Moved to pueblo, co last June. "the mountains are calling and I must go".
Everyone nearby calls them a prairie rattler.
I've seen two pygmy rattlers on my place. There was a huge wildfire south of Dirtybird, east of Noble about 15 years ago that reportedly drove them into new habitats, and residents of east Norman started having encounters with them shortly afterwards. There were enough of them that it made the Norman Transcript at the time.
Both of the aforementioned pygmy rattlers met untimely ends; given my druthers I'd've let them go, but my bark bark of remarkably few brains wouldn't leave them alone. The first one got on the deck and couldn't figure out how to get off--it kept going back and forth along the retaining wall with the dog in pursuit, so a .22Colibri ended the chase.
On the second one, I was installing a Roadmaster Active Suspension on my truck when I started hearing this incessant barking. She would often bark at things, but incessant barking was unusual, so I went back to investigate.
She had a Pygmy rattler in a little clearing, and kept sticking her paw out at it, trying to get it to strike (I did say she was a bark bark of remarkably few brains). What she hoped to accomplish is beyond me, but being rather fond of her, I dispatched the snake with a pair of Klein lineman's pliers hurled with good enough accuracy from a bit more than six feet away.
I hated to do it, as they were both beautiful snakes (I remember the distinctive purple colors on them), but when the choice is the dog or a snake, the dog is gonna win every time.
Both of the aforementioned pygmy rattlers met untimely ends; given my druthers I'd've let them go, but my bark bark of remarkably few brains wouldn't leave them alone. The first one got on the deck and couldn't figure out how to get off--it kept going back and forth along the retaining wall with the dog in pursuit, so a .22Colibri ended the chase.
On the second one, I was installing a Roadmaster Active Suspension on my truck when I started hearing this incessant barking. She would often bark at things, but incessant barking was unusual, so I went back to investigate.
She had a Pygmy rattler in a little clearing, and kept sticking her paw out at it, trying to get it to strike (I did say she was a bark bark of remarkably few brains). What she hoped to accomplish is beyond me, but being rather fond of her, I dispatched the snake with a pair of Klein lineman's pliers hurled with good enough accuracy from a bit more than six feet away.
I hated to do it, as they were both beautiful snakes (I remember the distinctive purple colors on them), but when the choice is the dog or a snake, the dog is gonna win every time.
Wow, I am impressed! I can't drop a kleenex into a trash can from two feet above it in one try.
How about this bad boy! He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and met an untimely demise. That’s my late mother holding the beastie right after my father and I did him in. He was actually about 6”-8” longer but in the heat of battle I got a little more snake then I’d planned. Tanned the hide which wasn’t difficult and turned out great. Oh BTW this is a Southern Pacific Rattler.
One thing to keep in mind, I read in a medical magazine the snake bite can be treated with DC electricity, Hot shot, stun gun, and other forms. I have not been bitten by a snake but have a brown recluse spider and it work on that. I know several snake handlers in Texas that carry a devise called the Snake Doctor about the size of a pack of cigaretes. They have been bitten and say that they work, I would still got to a doctor though. I keep a small hot shot in my vehicles just in case. Also the pygmy rattler is the most deadly in the US. Best wishes that was a very serious bite.
Now I wonder just who it was figured that out? “Okay Charlie, I know you just got snake bit but let me hit you with this cattle prod!” “Say what!!!!” Sounds like something out of a Bill Engvall skit.
Shock and stop the heart, which prevents venom from spreading in bloodstream. Snake bite problem solved.
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Looks like you got the Judge dialed in for that second one!
