Timbers - 2018-2019 Thread

[bushwacker]

hey wild trouter, was it saturday 26th. did you use one of those snake claw gripper things to remove it from road. If so, i saw you. we were headed to the beach for a swim. irony of it is that my nephew and I drove state forest roads for hours later hoping to see one.

 

[salmonoid]

Wild_Trouter wrote:
I just saw a Timber in black phase along the road entering Bald Eagle State Park. Was just sunning itself right before the turn off to the swimming area.

Bald Eagle SP? That seems like an odd place for a rattler sighting.. Few rocks or ridges close by for them to call home..

 

[Wild_Trouter]

@Bushwacker...Yes, it was this past Sat, but that was not me. Someone must have alerted the park about the snake, and was probably in the process of being relocated when you came up on that area.

@Salmonid...You would be surprised how many are in Bald Eagle SP and the surrounding area. One coworker has a home that abuts the park near Lick Run and they have shared pictures of them with me. Another coworker lives on Bullit Run by SGL #92 and they have them as well. Both guys are real good dudes and just leave the snakes alone other than taking a pics. There are lots of rocky areas in that region that the snakes find habitable.

 

[Mossyoakd]

Anyone else have any Timber Rattlesnake run-ins this year? This thread unfortunately seemed to die out early this year...

 

[Swattie87]

Nothing since that early one for me.

 

[rrt]

I am glad to know there are rattlesnakes out there. Having said that, I am perfectly happy not to see one when I am fishing, esp up close. I have not run into one of these for a good many years now. I'd certainly rather see the Monarch butterflies mentioned earlier.

One snake I used to see many of locally that I now see few of are water snakes. I don't think guys declared war on them and killed them; they just seem to have vanished.

I see copperheads every once in awhile, most recently last fall on a rockpile I was walking past. I detoured it by a couple of feet. I once had a rap on a pair of rubber hippers after dark walking out. When I got home, there were two puncture marks on the boots, probably a copperhead. With the lightweight boots I wear today, the fangs might have gotten through to me.

(I am no fan of yellow jacket or hornets either.)

 

[Dave_W]

Mossyoakd wrote:
Anyone else have any Timber Rattlesnake run-ins this year? This thread unfortunately seemed to die out early this year...

Agree - this thread faded down fast.

Unfortunately, I have not had a timber encounter this year, in spite of looking for them a couple times earlier this summer. Hopefully, we'll get some pics.

 

[salvelinus]

I saw four this summer. Two on forest roads, and two on route 44, one of which was dead. Thankfully none while fishing.

 

[salmonoid]

It's been a few years since I've spotted a rattler. I never got around to posting a trip report for this trip, but it did involve a rattler. The date was Sunday, June 10. It started raining about 11PM the night before, and rained pretty much straight for the next twelve hours. I fixed myself a nice meal of hashbrowns under my tarp (family size Hungry Jack rehydrate and fry in oilve oil, serves seven, must have been a small family..), and waited for the rain to stop, but it didn't, so I packed up wet and started walking out. Air temp was probably 55 degrees. I wasn't thinking too much about snakes, with the temperature the way it was, and the rain falling, so I wasn't paying much attention as I was walking. For some reason, I've been skittish walking through this 100 yard stretch, and a few hundred yards back, I had resigned myself to not seeing a rattler on the trip. I came out of a stretch of trail that ran through a forest corridor of trees, crossed a small, normally dry streambed, and climbed a small freestone bench that is often dry, and by late summer, the weeds die off. This was still late spring, and the weeds were still growing. I was about ten yards from crossing over the stream and was looking ahead to where the trail might go, when I caught a slight movement at my feet. The snake was lying right on the trail, tail left, head right. I had my trekking poles with me, or I would have stepped on the snake; as it was, I arrested my forward movement by pushing the poles into the ground, and springing back. And fortunately, the snake's head went in the opposite direction from me, instead of striking at me. And then he just sat there. Never rattled, never moved the whole time I photographed him. If he would not have moved, I think I would have stepped on him; it was only the small amount of movement that caught my eye moving toward him. Probably the closest I've ever knowingly come to a rattler - less than a foot.

Snake lying across the trail, I was walking right to left on the photo. This is a shot looking across the trail.

The rattle.

Looking back up the trail; from the crushed weeds, you can get some idea how close I was to this creature.

 

[wildtrout2]

Keven, your pics didn't show up.

 

[salmonoid]

wildtrout2 wrote:
Keven, your pics didn't show up.

Wish Google would make it easier to share photos...

Snake lying across the trail, I was walking right to left on the photo. This is a shot looking across the trail.

The rattle.

Looking back up the trail; from the crushed weeds, you can get some idea how close I was to this creature.

 

[wildtrout2]

Much better. That's exactly the type of cover they love to be in!

 

[afishinado]

wildtrout2 wrote:
Much better. That's exactly the type of cover they love to be in!

+1

Most folks warn about looking out for rattlers around rocks.

I have a cabin in rattler country, and high weeds, ferns, etc. like the pics above are where I've encountered rattlers most often.

 

[Swattie87]

Having fished with salmonoid many times, including several outings in this watershed, I'm certain he was wearing his snake gaiters. Not that you want to test them though! Situations exactly like this are why they're well worth the investment. Can't always see where you're putting your feet.

That exact same stretch of "trail" has always given me the heebie jeebies too...I once saw a ratter laid out in a very similar fashion on a similar stretch of trail a couple hundred yards downstream from there. By "trail" I mean just as salmonoid's pictures show...some lightly trampled down ferns and grass. He was just off the trail, but I had already walked past him when my gf, who was behind me, stopped and said what's that? I never saw him, and had to be within one stride of him no matter how you slice it. As seems usual for my Timber encounters, the snake never moved or rattled.

 

[fly_flinger]

Salmonoid- I had a similar experience only it was my wife that did the springing-back. In 2012 my wife, our 2 dogs and I were hiking the Old Loggers Trail/Path in, I think, Lycoming County. We were about 5-6 miles in and there was a slightly rocky area that had a nice clearing with a view. I was looking at the view and walking when I hear my wife scream. I turned around to see what was wrong and she says "SNAKE!". There, coiled up directly in the center of the trail, was a black phase about 2' long. The thing was laying on a rock "step" that the dogs and I must have stepped over. It was the 2nd weekend in May so it was kind of cool outside temps and I think that may have saved both the dogs and I from being struck. I mean 10 legs walked over it, within striking distance I'm sure, and it didn't make a sound or even move. Needless to say we were on high alert the next 2 days. We saw 2 others along the trail and none of the 3 ever rattled. Despite this narrowly averted disaster, I still like snakes.

 

[salmonoid]

fly_flinger wrote:
Salmonoid- I had a similar experience only it was my wife that did the springing-back. In 2012 my wife, our 2 dogs and I were hiking the Old Loggers Trail/Path in, I think, Lycoming County. We were about 5-6 miles in and there was a slightly rocky area that had a nice clearing with a view. I was looking at the view and walking when I hear my wife scream. I turned around to see what was wrong and she says "SNAKE!". There, coiled up directly in the center of the trail, was a black phase about 2' long. The thing was laying on a rock "step" that the dogs and I must have stepped over. It was the 2nd weekend in May so it was kind of cool outside temps and I think that may have saved both the dogs and I from being struck. I mean 10 legs walked over it, within striking distance I'm sure, and it didn't make a sound or even move. Needless to say we were on high alert the next 2 days. We saw 2 others along the trail and none of the 3 ever rattled. Despite this narrowly averted disaster, I still like snakes.

I don't know the exact location, but I am fairly certain there is a den site somewhere on that trail. My brother spotted seven or eight serpents together while hiking there a few years ago and i've seen other photos of multiple rattlers.

I'm heading back to the Loyalsock Trail this weekend after a number of years of hiatus from it. The last time I hiked it, the gypsy caterpillars had killed a lot of trees. The trail was infested with crown nettle and wild raspberry, and the removal of the canopy seemed to bring out the herps. I vowed to not go back after my last slog through that mess, but since I cut my backpacking teeth there, I had an.urge to go back. Not sure if we'll encounter any rattlers or not. The biggest I've ever encountered, and quite possibly the most beautiful was about a 5.5" deep golden.phase that climbed up Kettle Creek vista, completely unconcerned with the presence of four humans and plowed through the tall grass of the plateau, golden head up. We had been trying to take an afternoon nap, but were woken up by heavy rustling leaves. Found a second black phase under a rock a few yards away, and numerous garters. We vacated that site and opted to camp in the valley.

 

[Swattie87]

Den sites are typically high up on ridges, usually south facing, in rock garden type areas. While I’m certain there’s a den, or dens, in that watershed, it’s unlikely it’s along a valley trail. Along one of the trails that climbs to a ridge top, very possible though. The snakes we’ve seen out and about along the streams on the valley floor are loners for the Summer...On their annual loop out from the den in search of food and a mate. Pregnant females will generally stay at or near the den site all year for the time they are pregnant.

Certainly plausible you were at or near a den at Kettle Creek Vista. Rattlers will share den sites with other species.

 

[jifigz]

I wish that I could see the pictures. I'm with you though Swattie, in nearly all of my rattler encounters the snakes rarely move or rattle. In fact, the only time one ever rattled at me was when I backpacked the Eagleton Minecamp Trail. If that snake hadn't rattled I'd never have known he was directly in front of me. I've nearly stepped on them before while backpacking and they didn't rattle but somehow my eye caught their pattern just before I stepped on them..

 

[sandfly]

been here in the mtns for 12 years and only in the last 3 years have I seen them so far 3 in water including a big one and one this year crossing the road from my yard.

 

[nymphingmaniac]

there is a theory about counter selection associated with the appearance of man in the area. Rattlesnakes evolved the sound to prevent from being trampled by hoofed animals on the prairies and perhaps as a defense mechanism elsewhere. As man came along, those that had the propensity to rattle were easily identified and killed. Those that were less inclined to rattle were not identified/found and escaped being killed.
That's the theory anyway. Makes sense.