Milking Rattlers

For all of us living here in the valley, we know the times of the year to keep our eyes out for rattlesnakes. They come out of hibernation around early spring and are out just before winter in the fall. During the summer days they are hiding out from the desert heat, but come out at night.
Right now is a great time to go out if you want to see a rattlesnake. They are all over the place. Since I started working for the forest service down here, I have seen six.
The other day, we drove up on two men who had caught a rattlesnake and were in the process of milking its venom. We watched as these guys tried carefully to secrete the venom into a jar. It worked. They said they would sell it to a hospital or college. We said it was illegal and noone would buy it. It was fun to watch though. Needless to say, they let it go and it turned around and bit the guy....just kidding, that would have been deserving and funny to see.