Question about rattlesnakes?

A while back, a friend and I were talking about snakes.

I quoted the old adage: "Mr. Rattlesnake is a gentleman. He generally warns you before he strikes.

Lewis then mentioned a conversation with the owner of his deer lease in central Texas. The rancher said that he'd noticed that rattlesnakes seemed to rattle a lot less these days than formerly. He blamed this on the rising population of wild hogs, since the buzzing of a rattlesnake is a dinner bell for hogs.

Our hog population is not so heavy here in Lower Alabama so I've not noted a similar situation.

Do any of you hunters find similar behavioral changes in rattlesnakes in your area?

I probably won't pick a best answer to this one but will leave it to the voters.

Doc Hudson

2013-08-27T23:20:37Z

Heck Quinn, I said generally and meant generally, not "always."

Step on the most gentlemanly of rattlesnakes and he is going to strike first and rattle later, perhaps to warn of a second or third strike.

Evem a human gentleman will sometimes feel compelled to throw a punch or draw a gun with out issuing a warning beforehand

Squiggy2013-08-27T19:29:03Z

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When I was a kid in California in the national forest, we traveled mostly on horseback. I never encountered a diamondback that didn't rattle before I was close enough to even see him, although my horse usually knew before I did.

When I worked the wheat harvest during those years, we often found rattlers in the combine heads, but again, they let you know that they were in there.

I always believed, "Mr. Rattlesnake is a gentleman. He generally warns you before he strikes." as well.

Since I moved to Missouri, i haven't seen or heard a rattler in years, so I don't know about their current behavior, but the pig thing makes sense. I WILL tell you that the copperheads here do NOT have the same manners as rattlers do. They will actually come after you!

Coasty2013-08-27T21:37:10Z

This is a growing problem in a lot of places that have a feral pig problem. I live where we have a problem with some very large hogs have gone feral and they found where the rattlesnakes like to sun in the spring. It resulted in a drastic drop in the number of rattlesnakes for several years. They are now beginning to make a come back but many no longer rattle.

Quinn2013-08-28T04:23:59Z

>>I quoted the old adage: "Mr. Rattlesnake is a gentleman. He generally warns you before he strikes."

You didn't read the quote very carefully. The operative word is "generally". Rattlesnakes do not always rattle before they strike. That is a myth.

Higgy Baby2013-08-27T21:27:31Z

I have seen one rattlesnakes in the wild. It did not rattle.
I have lived in Lower Alabama since 59.

Mav2013-08-28T00:41:55Z

I haven't really noticed a change in behavior. I'm in Central Florida, and out of the ones I see, some rattle and some don't. Since humans are encroaching on their territory, they may just be getting more used to seeing people. :)

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