Gila New Mexico Rattlesnakes?

Joined
Apr 20, 2018
Messages
24
Location
Butte
Hey all-
Drew a 2nd archery in the Gila this year. I hate and generally don't hunt around rattlers where I hunt in Montana. Do I need to wear snake boots/gaiters in the Gila? Any firsthand knowledge of snake issues? TIA
 

pierceje

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
Messages
192
Location
New Mexico
I've never had any issues with snakes where I've been in the Gila. Feel free to PM me if you'd like to talk more about the area. I have an early archery hunt down there this year.
 
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
673
Location
Las Cruces, NM
They're EVERYWHERE...better bring a few vials of anti-venom and some snake bite kits too. They're starting to affect the elk herds they're so thick. ;)



I kid, I kid...I've never run into one up there, but I hear they actually are around. I've only ever seen one snake in the Gila, and it was something along the lines of a bull snake.
 
Joined
Feb 27, 2012
Messages
2,591
Location
Tijeras NM
All kidding aside, yes there are plenty of Rattlers in the Gila. Guaranteed you'll see one? Don't hold your breath. Anywhere you hunt in the southwest, the possibility exists. I encountered at least, at least a 6-1/2' with the black and white coloring on his tail end 2nd hunt in 2015. Looked like he was digesting a Mexican Gray Wolf. He was in the shade I wanted to be in on an 85 degree day. Didn't rattle, didn't strike but slithered into my favorite rock outcropping. Now I think twice everytime I visit the spot for a calling session into the canyon below ;)
 
Joined
Sep 12, 2015
Messages
437
Location
New Mexico
I've lived in NM almost 15 years and am out in the field a LOT and have encountered fewer than a dozen rattlers. Usually in ponderosa pine or lower (and there's plenty of that elevation there). Gaiters seem like overkill. I've spent nearly a month in the field down there and nearby areas and have never encountered one. But of course it only takes one...

Be aware that you're right on the edge of the range of coral snake. Highly unlikely you'd encounter one in elk habitat (they prefer to be lower), but stay away from any red, yellow, and black snakes too. Also be aware that gopher/bull snakes do a good job of mimicking a rattler by flaring the base of their jaws to make their heads look triangular like a rattler, and they also shake their tail, which if it's in the leaves, can sound a bit like the buzz of a rattler.
Good luck on your hunt!
 

Thomas11

WKR
Joined
Feb 13, 2017
Messages
302
I stepped on one while I was there elk hunting in the gila a few yrs ago. He rattled quickly and I jumped back. He was about a foot long. I’m not sure which subspecies rattler it was or they have in the gila? But it was def a rattler!
 

ericF

WKR
Joined
Oct 4, 2016
Messages
628
Location
CO
As others have said, you don't need to worry about them any more than most other places. My wifes family is from Silver City which is right outside the Gila and I've spent a decent amount of time around the area. Just follow common sense rules and you will be fine.
 
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Messages
95
Location
New Prague, MN
Hunted twice down there during archery elk season for a total of almost 30 days and countless miles of terrain covered. I HATE snakes of every kind, and was terrified that there’d be rattlers behind every rock. The locals all said they were hibernating, or we were at too high of elevation. It wasn’t until near the end of the second trip that we encountered two small ones, at probably the highest elevation we had been. Cool to see, but I didn’t waste much time getting out of there.
 
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