I have a question about rattlesnakes. An aquantance of mine who went Antelope hunting in Wyoming said that he saw rattlesnakes every day.
Is this a common thing or was he just (un)lucky?
We are planning a hunt for either wy. or montana
and I'm just curious as to what to expect.
Any all reports on pronghorn hunters being ambushed and consumed by rattlesnakes would be greatly appreciated.

I've been to Wyoming about a dozen times and I have never seen one there. No one in any group I was with has ever mentioned seeing one either. I see a couple of dozen a year here at home so I know I'm not just missing them.

I've hunted Pronghorn on 7 different hunts, I've come across 1 rattlesnake.

It sounds like your friend may have been in a area that there is a rattlesnake den. Years ago I would go up to northern New Jersey and hunt rattlesnakes, I knew where ther was 3 dens, snakes all over the place! I would go on hikes in other parts of Northern Jersey, never see a snake!

Some antelope seasons I have seen them daily and some not seen a one. Heat of the day they are under cover, evenings and mornings they come out to warm up. I have acctually killed 7 in one day during Wyoming antelope season. We see them once or twice a week at work if we are looking. Depends on the terrain also.

We also have scorpions, harmless but unerving sometimes. I have found them in my house on many occasions.

I have lived in snake country, and found that unless you are actively trying to find them, they are almost transparent in the evironment. Once I focused on seeing them, I found lots of them. Only was struck once, thanks for bell bottom jeans circa 70's all he got was a mouth full of blue jeans. It did however seem to sharpen my awareness of snakes, most of them just want to get away from you.

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Any all reports on pronghorn hunters being ambushed and consumed by rattlesnakes would be greatly appreciated.

You'll never find one, rattlesnakes don't actively seek out people to eat, they physically can't. Now, if you ran into something like, say, an adult Burmese python, he can eat you. I doubt you'ld find one in Wyoming though. I wouldn't worry about snakes, leave them alone and they are harmless. Now spiders, them are the damb scariest things around. I hate spiders, they'll crawl into your ear and lay their eggs in your brain.

Depending on where you will be hunting antelope, there may be lots of snakes or none.Depends on several factors. But if they are around, they almost always play fair and give you warning. Even if you have never heard one, there will be no doubt in your mind when you hear one buzz! Just give them some room....They dont want to waste venom and energy on something they cant eat, and will normally retreat if they can. Just be aware and you will not be attacked by snakes. Jackalopes can be a different story!

I've hunted the high-desert areas of eastern Oregon and surrounding states for thirty years, and I can count the times I've run into buzz-worms during the day on one hand. Most of the time, you walk around them and there's no trouble. Mostly they come out to feed at night during hot early-fall weather, and when you go out to relieve yourself at night is the time to be most cautious.

Rattlers seem to run it batches. Some guys will run into quite a few of them on specific trips, while other guys haven't seem any at all for twenty years.

Same is true in Africa. I've never run into a live poisonous snake on safari, while a couple of years ago while I was on safari in Namibia a pair of first-time clients and their PH ran into a black mamba that decided to flee rather than get agressive. To this day I haven't seen a living mamba in the wild and hope I never do.

I never worry about rattlesnakes while hunting, but I remain aware of them and the places they likely hang out, such as old buildings, outhouses, rocky outcroppings, and decaying logs. If you run ito one, walk around him and leave him in peace if you can, which is possible at least 98% of the time.........

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Originally posted by notlim:
I have a question about rattlesnakes. An aquantance of mine who went Antelope hunting in Wyoming said that he saw rattlesnakes every day.
Is this a common thing or was he just (un)lucky?
We are planning a hunt for either wy. or montana
and I'm just curious as to what to expect.
Any all reports on pronghorn hunters being ambushed and consumed by rattlesnakes would be greatly appreciated.

I have hunted here for umpteen years and I can only remember seeing one snake and that was when I was out looking for sage chickens.

Where I hunt antelope here in Colo. they are very common. It is unusual to go a day without seeing one. We tend to just go around them. I have had very small ones crawl under my pack to get out of the sun. The rancher hates them but I just leave them be.
C.G.B.

Hunting Wyoming, I have seen several. They usually let you know if you get too close and I usually just let them alone.

Having lived over 20 years in the desert Southwest (NW Arizona and rural So Calif mountain areas) I've seen very few. I don't really even worry about them when I'm in the outdoors. I just know not to shove my hand into crevices and under logs/rocks without looking first and that's about all I've had to do to have zero problems with rattlers.

I do often see them lounging along the roadsides (or in the road!) warming in the sun, but when out walking and hiking almost never. They see/hear/feel you coming and hide before you usually see them. I'm sure there are some regions where they might be a menace perhaps, but surely nowhere I've been. To me they're a non-issue if you take some slight precautions in your behaviour.

I spend a lot of time in the desert in AZ and hardly ever see a rattler. I think I saw one all of 2004, but he was close. I was checking a target during a shooting practice session and he was right there. Oh, forgot, did see another one coiled up. So I think I saw two all year. I see more non-poisonous snakes than I do rattlers.

I have seen one poisonous snake in Africa, a puff adder.

I've never seen one while hunting here in Oregon. Usually too cool that time of year, I suspect. That and we're usually well away from water.

I see them quite often while floating on the Deschutes in the summer. Damn near stepped on one a couple of years ago. Foot in the air, right over the top of him. Sandals and shorts. Shiver... He never made a sound. We ate him.

My buddies dog was bit (dry) in the face by one a couple of years ago. He got chills and a swollen muzzle for about an hour. Almost got my dog... When on over night float trips, I always carry a pistol with snake shot for rattlers that don't want to leave camp.

-Steve

Allen Day,

I will second your warning about rattlesnakes at night. Got up in the middle of the night and walked away from the tent to take a leak.
My fuzzy brain couldn't understand why my pecker was making a buzzing noise when I let the liquid flow. Next morning in the sand I saw the path of the snake go through the area I had wetted. I now use a flashlight when I irrigate at night.

In certian areas they are very common but I agree that they arent agressive unless they feel threatened. I seem to recall rattlers being named the "gentleman" snake for their curteous warning if one begins to get too close, but I personally still avoid them like the plague. Never have liked snakes.

Ive hunted several mountian ranges in Utah for decades without ever seeing one and yet in other places you can spot one right away. Just depends on the place and the time.