tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post7058405837160772617..comments2024-03-16T13:29:45.711-07:00Comments on Dipper Ranch: The Last Purple RattlesnakeCindyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-52783181090669747602012-11-30T06:37:34.010-08:002012-11-30T06:37:34.010-08:00Dang...I love those pacific rattlers. Our native ...Dang...I love those pacific rattlers. Our native Crotalus is C. horridus.....which is also a beauty. But there's something about the heavy contrast between the bands on the head and the tail of C. oreganus that I find stunning.Trailblazerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09949103831752176052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-3947490961287705302012-10-23T16:59:03.006-07:002012-10-23T16:59:03.006-07:00Very interesting! Wow, I would be a little disturb...Very interesting! Wow, I would be a little disturbed as well by the number of rattlesnakes you are getting on your property but I am glad you are relocating , not killing. They do have thier place in the world! Great post!Kimhttp://womaninthemid.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-39858029399288432722012-10-22T23:30:07.609-07:002012-10-22T23:30:07.609-07:00Oh my!!! I cannot believe this! We don't have ...Oh my!!! I cannot believe this! We don't have anything like this around my parts (Portland, OR) and I cannot imagine. Glad you are okay!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02066815570522048203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-12754563411590732852012-10-21T20:05:48.216-07:002012-10-21T20:05:48.216-07:00DJ: really good input from someone who has been &q...DJ: really good input from someone who has been "on the line" with rattlesnakes and also thought through the fear. I never, never want to be bitten by a rattlesnake. And yet because I have chosen a career in the great outdoors and I additionally chosen to live on the Dipper Ranch, there is a chance. With those choices, it's my responsibility to watch how I move through the landscape to be safe. That awareness has kept me safe so far and has also provided me with more insight to the natural world around me. This is what I mean by "The Rattlesnake Decision" - knowing the risks, thoughtfully dealing with them, and becoming even more aware of my natural surroundings and my own mental capabilities at the same time. Now you have me thinking about how this applies to pumas. Thanks for the warning example and the big picture.Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-76669431650135708092012-10-21T16:47:06.463-07:002012-10-21T16:47:06.463-07:00Cindy
I want to chime in on this. Being bitten b...Cindy <br /> I want to chime in on this. Being bitten by a rattlesnake is no joke, bad, bad, bad all the way around. When I was working in the Lexington Basin with De Anza there was a woman that would occasionally talk to us about the camera trap work we were doing. Well she did not stop by for several months during the study and when she finally did she told us of being bitten by a rattlesnake and spending 28 days in the hospital as a result. She also said she still felt “bees” in her toes, fingers, and lips. This was three months after being bitten. <br /> However, before taking an action like killing a rattlesnake just because it is a rattlesnake I think we need to understand who this animal is and what eco-system services it provides.<br />Here is my simple version; major role - rodent control, lop a couple of snakes heads off and the old “j” curve of increased rodent population is presented to a property, put out traps and rodenticide then you have the possibility of secondary illness and kill off of local mesopredators. Then repeat, repeat, repeat, and repeat… Bad for everyone.<br /> I say pay attention where you put you hands and feet when each one of us is in these out door environments. Even when we live, ranch, raise livestock in the wild land fringe, as a friend use to tell me “situational awareness”. <br /> Oh I have had my close calls with rattlesnakes but somehow I have managed to avoid the bite for years. Typically, much like the puma, the rattlesnake wants nothing to do with us. Thanks for posting your adventures. DT<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-9926627269049460912012-10-10T17:08:53.728-07:002012-10-10T17:08:53.728-07:00Cindy,
When I used to do the rattlesnake safety t...Cindy, <br />When I used to do the rattlesnake safety talk at Death Valley and I asked the audience who had been bit by a rattlesnake, someone always raised their hand. I always asked if they would share the story and 95% of the time they were putting their hands or feet somewhere they should not have been. Most of the bitees were male, and most were under 25 when it happened (though almost all of them were over 70 when they told the story). Many a story involved moving hay bales with bare hands. Julienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-77895437603804609712012-10-10T07:56:12.387-07:002012-10-10T07:56:12.387-07:00Woah! coma for 3 days?!? Woah!
I remember the her...Woah! coma for 3 days?!? Woah!<br /><br />I remember the herp guys I knew said nobody ever dies from it, then a few months later a homeless guy living in a San Diego canyon by the beach died from it. 'Course he didn't exactly have health coverage or get lifeflight-ed to the hospital, and probably wasn't super healthy to start with, but nevertheless, that was it for him.biobabblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15081382623906668057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-67189085281007684322012-10-09T12:37:52.015-07:002012-10-09T12:37:52.015-07:00Now I have everyone stirred up at work about rattl...Now I have everyone stirred up at work about rattlesnakes and talking about who gets bitten. A co-worker took his kids to a birthday party this weekend that had someone with reptiles to entertain the kids, mostly large constrictor types. Anyway, the gent showing the snakes later admitted to my co-worker that he once got bit by a rattler while hiking when trying to show a buddy how to pick up a rattlesnake with your BARE hands. He was in a coma in the hospital for 3 days! Don't pick up rattlesnakes - yah, got it.Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-24581443472881825922012-10-09T08:35:09.483-07:002012-10-09T08:35:09.483-07:00Oh, so many fun things.
1. You may be starting a n...Oh, so many fun things.<br />1. You may be starting a new fashion trend among herpetofauna--kinda like tattoos. =)<br />2. Rattlesnakes are my #1 excuse for buying NICE, fatty 100% leather boots. Pants that extend over boots are also good, and socks (whatever increases stuff between your body and the fangs).<br />3. I, too, have heard that a vast majority of rattlesnake bites are from people who grab rattlesnakes (as you say) with bare hands ON PURPOSE.<br />4. I don't know anyone who's been bitten, either, and my co-workers are pretty much all wildlife people.<br />5. Thanks for the tips re: male vs. female rattlers--sweet!biobabblerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15081382623906668057noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-75122614479874474762012-10-08T21:39:41.689-07:002012-10-08T21:39:41.689-07:00Greg: Snakes can be fascinating, even at a distanc...Greg: Snakes can be fascinating, even at a distance, so I am glad you are noticing them. I have photos and tips for telling the difference between gopher snakes and rattlesnakes at post below. http://dipperanch.blogspot.com/2010/05/colors-brown.htmlCindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-66687944566972042882012-10-08T20:45:34.891-07:002012-10-08T20:45:34.891-07:00A great read, Cindy. Though, I suspect I may have ...A great read, Cindy. Though, I suspect I may have dreams tonight... I'm a newbie when it comes to identifying snakes, recently mistaking a 3+ foot gopher snake for a rattler. I love to see them - at a distance.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09703573425105370247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-53230052034847762412012-10-08T11:38:49.099-07:002012-10-08T11:38:49.099-07:00What is the risk of being bit by a rattlesnake? Of...What is the risk of being bit by a rattlesnake? Of the hundreds of trained biologists and park staff I know, only one has been bitten by a rattlesnake and that snake did penetrate his work pants. He was hospitalized but is okay now. On the other hand, I hear about hikers, picnickers and campers getting bit more often mostly because they are picking them up with their bare hands (?!#!?), or otherwise putting their hands or feet in places that the rattlesnakes are hiding. Knowing the habits and habitats of our only local venomous animal is important to keep yourself safe and I hope that I am helping people get educated. Hmmm, but an excuse to buy another pair of boots, oh yeah. Anyone else have some input or experience about the risk of being bitten by a rattlesnake? Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13378411362651806039noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-23922078602938171362012-10-08T01:29:52.664-07:002012-10-08T01:29:52.664-07:00Awwww, but the photo ops!
When going about my w...Awwww, but the photo ops! <br /><br />When going about my work, I've always assumed I can do whatever is necessary, as long as I'm wearing thick jeans and good work boots. My understanding is that snakeys would have a hard time biting past these things. Is it possible for you to modify, not your entertainment or habits, but your summertime evening garments?<br /><br />tierramorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11663283635898904598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5700728271731802119.post-510090542068266092012-10-07T15:54:58.219-07:002012-10-07T15:54:58.219-07:00A good read and I am glad that you didn't kill...A good read and I am glad that you didn't kill the snake as most people would do, but then I knew you never would anyway.John @ Beans and I on the Loosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09185975793295220723noreply@blogger.com