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Natural History/Field Observation Field observations of corn snakes, field collecting, or just general topics about the natural environment they are found in.

Any fellow herpers?
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Old 07-10-2016, 05:15 PM   #1
sdavis2
Any fellow herpers?

Any other herpers out there? What are some of your favorite finds, biggest finds, etc. I'll start with mine. About a month ago I found a huge rat snake. Didnt get an actual measurement but I'm 6 foot even and he had several inches on me. That is my favorite to date. Even tops my first venomous catch. Share some stories!!!
 
Old 07-10-2016, 05:21 PM   #2
sdavis2
Also I know it's very unadvised, but I always go bare hand. No hook, no gloves!! Even on the venomous ones. Adds to the thrill for me plus actually getting to feel the snake is a much more gratifying experience.
 
Old 07-10-2016, 05:33 PM   #3
Karl_Mcknight
I've been catching wild snakes in my area (Middle Tennessee) for over 40 years.

I used to bring home King snakes and Rat snakes when I was a Teenager that I caught in the woods behind our house. I would keep them all summer long but my mom would always make me let them go in the fall so they could hibernate or brumate.

I do construction work and one day while at work one of my fellow workers came running up to me screaming, "There's a rattle snake over here." I was expecting to actually see a real Rattler, we do have both Eastern Diamondbacks and Timber Rattlers in Tennessee, but when I got to the scene, it was simply a Black Rat Snake about 5 feet long that had coiled up inside a cardboard box. It was rattling it's tail against the cardboard and making quite a noise.

I put on a pair of leather gloves and reached in and grabbed him, and he was a bit upset at first, but he actually calmed down to the point I was able to remove the gloves. I carried him off the construction site to a creek at the edge of the property and let him go.

Years ago, my friends and I would pick a day out in the summer and we'd go out looking for snakes. It was a competition to see who could round up the most in a one day period.

We have Corn snakes, Black Rat snakes, Spotted King snakes, Appalachian King snakes, Garter snakes, Gopher snakes, Banded water snakes, and also the venomous Copperheads, Cottonmouths, and Rattlesnakes here in my area. I tend to leave the venomous ones alone.
 
Old 07-10-2016, 05:40 PM   #4
sdavis2
That's awesome! I live in the middle of nc. We have tons of black rat snakes and black racers. First snake bite I ever took was from a black racer, haven't met a nice one yet! Lol. Found my first hognose recently and was stoked. As far as venomous my certain region of NC has tons of copperheads and the VERY rare cottonmouth. Lots of water snakes, ring necks, Kings. I'm yet to find a wild corn though, starting to think they must not be so common in my part of the state because we are absolutely flooded with black rats and black racers.
 
Old 07-10-2016, 09:52 PM   #5
axis1
Quote:
Originally Posted by sdavis2 View Post
That's awesome! I live in the middle of nc. We have tons of black rat snakes and black racers. First snake bite I ever took was from a black racer, haven't met a nice one yet! Lol. Found my first hognose recently and was stoked. As far as venomous my certain region of NC has tons of copperheads and the VERY rare cottonmouth. Lots of water snakes, ring necks, Kings. I'm yet to find a wild corn though, starting to think they must not be so common in my part of the state because we are absolutely flooded with black rats and black racers.
Actually, I had a black racer who was a sweetheart! Maybe because he was raised in captivity? They may not be the type who like to be handled in general, though.

But dude, WITHOUT gloves? I go SKYDIVING! And I pack a reserve chute!! Handling venomous snakes without gloves is like trying to book a reggae band at a ku klux klan rally! You're gonna have some problems sooner or later, no?

Well, to each his own, I guess. Don't mean to sound judgmental either! I think you are AWESOME for taking care of that black rat snake you wrote about in that other thread! You are actually one of my newer HEROES (friend's request will be forthcoming!). Just wondering, is that something "herpers" normally do?

(I'm into fads, don't get me wrong, but am more curious than apt to follow on this one!)
 
Old 07-10-2016, 10:05 PM   #6
sdavis2
Quote:
Originally Posted by axis1 View Post
Actually, I had a black racer who was a sweetheart! Maybe because he was raised in captivity? They may not be the type who like to be handled in general, though.

But dude, WITHOUT gloves? I go SKYDIVING! And I pack a reserve chute!! Handling venomous snakes without gloves is like trying to book a reggae band at a ku klux klan rally! You're gonna have some problems sooner or later, no?

Well, to each his own, I guess. Don't mean to sound judgmental either! I think you are AWESOME for taking care of that black rat snake you wrote about in that other thread! You are actually one of my newer HEROES (friend's request will be forthcoming!). Just wondering, is that something "herpers" normally do?

(I'm into fads, don't get me wrong, but am more curious than apt to follow on this one!)
It is dangerous and as you said I'm sure I'll one day pay for it. And it's by no means a lack of respect for the animals potential to cause harm. If anything the opposite, I just need to feel them with my own hands, no fabric in between!! Thank you for the kind words though! Lol like you said, to each his own!
 
Old 07-10-2016, 11:15 PM   #7
albertagirl
The only thing I've ever seen around here are garter snakes... I'm not even sure if we have anything else around here. I know in southern Alberta there are rattlers and bull snakes and western hognose, but not sure if any of them come this far north. I can't believe I've never really researched it!! I guess I know what I'll be doing tonight! LOL

I work for a company that is spread across the province, though, and people know I'm the "snake girl", so whenever they find snakes they always send me pictures. I am a "herper by proxy".
 
Old 07-10-2016, 11:42 PM   #8
sdavis2
Quote:
Originally Posted by albertagirl View Post
The only thing I've ever seen around here are garter snakes... I'm not even sure if we have anything else around here. I know in southern Alberta there are rattlers and bull snakes and western hognose, but not sure if any of them come this far north. I can't believe I've never really researched it!! I guess I know what I'll be doing tonight! LOL

I work for a company that is spread across the province, though, and people know I'm the "snake girl", so whenever they find snakes they always send me pictures. I am a "herper by proxy".
Oh I highly recommend it, it's what I do with my spare time now, and here in the southeastern US there's no shortage of snakes to find. Your first find will be a memorable one. Don't be scared to pick them up and get a closer look though!
 
Old 07-11-2016, 12:14 AM   #9
albertagirl
I've never gone looking for snakes exclusively so I usually have my dogs with me which I'm sure doesn't help, but I've never been fast enough to catch one. I see them, and zip! They're gone! I did just look it up, there are three types of garters in Alberta, all of which come at least reasonably close to my area, but that's all we get this far north.
 
Old 07-11-2016, 12:37 AM   #10
sdavis2
Ah see I live where it does get pretty cold, but also can get really hot so we have a lot of snakes. I have noticed though, certain breeds will zip away, others will curl and stand their grounds. Guess that depends on the confidence of the snake lol. Well if you ever find yourself in the southeast US in the right time of year I highly encourage you to go searching. Just bring some tick spray!!! Ticks down here are no joke and have been especially bad this year.
 

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