Timber Run Ins - 2016

[riser]

I encountered a beautiful 34" yellow phase timber crossing a gravel road off of St. Rt. 144 in Clinton Co. on 5/29/16. Got a nice video of it out in the open buzzing at me.

Here's the Fish Commission's reference to 600 rattler dens:

"In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Commission non-
game biologists began compiling more refined location
information from amateur and professional herpetolo-
gists concerned with the conservation of Pennsylvania’s
timber rattlesnakes. Over 600 historic rattlesnake “dens”
were mapped in Pennsylvania."

http://fishandboat.com/anglerboater/2004/jf04web/trattlesnake.pdf

The Virginia Herpetelogical Society quotes research that surveyed 115 timber dens in VA and MD. The population of most of these dens ranged from 30-60 individuals.

Based on these metrics, I'd make a SWAG and say there are 18,000 to 36,000 timber rattlesnakes in PA.

 

[franklin]

rrt wrote:
I hope you guys know how unusual your feelings are about rattlesnakes. I would not purposely kill one that was not threatening me, but if one was around human habitation where it could bite somebody, I would feel differently.

I know a guy who ran over three of them in one night, and he believed he was doing something good. Like most of you, I would have avoided running over them if possible. But, I think that people who would avoid hitting them are a minority.

With few people actually in the woods during the summer, I imagine there are more rattlers out there than we realize. Lots of room in the big mountains of n/c PA where they can live pretty much unmolested.

I used to think those around inhabited areas should be killed but I now think differently. I had always thought they were setting up residence in the area and thus likely to be a constant threat. But it seems they range out from dens and generally are simply passing through as they take a circuitous route from the den looking for mates.

I have never had rattlesnakes close by our buildings like we do copperheads, watersnakes, and black snakes. In our case the buildings are along a stream and several springs. Maybe that's a factor.

 

[Prospector]

troutbert wrote:

Are there many in the Allegheny National Forest area of NW PA?

I have a camp in Forest Co and also spend a lot of time in Venango and Warren Counties (areas the distribution map shows as their range). I've never seen a rattlesnake in my 31 years of hunting and fishing the area and have never spoken with anyone who has seen one. There has been legend of a few locations in Forest Co where they at one time existed.

I have friends that catch and release rattlers and they seem to head to clearfield most often. In discussions with them I'm told "if you know where to look you can find them". But chance encounters in the ANF is a once in several lifetimes experience

The only rattler I have seen was near the C&R section on Kettle Creek and that was back around 1980.

 

[birdog]

There are rattlesnakes north of Rt 6 in Tioga County without a doubt. I've seen three in the past month just along the roads.

 

[shakey]

i'm a crawling kingsnake

 

[Swattie87]

Add another Clinton County sighting for me in as many trips to the county this year. Different watershed than the first though. My first Yellow Phase ever, to about 10 Black Phase sightings now.

This one was the first one for me that rattled pretty consistently. I saw him at about the usual distance I spot one...between one and two steps away. He rattled right as I saw him and continued to for about 30 seconds. All the other ones I've seen (and stepped closer to some of them) barely buzzed for a split second, if rattled at all.

 

[SteveG]

Somewhat related. But please go to the PFBC website and voice your opinion regarding legislation to discontinue protection for timbers. While the idea alone is ridiculous, given their low fecundity and some harvest already allowed, I think the ulterior motive could be to allow activity on den sites... Not too long ago there were talks about how agencies designate protected areas that fall within threatened animal and plants ranges. I think this is just another attempt to pimp out our land.

 

[724flyfishing]

Swattie- that's a really nice looking yellow phase. I usually find about 10 to 1 blacks to yellow too or somewhere around that.

SteveG- do you have a link to any info regarding that legislation? If they are proposing to discontinue protection, I too would think there's a ulterior motive and would gladly voice my opinion to the PFBC. I would bet it is from heavy pressure to open more land up to logging or gas lines/drilling.

 

[bdfish]

One of two timbers seen last week at Little Pine. I spotted this one near one the camping cottages. The ranger caught him and relocated him up the mountain road outside of the campground. The first one was near the yurt we were staying in. I shooed him away just by making my presence known. He never buzzed, just kept going away from me.

 

[SteveG]

http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=17427

Logging and oil were my thoughts as well. I guess they figured they'll take pot shots at an animal that is generally reviled and misunderstood by the public to try and push their objectives through.

 

[salmonoid]

http://fishandboat.com/rulemakings/267nprp.pdf is the proposed rulemaking. Linked at the bottom of SteveG's link as well.

 

[ROVERT]

I came really, really close to stepping on this one. We may have actually touched. All I know is that I looked down and saw a triangular head attached to a black body moving away from my right foot. It must have been under the leaves. I was moving pretty quickly but paying attention to where I was walking. As I walked, I was assessing how to cross the downed tree ahead of me when I caught movement next to my right leg. I knew what it was the second I saw it. I took a couple quick steps to my left and composed myself while the snake remained coiled on the trail. It slowed my pace down a bit. This was Sunday morning on Penns.

 

[FarmerDave]

ROVERT wrote:

I came really, really close to stepping on this one. We may have actually touched. All I know is that I looked down and saw a triangular head attached to a black body moving away from my right foot. It must have been under the leaves. I was moving pretty quickly but paying attention to where I was walking. As I walked, I was assessing how to cross the downed tree ahead of me when I caught movement next to my right leg. I knew what it was the second I saw it. I took a couple quick steps to my left and [d]composed myself[/d] [color=0033FF]checked my underwear[/color] while the snake remained coiled on the trail. It slowed my pace down a bit. This was Sunday morning on Penns.

Well, at least that is the way it would be if it were me telling the story.

Seriously though. I envy you guys, I've never seen one in the wild. Would love to.

Do they really taste like blue heron? (joking)

 

[Swattie87]

Wow that one's really dark. Looks like he may be coming up on a shed too. Very nice.

 

[ROVERT]

That's only the second live one I've seen in PA. Last year I saw one not terribly far from this one up on the (Strong) mountain. I saw several the summer I spent in SNP.

Last year:

 

[wildtrout2]

ROVERT wrote:

I came really, really close to stepping on this one. We may have actually touched. All I know is that I looked down and saw a triangular head attached to a black body moving away from my right foot. It must have been under the leaves. I was moving pretty quickly but paying attention to where I was walking. As I walked, I was assessing how to cross the downed tree ahead of me when I caught movement next to my right leg. I knew what it was the second I saw it. I took a couple quick steps to my left and composed myself while the snake remained coiled on the trail. It slowed my pace down a bit. This was Sunday morning on Penns.

That's one fat rattler! Great pic. It seems they like being around those ferns, I guess that's where dinner comes from.

 

[Hook_Jaw]

Franklin I have seen them by the stream and up more away both and on the road the more dry the more by the water. Mike you go ahead and step over the log I'll step up on it and over thank you. I have a bunch of pics of them I'll put on sometime.

 

[fayettenamese]

Not a timber, but this copperhead was literally waiting in the parking lot at Dunbar FFO at dark this evening.

 

[riser]

Here's a link to video of the timber rattler I encountered on May 29. Turn your volume up -- he buzzed me 3 times.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B50AciqUvcQXVnV0Z1czTE5Qd0E/view

 

[Dave_W]

Neat! Been too long since I've seen a copper too. They really seem to like to come out and play on these hot summer nights after some rain.