HOLMEN COURIER (Wisconsin) 12 July 07 No need to be shaking about rattlers (Jim Solberg)

When I was in eighth grade, I set a challenging goal for myself. Unlike many other kids back then, my goal didn’t involve scoring a game-winning touchdown or home runs or anything like that. Nope; I simply wanted to catch and hold a live timber rattlesnake.

I had seen photos showing how to properly do that in my “Peterson Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians,” and it seemed like the ultimate accomplishment for a nature nut like me. Well, by the time I graduated from high school I had reached my goal and, of course, I did it dozens of times after that.

But after I got married and had children, I settled down a bit and decided to leave the pit vipers to others. But as I held the rattlers in those early years, I loved the way they felt and moved in my hands and I thought they were unusually beautiful animals with their satiny tans, yellows and caramels. I grew to like them.

Surprisingly, they were not especially aggressive animals and bites are relatively rare. Timber rattlers are more inclined to lie quietly and hope you go away or they just crawl away themselves. They prefer to save their venom for their prey.

Most human bites are the result of unwise handling of the snakes. In fact, there has been only one fatality from them in Wisconsin since 1900. That’s not to say that they aren’t dangerous. But you can avoid trouble by being cautious in snake country and calmly walking away if you see one.

Since 1998, the status of the timber rattler has changed drastically in Wisconsin. When I was young, La Crosse County offered a bounty for rattlesnake tails. Because of declining numbers, however, the snakes are now a protected species in the state under NR 10.02(9).

Timber rattlers can no longer be hunted, taken or killed in Wisconsin. If you are having problems with the snakes, you should contact the DNR before taking action unless there is an immediate threat to life (which is unlikely as explained above).

I used to find timber rattlesnakes on many bluffs in the La Crosse area. Sadly, there are houses around some of those hills now or they have become heavily wooded and the rattlers are gone. I know of places where they still exist, but I have not seen one for years.

Last week, though, that changed. A friend and fellow wildlife photographer from Lone Rock e-mailed some pictures of three beautiful timber rattlesnakes. My jaw dropped and I was on the phone in seconds. The next day, we parked in a field in Grant County below the hill where Todd had found many wonderful critters, including the snakes.

I immediately noticed that a few 17-year cicadas were still calling from deeper in the woods. I tingled with anticipation as we packed our cameras and gear. Any field trip is a thrill for me, but the chance that I might see a wild timber rattler again made the day really special.

We munched on blackberries and raspberries as we walked up the trail, watching for butterflies and birds. Finally we reached a clearing with juniper trees and exposed rocks. “That’s where I was looking for the rare juniper hairstreak butterfly when I heard the buzz,” he said as he pointed up the hill.

We approached cautiously until he whispered, “There’s one now.” Sure enough, a nice rattlesnake lay coiled beneath a large rock. I got out my camera and began shooting pictures. The snake seemed content to depend on its camouflage until I got within a couple feet, then it buzzed a little — though it didn’t strike or move.

I may have seemed rather close, but I have handled so many snakes, including the timber rattlers, that I know what to expect. I shot several more pictures until Todd spotted another rattler. This one was coiled partially inside a hollow log and I could see parts of two others deeper inside.

As we photographed the rattlers in the log, snake No. 1 decided to crawl over to join its buddies. We got some better pictures of the snake in the open and I snapped a parting shot of the rattle as the rest of the snake disappeared into the communal log.

Rattlers are ambush hunters, often waiting along the trails for mice, chipmunks and squirrels. The strike is swift and the venom quickly takes its toll. The snake trails the victim to where it died. Before the snake even begins to swallow its prey, the venom has already begun the digestive process.

Normally, the snakes scatter from the hibernation den after breeding in spring. They hunt in the surrounding woods and fields. The pregnant females, however, eventually stop feeding and tend to stay near the rocks to allow their young to develop faster in the warm sun.

They do not lay eggs and instead retain them while the embryos develop. In late summer the young are born ready to go. I was surprised to see so many there when we found them, and I wasn’t sure if they were old enough to breed yet. But Todd saw a larger one earlier, so perhaps at least some of them are there to give birth.

That bodes well for the rattlers on that hill, and I hope that several babies will be born in a few weeks. Each baby is born with its first button and fully potent venom. They can hunt on their own from the get-go and I wish them well.
No need to be shaking about rattlers

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