Scouting, Volume 27, Number 6, June 1939 Page: 21
34, [2] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Rattler!
By F. C. MILLS
National Director
Health & Safety Service
cfimely clips on Scout (Protection and Straining
Butte, Montana, May 1
WHEN I read the following
article yesterday in The
Montana Standard it
seemed to me that every Scouter
who is going into a snake country
this summer should also have an
opportunity to read it. Scout Exec-
utive Frazier and I called at the
newspaper's office, were most cour-
teously received and given permis-
sion to publish the story with illus-
trations. So here it is.
MAYBE YOU'LL HAVE A PAT-
ROL LEADER read it aloud to the
Troop. When he has finished, per-
haps you will review the first aid
treatment for poisonous snake bite
as given in the Handbook for Boys
— the "SUCTION METHOD."
Please warn them against becom-
ing "rattled" themselves. Just that
has caused a lot of deaths. "KEEP
COOL" is a great Scout slogan.
The article:
Rattlesnakes do not charm their
prey; they do not swallow their
young; do not go blind in August; do
not relish direct heat of the sun; do
not welcome a fight; will not strike
unless disturbed or frightened; do not
always rattle before striking; cannot
strike without first throwing them-
selves into a loose "S" shaped coil.
These are just a few things that
rattlesnakes do not do, as pointed out
by W. T. (Bill) Sweet, widely-known
Butte sportsman who long ago turned
his attention to this form of hunting.
Last Sunday, Mr. Sweet and a party
of Beaverhead county sports enthusi-
asts staged the first rattlesnake hunt
of the year on Rattlesnake mountain,
south of Melrose. They captured about
20 of the prairie variety, all of which
were exhibited in a Butte window dur-
ing the past week.
The method used by Mr. Sweet and
his friends in taking the reptiles alive
is simple. The snakes are lassoed,
much in the same way a buckaroo las-
soes a critter. A rope with a loop on
the end is thrown over the snake's
head and the rope pulled taut. Just as
simple as that.
The snakes are not hard to ap-
proach, according to Mr. Sweet, al-
though they do a lot of hissing. They
cannot throw themselves further than
half their length, he pointed out. After
the rope is thrown over their heads
it is an easy matter to drag them to
captivity.
Tells Their History
"Rattlesnakes are quite plentiful in
most of the arid sections of Montana"
said Sweet. "There are about 40 differ-
ent species in the United States, con-
sisting of the small "side-winder" of
the Imperial valley of California to
the large "diamond back" of Florida
and Texas, which sometimes attain
the length of about eight feet and
weigh 15 pounds. All are very poison-
ous and bites are fatal in a good many
cases unless quick aid of the suction
tube is administered immediately.
"They belong to the family Cro-
talidae and have one rattle when born.
They thrive in semi-arid, particularly
in rocky limestone formations. They
have been found in Mexico at eleva-
tions as high as 14,500 feet; in Cali-
■m
Photos by Stewart Barker, Butte, Montana
Some bed! Makes the horse hair rope fable sound like a fable.
JUNE, 1939
A Going Troop is a Growing 'Troop
If®
Looks like a museum set—but don't
be fooled—it isn't.
fornia at elevations of 11,000 feet, but
in Montana they are rarely found
higher than 4,500 feet elevation as
our climate is more rigorous.
"Rattlers are of considerable eco-
nomic importance in many areas, since
they serve as a check on destructive
rodents; however, I would hardly rec-
ommend their protection. It would be
better if they could be replaced with
other non-poisonous snakes. While rat-
tlesnakes are diurnal in spring and
fall, they are largely nocturnal in
summer. In colder climates rattlers
hibernate together in large numbers,
going into hibernation about mid-Oc-
tober and emerging in mid-April.
Poison Their Prey
Rattlers are secretive and mild when
approached. They will usually remain
quiet in order to avoid detection, and
when discovered will endeavor to es-
cape if given the opportunity. It is
only when they are frightened and
cornered that they will stand their
ground with a strident warning to the
intruder. They will not strike unless
disturbed or frightened. They do not
always rattle before striking. They
can bite without coiling, but cannot ^
strike without first throwing them-
selves into a lose "S" shaped coil. The
strike rarely exceeds half the length
of the snake. A big rattler, thoroughly
alarmed, is certainly something both
to see and hear. Not only is the rattle
sounded continuously but the cornered
snake inhales and exhales with a vio-
lent hiss, with body flattened. A large
rattler can puncture thin flexible
leather. Since rattlesnakes are not
naturally vicious, and do not attack
unless disturbed, the principal danger
to hiker or hunter results from walk-
ing along a trail without watching his
step, so that the rattler, which has
not been seen, might be trod upon.
"Rattlesnakes always strike and poi-
son their prey; that is what the venom
(Continued on page 29)
Page Twenty-one
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 27, Number 6, June 1939, periodical, June 1939; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth313050/m1/21/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.