[BC] Spiders

[Glen Kippel]

On Thu, Feb 23, 2012 at 6:11 AM, Cowboy <curt at spam-o-matic.net> wrote:
>On Wednesday 22 February 2012 10:45:30 pm Broadcast List USER wrote:
>>  I should  
>> carry a .22 revolver with shot loads for that, but I never have and  
>> worry a bit about unintended consequences,

> Lately, I've been getting into "air guns."
> Many will suit the purpose nicely, but should not be
> confused with a firearm, nor relied on as a defensive weapon, EVER.

>----------------
 
I used to have a CO2 pistol that I thought would be good for dispatching rattlesnakes.  I was wrong,  One buzztail was kind enough to just lie there while I shot at it, with the B-Bs bouncing off until I happened to hit a soft spot just behind its head.  It took a couple of minutes and lots of BBs to kill it.  A shovel is quicker; don't use the flat side to bludgeon it to death, just use the edge to decapitate it.  Or if you wish to be humane, scoop it up and pitch it away from you.   
 
Subsequently I got an M-16 training rifle in .22 LR caliber, which I have kept loaded with shot shells alternating with hollowpoints so that if I run into a rattlesnake or a coyote (4-legged or 2-legged) I have some form of protection. 
 
I agree, leave king snakes and gopher snakes alone -- they not only cut down the rodent population but are not friendly to rattlesnakes, either.
 
I stepped smack-dab on top of a sleeping rattler once, but that's another story.