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Whigham Rattlesnake Roundup
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by Cro on January 26, 2008
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The long running Whigham Rattlesnake Roundup will be today, January 26.
http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=7776034
Be sure to click the "More Info" link at the bottom of the article for more information.
It is unfortunate that these towns full of throwbacks like Whigham and Claxton continue these events each year.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Whigham Rattlesnake Roundup
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by JSargent on January 26, 2008
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does anyone live close to there?....and if so, did you go?....do they have western diamond backs in the pits also?
can they really catch enough easterns to fill a couple pits?
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RE: Whigham Rattlesnake Roundup
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by Cro on January 26, 2008
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Jamie, the folks who catch the rattlesnakes usually gas rattlesnakes out of gopher tortiose burrows, often on private hunting lands and timber lands.
They often start collecting the snakes two or three months before the roundup, in the late fall, when the snakes are staying in the burrows for the winter.
The gasoline fumes can kill all kinds of other animals that use the tortiose burrows for shelter, including the Gopher Tortioses.
While they wait for the roundup dates, they often store the snakes in 55 gallon drums, and rarely supply water.
They long ago desimated the rattlesnake populations in their local areas, so their excuse of making the area safer is a lie. They range out over many counties to find snakes, most often in areas where the snakes pose no danger to humans, and are an important part of the ecosystem.
Every year, there are fewer and fewer rattlesnakes brought into the roundups, so they are removing snakes from the population at a rate that is slowly driving the snakes toward being very rare in many parts of the state.
Local Game Wardens often look the other way, as rattlesnakes are not protected in GA, and because the wardens live in the same communities as the snake hunters.
One south GA town called Fitzgerald, that had hosted rattlesnake roundups for many years, turned their roundup into a wild chicken festable, and stopped collecting snakes.
It is unfortunate that the red necks that live in Whigham and Claxton are not that enlightened.
The humane society will have folks protesting the roundups, and that is the one time that I would agree with the HS.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Whigham Rattlesnake Roundup
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by Cro on January 26, 2008
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If someone wanted to protest the Rattlesnake Roundups, they might want to contact the Cairo-Grady County Chamber of Commerce.
email: cairochamber@syrupcity.net
Perhaps you could suggest that they do what Fitzgerald did, and create an spring show without murdering hundreds of rattlesnakes in the process.
Well written letters that tell them the damage they are doing to the ecosystem might be considered by some of the more bright members of their chamber, assuming those exhist on the board, LOL !
If you just tell them what dum masses they are, they will probably ignore you.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Whigham Rattlesnake Roundup
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by stormnut on January 27, 2008
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Hey John,
You are so correct in your description. Back in 1994, I attended the rattlesnake roundup in Sweetwater Texas and was really disappointed. They try to paint this picture that all these snakes are captured in a single weekend to show that they have problems with keeping the population down. Truth is alot of them have already hit the dens in the winter time using gasoline to flush them out. Then they store them in containers for 2-3 months until the roundup takes place the 2nd weekend of March.
I went on a hunt for 2 days with about 45 people and I think we found a total of 2 baby rattlers about 12 inches between all of us. The rattlers that are being turned in at the roundup are being captured as far as 200 miles away from the actual location of the event because they're getting harder to find. The way they handle these snakes only to slaughter them is already affecting the ecosystem. Rattlers are great for keeping the rodent population down and unless you're teasing them or trying to pick them up, the chances of getting bit are extremely rare.
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