[carver6]

Here's another story. Went out yesterday to mow our yard. Was just finishing the last strip between the the drive and fence. I have some bluebird houses on the fence posts and would check inside as I went by to see if we had any birds. The last one I "started" to look into, I could see nothing but snake---all balled up in that birdhouse. When he started out I couldn't imagine how he(she) got all of itself in there. Guess now I know why we don't have any baby bluebirds. That Blacksnake was 5 or 6 feet long. I don't particularly like snakes but prefer them to mice and rats and prefer they'd leave the birds, and me , alone.
Garon

[wade clark]

Paul,
I agree with you on eating what you kill. Rattlesnake is still my Daughter, Prairie Wind's favorite meat, ever since she was small.
We lived in rattlesnake country where I grew up in Eastern Oregon. I've had my boot struck twice in the hayfields. At one spot in the road in one month (July) we killed 13 rattlers...no telling how many we never ran into! My uncle was bit once, got pretty sick, Grandpa sucked the venom out -- they don't recommend that any more. I've personally known several people who were bit, none died, but all wished they did for a while! One guy lost a big chunk of flesh out of his leg, just decayed and died. I saw a dog get bit in the face and survive...it looked like his head was going to explode! Once we drove 75 miles to buy a high dollar milk goat. When we arrived she'd been bit by a rattler. Her leg looked like a balloon about to blow. The price had been $250.00. I said I'd give them $15.00 for her and take my chances. They took my $15. We dumped her milk for 2 weeks, the swelling went away and she was fine.
I still wouldn't recommend going and getting bit for the experience! These were prairie rattlers, about 4' long at the longest, occasionally 11 or 12 rattles. There are other rattlers that may have stronger or more venom. I've seen them 7' in Florida, 6' timber rattlers in Oregon high country...once saw a rattlesnake skin in Arkansas that stretched all the way across a single car garage!
We used to catch them as kids. One spit in my eyes once...Grandma put an end to our rattler catching over that!
We'd skin them and put the un-tanned wet skin over a leather belt. It looked great and lasted about a month before it deteriorated.
It was great being a kid on a ranch in Eastern Oregon! My cousin and I would put a leather strap in our horses mouths, paint our faces with creek mud and play like we were Indians, chasing jackrabbits with .22 pistols at a full run on horseback! Leaping sagebrush as we flew! It's amazing we never killed each other or our horses! I never hit a rabbit from a running horse, but I sure had the time of my life!
Wade

[DICK "chipncut" CAIN]

Snake story:
Reading these stories,brought back memories of when I was about 5 years old.
I was visiting my Grandparents farm. I caught a 2 foot long Garter snake. My Grandpa said, give me that snake, & I'll show you something. He took out his copenhagen snuff, & put a wad in the snakes mouth. The snake got stiff as a board. I think you could have used it for a walking stick. I wouldn't advise anybody to try this on a Rattler.

Dick