Author Topic: The rabbit run  (Read 1525 times)

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Offline pastorp

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The rabbit run
« on: March 20, 2009, 05:54:39 PM »
When I lived in the southwest there were Jackrabbits all over the place. In the summertime we would make what we called Rabbit runs 2-3 times a week after work. Just ride the dirt roads and shoot those jacks with lite varmit rifles.

On one of these runs I killed the bigest rattler of my life. It was a western dismondback or as the locals called them a coon-tail because the last few inches before the rattle of their tails were black and white banded.

That snake when placed on the tailgate of a full size ford pick-up hung off both ends. And that was minus the head. He was awful close to 7 foot live.
Any way we skinned him and I threw the carcus over in the bar-ditch, and was cleaning up the skin a little, when I noticed that things bloody stump where the head had been was pointed right at me. I mean raised up a foot and pointed at me. As I moved he appeared to track my movements with that bloody stump.

One of the strangest things I've seen. Regards,
Byron

Christian by choice, American by the grace of God.

NRA LIFE

Offline bilmac

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Re: The rabbit run
« Reply #1 on: March 20, 2009, 06:46:51 PM »
Takes a long time for reptiles to find out they are dead. Snappling turtles are notorious for this. You better have him penned after you chop his head off, cause you will get tired of waiting for him to quit crawling around and go do something else and when you come back he won't be where you left him.

Offline Victor3

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Re: The rabbit run
« Reply #2 on: March 21, 2009, 01:21:09 AM »
 They get pretty big.

 I took this pic of a Southern Pacific with my phone in Palos Verdes CA last year...



 Longest ever recorded in the area was 44", and this one appeared to be close to that. He wasn't interested in sticking around for me to measure him though :(

 A Mojave Green and his dinner (kangaroo rat) I met up with a while back...



 Beautiful creatures. Make a nice hat band and don't taste bad either.

 I've seen them coil and squirm around quite a bit after cutting the head off and skinning; even after several hours.
"It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly, one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts."

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Offline bilmac

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Re: The rabbit run
« Reply #3 on: March 21, 2009, 04:32:59 AM »
We lived in Arizona for a few years. I was a dumb Wyo guy who thought all rattlesnakes ran when they saw people. I casually stepped out of the truck and grabbed a shovel to dispatch a coontail, we killed them around the buildings. Scared the pants off me when instead of running this big ol snake goes the wrong way, towards me. I smacked him so hard that the handle of the shovel broke almost square off about two inches below where my hands were.

Offline pastorp

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Re: The rabbit run
« Reply #4 on: March 21, 2009, 04:58:13 AM »
Bilmac, when their sheading their skins they really go wild. I've walked toward them and they would just start atriking up in the air in my direction. One once struck the side of our jeep as we passed by it. Bet he had a headache after that one ;D Regards,
Byron

Christian by choice, American by the grace of God.

NRA LIFE

Offline Tn Jim

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Re: The rabbit run
« Reply #5 on: March 21, 2009, 05:35:40 AM »
You guys can keep them. Most of the rattlers and copperheads around here have been killed off. It's supposed to be illegal to kill them, but tell a hillbilly with a hoe that when they find one in their yard. The TWRA has been releasing a lot of both recently because they say killing them has disrupted the natural balance.

My youngest sister lives in S.E. Kentucky and we call where she lives Copperhead Hollow. Darned things are everywhere. She has lost count of the ones she has seen, plus a couple of rattlers too. I would wear out the barrel on my Mossberg if I lived there. :o
Not all Muslims are terrorist, but oddly enough, all terrorist are Muslims.

Offline bilmac

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Re: The rabbit run
« Reply #6 on: March 21, 2009, 08:56:23 AM »
They actually release venomous snakes!!! They believe that nobody will sue them because they are the good guys or something? Thats almost unbelievable, almost as bad as releasing wolves in Yellowstone.

Offline Tn Jim

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Re: The rabbit run
« Reply #7 on: March 21, 2009, 05:22:41 PM »
Sad, and stupid, but true I'm afraid.
Not all Muslims are terrorist, but oddly enough, all terrorist are Muslims.

Offline Travis Morgan

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Re: The rabbit run
« Reply #8 on: June 28, 2009, 08:28:26 PM »
Where is this that they're releasing them?
The first step towards liberty is an act of defiance!

Offline Tn Jim

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Re: The rabbit run
« Reply #9 on: June 29, 2009, 07:06:05 AM »
Eastern Tennessee.
Not all Muslims are terrorist, but oddly enough, all terrorist are Muslims.

Offline Yankee1

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Re: The rabbit run
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2009, 06:00:38 PM »
I was shooting archery up in Palos Verdes up above James Ishibashis place right above where the road is always broken up. We had a field archery range there. On the first target a 65 yard target we had just pulled our arrows out of the target and were about to head to the second target when I looked in front of my friend where he was about to step right down on a coiled rattler. There was not time to speak my hand shot out and grabbed him by the back of his shirt and jerked him back so hard he ended up about six feet behind me on the ground.
He was startled and said are you going crazy, why did you do that?
I pointed to the rattler and said "I didn't think you really wanted to put your foot on him". He said Wow I sure didn't.
                                         Yankee1