gun down and do some grocery shopping!

[smilie=s:

[Catshooter]

Cool pictures but very regrettable behavior on your part, those snakes are native predators that are vital to the ecosystem.

Almost all predators of humans are extinct or nearly so and thus we are doomed to overpopulation, disease and starvation. The rabbits are fortunate enough to still have predators, don't participate in taking that away from them.

As for the school children yes there is a 1 in 1,000,000 chance one will get bitten and a 1 in 1,000 chance that bitten child will die but that is life.


PP

Very revealing and interesting philosophy. Can you source your statisitcs please?

So a child suffering a vile death from a snake bite is just "life". Well. While I do think that some children ought not to have been allowed to live (Hilter comes to mind) how does one chose?

That's a remarkably cavalier attitude. So many things one could say in response, but never mind.


Cat

[reloader28]

God put rattlers on this planet for me to kill. I leave bull snakes alone, but all rattlers must die. There are plenty of predators around to take up the slack if your worried about it.

Good job Diesel.

I opened the front door and (from inside the house) shot a 34 incher curled up on the threshold 2 weeks ago. Took pixs and showed them to our Wisconsin friends when they arrived 2 days later. They were not happy. Especially when we killed a scorpion crawling across the floor while they were here. They dont have that kinda stuff back there.

[DGV]

blow the **** out of rattlers!

[Dannix]

The over population myth is a despicable lie spread around by those on the far left to justify atrocities such as abortion and euthanasia.
A monstrous +1 on that. Perhaps it also reflects how little most Americans travel...or otherwise their sheer will to avoid reality.


Got to ask -- did you keep the hide? May make for a nice holster.

[EMC45]

We live in GA and I have seen 1 rattler out in the wild in the 16 years I have lived here. It was flattened on the road when I passed back by it. If I were to see them near where my kids would be, I would kill them without compunction. If I am 10 miles deep in the woods and no one around it would get a free pass, if not a threat to me of course. They are an animal, there are many more. A human being (child specially) is not worth some eco-treehugging rhetoric to save a snake in my book!

[OBXPilgrim]

Why did you kill the snake?

You Kiwis must be a hardcore bunch! Don't mind rattlers on the schoolgrounds.

You guys probably water ski in croc-filled rivers, huh. All that wearing purple PJs - one tough crowd I'm thinkin'.

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

A monstrous +1 on that. Perhaps it also reflects how little most Americans travel...or otherwise their sheer will to avoid reality.


Got to ask -- did you keep the hide? May make for a nice holster.

No, unfortunately I didn't think of that! I was just wanting to get rid of it . . . even five minutes after the head was off, it would pick it's neck up and bump my leg, freaky that they can still sense body heat (or maybe vibrations?) with no head on!

I buried the head, and let the vultures have a free double lunch!


[smilie=s:

[The Dove]

Amen EMC45!!! Amen!!!

The Dove

[parrott1969]

Pack-nPlastic, you sound like a lib. I do not normally kill snakes unless they exibit aggressive behavior, however since the nephew moved next door and has small childern I now kill all venemous snakes on sight. Pit vipers and childern do not mix. As for the 1 in 1,000 that die form being bitten, Your attitude would be different if it was your child.

[Changeling]

I shoot them because I really like to see them fall "FLAT" on there donkey, whoops, forgot they are already there!
Well, I shoot them because "Cactus Farmer" gives me a nickel for the dead ones, yea that's it !

[Dannix]

even five minutes after the head was off, it would pick it's neck up and bump my leg, freaky that they can still sense body heat (or maybe vibrations?) with no head on!
Whoa, that is freaky. The jacobson organ in the head somewheres, so it must be vibrations, or just a twitch.

[Harter66]

I grew up in the Mojave desert where folks kill every buzz tail they thought they saw. That said I now live in the wilds of west central Nevada where as an adult ,so the last 25 years,I've seen maybe 10 buzztails . I have no compuntion what ever about killing 1 in the work place that doesn't try to escape or is in high traffic or shop areas . My work place is upwards of 200k acres BTW. A few years ago during a antalope hunt with a buddy we saw a 12 footer had to be 6 inches tall(?) , my buddy says you gonna shoot it? I say "hellp no , lible to just pi$$ him off" . Now understand we were minimum 5 miles from a mine and at least 10 miles from a house, and 20 miles from anything resimbling a populated area. I've never been 1 to kill to kill.

As for the fellow who thinks we are at the top of the food chain by atrition , aaaa no. Wild dog, lion/panther, and bears are still man eaters . If you get out of the concrete jungle once in a while you would see the food chain is still in good order a working according to the plan where the bigger stronger faster 1s eat the little slow weak 1s.
Sadly the "natural predators" are coming to cities near you every day. Coyotes grabing babies ,and lions grabing bicyclists inside the cities. My god man the next thing you know there will be lables telling us there milk in icecream.

Sorry got carried away I'll get back in my box now.

[Changeling]

I would have shot that sucker in a second, they give me the dam creeps! Besides, they eat rabbits, and I like rabbits, fried.

[10 ga]

I didn't evolve into the dominant predator by tolerating competition from snakes. They are edible too and the skins are nice for hatbands, knife sheath covers, boot leather, and other adornment and acoutrements. 10 ga

[45-70 Chevroner]

Back in the late 1950's I was 16 at the time we had a cotton farm of about 1300 acres. It was coming on to picking time and we had an infestation of rattle snakes. We would go out at night and shoot them with a 22 rifle out the window of a pickup. Most of them were sidewinders, they are quite small but still dangerous a lot of them were Western Diamondbacks and a few Mohave Ringtails. It got to be a little pricey to shoot them even with 22 shells. Even back then 22 shells were like $.45 cents a box of fifty. My allowance was only $2.00 a week. Our dad would supplement us a little. At some point we decided to use shovels. Much more lethal and just as safe. Even if you encounter a 48" Diamondback they can only strick a distance of about 30" so a five foot shovel and the length of your arm gives plenty of room to chop them in half. That year we killed well over 2000 snakes it sure made it a lot safer for the cotton pickers to go in the fields. Of that 1300 acres we only had 600 acres in cotton. You need a nice sharp shovel to cut a 3" diameter diamondback in half with one blow. My two brothers and I would work for my dad, doing irrigation and chopping weeds in the cotton field or picking cotton with the field hands but we had to by our new school cloths " Levis and such with that money". We made on average of about $.50 cents an hour.

[454redhawk]

I killed a rattler in the back yard a few weeks ago. The dogs had it cornered and were lucky not to have been bit. Dumb dogs, and after that a squirrel ripped'em a new ass before they got the better of it. LOL Both dogs had bloody lips when it was over.

[azcruiser]

You have to remember that in parts of Arizona Rattle Snakes are like pigeons in New York Central Park . Only a few species are endangered and to kill one of them is a very hefty fine if caught .Diamond backs /coon tails /side winders /Mohaves
there's plenty of . My BOB and I would go out at night and catch about 20 to 30 with a spot light
throw them in the ice chest with out beer helped to limited are beer drinking take them home freeze them and make hat bands and belts. There are plenty of rattle snakes plenty. The first time you here that buzz before you see the snake and if its right at your feet or by your hand while climbing or in your storage shed Shoot first seems to be my response

[Three-Fifty-Seven]

I was out dove hunting this morning when I heard that rattling noise, I froze with my heart in my throat, and there at my feet was a 3'+! Blew it's head off with the 12 gauge!

I cut another 2" of just to make sure the head was gone! Got it in my game bag . . . only got one dove this morning, but oh well . . .

Question for all you snake skinners? How long does it take for them to realize there dead?!

I shot it 1.25 hours ago . . . it still resists me when I try to cut it's belly open! Curls around, and pulls away!