Does anyone know where to find out what the regulations are (If there are any) for hunting snakes in Washington. The labyrinth of a website the WDFW has is no help at all.
I don't believe snakes are classified as game, and therefore no license is required. What sort of snakes, and what do you plan to hunt them with? A bow, muzzleloader or modern firearm- are a long stick with a forked tip?!
You don't need a license for that. If you find snakes early in the season they'll probably be sunning themselves on rocks. I would be very careful using a firearm due to the potential for ricochet. Besides, if you really want to save enough meat to eat, shotshells will turn most of the meat to burger. Wear some knee high boots and get a long stick with a forked tip. Pin their heads down and use your knife to decapitate them. I've never et one but I hear they tast like chicken.
I used to hunt cotton mouths and water snakes (looked like cotton mouths) down in texas when I was a kid. I used a bbgun, homemade spear, 22 and shotgun. You shouldn't have to worry here with our little rattlers, but down there, having 5 foot water moccassin bearing down on you out of the blue and each bb or 22 misses by an inch or so as it slithers along toward you (they can be aggressive) can get a little un-nerving. Having a backup stick or spear - or just using it to begin with can be more effective... I never ate the snakes, but did eat bullfrogs. I'd walk along the reservoir at night with a flashlight looking for the 2 bumbs for eyes sticking up, put a shot right between them, then wade out and get them (hoping not to encounter the moccassin that was about to eat the frog... when that happened, it was time to empty the clip on the 22 and walk on water back to shore). Sorry - that had nothing to do with your question
In the summers as a kid I would go to my grandparents ranch in southern New Mexico. This was pre-drivers license age so younger than 16. They would let me take out the pick up and cruise around. During the day we would shoot rabbits and at night we would cruise the remote highways with shovels and look for rattlers baking on the asphalt. I don’t know if my grandparents ever knew this but we would take turns bonking rattlers on the head with a shovel and see how many we could collect. Never shot them this way we saved our bullets and shells for cans, rabbits etc. Nick please don’t try this
Well for starters you have to be over in the eastern part of the state. Unless you happen to wander down to First Ave in the middle of the night. Try the hottest parts of the state like over by Moses Lake. Also it has to be in the summer as winter time nothing is out over there. And the snakes over there aren't little. Jim
Exactly my plan, I take an annual trip with my dad over to the Potholes area and I was just planning ahead. Thanks for all the help!:beer2:
In all my trips to eastern washington in the last 10 years or so, i have seen exactly 2 rattlesnakes and both of them were extremely dead. 1 small dead one minus rattle on the trail that runs along rocky ford creek(with an empty .22 shell laying in the grass nearby) and 1 squished dead on the road down on the tucannon. now i can't say that i've been outlooking for them, actually hopefully i've been doing my best to avoid them, but i was wondering if you are actually out looking for them, are there really that many around to actually go hunting for them?? i do have a buddy who hunts them in other places, not washington though.
I've only gone looking for them once, but I did actually see one. It was right by the road to the seep lakes. I figure if I go out in the morning/mid-day, I'd see more though, sunning themselves on the rocks and whatnot.
Anywhere in the Seep Lakes area. Just find a nice rock wall facing South, and poke around. Bring a mirror to reflect a spotlight so you can see in the nooks and crannies.
A friend of mine used to tape a treble hook to the end of and old fishing rod and stick it down in the cracks of the rocks to pull the snakes out. If them snakes hear you or feel you coming they will get away in the rocks. As for tasting like chicken, I don't think so!!!! He would boil'em for a long while before frying. I wouldn't eat'em, I'll eat the chicken.
Good times. Used to hunt copperheads when I was a kid. The weapon of choice was a 22/410 savage over under or a .22 long pump with the last shell or two loaded with shot. The shot or the 410 was in case you miss and they come after you. Snakebites suck! Always have a backup plan. Rattler is good cooked over an open fire. A little wet mesquite in the fire even better.
