WARNING: Rattlesnake season is here! Found a dead Mojave Green rattlesnake on the road out by El Mirage Dry Lake near Victorville, CA.
Many people that don't travel the back country much, fear the inevitable encounter with a
the denison of the wilderness, the rattlesnake. I will not tell you that these critters are warm and
fuzzy but for the most part they do not want to visit with you and will attempt to hide with any forewarning
they get. I grew up with a kid that kept rattlesnakes in the garage to study and admire. I was around him
enough to learn many of the "catching" techniques, the rattlesnake hideouts, and what can happen if and when that unwanted
"bite" happens. Let's check a few things out.
Do you see the rattlesnake in this bush?
First, most people fear ALL snakes and this leads to a lot of misunderstanding and outright destruction of the snake
population. Snakes keep the really pesky varmints in check such as mice and rats. These critters carry all sorts of
bad diseases that you do not want to have running rampant. Common snakes seen in Southern California where I have spent most
of my adult life, include: 1) the red racer, a fantastic pinkish to red, FAST moving snake 2) the ring-neck snake of the Santa Monica
Mountains which is a beautiful, very small snake with a red ring around its neck 3) the gofer snake which can seem to have a bad temper
at times but which is an excellent mouse-eater 4) the various types of rattlesnakes of which there is only one that annoys me...the
Mojave Green Rattlesnake.
Rattlesnake Encounters:
Most of the time a rattlesnake will warn you of its presence by "rattling" its tail. While hiking near Ione, NV one spring I wandered up
to an old ore milling site to take a look around. One of my dogs was staring under a piece of sheet metal and all of a sudden
jumped back just as I heard the distinctive buzz of a rattlesnake. I hastily loaded the dogs back into the truck. Once that was done, I
decided to explore one more rock foundation located on the other side of a dry creek bed. As I walked down the rock littered creek bed hopping from one
rock to another I was warned by the buzz of a rattlesnake sunning itself on the other side of the rock I was currently standing on. It was curled up
and ready to strike but the first warning was enough for me. I jumped backwards off of the rock and said thanks for the warning. I proceeded
down the creek bed along the far edge still moving from rock to rock. Once again, just as I stepped on a boulder a smaller rattlesnake let loose with
a warning and once again I jumped off of that rock. With 3 encounters within a few minutes, I decided that I had seen enough of this mill site and
would move on. Several months later, while talking with a rattlesnake handler, he pointed out that area around Ione, NV is where a lot of
rattlesnakes "den" and to be careful whenever visiting. No kidding!
I have mentioned this one in another place but it bares repeating. Once while hiking up to an old iron ore mining area I got to face a
rattlesnake eye to eye so to speak. I was walking a narrow trail that led from one mine opening to another. As I came to one of the openings
I peaked inside. As I straightened up I noticed a rattlesnake coiled up on a small ledge at eye level. It was staring at me but not making a sound. It
flicked its tongue out a time or two and that did it for me. I nearly fell off of the narrow trail as I jumped back and scrambled down the trail. This snake did
not give any warning that it was there. The ledge that it was laying on was at my eye level and a strike would not have been a pleasant experience.
Dogs and snakes: My dogs have encountered rattlesnakes several times. One was bitten by a Mojave Green rattlesnake and lived. She was apparently only hit
by one fang in the snout. She became very sick and had to be force-fed water and food but she did survive. Many dogs have been killed by the Mojave Green rattlesnake
especially near Kingman, AZ. Once while walking the dogs in the mining dredge dumps along side of the American river in Sacramento, CA my dogs spotted a large
rattlesnake crossing on one of the old roads. They ran up to it barking and howling and generally trying to check this odd thing out. The snake had the patience of
a tortoise. It never coiled to strike and it continued making its way to the safety of the rock piles. When I realized what was going on, I moved the dogs away and the
snake continued into a safe haven.
These are only a couple of the many rattlesnake encounters that I have had over the years. All turned out ok even though at the time, I was somewhat unnerved by the encounter. The
things to remember are 1) Do not panic 2)Look before you do anything. People have kidded me over the years about always staring at the ground when I walk...I tell them it
comes from looking out for rattlesnakes when I am walking in the countryside. City folks don't get it but those who have spent time in the back country sure do.
Is this a rattlesnake or a harmless gopher snake? (For the answer, see the bottom of this page)
