SNAKES

[SchoolOfHardRocks]

I know this isn't "Animal Planet Net" but I'm excited to share my first rattle snake experience! On Saturday my girlfriend and i decided to hit the Euchre Bar trail on the North Fork of the American River. Not sure on the milage of the trail but you go up and down over 1700' in mosquito infested forest...it was rough. But it was all worth it, right when we got back to the top of the trail i see a rattle snake sitting there sunbathing. I grabbed a stick (just in case) and got within 5 feet of the guy and managed to snap some photos before he was on his way. He paused for a moment and coiled as he left just to make sure that I wasn't up to any funny business and even rattled at me (which i caught on video!) On Sunday I headed to mineral bar and ran into a black water snake. He was lingering in an area that i was trying to prospect so i gently nudged him along and he turned away and started off, I guess i wasn't happy enough with his departing speed so i gave his tail end one more nudge which was a VERY BAD IDEA He turned around with the quickness and charged toward me stopping about a 3 feet from my legs and holding his ground. LOL i had to leave the area because of this snake. Guess it was my fault for provoking him so I bounced so nobody had to be bit or killed. I spent the rest of the day prospecting and looking over my shoulder for that angry serpent. Very exciting weekend.

 

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[Mad Machinist]

I don't get it. Why do you take pictures when you are in danger? I met with a bear just a few days ago, but I didn't willing to record my own death.
Well, it wasn't that dangerous situiation in this time.
There are vipers in my area. They are peaceful guys except if you step on them.

Actually even though this little guy is one of the most poisonous out there, people are in very little danger from them. They are fairly docile and their fangs are in the back of their mouths making it hard to inject venom on most people. I relocated it so my dogs wouldn't end up killing it.

With rattlesnakes, I have the proper tools and training to deal with them. A good friend of mine is a big time reptile guy so he made sure I know what I am doing. Hell, when I can, I stop and remove them of the road so they don't get squished.

 

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[Mad Machinist]

Unfortunately and usually, "pushing them a little too far" is simply not seeing or hearing one (they don't always rattle) while walking or working (gardening bites are common and happened to a clerk who worked for me) in areas where they are! They will definitely strike when provoked but they may also strike when people are not aware of their close presence and that is what most often occurs. I think the number of rattler bites so far this year here in AZ is over 35 and the most recent, that was in the news, was a young teen girl who was walking down a path here in Tucson.

I've noticed that too. For some reason, it seems like the rattlers are rattling as much here either. I heard in Texas, they have stopped rattling due to the feral hogs running to the rattling and eating the snakes. Makes one wonder. Maybe I need to build a smokehouse and get busy here.

 

[M.E.G.]

This last Saturday a fellow prospector/miner and I were hiking a creek checking out this winter's rain washings, and while we were poking over the newly exposed hill side all of a sudden he startles with a quick jump back from the bank where on a ledge about shoulder high, arm and a haft distance away, was a rattler about ready to strike out. At first I couldn't even see it when he was pointing to it it blended in so well with the ground color. With my poor hearing I couldn't even hear it rattling just that short distance away either. If I were the one standing where he was, I would have more than likely been bitten. We just stepped back a bit and gave it some space and with a little coaxing/nudging with a stick it finally slithering away. It was roughly 30 inches long as it stretched out.

 

[Vagadero]

Is any trick to keep away the snakes from the camp?

 

[kizzmo]

Is any trick to keep away the snakes from the camp?

Bring a ferret!

 

[rodoconnor]

Is any trick to keep away the snakes from the camp?

free roaming pot-bellied pigs

 

[mytimetoshine]

I don't get it. Why do you take pictures when you are in danger? I met with a bear just a few days ago, but I didn't willing to record my own death.
Well, it wasn't that dangerous situiation in this time.

I'm new to bear country. Wanted to do a "real" hike and choose the Stevens Trail. I thought as a far out possibility I might see one at a distance. 4-5 miles down to the NF American and 4-5 back up. Tough hike..

So I'm 15 -30 minutes in to my hike down and I pass a hot chick with a big dog.. Dog decides to chase after me. Hot chick calls dog off. I don't like large aggressive dogs so I put some distance between us and I'm soon alone although on a wide heavily used trail. Not far from where it actually looks like a road for vehicles.

All of a sudden a large bear pops out of the bushes about 20 ft ahead of me. I freeze... By the time I processed what I was looking at. It had taken and aggressive stance, the backed off, ran across the trail. Jumped up a 5ft embankment. Stooped again, turned at me and took another aggressive stance.it did this before I realized what happened. They are so much faster then we are you instantly know you can't run..as if there was anywhere to run anyways...

Thank god it was afraid of me too. It smashed up a steep incline through the manzanita.. Sounded like a wrecking ball,

Oh and I say a 4 ft Rattler just off the trail on the way back up. Wouldn't even have noticed it if another hiker hadn't alerted me to it. Was minding its own business.

 

[timemachine]

Let all take a moment to be thankful for the fact that rattlesnakes and spiders cannot fly

I'm glad my time in the great PNW yielded nothing but scenic beauty, salmon and bald eagles! I do have to say, one time in eastern WA near Moses Lake, I had to take a #2 break, and let's just say it scared the duece out of me

 

[63bkpkr]

Snakes are a part of the outdoors experience, they help to keep down pests (mice, rats, bugs and the like though they also eat fish, bad snake bad snake). In NorCal I've come across quite a few was never in danger of being struck by anything more than a baby rattle snake and then it reared up just because I happened to step right next to it. That is the problem, startling them.

Bears are another thing altogether as they can kill us and eat us and that happens every now and then. I've had my camps in NorCal busted up big time by bears. See um several times on the trail or early in the mornings or late at night on the other side of the river from camp, not a comforting thing. Do NOT RUN from them, that is an invitation of trouble back away slowly. Pull out your bear spray, or bottle of cayenne pepper and take the lid off of it and be prepared to use whatever you have with you. Be Prepared!..........63bkpkr

Oh, in fifty years of hiking the back country of NorCal I've never used my handgun for anything other than a heavy duty noise maker and save for one cub that worked all the time.

 

[DizzyDigger]

I don't get it. Why do you take pictures when you are in danger?
I met with a bear just a few days ago, but I didn't willing to record my own death.

There was no danger...he didn't take that photo.

Don't think I would/could have stood there and asked it to pose,
either.

https://ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/

 

[Mad Machinist]

There was no danger...he didn't take that photo.

Don't think I would/could have stood there and asked it to pose,
either.

https://ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/

It was actually trying to crawl away when I grabbed it bare handed. Had it on the porch to showing the wife before I relocated it. Like I said they are rather docile and they have very little chance of actually injecting venom into a human so I wasn't scared and in very little danger.

Now rattlers I take a different route on. I use snake hooks and tongs. Grabbing a snake around the throat just behind the head hurts them and really pi$$es them off pretty much guaranteeing your gonna get bit when you let it go.

But on a side note, this guy goes "clank, clank" when he walks. Pay attention around the 2:10 mark.

 

[kayakpat]

that guy has a tough job, wonder how long he waited to get started after his morning cup of coffee?

 

[Duckwalk]

Copper head infront of my house. started in my yard and i drove him to the street to get him away from my kids. After the picture i picked him up and gave him a toss into the woods. Not uncommon to see this stuff in my area, i literally live on a street cut out of the woods with 6 houses on it. Also had this Snapping turtle a day later!

 

[shovelready]

It's a king snake,there not poisonous, nice picture tho.

 

[Duckwalk]

It's a king snake,there not poisonous, nice picture tho.

if you are referring to my picture, i hope to god you don't ever come in contact with one in the wild. That sir, is a copperhead.

Copperhead Fact Sheet - National Zoo| FONZ

 

[rodoconnor]

I've had run ins with Timber, Pacific, Diamondbacks and Mojave Greens.Every one [that I know of !] . rattled. Sidewinders are another story. Less than 1/2 of them gave me any warning. Also those little guys are very aggressive and will chase you. They think they are 6 foot tall and bulletproof. They're not.

 

[Mad Machinist]

It's a king snake,there not poisonous, nice picture tho.

Most definitely a copperhead. Look at the head. And copperheads tend to triangular shaped color patterns whereas king snakes are more rounded, but this is not a hard and fast rule.

 

[okbasspro]

 

[Gelmac]

Caught one of these little guys in my yard a few days ago.

Arizona coral snake. Venom is similar to a cobra. Even here they are rare and I wasn't about to kill it needlessly. It was relocated to a more suitable area where it can stay out of trouble.

Yahoo ! that one looks really dangerously fatal ! These guys with their colorful skins are identifiable more easily than the camouflaged ones !

 

[Gelmac]

if you are referring to my picture, i hope to god you don't ever come in contact with one in the wild. That sir, is a copperhead.

Copperhead Fact Sheet - National Zoo| FONZ

OMG ! from the link you provided : "The copperhead seeks out its prey using its heat-sensitive pits to detect objects that are warmer than its environment. "

Glad those ones are not available in my area , in the desert , try to detect any thing when the temps reach 140 F

One of my friends used to roam the North African desert (Sahara) metal detecting, said they encounter black snakes and desert scorpions. Glad I don't meet those critters at least not while gold prospecting !