Ran across this guy while hiking yesterday.

[Canute]

I've been cycling trails in California for years and only just saw one a few weeks ago. It was just a baby. Got within a foot to snap a pic and went on my way.
I'd generally leave them alone as they help control the rodent population.

[Quiet]

I think you need a fishing license for some reason.

No fishing license is needed to take rattlesnakes [F&G Code 7149.3].
You would need a fishing license to take other types of snakes & reptiles [F&G Code 7149(a)] .

CA Fish & Game does not regulate the taking of rattlesnakes.
Since there are no regulations, they are always in season and there is no bag limit on them.

Use a shovel to kill them. Just one well aimed whack will do it. It's what we use at my work. Too many problems with not having any birdshot on hand for shotguns and/or revolvers.


CA Fish & Game Code 7149
(a) A sport fishing license granting the privilege to take any fish, reptile, or amphibia anywhere in this state for purposes other than profit shall be issued to any of the following:
(1) A resident 16 years of age or older, for the period of a calendar year, or, if issued after the beginning of the year, for the remainder thereof, upon payment of a base fee of thirty-one dollars and twenty-five cents ($31.25).
(2) A nonresident, 16 years of age or older, for the period of a calendar year, or, if issued after the beginning of the year, for the remainder thereof, upon payment of a base fee of eighty-four dollars ($84).
(3) A nonresident, 16 years of age or older, for the period of 10 consecutive days beginning on the date specified on the license upon payment of the fee set forth in paragraph (1).
(4) A resident or nonresident, 16 years of age or older, for two consecutive designated calendar days, upon payment of half of the fee set forth in paragraph (1). Notwithstanding Section 1053, more than one two-day license issued for different two-day periods may be issued to, or possessed by, a person at one time.
(5) A resident or nonresident, 16 years of age or older, for one designated day, upon payment of a base fee of ten dollars ($10).
(b) California sport fishing license stamps shall be issued by authorized license agents in the same manner as sport fishing licenses, and no compensation may be paid to the authorized license agent for issuing the stamps except as provided in Section 1055.
(c) This section does not apply to licenses, permits, reservations, tags, or other entitlements issued through the Automated License Data System.
(d) The base fees specified in this section are applicable to the 2004 license year, and shall be adjusted annually thereafter pursuant to Section 713.

CA Fish & Game Code 7149.3
Notwithstanding Section 7149, a sport fishing license is not required for any resident to take any rattlesnake (genus Crotalus or Sistrurus).

[Army]

I kill every rattler I come across. Other snakes I do not care about.

BTW, they do NOT have to coil to strike, nor will they always rattle a warning. As long as they have any length to move in any direction, they can hit you.

[CSACANNONEER]

I regularly hike in the high desert. I've had a couple unexpected close encounters with rattlers. If you hear the buzz, bounce back far enough it stops, then figure out where it came from. If you can see and avoid the snake, do so.

I would not do this. When I hear a rattle, the first thing I do is identfy where it is coming from. Then, slowly retreat to a safe distance. I've been in one situation where my partner stepped on 4 snakes, killed two of them and we identified 3 more in the matter of 2 minutes and in approxinately a 20'x20' area. We were waist high in brush and could not see down. BTW, none of them rattled!

I surveyed for two small "mom & pop" outfits in the Santa Ynez Valley. Then I worked for MNS Engineers out of Santa Barbara. (they have offices elsewhere too)

I was a chainman, but would also run the gun quite often, sometimes by myself after we got a robot gun. Doing topos in wide open spaces was my favorite.

The economy killed my job.

Tell me about it. As "Cheif of Parties" at a small company, I am now working on call. There have been a few two week pay periods where I've only worked 1 day!

BTW, they do NOT have to coil to strike, nor will they always rattle a warning. As long as they have any length to move in any direction, they can hit you.

Yep, I've had them "S"ed up 1/2' from my foot before. I've seen them strike from an almost straight position too. I have not heard one rattle all year but, I've been within 3-4 feet of a few. One I even passed the weedeater over again and again, cutting a few inches of the +2ft weeds down each time I passed over it. It never rattled and didn't even move until the weedeater passed within 2" of the top of it! When it was leaving, it straightened out enough for me to get a clean head shot as it was up against the exterior wall of my bathroom.

[SickofSoCal]

Tell me about it. As "Cheif of Parties" at a small company, I am now working on call. There have been a few two week pay periods where I've only worked 1 day!

Most people won't believe this, but we actually felt the economy begin to slide right after the summer of 2006!

By thanksgiving of 2007 I was down to 20 hours a week. Of course, there were still lots of busy weeks, but it was never like it was during the boom years.

[SickofSoCal]

I kill every rattler I come across. Other snakes I do not care about.

BTW, they do NOT have to coil to strike, nor will they always rattle a warning. As long as they have any length to move in any direction, they can hit you.

It has been my experience that most of the time they DO NOT rattle!

Not sure why you feel the need to kill every one you run across?

[SickofSoCal]

I would not do this. When I hear a rattle, the first thing I do is identfy where it is coming from. Then, slowly retreat to a safe distance. I've been in one situation where my partner stepped on 4 snakes, killed two of them and we identified 3 more in the matter of 2 minutes and in approxinately a 20'x20' area. We were waist high in brush and could not see down. BTW, none of them rattled!

Like I just said, it has been my personal experience that they do not rattle.

9 times out of 10, the "buzzing" people hear is a beetle, not a rattler.

[thayne]

Best is just wear snake gators and leave em alone

[xxINKxx]

I've been doing a bit of hiking up in the santa cruz mountains, most often the castle rock trials. This time I came across a scary little surprise. is this pretty common out here?

Is it legal to open carry out there? I'd like to take a .22 with some bird shot in case i run across one of these again and get into some trouble.

You need to carry a gun? Oviously you werent in too much of a dangerous situation if you could stop and take pics up close

Just practice these skills, or play some Barry White music to get rid of them like they did on the Simpsons

[CSACANNONEER]

Most people won't believe this, but we actually felt the economy begin to slide right after the summer of 2006!

By thanksgiving of 2007 I was down to 20 hours a week. Of course, there were still lots of busy weeks, but it was never like it was during the boom years.

We did not start to slow down until about Sept. of last year. Then, everything just stopped all at once.

Best is just wear snake gators and leave em alone

Trust me. You don't want to see me wearing JUST snake chaps.

[Timberwolf]

Whether they rattle or not I believe depends on the sub species. Its been my expereince that the Pacific's I've run into rarely rattle, but their cousin the Mojave will buzz like crazy even when a few yards away. Of course they are the grumpiest of rattlers. Another good buzzer is the Western D-back , and that one sends chills up my spine due to thier size.

[SickofSoCal]

We did not start to slow down until about Sept. of last year. Then, everything just stopped all at once.

Wow. I'd consider you to be extremely lucky!

My brother works for a rather large outfit that has been around since the 1920's as I understand it. They even get a lot of government jobs (Vandenberg Air Force Base, Caltrans, etc), and since June of 2007, they have laid off over half the survey department.

He has somehow magically survived about 6 of "Stalin's Purges" (as I jokingly refer to them) and every single man laid off was in seniority to him! In fact, he was the last person that they hired, and that was in May of 2007. For the last two years he has lived in more or less fear of losing his job.

I am so mad, because all last month he has been on one of those Caltrans Prevailing Wage jobs out in Lancaster making $40 an hour and even some overtime at $80 an hour. He told me that the Caltrans guys were like "You guys are SO efficient" (and they weren't really, just milking it like everyone else), and then the Caltrans foreman says "Yeah, we don't get anything for coming in under budget".

I'm telling you, it's things like that which make me so lividly furious.............well, I would get banned. Government is such a parasitic leech. Even if I was on that job making that money, I would still be bothered by it because I know in my heart that it is morally wrong.

[Aesop]

1. Rattlesnakes (multiple species and subspecies) are native to all of California, from Mexico to Oregon, excepting the previously mentioned high-altitude mountain peaks.
2. Being a reptile, earlier claims notwithstanding, rattlesnakes do, in fact, hatch from eggs. The usual CA hatch is March-April.
3. Firearms are a definite no-go in state parkland.
4. Stout 5' or so walking sticks are heartily encouraged. Using them to tap, clatter, and poke into places before you put body parts there is always the best approach. If you saw the scene in The Adventures of Robin Hood where Errol Flynn first meets Alan Hale at the footbridge, you can probably find other uses for such a handy item.
5. The overwhelming majority of snakebites are received by white males from 18-30, and almost universally where alcohol is involved. The most frequently recorded famous last words before the bite are "Hey y'all, watch this!" or words to that effect.
6. Something like 1/3 of all bites from venomous species are "dry," i.e. with no venom injected. All bites are dirty bites, as snakes eat crap and don't brush and floss between meals. Treat appropriately.
7. Rattlesnakes can bite whether they rattle or no, while coiled, uncoiled, stretched out, or doing anything else snakelike. They can not launch themselves 10' away at you, so if you back off, you should be fine.
7. Apart from the Sawyer Extractor, which has a small but documented utility if applied immediately, the best use for 100% of the other marketed "snake bite kits" sold is, when you see a snake, to
a) grasp it in your dominant hand
b) cock that hand back over your shoulder
and c) fling the kit at the head of any snake you observe prior to it striking, as hard as you can, while shouting "Go away, snake!".
d) Never ever use anything in it for any other snakebite first aid unless it's on someone you really, really dislike. "Cut and suck" for example, went out of favor medically when Howard Taft was president.
8. As elsewhere noted, a state fishing license is required to collect, kill, capture, or otherwise molest snakes in CA, in places where it's legal.

Expect snakes in CA anywhere there are tasty mice, and any time it's warm enough for you to be outside without a parka.

But if you don't play with the snakes, they won't bite you.

[taladeganite]

Rattlers!

I'm in the east bay nor cal hills Mt. biking at least twice a week and some times more to hike.. Ive ran across 5 rattlers this year alone, 2 in the last two weeks... we're more concerned for our dogs than getting bit ourselves, truth is they aren't too much to worry about.. you just really need to pay attention where you step and put your hands and whats in front of you, on any given trail or under logs and in small caves.. be alert and aware.. they dont always warn you.. a good LONG stout stick is the best.. their striking distance is really rather short. o..as a kid we used to dig em out of burrows ... (22 total in one once!) we deep fried more than half.. quite tastey! saw a gorgeous king finishing up a garter snake the other day.. so cool!

[Seesm]

Eat em... Tasty stuff... Cook them in peanut oil...