Interesting! I've heard some old timers call gopher snakes, bull snakes. Your post made me look it up, seems Bull Snakes are a a sub-species of gopher snakes and live west of the Mississippi rv, and east of the rocky mtns. Probably not in Ca or Az.
Funny you mentioned being alive as a kid I saw something about catching rattlers by grabbing by the tail (if they are crawling away and not coiled to strike) and snatching them up and spinning them quickly for a good minute. It pretty much kills them, they can still strike, best to put in a gunny sack with a rock and toss in a bucket of water for a day or two. Once tanned the unmarred and un holed skin makes good hat bands. I will not again try the above procedure and I don't recommend trying it.