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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 7, 2012 9:04:23 GMT -5
What kind of snakes do you want at the Tailgate ?
Just stay close to the tailgaters and you'll probably not see any. But if you go wandering off in the brush watch where you step and put your hands.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
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Post by Sabre52 on Mar 7, 2012 11:03:22 GMT -5
Victorville is Mojave Rattler territory unless you get down in the sandy washes where you might encounter a sidewinder. I'm sure the Mojaves are around ( they like the rocky hillsides) but in many trips out there, I've never seen a single rattler......Mel
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Steve
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2005
Posts: 506
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Post by Steve on Mar 8, 2012 0:08:50 GMT -5
Larry, About 40 years ago I went on a collecting trip with the LA Natural Science Museum to the desert around Randsburg. Majove Greens were somewhat rare - we saw a few and collected one. Sidewinders were plentiful and seemed to be just about everywhere. As I recall, they mostly came out at dusk. Has something changed or was it just the particular area we were in?
Have to admit that I miss the fried rattlesake from my youth. Saw it on a menu in a restraurant in AZ a few years ago - they fried it tough and tasteless, nothing like what grandma used to make.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Mar 8, 2012 11:02:47 GMT -5
Hi Steve,
Oh yeah, times have changed. You wouldn't recognize the area. My dad use to take me out to Stoddard Wells back in the 60's to hunt rabbits. Victorville use to be a tiny town. It's just an extension of LA now. Zillions of housing tracks, shopping malls, etc. During rush hour, Cajon Pass is actually stop & go traffic! Every time I drive past the area and see Bell Mountain, it reminds me of the time my dad was showing off to me with his new 65 Plymouth Fury with a 383 and he was doing burnouts and driving like crazy on the dirt roads. He went out of control, spun out and went over a high dirt berm and filled the whole inside of the car with dirt, stalling the engine. To this day I still remember the look on his face, all dusty, spitting out dirt and cussing up a storm. I was laughing like hell and couldn't wait to tell my mom when we got home.
Randsburg area has changed too. No more Yellow Aster gold mine. Some Canadian outfit dug out the whole mountain and cleaned out the gold. Much of the area is fenced off. The town of Randsburg looks the same and most of the main street buildings are antique & gift shops. Looks cool. Both areas are popular with dirt bikes & ATV's. Do a Google satellite map search of the area. It has changed.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Mar 8, 2012 14:40:33 GMT -5
Steve: Sidewinders are a lowland snake preferring sandy bottomlands while Mojaves are more rocky brushy upland critters. On my Mojave trips the Mojave greens always seemed more common to me but I saw quite a few of each type. Down on the Colorado desert, especially around Salton Sea in the dunes, man the sidewinders were all over the place. When I've eaten rattlers in the past ( don't kill them any more) I liked my rattler BBQ'd *L*.......Mel
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Mar 8, 2012 20:45:22 GMT -5
Hey Mel, do they really taste like chicken?
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Steve
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2005
Posts: 506
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Post by Steve on Mar 8, 2012 21:04:12 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. I'll have to try to find an excuse to visit that area again. Unfortunately, I'm usually only in CA in July or Aug. When we were on that trip 40 years ago we got to see the Blue Angels - they were putting on a private show for their wives.
I know you asked Mel, but I'll answer anyway - done right rattler meat is very white and it is not unreasonable to say that it tastes like good chicken. Done wrong it taste like alligator.
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 8, 2012 21:29:40 GMT -5
Yum, buzz tail on a stick, done over a camp fire. Just a little salt and pepper. Good eatin.
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billg22
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 451
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Post by billg22 on Mar 11, 2012 1:31:21 GMT -5
OK, I really glad this topic was posted. I was at the Stoddard Wells Tailgate. While hanging around on Saturday, I thought I'd go up one of the dirt roads and pick up some "free" material. As I was walking along, staying away from the bushes along the road I almost stepped in some coyote scat. Then about six feet further up the road there was this guy either sunning himself or was injured. Another good reason for zooms on cameras. I kept a safe distance and tossed a few stones his way. He did coil and slithered off into the plants. I didn't do a jump. and he didn't rattle. I just went "Whoa!". I was creeped out the rest of the day. Larry, Think it was a Mojave Green? Attachments:
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Mar 11, 2012 9:20:34 GMT -5
That's exactly what you have there! They are a high pucker factor and tend to change your attitude for the rest of the day. His venom is only 10 times as powerful as the others! See, your caution paid off. There are more out there than you realize and most people don't know what to look for. You could have walked right over him and not now he was there. Then when you got back to camp, they'd ask "did you see any snakes?" Most I come across don't rattle. They're just kicking back and sunning themselves. How would you like it if you were laying down at the beach sunning yourself and some 200' tall bozo came along and kicked sand in your face? Note the scale patterns and the white/black strips near the rattle. See, my zoom lense is more powerful than yours! I wasn't getting close to this sucker! BTW, Diane was yelling at me the whole time I was taking these pictures. Good thing snakes can't hear otherwise he would have gone after her!!!! LarryS
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 11, 2012 9:56:59 GMT -5
That first greenie looks a bit thick around the middle, like he might have been stretched out sleeping off a good meal.
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bushmanbilly
Cave Dweller
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Post by bushmanbilly on Mar 11, 2012 11:15:02 GMT -5
Nice lookin snake.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Mar 11, 2012 13:57:03 GMT -5
Yup, Steve's right. Cooked right it tastes very much like chicken except a bit more chewy. I've never like the fried snake I've tried as I thought it had kind of a funny aftertaste but BBQ'd it was quite good....Mel
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billg22
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 451
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Post by billg22 on Mar 11, 2012 23:46:48 GMT -5
When I got home I searched Youtube for videos. I don't know how those "Snake Hunters" get so close. I was by myself and later thought how stupid I was. So what did I do next. I brought Paul and his family surface collecting in the same area.
I think I skip the desert areas in the summer. Maybe do the collecting on the beaches in California. I am a real lucky person right now.
This post was real helpful this weekend. Thanks Larry.
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billg22
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 451
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Post by billg22 on Mar 11, 2012 23:52:04 GMT -5
Wow what was I thinking? I could have clubbed him and brought him over to the Stoddard Wells Tailgate BBQ hut for a mid-afternoon snack. This city slicker was just happy to get back down the trail to the tailgate gathering.
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LarryS
freely admits to licking rocks
SoCal desert rats
Member since August 2010
Posts: 781
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Post by LarryS on Mar 12, 2012 9:40:18 GMT -5
Lesson learned Bill. I wouldn't go as far as not go rock hounding out in the desert. Most areas are safe and certain areas are not. You had your first encounter with a snake and now I bet you're looking for them in your backyard, under your bed?!?! You are now far safer than your average rock hounder or desert explorer. You know what to look out for and will be cautious for the rest of your life, which will save your life. Open locations like Lavic, Hector, Desert Oasis, Field, Kramer, Castle are all sparse vegetation areas and you can see all around you. I wouldn't go to very brushy areas like Last Chance where you can't see what's around you. What changes everything now is Goober will have to stay home. We only take him out in the safe places where we can see where he's going. His favorite past time is sniffing under all the bushes. Terriers are hard wired to hunt & kill vermin. He's like a kid in a candy store out in the desert with all the furry and scaled treats running around. Like a Lab in a duck pond. So don't sit home and cancel rock hounding. You are more aware of your surroundings now. Oh Steve, on another forum someone mentioned they saw a Mojave Green in Johannesburg on Novermber 27 with a temperature of 52 degrees! Ground temperatures must have been warmer. LarryS
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Post by johnjsgems on Mar 12, 2012 11:56:54 GMT -5
I've collected in the Mojave a lot and only found one sidewinder. He rattled and coiled and let me know he was there. They are pretty small (like under 2 feet) and I've been told they can only jump their length. I killed quite a few when I lived in Newberry before. I had too many dogs and off roading friends would come and play on week ends with youngsters. If I would have been alone I would have let them be. I don't remember what time of year it was but one year at Jalama Beach the beach was full of tarantulas. Breeding season they swarm the beach. They are much less dangerous than snakes but a little creepy to some people.
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billg22
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 451
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Post by billg22 on Mar 12, 2012 19:38:51 GMT -5
Larry, in hockey you can get "puck" focused, I may have been a little "rock" focused. It was a lesson. I may do the desert in January with a minus 10 wind chill.
I hear about people taking their dogs on hikes in the Hollywood Hills and running back to their car holding the snake bit pup. Our cats don't even get to go outside.
John, I really liked Jamala Beach and plan to go back this summer. I'm pretty good with spiders. I always come across Black Widows in the garden. A good pair of gloves do the trick.
Some of the rocks we brought back from our Gem Hill/Yermo had some holes in them. They ended up in buckets of water. I boiled the ones I wanted in the house. Our cars will eat bugs.
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Post by johnjsgems on Mar 12, 2012 20:20:25 GMT -5
I understand black widow venom is much worse than tarantulas. Poor tarantulas got a bum deal from all the crazy movies.
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 12, 2012 21:21:10 GMT -5
A tarantula bite is about the same as a wasp sting. Nothing to worry about, unless you're allergic to their venom. A black widow can make you pretty sick, but usually not life threatening. And then there's the brown recluse. He's the bad boy in the spider world in the U.S.
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