Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

[Maggot]

Check this out. Ive seen one like that. I was on a really rough back road out by Amistead Resivoir west of Del Rio Texas and driving slowly just before dark. I saw somehting on the side of the road and wondered..."HOw did a piece of Fire Hose get way the hell out here. Got out of the truck to take a closer look and the damn hose moved...Got right back in the truck. I never saw all of him but he must have been close to that size. Still maes me a bit queasy.

Ya'll need to forget about those itty, bitty snake-proof boots and
find yourself a full snake-proof SUIT.., AND HAT!!!

The ranch where this big rattler was killed is outside the city of Coleman which is located in ( West Texas) near Abilene .



Oh, for reference, the guy stands 6'-2". Seems there's
been a boom in the snake population there.



My fellow friends and family,

We have killed 57 rattlesnakes on two separate ranches this year. 24 @South bend & 33 @ Murray , since mid May. Not one has buzzed! We provoked one fair sized boy with a stick and he coiled & struck at the stick a couple of times before he buzzed up and rattled. The purpose of this explanation is that I have been hearing the same from fellow ranchers and hunters in regards to the lack of warning with rattlesnakes.
I had lunch with a friend today and he offered a theory about the fact that these bugs aren't rattling anymore. He raised pigs for years and reported that when he would hear a rattlesnake buzzing in the sow pen, the sows would bee line to it and fight over the snake. For the uninformed, pigs love to eat rattlesnakes. Therefore, the theory is they are ceasing to rattle to avoid detection, since there are plenty of pigs roaming the countryside. I have a neighbor ranching lady who was bitten 3 weeks ago 2 times by the same snake without any warning....she spent 5 days in ICU, after 22 vials of anti-venom she is back at the ranch and still may lose her foot or worse yet her lower leg.
The days of perceived warning are over. Keep your boots on and use a light when out and about. As you all know, one can pop up just about anywhere! You may wish to forward this to anyone that would be interested.

 

[wIg SpLiTtEr]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

Thanks for the post Maggot! Needless to say, Ill be strappin up the boots a little more often...

 

[-Nick-]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

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[captcoop]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

Typically when people use a stick and hold such a snake away from their body like that, it makes the snake look much larger. This works with fish pictures too, ask me how I know. Now I'm not saying that isn't a big snake, cause it is. I'll try to post some pics of an eastern diamondback killed this year on my hunting property . 11 rattlers and a button, snake was 53" long , bigger around than a 20 oz coke bottle

 

[tylerw02]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

I shot one in the head with my G19 last year that was from my shoulders to the bottom of my feet. I'm 72" tall, so my guess is it was 60-62" long and had 13 rattles+button. It was between me and my truck at the shooting range ready to dance. Scared the hell out of me.

 

[captcoop]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

Big snake Tyler! When I was 18 or so we saw a pair if rattlesnakes crossing a dirt road , they were damn near as long as the dirt road was wide . It was at our hunting camp, not a county maintained road , so it was quite a bit narrower than normal .

 

[338Sendero]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

And the question is asked- "Why do you need a 30 round magazine". I'll tell you why, that damn snake scares me, and I'll likely miss a few times making sure it can't attack.

 

[tylerw02]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 338Sendero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">And the question is asked- "Why do you need a 30 round magazine". I'll tell you why, that damn snake scares me, and I'll likely miss a few times making sure it can't attack. </div></div>

haha! That reminds me of a time we were prairie dog hunting. I was posing for a pic for the VHA "500 yard club" photos. I look down at the whole next to my dead dog and I see a prairie rattler coming out. I slowly back up and go to pick up my dove gun in case the snake gets upset. My buddy, who is deathly afraid of snakes of ALL kinds asks what I'm doing. He figures it out and unloads his Super Black Eagle at the hole, not even looking for the snake. He's fumbling around trying to reload and has lost all motor skills. At that point, the snake is pissed off. I just wanted to leave it alone, but he wants to dance because my buddy's frantic shooting. I take his shotgun and load in a shell out of my pocket and walk up within about ten feet and shoot it. My buddy is all but hyperventilating at that point. I still haven't let him live it down.

 

[Maggot]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

^^^^^^Some people are just terrified. My neighbor got a 4 ft blacksnake in his house and was about to crap his pants til ci came over, picked it up, and put it outside. He almos threw up just watching me handle it. Never even tryed to bite...Blacksnakes are pretty laid back. Black Racers not so much.

 

[aur0ra145]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

We noticed the same thing here about the snakes not rattling. Though we chalked it up to natural selection. The rattling snakes got killed off, and the non-rattling snakes survived.

Ain't that ranch over by Sweetwater, where the fucking lunatics go out and kill/catch rattlesnakes every year. I'm scared to death of snakes, why someone would go and actively seek them out is beyond me.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: 338Sendero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">And the question is asked- "Why do you need a 30 round magazine". I'll tell you why, that damn snake scares me, and I'll likely miss a few times making sure it can't attack.</div></div>

^^^^ Also, this

 

[dogmessiah]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

I am calling bullshit on the story going with the photo. I could be wrong but to me that looks like an eastern diamondback in the photo, and I don't believe they go much west of the Mississippi, and certainly not to West Texas (Where the story says the picture was taken). The eastern diamondbacks do get a little larger which makes for a better picture. As mentioned above holding something towards the camera makes it look a lot larger. No knowing how long the stick it is on is.

 

[Unknown]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

I would think that if the snake was too far away from the guy holding it, that either the guy or the snake would be out of focus. Cameras can not focus on two distances at the same time.

 

[-Nick-]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dogmessiah</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am calling bullshit on the story going with the photo. I could be wrong but to me that looks like an eastern diamondback in the photo, and I don't believe they go much west of the Mississippi, and certainly not to West Texas (Where the story says the picture was taken). The eastern diamondbacks do get a little larger which makes for a better picture. As mentioned above holding something towards the camera makes it look a lot larger. No knowing how long the stick it is on is. </div></div>

They said it was a rattler, and the last time I check an Eastern Diamondback is what again? lol... And did you ever consider he's holding it with a stick because they have diseases and shit or maybe he just doesn't want to touch that big ass beast? lol

 

[Maggot]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

Western...

Eastern..

 

[dogmessiah]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Unknown</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I would think that if the snake was too far away from the guy holding it, that either the guy or the snake would be out of focus. Cameras can not focus on two distances at the same time. </div></div>
Cameras are getting better focusing at more than one spot on a picture these days. As an extreme example google hyperfocal photography. Not what was used here, but modern digital cameras focus a lot better than your film based Kodak of yesteryear. No doubt the snake is big, just not as big as it appears. If you look at the tip of the guys boot and the tip of the snakes tail it looks like he is holding it at least three footlengths in front of him. Next time you are out fishing with a friend have them take a picture with a fish right beside you, and one when you are extending your arm all of the way towards the camera, and the camera fairly close to the fish. It makes a world of difference in how they appear.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Broker</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
They said it was a rattler, and the last time I check an Eastern Diamondback is what again? lol... And did you ever consider he's holding it with a stick because they have diseases and shit or maybe he just doesn't want to touch that big ass beast? lol </div></div>
Good job being a smart ass. My issue is that they say it was killed in texas, and eastern diamondbacks don't make it past the eastern edges of LA to my knowledge. I have no problem with him holding it towards the camera. My point is that him being 6'2" might not be reliable, and it appears larger than it actually is. With it being an eastern diamondback it could be that large. They have been known to get up to about 8', which is bigger than the western diamondbacks get.

 

[Maggot]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dogmessiah</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Unknown</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I would think that if the snake was too far away from the guy holding it, that either the guy or the snake would be out of focus. Cameras can not focus on two distances at the same time. </div></div>
Cameras are getting better focusing at more than one spot on a picture these days. As an extreme example google hyperfocal photography. Not what was used here, but modern digital cameras focus a lot better than your film based Kodak of yesteryear. No doubt the snake is big, just not as big as it appears. If you look at the tip of the guys boot and the tip of the snakes tail it looks like he is holding it at least three footlengths in front of him. Next time you are out fishing with a friend have them take a picture with a fish right beside you, and one when you are extending your arm all of the way towards the camera, and the camera fairly close to the fish. It makes a world of difference in how they appear.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Broker</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
They said it was a rattler, and the last time I check an Eastern Diamondback is what again? lol... And did you ever consider he's holding it with a stick because they have diseases and shit or maybe he just doesn't want to touch that big ass beast? lol </div></div>
Good job being a smart ass. My issue is that they say it was killed in texas, and eastern diamondbacks don't make it past the eastern edges of LA to my knowledge. I have no problem with him holding it towards the camera. My point is that him being 6'2" might not be reliable, and it appears larger than it actually is. With it being an eastern diamondback it could be that large. They have been known to get up to about 8', which is bigger than the western diamondbacks get. </div></div>

Look at the photos. What makes you so insistet that its an eastern. Looks more like a western to me. And as far as the westerns not getting that big, Ive personally seen then near that big though I didnt kll it to measure it.

 

[dogmessiah]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: maggot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Look at the photos. What makes you so insistet that its an eastern. Looks more like a western to me. And as far as the westerns not getting that big, Ive personally seen then near that big though I didnt kll it to measure it. </div></div>
The tail.
All western diamondbacks I have ever seen (with the exception of some captive bread morphs, but those are a big exception) have distinct white and black bands on the tails. Eastern diamondbacks have brown/tan and black rings. This is what lead me to the conclusion and is not shown in your pictures. The snake in the original post has too dark of tail rings to be a western diamondback.

Coloration of the pattern is less reliable as there can be geographical changes in color within the species due to changes in habitat. That said in general the eastern diamondback tends to have more contrast and be darker in color. The snake in the picture has more contrast and a darker color than most westerns as well, but that is not as much what I looked at as the tail.

I am not saying the westerns don't get as big as the one in the photo, a couple months ago I grilled one that came in at 5'9" after a removed the head and a couple of inches of neck. Just that the easterns can get larger and tend to be slightly larger.
Western

Eastern

 

[Maggot]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: dogmessiah</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: maggot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Look at the photos. What makes you so insistet that its an eastern. Looks more like a western to me. And as far as the westerns not getting that big, Ive personally seen then near that big though I didnt kll it to measure it. </div></div>
The tail.
All western diamondbacks I have ever seen (with the exception of some captive bread morphs, but those are a big exception) have distinct white and black bands on the tails. Eastern diamondbacks have brown/tan and black rings. This is what lead me to the conclusion and is not shown in your pictures. The snake in the original post has too dark of tail rings to be a western diamondback.

Coloration of the pattern is less reliable as there can be geographical changes in color within the species due to changes in habitat. That said in general the eastern diamondback tends to have more contrast and be darker in color. The snake in the picture has more contrast and a darker color than most westerns as well, but that is not as much what I looked at as the tail.

I am not saying the westerns don't get as big as the one in the photo, a couple months ago I grilled one that came in at 5'9" after a removed the head and a couple of inches of neck. Just that the easterns can get larger and tend to be slightly larger.
Western

Eastern

</div></div>

Kind of inconclusive, but also look at the head, shape and nose. The large one at the top looks more like the western with a rounded nose where theeastern isflatter, almost hog nosed. But over all incloncluseve. Personally Ive never seen an eastern that big. Who knows mabe their interbreeding and plotting a takeover.

 

[dogmessiah]

Re: Remember that vid of the big Cottonmouth"

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: maggot</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Kind of inconclusive, but also look at the head, shape and nose. The large one at the top looks more like the western with a rounded nose where theeastern isflatter, almost hog nosed. But over all incloncluseve. Personally Ive never seen an eastern that big. Who knows mabe their interbreeding and plotting a takeover. </div></div>
A little googlfu gives us a more reliable source. This says it is an eastern caught outside of Savannah. 6'6" is what that article reports, which a western can get up to, but it is very rare.
http://www.gon.com/article.php?id=2484&cid=158