Hot Hiking Wichita River Waterfall With No Rattlesnakes

Day five of the early return of Summer, during the final weeks of the Winter of 2024, had me overheating on the final Saturday of February fast hiking the Circle Trail as it meanders east of the Wichita Bluff Nature Area.

Walking this section of the Circle Trail I do not recollect previously making note of the Wichita River waterfall you see below. This is almost as wild a waterfall as that which remains of the original Wichita Falls, located a few miles further downstream.

I have yet to see any reptiles slithering during this current unnatural heat wave. It would seem snakes would slither out of wherever it is they spend the cold time of the year.

Speaking of snakes. The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup happens in March. I experienced this disturbing event once, earlier in the current century. I made a Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup webpage, which included the first video I made with my long-gone Canon camcorder.

Years ago, that Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup webpage came up #1 when Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup was searched for on Google. I don't know if it shows up at all, anymore. During the time it Googled high that webpage generated a lot of email feedback. Some of which were of the sort that arrived in my email yesterday...

Rattlesnake Roundup

Howdy there.

It's that time of the year again when we're coming back for the killers to them a damn good exposé.  The merchants of death will be dragged through the dirt like they'll always be until such time as the killing ends.

Henry sends his regards by the way.

Robert Piller.

Campaign Against the Trade in Endangered Species...

__________________________

Are rattlesnakes an endangered species? There seem to be plenty of them slithering about. I've happened upon several out in the wild whilst I have been in Texas.

I have zero clue as to who this Henry is who is sending his regards my way...

I opted to take advantage of today's blazing hot sun to get an early start on getting suntanned, preparing to get tropical.

I appear to be a tad sunburned. Methinks such is an optical illusion. That swamp grass on the banks of the Wichita River probably should have had me vigilantly looking out for any snakes in the grass...

Fort Worth Chefs In Rattle Battle With Tasty Rattlesnakes

This blog post falls into the category of things I read in a Texas newspaper, such as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that I would not expect to see in a newspaper in my former west coast location, about this particular Texas type thing happening in my old home zone.

In this instance it is an article's in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram online titled Taste what 12 Fort Worth TX chefs can make with rattlesnake at Tim Love’s ‘Rattle Battle’.

Part of the rattlesnake article...

Chef Tim Love is hosting a different kind of cooking competition in Fort Worth next month.

Love is emceeing a rattlesnake cooking competition titled “Rattle Battle” from 3 to 5 pm. on Oct. 6 at Mule Alley in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Tickets are now on sale for the event, starting at $125. 

The event will host 12 Fort Worth chefs competing tocreate the best dish made from rattlesnake meat. Event guests along with a panel of judges will determine the winner. The winning chef will take home $2,500 cash, a prize pack and the coveted rattlesnake trophy.

“I’m very excited to host the first annual ‘Rattle Battle’ and have gathered Fort Worth’s finest and most innovative chefs to engage in a unique challenge — using the most unusual ingredient, rattlesnake,” Love said in a press release.

________________________

I did not know people ate rattlesnake til early this century when I went to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, where I saw rattlesnakes being milked for their venom, killed for their skins and their rattlesnake meat.

Which I then saw being consumed by multiple people, buying rattlesnake and chips from a restaurant in the main Roundup venue.

You can see all of this in the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup webpage I made a couple decades ago...

Microsoft OneDrive Memories Take Me To Rattlesnakes & Swimming With David, Theo & Ruby

Today is the first day in awhile where I remember the memories, supposedly from this day, that Microsoft's OneDrive sends to my email.

I do remember all these memories did occur in March, but not in the same year. That memory photo at the upper left is from the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup. I think it was in March of 2004 I made my one and only disturbing visit to Sweetwater's Rattlesnake Roundup. 

Below that photo memory from Sweetwater we move ahead a few years, to 2019. This week in March was the last time I have seen the Tacoma Trio of David, Theo and Ruby, and their parental units. 

That would make the two pool photo memories being memories of David, Theo and Ruby in Aunt Jackie's swimming pool. I had myself a mighty fine time that day. It was memorable in multiple ways, including swimming with the kids.

On this computer, if I can find it, there is one photo of me in the pool, tossing David,

It is sort of hard to believe that that March swimming pool incident was four years ago. So much has happened in those four years.

In a couple weeks David is taking his brother and sister, and parental units, to Iceland to see the Northern Lights and Gullfoss Falls, before continuing on to France to go to Paris Disneyland and the Eiffel Tower.

That visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup was the first time I made a video with my then new, and now, long gone, video camcorder. It was a primitive effort, but the video pretty much captures the Rattlesnake Roundup...

Yellow Wildflower Harbinger Of Coming Texas Spring

Overnight one of the harbingers of spring arrived on the landscape outside my abode. Spring is scheduled to be sprung in 10 days, March 20.

I don't know the name of the colorful yellow wildflower you see above. Dozens  bloomed overnight. This wildflower does not have a pleasant fragrance. I would say it instead has an unpleasant fragrance.

Soon my favorite Texas wildflowers should be blooming, as in the Evening Primroses.

This morning the reason I exited my abode, and saw the newly arrived splashes of yellow color, was because I was driving to Lucy Park to have myself a salubrious communing with nature via walking the Lucy Park backwoods zone.

The Lucy Park nature communing went well. But, I saw none of the colorful yellow wildflowers coloring up Lucy Park. 

What with the temperature warming, as in yesterday we got into the 80s, this time of year, whilst walking a backwoods zone, one must be on the lookout for frisky snakes enjoying the return of warmth to their slithery cold blooded selves.

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup should be happening next weekend. If memory serves that Roundup is always the second weekend of March. Maybe it has been cancelled due to COVID...

At The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Watch Out For Mama's Nursing Baby Rattlers

I saw this disturbing photo on Facebook yesterday.

A mama rattlesnake nursing her brood of ten baby rattlers.

The disturbing photo came with a warning....

Spring time is around the corner. Mama rattlers will be emerging with newly hatched young. They seek warm sunshine to lay in and nurse their young. Watch your dogs and children. They become aggressive and will chase you.

I am guessing it comes as a surprise to most, the idea that a rattlesnake comes equipped with ten nipples, from whence baby rattlers get fed.

I suspect the idea that a rattlesnake would have nipples would be disputed by a highly trained biologist. Or a well informed layman.

I have witnessed a rattlesnake getting milked, but not in the manner shown above. It was at the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup where I saw rattlesnakes being milked for the venom which comes out of their fangs.

The very first video I ever made with my very first video camera captured, if I remember right, the spectacle of a rattlesnake being milked. You can view that video by going here.

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup starts rounding up the rattlesnakes next Thursday, March 10, with the rounding up and milking ending four days later on Sunday, March 13.

I have been to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup once. Once was more than enough.

If you are heading to West Texas, to Sweetwater, next weekend, you can find some Sweetwater info here.

I Am Innocent Of Being A Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Butchering Murderer

If I remember right I have mentioned previously that I get a lot of email about rattlesnakes and the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup due to a webpage I made of my one and only visit to that Roundup in, I think, 2002.

This time of year the volume of rattlesnake email picks up because the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup takes place the second weekend of March.

The emails basically come in two flavors. One flavor being those asking me how they can purchase some of my rattlesnake products and the other flavor being those taking me to task for murdering innocent rattlesnakes.

Today's email about rattlesnakes was of the taking me to task for my rattlesnake murders flavor, a screencap of which you are looking at above, with the text of the message below...

Dear Sir or Madam,
I understand you people have an annual event known as rattlesnake roundup and that a great deal of unnecessary suffering and crulety occurs.  It seems to me that this is out of place in a civilised society and that it might be an idea for you to find something else to do in your free time.

There must be any amount of things you could be involved in rather than butchering snakes.  Might I suggest you get a life rather than destroying it.

Yours sincerely.
Chris Penfold.

Most of the anti-rattlesnake murdering emails come from the UK, near as I can tell. I don't know if "crulety" is the Brit way to spell "cruelty" or if "crulety" is a word whose meaning I do not know. And is it a Brit thing to put a period after ones name when one is using ones name in signature mode?

And then there was this one from a lady not wanting to buy any of my rattlesnake products, but instead wanting to know if I buy the rattlesnakes and where she should take the rattlesnakes she has caught in order to sell them....

Hi! I was needing some information on the rattlesnake round up. Do you purchase rattlesnakes? If yes, then what does someone who has caught rattlesnakes need to do and where do they need to take them?

Thank you,
Victoria Urteaga

And then there is this one, another chastising me for being a rattlesnake murderer. These type messages all seem to come from the same boilerplate....

Dear Sirs,
I understand you people are involved in an annual snake killing event known as roundup that takes place in your part of the world, ie. Southern States.  How about showing some compassion for once in your murdering lives?

Signed.
George Ashley-Cooper

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup has grown rather controversial, in other parts of the planet, like the UK, and also here in Texas.

I don't know for sure that this year's Roundup will take place in Sweetwater.

I Googled "Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup" to find my webpage about the event to be in the #1 spot, ahead of the official Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup website. I checked on the official Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup website and saw it has not been updated with this year's Roundup info.

Has the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup been cancelled?

Getting Drizzled While Learning About New Hoodoos & Contemplating My Non-Existent Rattlesnake Selling Business

I had had no weather predictor's prediction warning me, so it came as a surprise to step outside for my regularly scheduled hot tub hydrotherapy session to find myself in a dense fog being pummeled by incoming drizzle.

I think the dense fog and drizzle added a nice moisturizing touch to the hydrotherapy session.

The fog and drizzle had lifted a bit by the time I took the photo you see here from the vantage point of my elevated patio view.

I am hoping the fog lifts and blue sky returns by the time I drive to River Legacy Park to pedal the mountain bike trail.

Speaking of trails. Yesterday I mentioned yet one more Tandy Hills Hoodoo resurrection. I thought this to be Hoodoo IV. I was not too surprised to hear from Stenotrophomonas that I was erroneous in my Hoodoo count.

Stenotrophomonas frequents the Tandy Hills far frequenter than I frequent them.

This is what Stenotrophomonas had to say....

Stenotrophomonas has left a new comment on your post "Another Saturday Tandy Hills Hoodoo Resurrection Before Going To Town Talk With Connie D":

I think that's at least Hoodoo VIII or IX. There's been several short lived hoodoos and then some modified ones. There was a hoodoo Thursday afternoon that may or may not have been exactly the one there Saturday. It's probably the wind, or maybe very small fracquakes that have destroyed most of the previous hoodoo incarnations. Surely if the Hills were full of mad Mormon scoutmasters, one of us would have caught them by now. 

Changing the subject from Stenotrophomonas and Hoodoos to rattlesnakes.

The  super-controversial Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup is next month. I won't be going. One visit was enough to last a lifetime.

Due to this being the Rattlesnake Roundup time of the year I am getting requests for rattlesnake products and other rattlesnake related questions. Why my Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup webpage causes people to think I sell snake products, I don't know. More often than not the requests for my non-existent rattlesnake products come from the UK or Germany.

This morning's attempt to buy one of my rattlesnake products came from a surprising location. Below is the message from a customer...

I am a skull collector looking to add a rattlesnake to my collection.  I would prefer to get a whole snake. Is it possible that one of the hunters would be able to send me a whole skinned snake. I would pay for shipping and all. You can e mail me or call me at 425.530.XXXX.

Area Code 425? Is that Houston I thought to myself. I then Googled "Area Code 245" to learn...

Area code 425 is a telephone dialing code in Washington for the suburbs north and east of Seattle, particularly the Eastside, extending east to North Bend, north to Everett, and south to Maple Valley. 

Washington? My latest rattlesnake customer is from Washington? Why could he not simply get on I-90 and head east to Eastern Washington and go hunt himself a rattlesnake?

I remember once when I was a young lad, my brother and I were exploring cliffs at Sun Lakes State Park in the aforementioned Eastern Washington. A park ranger showed up and advised my brother and me that we would be well advised to high tail it out of there due to the fact that the ranger had spotted several rattlesnakes a short distance from our location.

Til that moment in time my brother and I did not know that rattlesnakes were anything we might encounter in Sun Lakes State Park.

I wonder why no locale in Eastern Washington has a Rattlesnake Roundup? I suppose an insufficient supply of rednecks and an over supply of well-educated sorts with a high level of common sense might have something to do with there being no Rattlesnake Roundup in Eastern Washington.....

Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Advocates Do Not Want A Texas Ban On The Gassing Of Rattlesnakes

Vendor With Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Wares

Fairly frequently I get an email asking me about my rattlesnake products. More often than not the inquiry comes from the UK or Germany.

Usually it is a rattlesnake rattle or skin that the inquirer is seeking.

The inquirer inquires because they search for rattlesnake info and that search brings them to my webpage about my one and only visit to the annual Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

That webpage usually comes up at the top, or nearly so, in info searches, hence the inquiries based on the false assumption that I have something to do with rattlesnakes.

I routinely politely explain that my only connection to rattlesnakes is having webpaged my one and only visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

Last year some guy from Europe, who heads some protect the endangered wildlife group, somehow came to the conclusion that I was some sort of advocate for the mass murder of rattlesnakes. He sent me a lot of very earnest information before I was able to make him understand I am not a mass murder of rattlesnakes advocate.

Today I was emailed information about the fact that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is currently holding meetings around Texas seeking input regarding the concept of banning the use of gasoline fumes to force rattlesnakes from their homes and into transports which bring them to a rattlesnake slaughterhouse, like the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Rounduppers are already reacting to this threat to this snake murdering practice, which many consider to be barbaric, by opining about all the good the Roundup does for Sweetwater. Raising money, feeding people, buying them Christmas gifts, giving bikes to eight good students.

What I find amazing is the fact that year after year after year, for over six decades, the rattlesnakes breed in numbers prolific enough to support this annual Roundup in the Sweetwater neighborhood.

If there was not an annual Roundup and murder of Sweetwater area rattlesnakes would the area be over run by rattlesnakes?

Below is the video I made of my one and only visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup. This was the first video I ever made, hence the odd opening credits part. I'd only come into possession of the camcorder which shot this video about two weeks before driving the 200 miles west to Sweetwater.

This is the first video I ever YouTubed and it has had more views than any of my other YouTube videos.  And the most comments. The comments are not pretty, for the most part. Very angry, very profane comments.

Leo's Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Update

I got an email early this morning from Leo, subject line: "Rattlesnake Update!"

I've received emails from Leo previously, regarding the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

I think due to my Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup webpage coming in near the top, or at the top, when searchers search Google and other web searchers, that some people of limited comprehension ability assume I am some sort of official Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup person.

Leo's previous emails resulting in blog posts with the following titles...

Apparently I Have A Big Rattlesnake Surprise Waiting For Me

And....

The Sweetwater Rattlesnakes Will Have Their Day

And...

Apparently Killing Sweetwater Rattlesnakes Is Senseless & Makes You Look Like A Moron

And...

I Am A Tree Hugging Idiot Rounding Up Sweetwater Rattlesnakes

And...

Apparently Children Are Witnessing Rattlesnake Beheadings In Sweetwater Texas

Today's email from Leo said........

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please see the attached.

Yours sincerely.

Leo...

Leo's attachment consisted of a PDF file, which consisted, in its totality, that which you see above, that being a photo and text below the photo that said.....

Pictured here are some of the foulest people on the

planet; animal abusers and killers. Mindless, sick in the

head individuals, with principles rotten to the point of

putrefaction. Those whose only purpose in life seems

to be to inflict as much pain, misery and suffering as

possible.

Having just completed a day's rattlesnake hunt, where

the 'great State of Texas' is apparently overrun with

them, they managed to catch just the one snake.

Is it must me, or does Leo seem just a tad overwrought???

I Am A Tree Hugging Idiot Rounding Up Sweetwater Rattlesnakes

The 2013 Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup started up this past Thursday, March 7, with the Roundup ending tomorrow, Sunday, March 10.

I do not know if there is a moratorium on the rattlesnake executions on Sunday.

I suspect today, that being Saturday, is the day when the most rattlesnake beheadings take place.

If you've never seen a rattlesnake beheaded and skinned and seeing that is on your Texas Bucket List, well, I guess you should make your way to Sweetwater today.

Last month I blogged about the upcoming rattlesnake beheadings. This generated some very earnest comments yesterday. One from someone named Anonymous, with someone named jh360 making a variation of the same comment twice, apparently due to not noticing that the comments are moderated prior to being published.

First the comment from Anonymous, then the two from jh360....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Apparently Children Are Witnessing Rattlesnake Beheadings In Sweetwater Texas":

these snakes are killed to control the population. otherwise, the great state of Texas would be over ran by deadly venomous rattlesnakes.just fyi for the first idiot blogger who posted about the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Round-up. YOU TREE HUGGIN HIPPIE IDIOT!!!! 

jh360 has left a new comment on your post "Apparently Children Are Witnessing Rattlesnake Beheadings In Sweetwater Texas": 

what you tree hugging anti everything hippie idiots understand is that we in Texas must keep the rattlesnake population down. that is one of the main reasons for the round-up. if we didn't, Texas would be flooded with rattlesnakes. would you want your backyard and house filled with deadly snakes? what if one slithered its way into your house and bit one of your children? if they were allowed to breed uninhibited, the population would explode and make they're way to your state. must i remind you again, these aren't your cute little garden snakes. these are venomous and deadly rattlesnakes, that can and do kill people. 

jh360 has left a new comment on your post "Apparently Children Are Witnessing Rattlesnake Beheadings In Sweetwater Texas": 

for all you tree hugging anti everything hippie idiots, here's the story. if these snakes in Texas were not kept in check, we would have a rattlesnake population explosion. that would equal an infestation into our houses and yards, then they would make they're way to your state. how would you feel if a deadly rattlesnake got into your house and bit your child? must i remind you idiots, these aren't your cute little garden snakes, these are venomous, deadly snakes. if they bite you, they can and will kill you! 

I'm a tree hugging hippie idiot?

I did not realize, til reading these comments, that the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup is all that stands between the rest of America and a massive rattlesnake invasion.

Murdering rattlesnakes really seems to rattle a lot of people. I have only been to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup once. I think it was the 2002 Roundup.

One Roundup was enough for me.

I bought my first video camera the week before I drove to Sweetwater. The video I made from what I saw at the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup was the first video I made and the first I uploaded to YouTube. I've uploaded dozens upon dozens of videos to YouTube since the first one.

Sort of strangely, my Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup YouTube is the most viewed of my YouTube videos at a measly 37,488 views. Not quite viral. The video has generated 429 comments, most of the same quality level as those above. YouTube lets video viewers indicate if they like or dislike a video. My Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup video has 21 likes and 34 dislikes.

I suspect the likes are pro rattlesnake amnesty people, while the dislikes are from those who favor rattlesnake extermination.

I'm conflicted on the issue. I would be perfectly happy to live in a world with no venomous snakes. But, I don't know if mass extermination rattlesnake roundups are all that good an idea.

Below is my Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup video. Don't watch if you are even remotely squeamish....

Apparently I Have A Big Rattlesnake Surprise Waiting For Me

I have mentioned previously that I am getting emails regarding the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup with the subject line being 'THE SNAKES WILL HAVE THEIR DAY."

A new version of these emails showed up this morning.

From Leo.

With the message sounding like some sort of threat, saying...

"You've got a big surprise waiting for you."

My Eyes on Texas website's webpage about my one and only visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup still Googles in the #1 spot, thus causing, I fear, easily confused sorts to think I am somehow associated with the Roundup.

What is the big surprise that is waiting for me I can't help but wonder?

The Sweetwater Rattlesnakes Will Have Their Day

The largest rattlesnake roundup in the world takes place every year on the second weekend of March, in the Texas town of Sweetwater, out near the eastern fringes of West Texas.

I have only been to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup once. I was both amazed and appalled at the spectacle.

It  is sort of both amazing and appalling that there are so many rattlesnakes out in West Texas that every year thousands can be rounded up and murdered, with a fresh supply ready to be rounded up for a repeat the next year. And the year after. And the one after that.

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup takes place every year on the second weekend of March. The roundup begins on Thursday and ends on Sunday, so it is what is known as a long weekend.

There are those who strongly object to the Sweetwater rattlesnakes being rounded up and murdered. People like Robert Piller, from whom I got the email you see above.

Robert insists that "The snakes will have their day."

And that "If there's anyone out there that opposes this butchery and has information that might assist, then please get in touch. We intend to go global."

Robert ends his email message with...

Robert Piller
Campaign Against the Trade in Endangered Species...

Are rattlesnakes an Endangered Species? They seem sort of prolific to be endangered, but what do I know?

Apparently Killing Sweetwater Rattlesnakes Is Senseless & Makes You Look Like A Moron

On the left you are looking at a screencap of the webpage on my Eyes on Texas website devoted to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

This afternoon I got yet one more email about the rattlesnakes in Sweetwater. Those rattlesnake emails have become frequent lately. So, I Googled "Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup" and found that my webpage about this important subject is back Googling in the #1 spot, hence the emails asking me where rattlesnake meat can be purchased, if I sell rattlesnake skins and rattles. And my favorite, asking me for my favorite rattlesnake recipes.

I have no rattlesnake recipes. Let alone a favorite.

And then there are the haters, you know, those who hate those who murder rattlesnakes. I think some of the haters think I am one of the murderers. I have never killed any snake, rattlesnake or any other brand.

Today I got a good example of the hater type rattlesnake email, incoming from someone named Jack Kittae. Jack Kittae totally overly formatted his message, all highlighted in red, with words shouted in various sizes, as you can see via part of the email, in the second screencap of the day.

I copied and pasted the email in its formatted mode, but it looked real bad in blog form, so I de-formatted it for your more easily read reading pleasure...

Hello Roundup People, Consider this a warning from a very powerful person who plans to shut down your operation. Just think (if your able to actually THINK) A rattlesnake is just as dangerous as an electrical outlet......If you don't put your fingers in it....YOU WON'T GET BIT. These animals are NOT hurting you or coming to your house seeking food and shelter.

Do you all think killing Rattlesnakes makes you "COOL"????????

What you are doing is senseless and makes you look like a MORON!!!

Why don't you have a FLEA and TICK roundup and kill some things that really bother us HUMANS.

It won't be long before WE SHUT YOU DOWN FOR GOOD.

Meanwhile, I will continue to BREED Rattlesnakes by the HUNDREDS and release them in the wild.
YOU WILL NEVER WIN!!!

My only hope is that ALL OF YOU receive a nice, big, fat, juicy BITE right in your face during your next IDIOTIC ROUNDUP.

You will never know when one of us is out in the crowd....letting some nice big Timber Rattlesnakes loose.

If it didn't have any consequences....I would take your "hatchet man" and do to him what you do to those defenseless little RATTLESNAKES..

YOU ALL make it real easy to HATE YOU and FEEL SORRY for you at the same time.

YOU ALL are NOT COOL and are not REAL MEN no matter how hard you try and convince yourselves......

I REALLY, REALLY hope you get BIT and stay in the hospital for a few days.

YOU are ALL so WRONG.....WAKE UP ROUNDUPPERS!!!!

Go get your Pick em Up Trucks and your Bud Lites and go hunt some Coyotes!!

GOD is watching YOU and HE doesn't like what he sees...better watch your Karma!!!

LEAVE OUR RATTLESNAKES ALONE!!!!!!

The 2nd Saturday Of March Dawns Cold Thinking About Rounding Up Rattlesnakes

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on this 2nd Saturday of the 3rd month of 2012 you can not see that the outer world at my location is chilled to 49 degrees with clouds continuing to threaten the drippage of water.

49 degrees is the weather predictor's predicted high for today. So, apparently, it is already as hot as it is going to get today. The weather predictor's predicted low for today is 42.

A few days ago I was tempted to turn on the air conditioner for the first time this year. I thought I was done turning on the furnace, but I've got that device back providing artificial heat this morning.

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup starting rounding up rattlesnakes on Thursday. This always causes me to get interesting questions I can not answer, such as this question from Kenz40...

How do I contact someone about getting a cured/tanned rattlesnake hide?

I added the question mark. I have no answer to the question except to suggest attending this weekend's roundup of rattlesnakes in Sweetwater.

I will not be attending this weekend's Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup. Seeing the rattlesnakes rounded up once was enough for me.

I will also not be going swimming this morning, due to temperature issues.

On The Tandy Hills Finding A Football, Underwear & Armadillo While Wondering About Elsie Hotpepper Wanting To Be A Snake Charmer

Mysterious Shorts, Underwear & Football

Today on the Tandy Hills I went where I seldom go. I parked on View Street, which had me heading to the hills via the View Street Trail.

At the first trail junction I headed west instead of my regular east.

The west side of the View Street Trail is more heavily wooded, more primitively trailed, more easy to get a bit lost and way less visited than the not visited all that much east side of the View Street Trail.

At one point the trail I was on pretty much petered out at a creek running crystal clear water. I crossed the creek and came upon an odd scene.

A football and black jockey briefs on the ground, with a pair of shorts hanging above them on a bush.

Why would anyone carry a football to this isolated location, then take off and leave their shorts and underwear?

Is This The Remains Of An Armadillo?

A short distance from the football I came upon another perplexing sight.

A few days ago I mentioned that I had never seen an armadillo on the Tandy Hills and suggested some of that particular State Animal of Texas should be imported to the Tandy Hills.

Well.

Today I came upon what looked to be the remains of the shell of an armadillo. I don't know what else it could have been if it is not an armadillo.

Changing the subject from one of my favorite Texas animals to one of my favorite Texans, Elsie Hotpepper.

Today I had to deliver sad news to Elsie Hotpepper. For who knows what reason Elsie had her heart set on entering the Miss Snake Charmer Pageant in the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

I did not enjoy delivering to Elsie the heartbreaking news that she did not have time to register as a student at Sweetwater High School in time to qualify for the Miss Snake Charmer Pageant.

Maybe next year.

Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Weekend Kick Off Is Thursday March 8 With The Rattlesnake Review Parade

Serving Up Deep-Fried Rattlesnake At
The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup

Lately I have noticed an uptick in the number of comments to my YouTube video of the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

This due to the fact that the Roundup takes place, annually, the second weekend of March.

I thought I had just updated the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup info on my Eyes on Texas website.

But I had not.

Yet one more example of how fast a year zips by.

Below is the 2012 Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup info so you can find out when you need to be in Sweetwater for the Miss Snake Charmer Pageant and other Roundup events....

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup weekend will officially kick off on Thursday, March 8, 2012 with the Rattlesnake Review Parade at 4pm through downtown Sweetwater. That evening, you can attend the Miss Snake Charmer Pageant held in the Sweetwater Municipal Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. The doors will open at 8:00 a.m. Friday March 9, 2012 for the 54th Annual Sweetwater Jaycees World's Largest Rattlesnake Round-Up with snakes being weighed in at 7:00 a.m. that morning at the Nolan County Coliseum. Catch one of the snake Safety demonstrations while you are at the Roundup and don't forget to try some deep-fried Western Diamondback Rattlesnake meat.

Who Wants To Rent A Cabin At Turner Falls Park In Oklahoma?

In the picture, that is Big Ed on the right, under the cowboy hat. That would make me on the left, without a cowboy hat. Sitting on a rock wall outside The Castle in Turner Falls Park in Davis, Oklahoma.

I don't remember what year this picture was taken. I do remember it was in August and very hot, with a lot of people in the park and cooling off in crystal-clear spring-fed Honey Creek.

I have a few pages on my Eyes on Texas website that people mistake as being the official website for some location or event. This can cause me to get asked some interesting questions.

For example, the webpage I made of my visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup gets me asked a lot of questions from people wanting to buy my rattlesnake skins or rattles. Oddly, many of these inquiries come from the United Kingdom.

The other webpage that generates a lot of questions is the Turner Falls Park webpage. This morning I was asked how many people my cabins can accomodate, what the cost is, are dogs allowed and are any cabins available for the July 30 weekend.

Within an easy drive from my location there are only a few of what I consider to be scenic destinations. One is Turner Falls Park, another is Dinosaur Valley State Park and another is very close to Dinosaur Valley State Park, that being the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.

I have been to Turner Falls twice in summer, once in winter. The winter visit was with Gar the Texan. Taking Gar the Texan somewhere always reminded me of taking my nephews somewhere when they were little, due to a sort of babysitting aspect.

With Gar the Texan the babysitting often involved a case of the vapors, or an accident either caused by the vapors or leading to the vapors. Gar the Texan had a horrible case of the vapors on the way to Turner Falls.

By the time Gar the Texan made it to Turner Falls the case of the vapors was a distant memory and he was now in hyper mode, just like one of my little nephews, climbing up steep cliffs, into caves, doing all sorts of things I do not do due to my acrophobia.

Anyway, I do not know how much a cabin costs to rent at Turner Falls, or if you can keep a dog in the cabin, or if one is available the last weekend of July.

What I do know is Turner Falls Park is a scenic surprise in the Arbuckle Mountains, just a couple miles west of Interstate 35, a bit more that 50 miles from the Red River Texas border with Oklahoma.

Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Pageant Hopefuls Decapitate & Skin Snakes

CNN.com has an interesting article about an event ending today out in Sweetwater, Texas.

That event being the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

CNN's article is titled "Pageant Hopefuls Decapitate & Skin Snakes at Rattlesnake Roundup."

In this article I learned some things I did not know about the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

For instance, as part of the Miss Snake Charmer pageant that starts off the Roundup on Thursday, each of the contestants  chops off a Diamondback Rattlesnake's head, holding the murdered snake up with one hand while giving a beauty queen wave with the other hand, as cameras flash.

And then the contestants rub their hands in the murdered snake's blood to memorialize the kill with a handprint on a wall.

I also did not know that visitor's to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup could pay $10 to skin a Rattlesnake. And dip their hands in the blood to leave a memorial handprint.

The video that is at the top of the article is well worth viewing. There are several jaw dropping parts. Like a dad from, I think, Dallas, taking his kids to Sweetwater to hunt Rattlesnakes. In the video we see the kids catching snakes.

In the video you will also see the bloody handprints. Along with Miss Snake Charmer.

Below is my video of the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup. CNN's is much better than mine.

We Need To Thin Down The Population Of Rattlesnakes At Our Ranch

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, in Sweetwater, Texas, is taking place this weekend.

Hundreds upon hundreds of rattlesnakes are executed over a 4 day period.

Some people object to these snake executions as being barbaric.

There is an official Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup website. But, for some reason, the webpage I made of my visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup  usually Googles in the #1 spot.

Due to Googling in the #1 spot a lot of people come to the erroneous conclusion that I am somehow associated with the Roundup. I get asked all sorts of strange questions about rattlesnakes. Frequently from the U.K.

A couple hours ago I saw an incoming email with "Snake Resources" as the subject line. I figured this would be a Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup related question. Asking how much my rattles cost? Or do I sell rattlesnake meat? Or do I have hats made from rattlesnake skin? Or necklaces made from rattlesnake fangs?

Instead the "Snake Resources" email was of an entirely different sort.

Below is the message in the email...

We need to thin down the population of rattlesnakes at our ranch. Do you have any names of research companies or resources that would like hundreds of live rattlesnakes from Montana?  We have wranglers who can keep them alive for whoever wants them.  

Please contact me,
Linda / 406-581-8358

I've seen rattlesnakes in Eastern Washington, so I guess it shouldn't surprise me too much that there'd be rattlesnakes in Montana. In her email, Linda included 3 pictures of rattlesnakes on her ranch. That is one of them at the top.

Is there anyone out there who can help Linda with her rattlesnake problem?

Below is the YouTube video I made years ago of my one and only visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup....

The World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup Starts March 10 In Sweetwater Texas

Next month, Thursday, March 10, to be precise, the 2011 Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup starts off with the Rattlesnake Review Parade through downtown Sweetwater and the Miss Snake Charmer Pageant.

I thought I'd already updated my webpage about The World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup with this year's info, but I had not.

After I updated the info I went to my YouTube account to get the embed code for the video I made way back in 2002 of my one and only visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

I was a bit surprised to see there have been 343 comments about the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Video. I get an email whenever there is a comment. But I usually don't bother to read them. After awhile it became a bit repetitive. With a lot of name calling. "Redneck hicks" is one very popular phrase used frequently. The F-Word is also very popular.

Below I will stick in the aforementioned video that generates the comments. Below that I'll stick in a few of the comments. You can read all 343 comments by going here...



Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Video Comments...

Oh good lord you are retarded. I sincerely hope to god that you get salmonella. You are a disgusting idiot who cannot think for himself, and that is truly pitiful. I will gladly link you to some studies made by herpetologist. Rather you consider them or accept them from me, is purely on yourself.

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Haha! You really are stupid, aren't you? The numbers haven't declined? Um, yeah. They have. How about you go look up some studies by herpetologist, rather than spew the BS that the Jaycees feed you at these events, hmm? They are taking them not only from Sweetwater, studies show that rattlesnakes are being gathered from neighboring states! Go educate yourself, you stupid hick.

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They have no numbers of predators to cull the amount of snakes, these snakes are taken from a VERY small region, the ACTUAL numbers of rattlers in texas are in the MILLIONS lol. Gotta love the childish name calling though, really solidifies you LACK of commion knowledge and sense lol.

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"No self respecting charity should take anything from this disgusting, redneck filthy act, and it will be ended. "

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When will it be ended ? Its 2011 now, been around since the 40/50s, good luck.....

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Wah wah wah, the numbers havent declined since the forties lol , no one cries when they roundup cockroaches. I wasnt preaching merely replying to all you whiners, we have homeless VETERAN soldiers here in the USA and you crying about rattlesnakes lol

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Not to mention all the meat is eaten, bought an paid for, and proceeds go to noteable charity's, all the skins are sold an used, and the venom is used for anti venom, which is used to SAVE HUMANS when accidentaly bitten. Some people i tell ya.

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i just wish something was out there to control this overly crowded human population.

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That is disgusting... let's drag them from their homes, throw(!) them onto hard concrete, step on, poke, and prod them, then behead and skin them. Oh yeah, the head stays alive for several minutes after being beheaded. This isn't about population control, it's about a witch hunt for snakes. These people are monsters. Why is the SPCA not doing something about this? And I don't even like rattlesnakes much.

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The venom taken at roundups are more than often not stored improperly and unusable. You stupid fuck how about you try and fucking educate yourself before preaching on youtube?

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Selling the snakes flesh also does not justify it. These are wild animals. Not livestock animals.

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Don't worry your little fat head about being killed by snakes, they have no interest in your fat ass. There are PLENTY of natural predators moron! Hawks, foxes, other snakes, road runners, snakes have countless predators.

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You are an idiot. There is NO way you can try and say this is proper wildlife management. This is a lot different than white tailed deer hunting. These dumb asses are taking snakes and are only counting them by weight of crate, NOT by individual animal. You idiots have NO idea how many snakes you are taking. Just because they aren't endangered does NOT mean they cannot become endangered, and it does NOT mean they are at stable numbers, you fucking idiot.

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I wonder how many kids watch this and come out thinking rattlesnakes are fun to play with? I was raised in Missouri as a kid & I was taught learn what different snakes look and stay away from them big time.