Rattlesnakes and other venomous species (Phoenix, Mesa: for sale, apartments, work)

[esselcue]

Now, now boys....while Steve-O is a little over the top with his AZ information in general (he lives elsewhere and has visited here. He knows enough about AZ to be dangerous ) he DOES know his reptiles and, as a person who works with the sheriff's office and has a very good line on what occurs with snakebites in this area of AZ, I have to say that Steve-O is very correct in his snake bite stats.

The occasional hiker or gardener who gets bitten by a rattler makes headlines because someone always calls 911 and it is news...but the kids or immature adults who like to snake hunt and fool around with rattlers (I saw a kid try to hold one in his teeth!) are almost always unknown. Those incidents are handle privately, no law enforcement involved...so the general public has no clue.

The lesson here is...just be cautious when in the wilderness and don't muck around with snakes (to quote the late, great Steve Irwin).

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by drwnorth

According to recent studies, 95% of what you hear from the likes of Steve-O is B.S.

Way to cop out there when confronted with facts.

[ZonyPony]

Rattlesnakes and scorpions?
Incredibly, I've rarely seen any, except perhaps at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Probably better to encounter one of them in the desert than, say, a bear in the woods, or even an alligator or crocodile in the swampland!

[Nearborn]

Originally Posted by Mindygazzara
Do the snakes hang around where the cattle/antelope etc roam? or do they live in rock/canyon (mountains) area?

I would defer to the experts of coures, but it's probably a safe bet to wear your snake chaps when you're hiking on Rattlesnake Ridge or down in Biting Viper Holler.

[Greatday]

We tend to be especially conscious of Rattlers when riding our horses in the desert - there is nothing more unpleasant than a horse bolting at the sound of a rattler

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Greatday

there is nothing more unpleasant than a horse bolting at the sound of a rattler

Unless of course the horse bucks you off and you fall into a huge patch of jumping cholla, which is right where the rattler happens to be hiding, and you get bit on the cheek on top of it all.

Reminds me of the time I was riding at the McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale.... my horse freaked out everytime a hummingbird would come buzzing along. It wouldnt bolt off or anything, but it would start neighing (sp?) and shaking its head like crazy and get all antsy. The only time it bolted was my fault. lol I took my hat off to shake the dust off of it and apparently horses dont like that. It took off full speed into the desert (and up an embankment) with me holding the reins (with one hand) for dear life. I wrestled it to a stop about 30 yards from where it bolted and headed her back onto the trail.

Sorry for the book there, just thought Id share.

[esselcue]

Horses are timid beasts...they believe that have only flight to save their souls. I have ridden all my life and have never been dumped off of a horse for any reason other than the horse going nuts over a paper bag in the wind or its own shadow on the ground! Those couple of times my horse literally leaped over backwards in horror. One encounter with a snake (bullsnake) on a trail once lead to my horse stomping it to death...but he did not spook or bolt. He spooked at a mountain lion once, though

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by esselcue

Horses are timid beasts...they believe that have only flight to save their souls. I have ridden all my life and have never been dumped off of a horse for any reason other than the horse going nuts over a paper bag in the wind or its own shadow on the ground! Those couple of times my horse literally leaped over backwards in horror. One encounter with a snake (bullsnake) on a trail once lead to my horse stomping it to death...but he did not spook or bolt. He spooked at a mountain lion once, though

We have "chaps" for the ankles of our horses when riding in the desert. They have also been "trained" to gun fire - We have two that don't even flinch when we discharge a firearm (rifle or handgun) from the saddle. We have another that is still getting use to it.

[esselcue]

Yeah, it's interesting that a horse will be calm amid gunfire (so would mine) and yet go goofy about a piece of tissue flying by. But, that's just the nature of the beats

[drwnorth]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Way to cop out there when confronted with facts.

Your statement about "drunk young males is a total joke" - misleading a lot of people which want & need accurate knowledge & understanding of what to expect or anticipate when in rattler country.


Insofar as a "cop out"?


It's better to remain silent and thought the fool, than speak and remove all doubt.