rattlesnake hunting close to Denver

[gunhound]

Any good areas within an hour or so of Denver?
Looking to go this weekend, any help would be much appreciated.
Ethical hunter, will be using snake stick and possibly .22 pistol.
Thanks
email - gunhound@yahoo.com

[trlcavscout]

Only place I know of is out by Brigsdale, out by where the Glock shoot is the weekend. Place is called rattlesnake hill. I use my compound bow with blunt tips to put the smackdown on them. The guy runs a horse training operation so firearms arent always allowed. BUT just south of La Salle on highway 85 there is some sand dune areas, supposedly it is loaded with them. That is where that rattlesnake Kate or whatever supposedly killed 100+. My dad use to work on an oil rig there and said they are everywhere. I always have the best luck in prairie dog towns, then its a 2 for 1 anyways. If you shoot archery, try shooting prairie dogs all summer, makes deer and elk look real big come fall. Nothing better then nailing a running dog at 50yds.

[theGinsue]

Of course you realize that the season for Praire rattlesnakes ended August 15th.

I REALLY wanted to get out and hunt them this year but every time I got set to make a date either my work, wife, or kids cause me to have to adjust my schedule.

I guess there is always next year.

[brokenscout]

You can go hiking on property. South Park style " They were coming right for me!"[Beer]

[Mtn.man]

I believe you can find quite a few at the State capitol building.

[rondog]

I believe you can find quite a few at the State capitol building.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b150/rinselman/misc%20stuff/pitofsnakes02.jpg

Don't forget to dress appropriately.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b150/rinselman/misc%20stuff/pitofsnakes01.jpg

[Mtn.man]

Snake ho's.

[rondog]

They're braver than me! I'd have to have leggings that went up to my ass.

[SnakeMan]

Yes, I have a *huge* rattler running around on my land and need help finding him. He got one of my dawgs a few days ago. The fang distance is 1 3/16" which is huge for a prairie rattler. That equates to a head width of about 2.5". For contrast, I found a 3' snake the next day while hunting for the Rattlesnake King. Its fang distance was 9/16".

I want some people to come hunt and clear my land of rattlers. Am guessing there are ten or more on my land. It is surrounded on three sides by public land and on the other by a gully following a railroad line. Would ask that bull snakes or other snakes not be harassed or injured or captured. This Rattlesnake King promises to be so huge, that if he is found I shall perform live capture and as an ecologist will work with the appropriate folks to study/relocate him...all rattlesnakes under 4' are otherwise fair game. Any interested hunters agree to do so at their own risk.

See photo below of 110lb dawg that was bitten defending against the Rattlesnake King. My two fairly large fingers are pointing to the fang punctures. One is a tiny black dot and the other is a large black oval. The oval evidently is where the fang went in all the way and did some trauma under the skin during the skirmish.

32561


Any good areas within an hour or so of Denver?
Looking to go this weekend, any help would be much appreciated.
Ethical hunter, will be using snake stick and possibly .22 pistol.
Thanks
email - gunhound@yahoo.com

[whistlepig]

I havent seen many this year but if I do see them do you want them? the catch is my wife is not crazy about a bucket of rattle snakes in the shed and I live in Fowler Colorado its about 2.5 hours south on hwy 71 fron Denver.

[Dave]

Damn, hope the dog is ok.

[MileHighOutlaw]

Sounds like a great challenge to hunt for the "King" To think after all these years he has been hiding on your land. count me in!

[JM Ver. 2.0]

Sounds like a great challenge to hunt for the "King" To think after all these years he has been hiding on your land. count me in!

Let's do it. 12 gauge with bird shot?

Sent from my teepee using smoke signals.

[buffalobo]

Sounds like he wants to catch the King. :eek: :screwy:

Sent from my electronic ball and chain.

[DonnyCommo]

I'm game if you need an extra hand!

edit to add: I hope the dog is good. I couldn't imagine my pup going through that.

[Irving]

Let's do it. 12 gauge with bird shot?



NO! Way over kill if you want to preserve anything. We shot rattlesnakes last month with 9mm shot shell and it still tore up the snakes. Even when we just shot the head.

[Irving]

we have killed many ratttlesnakes already this year. Way too many. The Pawnee Grasslands are full, full, full of them. Go early or preferably late. We are seeing them between 6-7pm and dark.

We found 3 on 320 acres. We spent most of the time searching a 1 acre area with structures and stuff to lift up. Each one was in the easiest place possible, despite us spending hours lifting stuff up and putting it back down. Any tips for finding them out in the open fields? Besides the one tip you just gave of course.

[MileHighOutlaw]

Well hopefully he can get back to us Sao we can help him out with his problem. It's been years since my brother and I spent summer days hunting them down.

[JM Ver. 2.0]

NO! Way over kill if you want to preserve anything. We shot rattlesnakes last month with 9mm shot shell and it still tore up the snakes. Even when we just shot the head.
Long range.... I don't wanna be any closer to the damn things than need be....

[Irving]

I had one by the tail before we shot it when we went hunting. :D

[hatidua]

Found this one a few weeks back on the banks of the North Platte while fly fishing. I shot it at least a dozen times before putting the camera away and wading back into the river. The British guy that was with me stood back about 30' squealing like a 4 year old girl as if we'd located the deviant offspring of Satan and Godzilla though, which was incredibly amusing. the tip of a 5wt fly rod convinced this one to be on its way:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/hatidua/ML3189_zps71932cdb.jpg

[rocktot]

Ok, is anyone up for a rattlesnake cookout? Why waste the meat?

[Irving]

Ok, is anyone up for a rattlesnake cookout? Why waste the meat?

I didn't really like the rattlesnake I ate, and threw the second one away. However, at $30/lb for the meat, you kind of feel like you HAVE to eat it.

[rocktot]

Was it the way it was cooked? What was the taste like?

[Irving]

Well, it was probably most of the way it was cooked. I don't know how to cook very well at all, so my wife kind of supervised, but wasn't 100% on board because she was grossed out by the fact that it was snake. The one I ate was fried, so the batter tasted great. I boiled the other one to remove the bone and it ended up just being gross. Rattlesnake does have it's own taste for sure, but describing it as "chewy, stringy, shitty chicken" isn't far off either. Certainly worth a try. Don't let my bad experience dissuade you.

[hatidua]

I boiled the other one to remove the bone and it ended up just being gross.

An older guy I used to know told a story once of when he and a friend, both 9 years old at the time, decided to "live off the land" with nothing more than a .22 rifle and a coffee can to cook in. He was 85 when he told the story which would have put this about 1923 when the adventure took place (I think he said they lasted one night before 'living off the land' was no longer tempting). Apparently, he and the friend managed to find a 'black snake' (rural NC) and after killing it, boiled it in the coffee can for dinner. 76 years after that dinner he said he could still taste that snake. In his adult life he had done a great many things, including driving landing craft on D-Day, being the chair of the forestry dept. at NCSU, Etc. He had a tremendous number of life experiences and even taught a class in wilderness eating when he worked at NC State U. but he said that snake really left an indelible memory. It was a rather amusing story. Sadly he passed away several years ago but I'll long value the time I spent sitting on his porch listening to his various tales.

From what I've previously heard, I thought rattlesnake was supposed to be palatable, don't they have annual events surrounding that cuisine in TX?

[Irving]

Oh I'm sure it tastes great when someone who knows what they are doing cooks it. I don't so it didn't turn out well. Imagine just gutting a fish, cutting off the head, removing the skin, and then trying to cook it without knowing what you are doing. The result would not likely be delicious.

You're snake story reminds me of the time that we picked up a shark steak at the Asian store and it tasted like ammonia. Now my wife brings it up all the time and anything that she thinks she won't like (rattlesnake) is going to "taste like the shark!"

[hatidua]

we picked up a shark steak at the Asian store and it tasted like ammonia.

Sharks flush their system with uric acid when hooked/stressed, you simply had a little shark urine with your steak (nature of the species I'm afraid...).

[tmjohnson]

HBARleatherneck
Sounds like with that many snakes hanging around, you need to get a couple of pigs and put in the yard. They'll cure your snake problem in a hurry