rattlesanke hunting in canada?

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Brentn

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Is this legal?

I heard that they are endangered on TV, but I have a hard time believing that... Do they mean only in canada?

Where can you find them in Alberta?


Thanks
 
Rattlesnakes are protected species and are considered endangered in many parts of their ranges due to habitat destruction and the general stupidity of man, as most people will attempt to kill any snake that they stumble across. Why would you wish to hunt them??
 
Fall Guy said:
Lots? Really? They are as rare as hens teeth. So you're doing tremendously better than most.

And I have a property in the area.
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They can be locally common. Fitzwilliam Island off of the southeast end of Manitoulin Island was crawling with them the last time I was there.
They even get up as far north as Sudbury. A few weeks ago, a co-worker found a quite large one run over on Raft Lake Road, on the south side of Sudbury. I went with him the next day, along with a prof. from Laurentian University to collect it. The guy was really happy that we found it, in very good condition. It's new home is a jar of formaldahyde in the biology lab at the university.
 
Go to the manager of the meat department in "Save On Foods" and ask for Rattlesnake meat, they can special order it in for you. I had a boss who used to bring it in all the time for Bar-b-ques.
 
I'd rather not buy it canned as the whole experience for me is to find them, shoot them, and then prepare them myself.

I did some reading and I have not found any legal text claiming that they are not hunt-able. They are coded "blue" which apparently means that they are not endangered but could 'possibly' be in the near future.
 
Brentn said:
I'd rather not buy it canned as the whole experience for me is to find them, shoot them, and then prepare them myself.

I did some reading and I have not found any legal text claiming that they are not hunt-able. They are coded "blue" which apparently means that they are not endangered but could 'possibly' be in the near future.
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Ummm.....
Under the 1987 Alberta Wildlife Act, Prairie Rattlesnakes were listed as non-license animals which can generally be hunted or harvested without a permit. Specific restrictions, however, prevented the sale or live possession of Prairie Rattlesnakes, and hibernacula were offered protection from disturbance between September 1st and April 30th. In January 1997, the legal designation of the Prairie Rattlesnake was changed to non-game animal. This new designation increased the amount of protection available for this species by making it illegal to kill, possess, buy or sell rattlesnakes in Alberta. Despite these legal regulations, rattlesnakes can still be killed if they pose a threat to individual safety.

One of the first unofficial status designations for the Prairie Rattlesnake in Alberta was assigned by the Alberta Committee on Rare and Endangered Species, which described this species as "locally abundant in southeastern Alberta". In 1991, the Prairie Rattlesnake was designated as a Blue-listed species in Alberta, and has retained this status in a recent revision of the provincial color lists. As a Blue-listed species, the Prairie Rattlesnake "may be at risk" and, although not immediately threatened, the species is thought to be susceptible to habitat disturbance, population decline, or reductions in provincial distribution.

Additional protection is also available for wildlife and wildlife habitat located within national and provincial parks, provincial Natural Areas, and Ecological Reserves.

Prairie Rattlesnake populations are known to exist within Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, Dinosaur Provincial Park, and the Kennedy Creek/Milk River Canyon Ecological Reserve. In addition, "large" populations have been found within the Canadian Forces Base Suffield, of which 440 km has been proposed as a National Wildlife Area, and on the federally-owned Onefour Experimental Farm. Increased protection for endangered wildlife is expected to occur with the introduction of the Canadian Endangered Species Protection Act which is currently being reviewed by the House of Commons. Whether the Prairie Rattlesnake will be among the species protected by this act is yet to be determined.


Reprinted from Alberta Wildlife Status Report No. 6 (1997), with permission from Alberta Sustainable Resource Development.
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Actually, after they exceed five feet, they can be made to look pretty good on the wall!
rs.jpg
 
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