Gaiters

[drakeking412]

Starting the hunt for a wild tiger and would like to start the hunt in NC PA. While I'd love to finally see a Timber I really am not interested in getting bit by one. I know how timid they are and all that but peace of mind goes a long way and safety is paramount especially up Hammersley.

Does anyone have a good recommendation for some decent gaiters? We have some at work but they're cheap and wire mesh I think. I'd like something moderately comfortable and something that won't poke my waders although I foresee this will be almost exclusively a wet wading mission.

Thanks in advance

 

[lycoflyfisher]

https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/Search.php?stext=Snakeproof+Chaps+and+Leggings&productFilter=category%3ASnakeproof+Chaps+and+Leggings

I have worn both the rattlers and scent blocker brand. Both are hot and take a long time to dry. Personally, I think the chances of getting a dose of venom through neoprene booties or your tougher breathable waders is probably slim. wearing chaps does provide an ease of mind and also protects your waders from briars and sticks. When wet wading, I try to stay in the middle of the stream and this provides some cushion from surprise encounters. For long walks through grassy areas, I highly recommend chaps.

 

[salmonoid]

I have a couple of pairs of the Rattler's brand chaps I bought many years ago. One pair I use for fishing, primarily for wader protection when brush busting, but they do add protection for an errant step on a rattlesnake. The other pair I use around the house for weedeating, to keep small projectiles and weed/grass pieces from making a direct impact on my legs.

When in rattler country, I always carry a pair of trekking poles as well - they can be used to part brush, weed patches, ferns, etc. and they saved me from stepping on a rattler the second to last time I saw one, as I was able to propel myself backward, by pushing back off the sticks, instead of having my next step carry me right onto the snake. Without the sticks, momentum and gravity would have made for a potentially bad encounter.

I used to not pay too much attention to climbing over logjams in streams either, but I've since seen pictures of rattlers coiled on top of logjams, so I now go around them. And I had one encounter where a rattler was holed up underneath a small rock on another larger flat rock, right in the middle of a stream. Just be cautious and don't go poking your fingers or feet in places you can't see what is there. Even on a trail, if I have to cross a log, rather than step over the log, I step on top of the log and make sure my next step takes me a few feet away from the bottom portion of the log.

 

[drakeking412]

I really like that trekking pole idea, i feel like that would really help out. Thanks.

I don't like the fact that chaps/gaiters are hot and take so long to dry, that really sucks on a long trip like I'm planning. They have those plastic ones also but I'm thinking maybe the better plan is just keep playing it slow and safe and bring some poles. Maybe try the plastic ones too not sure yet

 

[Swattie87]

I'd recommend both gaiters and poles. I've been where you're going, and my Rattlesnake encounter ratio in that watershed is about 50% on my Summer trips there.

The gaiters are good because no matter how hard you try there's going to be times where you can't fully see where you're putting your feet with the ferns and undergrowth. The poles are good, and help, but I won't be up there in the Summer without gaiters, period. You'd literally have to step ON the snake for it to do much, but there's been a good half dozen times where I've been within one step before seeing them, and only one rattled to warn me. Most won't rattle. Pay extra attention on gravel bars and around streamside log/debris piles exposed to the sun. salmonoid knows from fishing with me up there that I have an extra slow granny gear for walking across those areas...look where you're stepping.

Get the soft material, wrap around gaiters, or the chaps like salmonoid mentioned. Way more comfortable than the hard plastic ones. Yes, they're hot, but you'll be fishing and in the water, and that water is cold. Just keep them wet and they're not that bad. I don't even notice having them on anymore.

As far as drying time. They're going to be wet the whole time you're using them since you'll be in the stream at times. I don't care how long they take to dry hanging in my garage when I get home until the next time I use them. I have the Scentblockers, or the BPS knock off version of them anyway. They were $50 and are nearly 10 years old and still in good shape. Great value purchase IMO.

 

[drakeking412]

Thanks Swattie, I was hoping you'd chime in as I knew you were into this type of fishing. I think I'll order a set of the soft ones today then.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

I've never seen a rattler up the Hammersley, which kind of surprises me.

I also never caught a wild tiger on the Hammersley, or anywhere in NCPA! And I fish it a lot.

 

[k-bob]

I haven't seen a rattler in a while but I agree with the trekking pole idea. Move ferns brush from a bit of distance.

 

[drakeking412]

I ordered the Rattler brand soft wrap style gaiters and have some old ski poles lined up for my trekking poles. I think I'm ready this year for the sneks.

Ya squatch I feel like this is going to be a rather long challenge but I'd like to complete it before I leave PA. Also I'm sure I'm going to find tons of cool stuff along the way and enjoy it even if I never even get close to a tiger.

 

[Swattie87]

From an outing this weekend...This scene got me thinking of this thread, and illustrates the recommendation for gaiters in the Summer while fishing in Timber territory. You're not always going to be able to see where you're putting your feet. This was the "trail" hiking back along a remote stream several miles in from the nearest road...Good luck spotting one in that! Sure you could walk the creek back 3 miles, but I'd argue the additional risk of a slip/fall is more dangerous than the risk of a Rattler encounter, especially if you have gaiters on.

(The snake is a picture salmonoid took from a prior trip to this same stream, but it helps illustrate the point with the tall ferns/undergrowth along many PA forested streams.)

 

[outsider]

My cabin is about 5 miles from the Hammersley. I spent a lot of time there and I did come across rattlers there. I also spent decades hunting deer at the top of the Hammersley. A bit of information: Kettle Creek vista is a gathering point for rattlers in the fall. I know it, as do the DCNR employees at Kettle Creek State Park. About 4 years ago my wife and were there on a warm October day. I wanted to take a picture of her with the lake as a backdrop. So I told her to back up. Then I heard a familiar buzz. So I told here to move forward, and keep moving forward. She was shaking when I told her what it was. Many cabin owners in that area including me agree there has been an increase of rattlers in the past 20 years. I have a theory why. I ran that theory past a fish the NC fish commission enforcement manager and he agreed it is a probable reason.

 

[Swattie87]

Care to share the suspected reason? I’d be interested to know.

 

[troutbert]

Rattler populations have definitely gone up. The reason is simple. In the past is was the common practice of nearly everyone to just kill every rattler spotted.

Now they are protected. Far less are killed, so the populations have increased.

 

[outsider]

Deer, bears, turkeys, squirrels, chipmunks, and mice all compete for the same food source: nuts. The deer population in NCPA is WAY lower than it was decades ago. The result may be a population growth in mice, chipmunks and squirrels. We see a lot more squirrels and chipmunks there now. Food source for rattlers.

 

[outsider]

troutbert,

Despite protection, people still kill them. A lot think the only good rattler is a dead rattler.

 

[drakeking412]

I wore the gaiters for a few days and they aren't bothersome at all and relax after a half hour of use. Didn't see any snakes up that way and didn't even get a chance to fish Hammersley because I couldn't get to the parking spot in my Corolla.

I did stop down and walk around Penn's and nearly stepped on one NOT wearing the gaiters. Saw a couple HUGE black snakes too. Why can they swim better than me and they have no arms?

 

[Swattie87]

The Penns wilderness section (Coburn to Weikert) is another high density area. I always wear mine in there too in the warmer months.

Glad to hear you seem happy with the purchase drake.