Episode #69 Rattlesnakes In Quail Country w/ Special Guest Cody Will

We map Arizona quail habitat to the rattlesnakes hunters are most likely to encounter, then separate defensive behavior and real venom science from local lore. We also talk about why viral “snake grabbing” content is risky, which high-elevation species are protected, and how to learn about rattlesnakes safely through education and training. 
• Gambel’s quail range across the Sonoran Desert and the rattlesnakes most likely there 
• Microhabitats that shape where sidewinders, speckled rattlesnakes, Mojaves, and diamondbacks show up 
• Why “aggressive” is usually the wrong word and what defensive behavior looks like 
• Mojave rattlesnake naming confusion and the myth of the “Mojave green” 
• Venom basics, including neurotoxic vs hemotoxic effects and why Mojave venom can vary by geography 
• Why free-handling venomous snakes for social media is reckless and how it can backfire on everyone 
• Scaled quail country in southeastern Arizona and the species shifts in that region 
• Sky Island and Montezuma quail terrain and the rare montane rattlesnakes people travel to see 
• Protected rattlesnake species in Arizona and what hunters should know 
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Transcript

Welcome And Why Snakes Matter

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to Arizona Quail Today, your go-to podcast for all things quail hunting in Arizona. We're dedicated to educating and inspiring the next generation of quail hunters. A big thanks to our supporters and proud partners. Thanks for tuning in, and now let's dive in today's program.

SPEAKER_01 0:34

Alright, guys, welcome back to another episode of Arizona Quail Today. I'll be your host, Ryan Rice, and today we're starting a little uh podcast on rattlesnakes. Our guest is Cody from Rattlesnake Ready in Cave Creek, Arizona. Arizona. Uh Cody and his wife Kate run the top rattlesnake avoidance ready uh in in uh in the state, in my opinion, and uh right here in Cave Creek. So thanks for joining us, Cody.

SPEAKER_03 1:06

Of course, thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Yeah.

Gambel’s Quail Range And Low Desert Snakes

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Well, um, Cody, what I'd love to do is I want to give a quick overview of both geographical areas where each quail species lives, including some national forest, and then share with you and then ask for your input on like what kind of rattlesnakes uh we might encounter and all that stuff. So I'll start with Gamble's quail. So, gamble's quail, these birds are found across the vast Sonoran desert in central and southern Arizona. Hunters will find these birds in desert flats, dry washes, low foothills. This includes large parts of like the Tonto National Forest, areas around Phoenix, Tucson, Wickenburg, Mesa, Cataground. It's a classic low desert, generally below 5,000 feet. And based on the research that I did, Cody, I found perhaps four different rattlesnakes that hunters may encounter: the Western Diamondback, Mojave, Sidewinder, maybe the speckled rattlesnake. What can you tell us about these snakes?

SPEAKER_03 2:19

Yeah, so you're right. Um, there's all those. There's also a couple others that um could run across in the gamble call range as well. But um at the end of the day, they're all pretty similar behaviorally. They occupy, you know, a little bit different um habitat, microhabitat, like niches and stuff like that. So, for instance, like the sidewalkers tend to prefer the more flatter, desolate areas that are more sandier soils and uh like kind of creosote-predominated landscapes. And again, this is you know, there's there's always some that are in rocky areas that you wouldn't expect. Like I'm not saying they're you know completely limited to these habitats, but they do have their preferences, it seems. So that would be that case. And then you got diamondbacks, which kind of tend to prefer more rocky areas, but they'll be in flats as well. Same with Mojave's speckled, uh, do prefer to be in the rockier habitats, and uh sometimes you'll find them in washes and stuff, kind of out in the middle of the desert. But generally speaking, they prefer some of those low desert mountains where you've got some you know mountains themselves, rolling hills, rocky terrain. Um that they they look like a rock and blend in with the rocks really well, and they tend to be the same color as the rocks in the area that they're found in.

Aggression Myths And Defensive Behavior

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Yeah, that is there one that's more aggressive than the other. I know like Mojave's get a big bad rap, but tell us about like maybe the aggression or the behavior, and then also the venom of those different snakes.

SPEAKER_03 3:47

Yeah, and there is a lot of talk about rattlesnakes, aggressiveness, venom, all that everything you just listed. Uh a lot of it is misinformation, a lot of it is local lore, basically. Um, at the end of the day, what said kind of get through the noise and pinpoint what is actually accurate about these animals. Um, so Mojaves in particular, um, a lot of locals will call Mojave greens, but it's just called a Mojave rattlesnake. Um, they can have a greenish color, not all of them are green. That name kind of came out of nowhere and it's not tech technically their common name, but it more or less has become it just because so many people refer to them as that. But I think it's a little misleading because they're not always green, they can be brown, any shade of olive green, and then there's also black-tailed rattlesnakes and prairie rattlesnakes, those are those can have a greenish color as well, so it can get a little confusing. Um, but for Mojaves, uh, they get labeled as being super aggressive, and uh it's almost become a cultural thing where everybody has like a Mojave story, like they saw one once and they chased them or whatever. But uh honestly, they're just like any other rattlesnake, they get defensive if they feel like their life is in danger. And so if you're harassing them, almost stepping on them or approaching them, you know, then they will typically defend themselves. And I will say some rattlesnakes defend themselves with more enthusiasm than others. Um, I would say on average, so like a speckled rattlesnake tends to be more placid, but not always. You'll there's always exceptions. There's gonna be a few feisty ones out there. But uh Mojave's and I take Diamondbacks, especially, uh, it seems like they hit a certain threshold where they they go from you know, hoping that you don't see them to feeling like shoot, I'm busted, and then they'll often happily put on a show where they rear up and rattle and try to try to do their best to intimidate you and scare you away so that you don't come near them. And so I guess the better word is defensive. Like they're some of them are quick to defend themselves, others, like the speckled, for instance, tend to rely a little extra on their camouflage and hope that you don't notice them. And uh yeah, so and I've noticed something too with working with when we have a zoo here with well over a hundred rattlesnakes, all different species, and they kind of have just like dogs and and people, like they have personalities. Some are more uh quick to defend themselves, others are much more relaxed, and everything in between. And so that's why I kind of have to generalize these statements. You can find mellow Mojave's and you can find extra feisty speckled rattlesnakes, and then you know, but on average, I'd say the speckles tend to be a little more chill, and Mojave's and diamondbacks will be a little quicker to defend themselves.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Yeah, and then uh what about the bite, like the venom?

Venom Basics And Mojave Variability

SPEAKER_03 6:29

Yeah, so that would be uh another thing that a lot of misinformation. I think the one thing that is true, uh, without getting too into the weeds, um, some Mojave rattlesnakes are a really fascinating one. Uh a lot of herpetologists and more so toxinologists, actually, the people who study venom uh in particular have kind of noticed that there is a lot of variability in rattlesnakes. So we used to kind of think like, all right, this species rattlesnake has this kind of venom, and this other species has a different kind. Um, they're noticing that it's a lot more complicated than that. And so Mojaves in particular are one of the first ones that were really closely looked at, and they have what I would call like a geographically variable venom. So Mojave rattlesnakes range from the Mojave Desert in Southern California and pretty much go east towards like West Texas and then south into Mexico. And if you were to take a Mojave rattlesnake from like New Mexico and Arizona and California, get a venom sample and analyze it closely, you'd actually see you get different results. Uh, some lean more on the neurotoxic side, some lean more on the hemotoxic side, and then you also get ones that are a combination of the two. And so that's again where it gets a little complicated. So, like where you are, it can often um reflect the type of venom that is injected and said further complicated. They're also uh noticing that there's a lot of what they call ontogenic shifts in rattlesnake venom. So like a baby versus an adult can have a little bit different venom, and it would make sense because babies, you know, are typically eating things like baby banded geckos or you know, lizards and things. And as they age and get much larger, those little lizards aren't much of a meal anymore. So now they're switching to a predominantly you know rodent diet, or even things like quail, actually. There's I've seen some photos sent to me of uh rattlesnakes swallowing a gamble quail, especially baby quail. Those are like you know, little poppers for them.

SPEAKER_01 8:26

Yeah, but uh do do does one, I mean the the Mojave, you said it it makes it has a neurotoxin and then uh uh a hemotoxin. So explain to the listeners what what that is if I and if I pronounced it correctly or not.

SPEAKER_03 8:44

No, you got it. And uh and it's hard without getting way too detailed. So those are kind of terms that we have lumped a lot of things into. When I say like a rattlesnake's venom is either hemotoxic or neurotoxic, it's really not that simple. Um they actually so snakes that have venom that's predominantly neurotoxic might also have plenty of neurotoxins or um hematoxins present in their venom as well. And so it gets a little complicated, but what we tend to do is kind of okay, if it's mostly neurotoxic, we'll lump it into that. And if it's mostly hematoxic, and kind of the differences are so the uh the neurotoxin, which is in some cases the scarier one, it affects the central nervous system and it can cause symptoms like um like failure to breathe, like respiratory paralysis. Um, and again, there's different types of neurotoxins. So some target certain tissues or pathways, some affect different ends of the nerve. So the um what do you call that? The the point of like the presynaptic versus postsynaptic, so the firing end of the nerves basically, it can block it, it can make it not uh function properly. And so that's one way that it can work. And then hemotoxins typically interfere with the blood's ability to clot properly. And so um, in some cases, they are, you know, some are anticoagulant, some are procoagulant. So you get, you know, certain venoms that cause hemorrhaging and other hemotoxic venoms that cause excessive clotting, and then oftentimes you get a combination of the two. But bottom line, um, both bites really bad, cause a lot of uh in hemotoxic cases, a lot of tissue damage, um, again, blood issues um that also you have an effect on the rest of the body. So, like in at least in humans, I know we have fibrinogen, which is part of our clotting factor, and that often just goes to zero when you get bit. And so a lot of times when a good doctor or a vet, you know, they're doing blood work and making sure these things get back to normal, and that's you know, that's how they know the anti-venoms working, sort of thing, like during treatment. But um, yeah, neurotoxin is the one that gets talked about the most. Um, it can be a scary one. But at the end of the day, I have a buddy that has a really good analogy. You know, what what bite is worse than another? They're both bad. It's kind of like arguing over what kind of wood is burning in the bonfire that you're standing in. You know, it's like no matter what. It's yeah, some are worse than others, but it's all it's all pretty bad stuff that does warrant getting help as soon as you can.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Yeah.

Viral Snake Handling And Real Risks

SPEAKER_01 11:11

What about um as far as you you probably seen some of the the YouTube videos or the Instagram? There's like an onslaught of like a new movement of like people's uh everybody's catching these poisonous snakes. What are your thoughts about all that? I mean, at some level, it does seem kind of uh educational because like I would say I've been like fascinated with watching these young guys do this. I know it's not safe and I know you couldn't do it at home and all that. But at the other side, I'll tell you what I have seen is I've seen like far more uh respect or uh appreciation for the creature versus just kill every snake you can find. And they're kind of putting out the message out there that a lot of these snakes are far more docile than we make them out to be, you know. So what what are your thoughts about that? It's like uh I forget the guy with a guy's name Tom Irwin, the guy that was like catching all the sea life and and uh yeah, and died, I think, of of some kind of big uh encounter with uh wildlife. But what what are your thoughts about that kind of trend that's going on?

SPEAKER_03 12:29

Yeah, and that's a great question. I I do have quite a few thoughts, and uh, I think you're spot on. Um there I I think it's absolutely reckless and reckless and foolish behavior, but you as you said, it all it actually the this overlining of it is it kind of shows and proves that these things really aren't out to get us. And so going back to yeah, so we we actually have a YouTube channel of our own, we do a lot of educational stuff, and um the problem is is today, today's day and age, people want to see, you know, the the stuff that goes viral is the reckless, you know, foolish, um, risky behavior. And so, you know, days you you know, our content's educational, that rarely goes viral. Um, but these people picking up rattlesnings with their bare hand and being reckless with them, that gets shared around all you know, they're from look at this crazy person, you know, and so that's where they get views and they get likes and subscribers, and and at the end of the day, they actually make money from doing that behavior. So uh the problem is is the downside to that is it makes people who do things safely and right, like um us at our facility, you know, it makes us look extra crazy as well. And you know, imagine if people start really getting hurt, that doesn't make the public like snakes more, and it also can start creating you know new limitations. Like as of right now, there's several states that you can have a venomous snake as a pet if you want to. It's you know, free country, go for it. But you know, as people get hurt from being reckless, that can those freedoms can be taken away over time. And so uh because of of you know, yourself or others you might put in danger by doing those sorts of things. So we're very much uh anti-free handling um mentality here. Like we never, you know, we there's no reason to do that. There's plenty of tools like snake hooks, tongs, and you can safely move a rattlesnake around without ever being in harm's way, not in strike range. And and so that's uh yeah, that's just kind of the standard. Just use your head, be smart, and that's kind of always how we've done things. But like I said, that doesn't get clicks and views. But going back to your other comment about, you know, it it does have a there is some good in it as I see video after video, especially when they're sent to me by other people of you know, somebody playing with a cotton mouth or rattlesnake or whatever, you know, and a lot of these videos, these they they they get away with it, they don't get bit. And I think that um, you know, does reflect on the temperament of a lot of these animals. You know, they get kind of pinned as these evil things are just out to bite you. And in reality, they're just like any other wild animal that just wants to survive each day. And um if they don't feel threatened, which if they're handled gently, a lot of times they won't bite. But again, the problem is, you know, there's plenty of non-venomous snakes you can do that with all day and they're harmless, that's fine. But when it comes to venomous, you make one mistake, the snake feels that you move a certain way that's wrong, snake feels threatened, and their their bites are sometimes almost like a reflex rather than a, in my opinion, like a conscious decision. It seems like, you know, uh not to get morbid, but for people that kill rattlesnakes, you'll see them move long after they're dead, and not even not just in a random way, their body will still react to being touched, um, even when they're actually dead, and so at least for you know a certain amount of time um after they're killed. So um all to say, uh yeah, getting bit is awful, it's expensive as heck. Um and uh you know, it can be can have an economic impact too. You know, you get bit on a finger, um, that's your trigger finger. That's gonna affect your hunting. If it's your guitar playing hand, you're gonna have a hard time with that. So, you know, or if you're working, you're plum or whatever, you know, whatever you do with your hands, you know, these they can cause permanent nerve damage, they can cause you can lose a limb if it's a really bad bite. Um, and so it's just not worth the risk. So I think yeah, a lot of that behavior is silly and um shouldn't be promoted, but unfortunately that's the world we live in where that that's the that stuff creates hype.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

Yeah.

Scaled Quail Country And Southeast Species

SPEAKER_01 16:31

Well, um on back to the different uh species of quail and where to find snakes. Uh thanks for sharing that. Uh scaled quail, these birds, those of you guys that are chasing desert birds, these birds live in wide open semi-desert grasslands. And so the rolling hills, southeastern Arizona, it includes like areas like Sulfur Springs Valley, the San Rafael Valley, areas around Sierra Vista, Wilcox, Benson, Tombstone, Douglas, these big open uh country uh flats uh sit between 3,500 and 5,000 feet in elevation. And this habitat, uh, based on what I saw, was you'd find maybe again the Western Diamondbacks, the Mojave's uh showing up in that scaled quail country. Um any any is there when would there be any other rattlesnakes you think in those areas like that?

SPEAKER_03 17:31

Yeah. So are you are you limiting it to Arizona or throughout their entire range? Just Arizona. Okay, yeah. So yeah, as you said, south so southeastern Arizona is a unique part of the state. Um, just like where the scaled quail start to show up. Um, there's a lot of the same rattlesnakes are there, so you can still come across western diamondbacks, uh, Mojave rattlesnakes for sure. Um, you will not see sidewinders on that side of the state. Um, but there's black tail rattlesnakes. Uh, you won't see speckled that down that way. So it's pretty much gonna be black tail rattlesnakes, um, diamondbacks, Mojaves, and blacktails are similar to speckles, they're kind of like little montane terrain. And you can find those like real high elevations as you start climbing up, which I'm sure you're gonna get to when we talk about other quail species. But uh yeah, climb elevation, that's where yeah, but black tails are interesting because you can find them at the lowest elevations all the way up to the highest mountains in Arizona, and so um they're pretty, they're not crazy abundant, at least compared to like diamondbacks and things like that, but they're pretty widespread, especially over a vertical range or an elevation range, I should say. Um, and then uh there is a really obscure species that is, I don't know if I should mention it, but there's a species called a desert Massa Saga. It's a little brown rattlesnake, it's found in the southeastern corner of Arizona, and uh so that would technically overlap with some scaled quail range, but they're very rare and not easy to find in southeastern Arizona. But they are there, so I guess I could mention them.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Yeah, that's cool. Yeah, there I mean, Arizona is pretty unique, is it not, with the the incredible diversity of uh rattlesnakes?

SPEAKER_03 19:07

I mean, wildlife in general, but yeah, rattlesnakes, we are like the the capital of rattlesnake diversity, at least for the United States for sure. There's about yeah, I mean, depending on who you talk to and how they categorize the different species here. There's about a dozen plus different species here, not to mention, you know, like speckled rattlesnakes are an interesting one because you can have like five different color varieties here in Arizona. So you go to one mountain, they'll match the rocks there, and they might be, you know, like a white granite, they'll be white there. You go to a different mountain, they're red or pink, and so that's where it can get even more interesting. Yeah, about a dozen plus different kinds, and then you plus you have different uh variation within even a single species, too.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Yeah, that's so cool. Okay, let's talk about um merge quail, also known as Montezuma quail. These

Arizona’s Rattlesnake Diversity Explained

SPEAKER_01 19:56

birds are uh found in the Sky Island mountain ranges, southeastern Arizona. Main areas, uh these bird these birds can be found in would like uh I think it's uh Hawachukas, the Santa Ritas, the Chiricahuas, uh those mountain ranges, and much of that habitat is within that Coronado National Forest area. They live in oak woodlands, pine forest at higher elevation, usually five to 5,000 to 9,000 feet in elevation, often near mountain canyons and drainages. And in these mountains, um, what kind of rattlesnakes would we bump into out there potentially?

SPEAKER_03 20:38

Uh so that's where you um you get, in my opinion, get into some of the exciting rattlesnakes, not that the other ones aren't. Um, so the montane species are a little different. So, yeah, there's eventually like an elevation threshold where things like diamondbacks, you just don't really see them anymore. Um, Mojavbies actually go pretty high, but um, a lot of those sky islands, you won't find them, you

Montezuma Quail Mountains And Montane Snakes

SPEAKER_03 20:59

know. I can't remember the exact line, but I think you'll find few and far between once you start getting past about 5,000 feet or so. But maybe a few, you know, just kind of outside their range a little bit. But um, yeah, that's where you'll definitely see black tail rattlesnakes. And the ones that are a little higher up tend to be really pretty, like real nice, like gold with black, uh, like high contrast, uh, gold and black. Um, depending on the exact mountain, there's it's interesting. Some of these mountains have a certain species present, and then the next mountain that you can see and drive to and go, you might not have any. So, like in Arizona black rattlesnakes are another species that are almost exclusive to Arizona. They go into a little bit over the border in New Mexico as well, but they're pretty much exclusive to Arizona, and that includes from like the um it's basically that whole Nogion rim, like that stretch from if you were to divide the state diagonally from left to right, going southeast. Um, they're in that line basically. But uh down in the bottom, you know, southeastern corner, there's some mountains that they're there, and then the most southeastern mountains you won't you won't see them. But that's an interesting rattlesnake species because they're almost jet black as adults. A lot of locals uh refer to them as timber rattlesnakes, technically timber rattlesnakes from the east coast of the United States. They're not found in Arizona. So these are called Arizona black rattlesnake, and again, they're dark as adults, but they don't start that way. They start with a pretty vibrant pattern as babies, and as they age, they actually darken with age. So you can find young specimens that aren't dark, and then some transitional ones that are kind of like a smoky gray color that are slowly darkening, basically. And that's another one you'll find at higher elevations. And then we a few of the rare, like um, a lot. There's people that literally come to Arizona just to find some of the rare rattlesnake species that are on the Sky Island Mountains. And so I'll go ahead and mention them. So the twin spot rattlesnake, that one tends to be found at the highest elevations, like Chiracava Mountains, for instance, is one skyline that has them. And most of those southeastern mountains uh in Arizona have them as well. But they're like the highest part uh part. They're a real small rattlesnake, they're gray with little, as their name implies, little spots, and they're mostly a lizard eater, but they'll eat some rodents and other things too. Um, so those are there, and a lot of the uh like those, and there's also another rattlesnake species called the banded rock rattlesnake. Uh, they're a really, really pretty rattlesnake, like a nice kind of silver gray color with some nice black banding and some speckling too, and they can have like a green sheen on their back. Uh, another smaller species tend to be lizard eaters as well. And um, those tend to like those talus slopes, more like the rock slide type um things you'll see on some of these mountains. They prefer that sort of habitat. And then the other one that's worth mentioning is also, and these are all three. You can on a good day, you can pick one of these mountains and find all three of these. But uh it takes a takes a lot of work though. They're they're all small species, and um you hit it right, you can find them all, and there's a lot of people. But a lot of the herper crowd they call it the people, herpetologists and people that are interested in finding um reptiles. That's like the gold mine if you can get all three in one shot. But the other third one is our state reptile, which is the Arizona originos rattlesnake, and those are also found in the sky islands in southeastern Arizona, and uh real kind of pretty brown-colored rattlesnake with nice white striping on the face. Their nose goes to a little point, which gives them the originos name. And um, that's our that's our state reptile. And they're uh all three of those, by the way, this is worth mentioning. Those are all protected. They're those are all kind of struggling in nature a little bit, especially like twin spots, like in those higher elevation areas. And um, they are you're not allowed to touch them, kill them, mess with them. You can obviously, you know, photograph them and enjoy an encounter, but uh you're supposed to leave them alone because those are those are protected here in the state.

Protected Species And Arizona Regulations

SPEAKER_01 24:50

Wow. And then for like the Mojave or Western Diamondback, is it is there even I don't even know. I mean, I don't think there's any regulations on those. Is there people shoot them or technically?

SPEAKER_03 25:03

So with a valid hunting license, um, I mean, just like like a lot of the animals that you know, game and fish oversees all our wildlife, basically. And so reptiles and amphibians are regulated under the game and fish department. And technically, the as far as I know, I haven't checked on this. I don't think it's changed. I'm pretty sure it's still the same. It's been the same for years, but uh there's a limit of four per person, and that is for every species except for the protected ones. So, yeah, so sidewinders, diamondbacks, Mojave's, you could technically have um up to up to four of each in in possession. And um the ones that are protected are the three I just mentioned. So Arizona Originos, the twin spot rattlesnake, and the banded rock rattlesnake. Yeah, those yeah, can't touch those, those are no no, and also that other one I mentioned, the Massa Saga. Um, that's uh Desert Massa Saga, Western Massa Saga that used to be Desert Massa Saga, but it's it's now western. Those are also protected as well. But all the rests are technically fair game to, I guess, do as you choose with it. Um as long as you're within those limits.

SPEAKER_01 26:05

Yeah, I I tend to just leave them alone.

Eating Rattlesnake Stories And Final Wrap

SPEAKER_01 26:08

And uh I kind of always operated under that idea of if you you know if you're gonna kill it, you better eat it. And I ate a rattlesnake one time. It was uh out there on the Verde River. I a big old rattlesnake came in my camp and I killed it. And and uh I said, well, son, let's skin it and let's let's let's uh fry this thing. I'll tell you what every kid of mine loved it. It was really I mean, it was hard to clean, and I don't want to do it again.

SPEAKER_03 26:41

But it's a lot of work for not a lot of meat, but it's it's uh it's a one and done.

SPEAKER_01 26:45

It was a one and done.

SPEAKER_03 26:46

It was. Yeah, it was like we're gonna my brother obviously my brother ran one over once on accident. We were this is rural Northern California, and it was like, well, that was too bad because a nice big one that's probably been around for a long time. We just crossing the road and he didn't see it until we got it. So he threw it in the back of his truck, and same thing. We we he fried it in enough like you know, butter and garlic that it would make anything taste good. But uh yeah, I thought it I thought it tasted good. It was kind of chewy like calamari, but had like a chicken, like white meat flavor. Oh yeah.

unknown 27:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:17

I don't know if you agree or not.

SPEAKER_01 27:19

No, I think it was good. I thought I thought again, I thought it was good. I I it just it was too much work.

SPEAKER_03 27:24

Yeah, that's that's a survival food if you need it.

SPEAKER_01 27:27

Yeah. Yeah, we were out on the river, we camped out there at Sheep's Bridge, and you know, we uh we uh we were fishing and it was a great time, but it was a very memorable experience. So um, okay. Well, I want to wrap up this episode, and then on our next episode, if you've got time, I'd love to to go through snake avoidance training and what to do if you get bit. Yeah, absolutely. Cool. All right, any lasting comments? How can people find you, connect with you, all that good stuff?

How To Visit Rattlesnake Ready

SPEAKER_03 28:02

So, yeah, if you want to do a part two, I mean that's so what I do is I train dogs to avoid rattlesnakes. Um, that's our biggest, most popular service. So it's rattlesnake ready.com is the website. So www.rattlesnakeready.com. And uh that lays out the full process, pricing, all that stuff. It's all pretty transparently uh written on there. Uh again, that's our big thing, but on top of that, as you've been hearing me talk too, we're also pretty passionate about education. And so even though a lot of dogs come here to learn to avoid rattlesnakes, we want people to come here to learn about them and um learn some of the things about how special they are, how unique they are, their diversity. So we actually house one of the largest, most diverse collections of rattlesnakes in one place. So we've I mentioned earlier we have a hundred plus on display. We have rattlesnakes from South and Central America on top of the ones from the United States. So if you ever are looking for something to do, especially in the heat of the day, or um, we have uh yeah, basically a full-blown 2,400 square foot nature center. We have a zoo license through the Arizona Game and Fish Department. So we're allowed to have all the exotic stuff we have in here. And yeah, you can come take a look at all the different species. We've got uh not a lot of other, we have a lot of other fun um exhibits too. This might be up your guys' alley as well. We have a big domestic beetle colony that's on display, and so we will process you know, rattlesnake skeletons in that and actually have a deer skeleton getting clean or skull getting cleaned right now on that as I speak. Um, so kind of little bit of the taxidermy stuff too, technically. That's cool. That's real cool. So a little side gig there. And then yeah, we got art and photography and a lot of stuff to look at. So we do tour, general admission. So if anybody ever wants to just see a lot of rattlesnakes, including pretty much every species I listed earlier, you can kind of all see them safely behind glass here, learn about them, and uh, we're happy to yeah, share this place with you guys.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

Yeah, it's probably one of the largest, if not the largest, rattlesnake rattlesnake.

SPEAKER_03 30:02

I try to say it humbly, as far as I know, it is the largest. I shouldn't say largest in terms of quantity, but largest in terms of diversity. We have almost every species of rattlesnake here.

SPEAKER_01 30:12

Yeah, dude, that's so cool. Way to go, Cody. All right. Well, in our next episode, we'll cover snake avoidance and then what to do if you get bit. So thanks for joining us, Cody. And uh guys, those of you listening in, make sure you share this with a friend. We've covered all the different kinds of rattlesnakes you might encounter in backcountry while quail hunting. So uh let's talk next time about what to how to avoid being bit and then what to do if you do. So we'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_00 30:49

Thanks for listening in. How further our work, please consider making a tax deductible guilt. Visit us online at ABQLToday.com and be sure to follow us on social media for the latest information and updates. Till then, remember to get outside.