Rattlesnake killing illegal in NY

I"ll be ****ed if i"m letting any rattlesnake come on my property and possibly biting one of my kids!

Or has it already?

Here where I live we are already seeing major drops in seasonal wildlife.

By the time the climatic changes get going, it might be the human species that's onm the endangered list.

New York has one recorded fatality - ever - for a Timber Rattlesnake bite. And, New York doesn't have 1/100th the rattlesnake population it did 100 years ago.

Vermont has none recorded for it's entire history.

North Carolina with it's warmer climate has two on record - for the past 150 years.

There been less than 10 recorded fatalities from Timber Rattlers for the entire United States in the past 100 years. Yet - 139 U.S. citizens have died from Hantavirus since 1993 - that we know of - which is carried by mice and a few other rodents. And, the mice population is doing fine, whereas Timber Rattlers are just about extinct in the Northeast.

Sounds like we really need to fear the snakes around here.

I live in an area in New York that still has rattlers. They rarely hurt anything and just want to be left alone. And, if you get bit, it's rarely fatal. When I worked for the local Deeere dealer, we'd find them curled up inside Deere crawlers once in awhile - they liked to sleep by warm engines.

When I worked downstate - in Orange County, New York - my 80 year old boss was part of club of rattle snake hunters that caught bags-full of the live every weekend. They were milked of their venom to make heart medicine. Now, that is also illegal because they found out it eventually kills the snakes.

I don't have a problem with killing animals that present a danger, or for food. But - yeah, I do with people killing things just for the heck of it.

'Spose we ought to make a concentrated effort to save the small pox bacteria as well.

Allan

If I find any Mojave Rattlers out in my field or woods - I'll let you know.

The New York DEC isn't making any great efforts to bring back the rattlesnake numbers - they are just trying to preserve the few we have left. Since the reintroduction of the wild turkeys here - they've just about wiped out the snake population - besides doing a lot of young crop damage. Rattlers and other snakes cannot reproduce anymore since turkeys love small snakes for snacks. And, we've got way too many wild turkeys here - they're everwhere. And, on that subject - the DEc has given me permits to shoot problematic turkeys whenever I want when they cause crop damage.

I don't pretend that some of what the DEC does is dumb. It's government. That's not to say though, that some of what they do, makes sense. My nextdoor neighbor is a dairy and crop farmer along with working as a DEC wildlife technician. He's pretty good - and not exactly what you'd call a "tree hugger." He's a farmer, trapper, and hunter but still has some repect for what's out there. He and many others I've met are pretty balanced.

Hopefully, most people - at least some farmers - have an understanding how many things effect each other - including thoses natural and those man-made. We had some jerk here last year going around killing wild bees in their hives in bee-trees. And, at the same time New York has a bee shortage and many pumpkin farmers have to hire swarms of bees to get their fields pollinated.

Had another jerk shooting every possum, coon, fox, coyote, woodchuck, skunk, etc. he came across because they might have rabies. He got caught shooting a young whitetail fawn claiming they carry tuberculosis. Yeah, well so do humans. Personally, I think someone ought to shoot him. If you don't like, or you fear animals then go live in a city.

I don't pretend to know how everything - affects everything else. I also can't say what good to all else a rattle snake does. It is part of the natural system however, and does not have a record of causing harm around here. Maybe out west, things are different. I've picked many up and moved them. Here in New York, they are usually too cold to move very fast. And,when they climb on a rock to get 10 minutes of sun, some jerk freaks out and kills them. They rattle because they want to be left alone, not because they want to bite somebody.

If a person feels threatened and kills one, fine. If you've got them near your home, again - go ahead and get rid of them. But some jerk out in the woods - either panicking, or killing one just for fun and perhaps needing to brag about his great conquest - well - I think he's the idiot - not the DEC guys fining him.

I've never seen a snake in the wild here, but I respect them for what they do. I hear about the random Garter snake that gets run through a baler and then is found in the winter while feeding hay, but that's it.

One thing I've learned, Never brag about any kind of animal you killed to the towns folk. Someone is likely to blow the whistle on you.

Donovan from Wisconsin

It's illegal to kill rattlers in Michigan as well. Last time I saw one I was about 4 years old (50 years ago) and as I was walking over to see what it was my older brother pulled me away and likely saved my life. Our neighbor came over and killed the snake. The next day our pictures were in the local paper due to the heroic actions of my brother and the neighbor.

Sometimes it's better to seek forgiveness than ask for permission.

• Hobby farm

Well....it's like this, I thought the opportunity might get away and so I had to do it:).

But next time, I'll holler for you and while I hold her, you can do the punching. But, you better do it good....beat the living $hit out of her while you can, because if these retards elect her, she'll make it against the law to speak your mind. That witch has an agenda and it's not for the good of our Nation. She and Bill are Berkely-ite Hippies that grew older (not up) and are still promoting the Political activism/dogmas of the 60's. Anybody who lived during that era can recall the chaos their kind caused on college campus' and in the streets....and in Bill's case...in the Oval Office. They're all a den of snakes....pit vipers, every one.