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McALLEN – Doug Dugger has actually dealt with snakes for much of his life.
“Rattlesnakes are just like humans. Some of them just ain’t as good as the others,” he said. “Some of them you can mess with all the time and go back two days later and can’t get anywhere around them.”
Dugger captivated observers of any ages who stopped to look, glare and have a look at his live rattlesnake pit show over the weekend at the 32nd yearly Texas Hunters and Sportsman’s Expo at the McAllen Convention Center.
The show, which is amongst the fan favorites, held about 15-20 snakes within a fenced-in location. Most of the snakes simply curled into a ball and unwinded, unbothered by the outdoors sound and individuals; others were a bit more curious and similarly searched as crowds ups and downs along the barrier.
Dugger said he’s been dealing with snakes for more than 45 years and his snake handling has actually led him to be a visitor on programs with Jay Leno and on “Those Amazing Animals.” He even invested 37 days on a task with Snoop Dogg.
“That was a little foggy,” he joked.
Texas is home to 8 various types and one subspecies of rattlesnakes: the Western diamondback, banded rock, Mojave, Timber, mottled rock, Prairie, black-tailed rattlesnake, the desert Massasauga and Western Massasauga, according to AZ Animals.
The website wideopencountry.com specifies that the possibilities of in fact passing away from a rattlesnake’s poisonous snake bite are extremely slim. Texas Parks and Wildlife reports that about 7,000 individuals are bitten by poisonous snakes (not simply rattlesnakes) yearly.
Dugger has actually been struck 5 times, however he’s simply consisting of “the serious hits, the ones that sent me to the hospital,” he said.
While the display is extremely amusing and the rattling and hissing noises stimulate the interest of those in hearing range, Dugger has a message — don’t think whatever you hear when it concerns how to handle a snake if you encounter one.
“It’s not like you see and hear that their entire body is going to come flying at you and they’re not going to charge you, or come after you,” Dugger said. “We want people to be educated on what to do if you happen to come upon one. Rattlesnakes strike for only two reasons — food and fear. And we’re too big for them to eat so the only time is because of fear.”
Dugger started dealing with snakes when he was 17 years of ages, while maturing in Waco. During a few of his programs a year ago he is tape-recorded for being in a bath tub with 197 rattlesnakes and zipping up a sleeping bag, sharing it with 150 of them hid inside with him.
“When you learn how to handle them, it’s really under trial and error and you learn real quick what you can and can’t do,” he said. “I’m 65 now and I’ve been saying every year that it’s my last but I keep coming back. I’ve had a real good life and I put my two daughters through Baylor so that’s all that matters.”
The exposition concludes Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
ASSOCIATED WATCHING
Photo Gallery: 2023 Texas Hunters and Sportsman’s Expo in McAllen
