Need a recommendation on snake gaiters

[Red Owl]

Glad other folks have run into rattlesnakes that didn't rattle. I think a high percentage of bites are on hands. Be carful picking up shot birds, etc.

 

[Marshhawk]

Well, I am in disagreement. it is OUR territory/neighborhood...the snakes and us..I am not ceding them everything outside of my house. If they would leave me alone, I will leave them alone. But they don't. I have had one hung in my pant leg, another bounce off the toe of my boot, several strike at me and fall short and they have bit several of my dogs and innumerable sheep. Thankfully I have never been hit.

So they get killed when I meet them. And I don't care if you don't like it, so save it for someone who cares.

Righto. I should point out that these encounters were in swampy deer-hunting woods. I agree that one found in your yard is a different matter. I've had 3 german shepherds bitten in the face over the years. All in the yard. I leave the vipers in the woods alone. Copperheads are way more common here than the rattlers.

 

[Malamute]

Ive lived around rattlesnakes most of my life and had a number of very close calls, including almost stepping on several, finding two under my porch step in the dark at different times, having one dog bit in the face, and one get in the house once. I kill all I find anywhere near my place or where I dog walk, and make absolutely zero apologies to anyone for it. Theres other snakes that eat mice, its not like killing some rattlesnakes is going to result in a mouse population explosion. I leave bull snakes alone near my place unless they hang around and continue terrorizing the dog, she's deathly afraid of snakes after i trained her to stay away from them. If bull snakes hang around more than a few days I take them for a walk and tell them to go somewhere else.

Ive considered snake gaiters in the past, and been thinking on it again while considering moving back to Arizona, theres Mojave greens there, which are another level of problem over ordinary rattlesnakes. I will likely get some gaiters before spending much more time in Az.

In the warm months I always carry the first round up in whatever Im carrying as birdshot with some spares in my belt or load strip. The 22s are so-so, 38 and up work very well within about 6 feet.

 

[Flintlock Whiskey]

I stand by my statement.

 

[Oldbear63]

Stop and think about it: we are training the rattlers not to rattle. Every time one rattles some cowboy runs over and hacks off its head. Not great for reproductive success. The better tactic is to bite first, rattle last.

I wish I had found these shin guards last time I went shopping. The ones I bought are more expensive, hard to put on and have plastic panels sewn in with fabric gaps between panels, probably OK for most bites, but a lucky strick might get between the panels.

For years I used knee high rubber boots wnen wandering about in snake country. Not snake proof, but a darn sight better than just jeans (never got to test it). I tried to find suitable plastic sheeting that I could simply tuck into my boots for protection but couldnt find it... now that I think about it I have just that sitting in my recycling bin right now: an empty cat litter container!

OK, I tested my recent idea:
Poor man's snake boots... A large cat litter container (about 2 gallons) can be cut up to make just enough plastic to fit mostly around the inside of a pair of knee high rubber boots. Not enough to go all of the way around, but enough to fit around the front and outside (where a snake is most likely to stike) and tall enough. Definately not as secure as a pro pair of real gators, but a whole lot safer than jeans! If it is cottonmouths that you are worried about you are probably wearing rubber boots anyway.

 

[Red Owl]

Years ago they used to have a hard plastic gaiter where the edges (top to bottom) overlapped. You pulled them open and slipped your calf into them and they snapped shut. They were light weight and worked pretty good except if you were in thick scrub you could hear branches scratching on them. They were inexpensive, I think I paid $6. (Probably $25 today would be the equivalent).

 

[Mad L]

All this talk of killing rattlers genetically evolving "silent ones" or ones with "smaller to rattle"
I take it that when one comes across a snake and kills it that another on the bush sees this and runs to tell the others?
Mr Slithers comes across several dead brother snakes and at the next Snake Council meeting they discuss the cause of these deaths?

Sorry but as one who has been fascinated with Herpertology since about age 6 or 7, and have hunted and eaten my fair share of Rattlesnake; this is one new Wives Tale I have not heard before.

Maybe next we will see rattlers with sherp wool sound dampener over their rattles; when they 'hear' you coming they slip it on and remove it once your gone (perhaps store it in their belly pouch they 'evolve' )

As for 'gators'; I've not ever worn any but it's been interesting reading....but still Beware reaching to the ground and remember a Rattlesnake CAN bite Further then the 'S' it forms when prepared to strike!
(But no, they can not strike 'the length of their body' nor can they 'jump' ....now those Wives Tales I have heard)

....evolving smaller rattles and learning to keep quiet
(I gotta pass this one on to my fellow Herp buddies!)

 

[Oldbear63]

In the far wilds I have had rattlers sound off when I was more than 50 feet away. Im my part of the country (southern California) I have never heard a rattler rattle unless is was actually prodded.

Stop to think about it. If you chop off the head of every snake that rattles only the quiet ones survive to have offspring. Eventually you get lots of reluctant rattlers. No need for councils and inter-snake bullitins.

 

[Oldbear63]

Glad other folks have run into rattlesnakes that didn't rattle. I think a high percentage of bites are on hands. Be carful picking up shot birds, etc.

As for bites on the hands; I once had a lecture from the LA County doctor responsible for snake bites. He had his 40% list: about 40% of the bites he treated were males, about 40% were under the age of 30, about 40% were inebriated, about 40% were non-accidental (handling the snake) and about 40% were on the extremeties. So, when he got a call at 3 AM his response was: "Don't tell me, drunk kid bitten on the hand while picking up a snake....".

I once picked up a cute little button rattler. Being from Louisiana I handled lots of snakes and thought I had this. I carefully pinned it down and picked it up behind its head. As I admired it the head came apart! The fangs began to reach backward toward my hand. There was no way to hold this snake without getting bitten. I quickly tossed it up the hill and vowed never to pick up a venomous snake again (with out a venom milking tool and lots of snake serum at hand).

 

[Red Owl]

How about these guys in backwoods churches passing around rattlesnakes.