Has anyone else (besides me) every picked up a live rattlesnake by the tail before?

[tom turner]

Yep, but it was ONLY a "little" 4 1/2 foot long Eastern Diamondback!

Discovered during hunting season a few years ago while working on some stands . . .

. . . and now the REST of the story . . .


I didn't know it was still alive! We'd whacked it very hard with a 2x4 and it lay motionless for quite a while. Then I posed with the snake before tossing it into a fellow member's truck bed so he could show his grandkids.

By the time he got home, that snake was NOT in a good mood at all! LOL

 

[bp231986]

No thanks, i like to avoid the hospital trips.

 

[kwselke]

From an early age I was taught that a dead snake could still bite, so I've never picked up a live or dead poisonous snake.

 

[ralph7]

I still don't trust them with their head cut off.

 

[dcxplant]

I lop their heads off w a shovel and every single one is still flexing its mouth trying to bite for several minutes.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Never a live rattlesnake, but I've reached over to my wife when she was sleeping.....pretty much the same reaction-only the wife is quicker than the snake-and the bite MUCH more painful

 

[Hillbilly77]

Has anyone else (besides me) every picked up a live rattlesnake by the tail before?

I got married....

Does that count?

 

[timn8er]

Well, I know I haven't picked up a live rattlesnake, I'd probably remember that...& I'm thinking that may be a lot of the people that did pick up a live rattlesnake are either not around or won't admit it!

 

[diamonback68]

Picked up one in a bar one time.

 

[finesse_r]

My eyes are getting pretty bad these days, but I don't think they will ever be bad enough for me to pick up a rattle snake dead or alive.

By the way, I think whacking a poor creature of nature with a 2x4 will no doubt be considered animal abuse in at least 4 or 5 states. Aren't they on someone's "could be endangered someday" list?

 

[jlrhiner]

Gee, Tom. That opportunity has never presented itself.

 

[BearBio]

I've picked many up by the head. A couple by the tail but only in desperation (i.e. they got away from the handler while I was holding the bag-new meaning for"left holding the bag") and they crawled across my hand. Usually, grabbed the tail and slung them. My buddies learned not to watch from the left side since I held the bag with my right.

Now I'm older, hypertensive, diabetic and don't move so fast-so those days are far in the past. Just yesterday I backed down from an irate badger (isn't that a redundant choice of words?)

 

[GKC]

No...and if I ever did, the immediate area would have reduced visibility due to a dense yellow and brown fog.

 

[Iggy]

I have killed them, cut off their heads, started to skin them, and they have struck me with the bloody stump.

Live ones?? Nah, my Momma raised some dummies, but they was my sister.

I watched a feller pick up a big ol Bull snake and crack it like a whip. It's head come plumb off and smacked me in the cheek. We had us a plumb serious discussion wherein he done the lissenin' and I did the cussin'...

 

[bdsorcic]

You got BIG CJONES !!!

 

[the ringo kid]

I never picked up any (live) rattlers-but shot a few in my time.

 

[vigil617]

Not 'tll there's at least three or four folks responding to the altar call.

 

[MrJT]

No, but I've wrestled an Inland Taipan.

 

[TOM BECKWITH]

Only two - BUT just behind the head and about 18" down from the head - about 4 1/2' long and strong enough that they felt as if they would twist loose. But I was young and full of it.

 

[woodsltc]

Tastes like chicken!!

Don