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2024/2025 Squirrel Hunting Thread...........

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Just found out that there were two rattlesnakes killed down the road from my house on the same property. One was 36” and the other 42”. I’ve been in the woods a lot in the last month and haven’t seen the first large snake. Fall squirrel season opens next month so I best pay a little more attention. As it is now, due to not seeing any so far, I have a tendency to let my guard down.
Definitely keep an eye out for those danger noodles, or you might have to change your name to Snakebit2.
 
This guy was on our front door Sunday. I think he wanted in to the A/C. Lol. My wife was not impressed. I just laugh at her. I did remove him and relocate him.

Be careful next month Ed!
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Definitely keep an eye out for those danger noodles, or you might have to change your name to Snakebit2.
Yep, that's if I survive. As far back up in the hills as I get, and being adamant about being a solo hunter, it might be challenging to make it out. Copper snakes don't bother me all that much, its the rattlesnakes that plays for keeps. I had a coworker friend when I lived in Wyoming that got bitten by a rattlesnake. When they finally got him to a hospital, the anti-venom nearly killed him.
 
I hope not. I took him down to the bridge and heaved him in the creek. Of course he swam over and got out on our side. The next day my wife had two scares with them. She almost stepped on one in her bare feet.🤣 As much as I hate to, I might have to eliminate him.

I see shed skins out in my shop a lot. I leave them alone out there. I’d rather have them than mice. My wife doesn’t want either. Lol
IMG_1010.jpeg
 
A few of my buddies on here have asked me about my handle. I'll have to take the long way around to get to it. Since the hunting stories have slowed down, and my good buddy Gum Slough Muzzleloader asked just last week, I'll fill you guys in on it, from one feral Illinois kid to another, her ya are Fred:

A key person in this story is my cousin, my Ma's sisters youngest son. We'll just call him Dip $#it (DS). Me and ol' DS are a month apart in age, me July, him August. I'm being kind when I say DS isn't too bright. One fine August day, we were coming out of some woods with a load of squirrels, we had a good morning. DS spotted a hornets nest about the size of a Volkswagen Bug hanging from a branch. I see what he's looking at, and I said "no, don't do it". Well he did. He sent a 22 round through that nest. I had already started running as he was raising his rifle, I still got stung twice, and I was pretty fast back then. He got stung 5 or 6 times. And to ad insult to injury, after we ran the 3/4 of a mile back to my grandma's house, I gave him 2 to the ribs and one to the jaw. I was the one that got in trouble because the adults only saw me giving him my George Foreman impression. When DS told the story, I was vindicated and his dad gave him a good one. And took his rifle from him for being reckless with it. That hurt him more than the beating.

Fast forward to the following summer. We were about to turn 15. We had permission to fish an old farm pond on an inactive home place. There were bluegill in there as big as catchers mits. It was pretty overgrown so we were moving through the cabbage single file, with me in the front. DS was about 5 feet behind me when I heard his Buck 110 open, then I felt a red hot finishing nail sink into the back of my left leg, about 5 inches below my calf. A three ft Copperhead popped me because DS hucked his knife at it instead of just warning me. Best we could figure, I was already passed it when he tried to stick it, but since I was closer, I paid for it.

The Dr. Said it wasn't a dry bite, but I didn't get a full dose of venom either. I sat in the hospital far a week being monitored, and given IV fluids because I couldn't keep any food down. My lower leg swoll up the size of an elephant. The Dr. told my parents that if the fever went past my knee, they would give me the antivenom stuff. Lucky for me, it didn't. A week in the hospital, and a week at home laying there doing nothing. When my parents came to spring me, my old man came in and said "there's ol Snakebit, ready to go"? My ma was pretty mad at him for that one. As for DS, I wish I could tell you guys that was the last outdoors outing we had where he did something stupid and I paid for it, cause it wasn't. But I'll save that one for another time.
 
Snakebit, That's a great story how you got your name. I raided the surrounding woods with my first cousins, too - 3 of them - but they were not DS's - oh heck no - they were hunters par excellence! There is no telling how many times and how close we came to getting bit.

Ed, RE> your post #1620, you're not seeing them, but they're seeing you and getting out of the way, I firmly believe.

That movie "My Life As A Turkey" really opened my eyes about big rattlers. Highly recommend, good movie. It was filmed in central Florida where I used to run around in the palmetto and never see a big snake. That guy's pet turkeys would always find them, really close! And he was oblivious prior , like me. They were there all along, getting out of my way I guess. Made my skin crawl thinking how dumb I was.
 
Snakebit, That's a great story how you got your name. I raided the surrounding woods with my first cousins, too - 3 of them - but they were not DS's - oh heck no - they were hunters par excellence! There is no telling how many times and how close we came to getting bit.

Ed, RE> your post #1620, you're not seeing them, but they're seeing you and getting out of the way, I firmly believe.

That movie "My Life As A Turkey" really opened my eyes about big rattlers. Highly recommend, good movie. It was filmed in central Florida where I used to run around in the palmetto and never see a big snake. That guy's pet turkeys would always find them, really close! And he was oblivious prior , like me. They were there all along, getting out of my way I guess. Made my skin crawl thinking how dumb I was.
I'm glad you didn't have your own DS Hammer. Wish I could say I didn't. DS is in a wheelchair most of the time these days. He tried his luck making a homemade climbing stand and messed his spine up. Feel bad for him, but wasn't surprised when I heard about it.
 
...then I felt a red hot finishing nail sink into the back of my left leg..
Nails. A guy I used to work for (who became like a brother) got struck in his yard here in AL while running his weedeater with his family and dogs all running around near, totally oblivious. It was a MONSTER timber rattler, a freaking dinosaur. Like 6'/10#, record book size massive snake. He said, "Stan, if you drove 2 10 penny nails in a 2X4 and swung it into my calf as hard as you could, that's what it felt like." He said the force of the blow knocked him off his feet, the power and force was shocking. They killed it and brought the head with them to the hospital, but it was also, like in your case, apparently a dry bite! He suffered very little with no envenomation effects. A very lucky man.
 
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Nails. A guy I used to work for (who became like a brother) got struck in his yard here in AL while running his weedeater with his family and dogs all running around near, totally oblivious. It was a MONSTER timber rattler, a freaking dinosaur. Like 6'/10#, record book size massive snake. He said, "Stan, if you drove 2 10 penny nails in a 2X4 and swung it into my calf as hard as you could, that's what it felt like." He said the force of the blow knocked him off his feet, the power and force was shocking. They killed it and brought the head with them to the hospital, but it was also, like in your case, apparently a dry bite! He suffered very little with no envenomation effects. A very lucky man.
I'd say he was lucky, one that big. I've heard where young snakes are worse. They give you all the poison they have allegedly. The one that got me was at least 3 foot, in my mind it was a damn anaconda at that moment in time. I've also read the antivenom treatment can be worse than the poison, I guess a lot of folks are allergic to it.
 
I hope not. I took him down to the bridge and heaved him in the creek. Of course he swam over and got out on our side. The next day my wife had two scares with them. She almost stepped on one in her bare feet.🤣 As much as I hate to, I might have to eliminate him.

I see shed skins out in my shop a lot. I leave them alone out there. I’d rather have them than mice. My wife doesn’t want either. LolView attachment 332892
Now that’s a cool picture right there.
 
A few of my buddies on here have asked me about my handle. I'll have to take the long way around to get to it. Since the hunting stories have slowed down, and my good buddy Gum Slough Muzzleloader asked just last week, I'll fill you guys in on it, from one feral Illinois kid to another, her ya are Fred:

A key person in this story is my cousin, my Ma's sisters youngest son. We'll just call him Dip $#it (DS). Me and ol' DS are a month apart in age, me July, him August. I'm being kind when I say DS isn't too bright. One fine August day, we were coming out of some woods with a load of squirrels, we had a good morning. DS spotted a hornets nest about the size of a Volkswagen Bug hanging from a branch. I see what he's looking at, and I said "no, don't do it". Well he did. He sent a 22 round through that nest. I had already started running as he was raising his rifle, I still got stung twice, and I was pretty fast back then. He got stung 5 or 6 times. And to ad insult to injury, after we ran the 3/4 of a mile back to my grandma's house, I gave him 2 to the ribs and one to the jaw. I was the one that got in trouble because the adults only saw me giving him my George Foreman impression. When DS told the story, I was vindicated and his dad gave him a good one. And took his rifle from him for being reckless with it. That hurt him more than the beating.

Fast forward to the following summer. We were about to turn 15. We had permission to fish an old farm pond on an inactive home place. There were bluegill in there as big as catchers mits. It was pretty overgrown so we were moving through the cabbage single file, with me in the front. DS was about 5 feet behind me when I heard his Buck 110 open, then I felt a red hot finishing nail sink into the back of my left leg, about 5 inches below my calf. A three ft Copperhead popped me because DS hucked his knife at it instead of just warning me. Best we could figure, I was already passed it when he tried to stick it, but since I was closer, I paid for it.

The Dr. Said it wasn't a dry bite, but I didn't get a full dose of venom either. I sat in the hospital far a week being monitored, and given IV fluids because I couldn't keep any food down. My lower leg swoll up the size of an elephant. The Dr. told my parents that if the fever went past my knee, they would give me the antivenom stuff. Lucky for me, it didn't. A week in the hospital, and a week at home laying there doing nothing. When my parents came to spring me, my old man came in and said "there's ol Snakebit, ready to go"? My ma was pretty mad at him for that one. As for DS, I wish I could tell you guys that was the last outdoors outing we had where he did something stupid and I paid for it, cause it wasn't. But I'll save that one for another time.
Good story. I think we all have a DS cousin. Fortunately my closest cousin and we're cut from the same cloth. We were allowed to hit pastures and the woods when wanted and pretty much stay out as long as we wanted.
We had some great adventures, plenty falls bumps and bruises but no Snake Bites. We caught plenty of non venomous snakes though.
 
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Just found out that there were two rattlesnakes killed down the road from my house on the same property. One was 36” and the other 42”. I’ve been in the woods a lot in the last month and haven’t seen the first large snake. Fall squirrel season opens next month so I best pay a little more attention. As it is now, due to not seeing any so far, I have a tendency to let my guard down.
Ed, please keep your 👀 out for snakes.
I like your handle of ETipp, Tom's Snakebit is cool also, (Too bad ya had go through the pain and being bed ridden as Feral Kid). As far as Snakebit 2 🤔.
I know an Eastern Diamond Back Rattlesnake can stike you from 2/3 of it body length, if same is true about Timber Rattlers then that 42" one could hit from 28" away.
I wear knee high snakeboots, but that's not 100% one could get me above the knee. I still pay attention to my steps. Stepping over longs, especially onto the sunny side of the log.
 

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