Big rattler...

CCBill · Post by **CCBill** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 2:21 am

This rattler was killed North of Amarillo, close to the Alibates flint quarry. That's around my old stomping grounds. Saw a lot of them, but never one this big. They say it is 9'1" and weighs 97 lbs. It would make several belts, hat bands, etc, huh?
...CCBill...

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 2:53 am

Wow, that is a HUGE dude! That beats the biggest I've seen by a good 3 feet. That was a timber rattler, huge by that species. The short story, eh, I got to close and shot him with a .308 from the hip. The 3 pieces of him measured just about 6 feet.

I wonder how many knife sheaths you can make from a 9 ft rattler, impressive!

knowtracks · Post by **knowtracks** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:53 am

Wow!! Now that's a snake.
Did you eat him?

johnnierotten · Post by **johnnierotten** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 3:32 pm

Its sad they killed it,a Western Diamondbacks rarely get over 6 1/2 feet..One of that size was probably 20 years old or older,whitch is an oddity in its self.

Gunsmoke47 · Post by **Gunsmoke47** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 4:36 pm

The company I work for owns the Turkey Creek Plant where that snake was supposedly found. The reason I say supposedly is that I do not recognize those buildings from Turkey Creek. The plant is shut down now, but I have been there many times. I also had the misfortune of being snake bit back in 1985. The one that got me was only a 3 or 31/2 foot prairie rattler but it was enough!

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 6:45 pm

that's the biggest rattler i have ever seen. killed a 7'4" diamondback in central texas and it wieghed about 30-35 lbs. 97 pounds?

he don't look like he's holding 97 pounds at the end of that stick. when i have pic of big fish i always hold em out to the camera. make it look bigger. i know we got big snakes in texas but......

here's a link
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/txsnake.asp

edited for info

Diamond Back Rattlesnake
The Texas record is 8 feet 3 inches and 16 3/4 pounds. Though most Texans (and everyone else) consider them a dangerous foe, they are actually very necessary to the Texas way of life. They help to keep the rodent population manageable wherever they are found. They are generally regarded as a necessary evil.

i now would now bet the one i killed did'nt weigh as much as i thought.

johnnierotten · Post by **johnnierotten** » Thu Mar 22, 2007 7:42 pm

I agree,Johnnie,it looks like its 9'1" but I think they exaggerated the poundage!! That little man don't look like he could hold 97pounds out stretched in that position!!

sunburst · Post by **sunburst** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 2:13 am

I pulled this information off Florida's Venomous Snakes site:

The Eastern Diamondback occurs in every Florida county and in many habitats. Average adult size is 36-72 inches, and the record is 96 inches.

CCBill · Post by **CCBill** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 2:58 am

I looked it up on Snopes.com and they seem to think it's a crock... Next time I'll look it up BEFORE I post it.
If you have never been to Snopes, it is a very interesting site and worth exploring if you have nothing else to do.
...CCBill...

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 3:05 am

cc, it don't matter. it's a great picture. i been around some big ones and they never impress me any less. my motto is shoot em, run backwards and reload! i have lived in rattler territory for over fifty years and probabably killed a hundred. front gates, sheds, walkways, deer stands. yards. firewood, maybe i'm

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 4:51 am

jonet143 wrote:cc, it don't matter. it's a great picture. i been around some big ones and they never impress me any less. my motto is shoot em, run backwards and reload! i have lived in rattler territory for over fifty years and probabably killed a hundred. front gates, sheds, walkways, deer stands. yards. firewood, maybe i'm

The surprise in the firewood always seems to get me. Dang, I even had one around my ankles in my sleeping bag on the ranch. Crawled out without getting bit, beat the sleeping bag with a big stick. You guessed it, I froze for the next 5 hours, only bag I had. Dang, there were more snakes than cattle on that ranch, 1 guy got bit every year, yeah it was the SAME guy every year trying to prove who was faster. Sheeesh!

Gunsmoke47 · Post by **Gunsmoke47** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 10:35 pm

Hey CCBill, whereabouts do you hale from? I'm a Pampa boy myself.

CCBill · Post by **CCBill** » Fri Mar 23, 2007 10:47 pm

Hey, GS...
Born in Hereford, lived in Amarillo for about 25 years.
...CCBill...

Gunsmoke47 · Post by **Gunsmoke47** » Sat Mar 24, 2007 12:37 am

Cool Cool, been to Hereford many times and go to Amarillo about 3 times a month. Played ball agin you whitefaces back in 74,75, and 76! That is one wicked coontail no matter where it was found. You can only doctor a photo so much and that is a big un period! Kelley