Snakes in WI?

Obviously it's not possible anymore this year, but is there anyone in WI (Fox Valley) that knows a good place to find snakes? I've lived here my whole life and never seen a single one! (well, I almost ran over one with a horse once....but was more worried about keeping the horse from seeing it!) Lots of people tell me they see them. Usually they're just freaked out, most often ending in the snake's death. How come people who don't appreciate anything have good things happen to them and they don't even care????

My fiance's sister-in-law was telling me about the snakes she sees on her property all the time. Sadly, she usually kills them. (she thinks hognose are poisonous and wouldn't listen to me!) She said she found an adult pine snake in her garage and killed it. Then found her clutch of eggs in the middle of hatching and killed them too!!!! I was EXTREMELY infuriated, but had to be nice. She had the excuse "well, you don't have kids, I do, you don't understand". Kids? They're 13 and 11!!! And guess what? They kill everything that moves for no reason. I told her if she ever finds anything again she wants out of her yard, to PLEASE put a bucket or something over it and call me. I will drive 45 minutes, I don't care. I'll pay her for them if she needs that much of an incentive to do it! See? People like that get to have expensive houses in the woods, and I'm stuck in the stupid city where all I get to see is stray cats and squirrels.

I no longer live in Wisconsin; however, I grew up in Waukesha Co., Wisconsin. I used to encounter snakes all the time, I lived near a huge field which surrounded a forest. Fox Valley is in Waukesha County, correct?

I used to see a lot of Garter snakes and Ribbon snakes, but then again, I lived in a smaller village where there wasn't a lot of people. Unfortunately, many of these wild snakes are now endangered.

Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources has an awesome webpage which lists the variety of snakes which can be found in Wisconsin, with photographs and information about each wild snake. They also offer a printed version of the information.

As for seeing snakes, it's becoming more and more difficult. Your best bet is to take a lot of time on nature preserves, or take a trip farther north into the state. The best opportunity to see snakes is late spring and throughout summer.

I don't like to hear stories about people (especially children) who kill snakes and any other wild animals. It's very unfortunate. If you do happen to find a wild specimen, you should try to hand it over to wildlife officers. They will treat injured animals and find a more suitable place to release them.

Originally Posted by Hebi

I no longer live in Wisconsin; however, I grew up in Waukesha Co., Wisconsin. I used to encounter snakes all the time, I lived near a huge field which surrounded a forest. Fox Valley is in Waukesha County, correct?

I'm just into Jefferson County from Waukesha County...you're thinking of the Fox River, which runs through the city of Waukesha....but there's a different and larger Fox River which begins in Green Bay and extends through the Appleton/Neenah/Menasha area down to Oshkosh, and empties into Lake Winnebago....that whole area is known as the Fox River Valley, A.K.A., "Paper Mill Valley".

I used to see a lot of Garter snakes and Ribbon snakes, but then again, I lived in a smaller village where there wasn't a lot of people. Unfortunately, many of these wild snakes are now endangered.

Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources has an awesome webpage which lists the variety of snakes which can be found in Wisconsin, with photographs and information about each wild snake. They also offer a printed version of the information.

As for seeing snakes, it's becoming more and more difficult. Your best bet is to take a lot of time on nature preserves, or take a trip farther north into the state. The best opportunity to see snakes is late spring and throughout summer.

The booklet created from that "Snakes of Wisconsin" page is AWESOME, along with the corollary "Amphibians of Wisconsin".

The park where I run my dog is right on the Jefferson/Waukesha county line. I've seen many a garter snake there.

regards,
jazz

I never saw many snakes in the wild - lots of turtles in the Fox River though!

There was a garter snake den nearby one place we lived and I remember seeing a jillion of them in April. I would guess that going out on some of those first warm days in the spring would be the best bet. If you see any then, there are probably lots of them nearby.

I know some collectors go to the rocky areas in central and western Wisconsin, but I never had much luck in the state. Florida is much better for catching snakes, lol!

Originally Posted by Steve'sMom

Obviously it's not possible anymore this year, but is there anyone in WI (Fox Valley) that knows a good place to find snakes? I've lived here my whole life and never seen a single one! (well, I almost ran over one with a horse once....but was more worried about keeping the horse from seeing it!) Lots of people tell me they see them. Usually they're just freaked out, most often ending in the snake's death. How come people who don't appreciate anything have good things happen to them and they don't even care????

My fiance's sister-in-law was telling me about the snakes she sees on her property all the time. Sadly, she usually kills them. (she thinks hognose are poisonous and wouldn't listen to me!) She said she found an adult pine snake in her garage and killed it. Then found her clutch of eggs in the middle of hatching and killed them too!!!! I was EXTREMELY infuriated, but had to be nice. She had the excuse "well, you don't have kids, I do, you don't understand". Kids? They're 13 and 11!!! And guess what? They kill everything that moves for no reason. I told her if she ever finds anything again she wants out of her yard, to PLEASE put a bucket or something over it and call me. I will drive 45 minutes, I don't care. I'll pay her for them if she needs that much of an incentive to do it! See? People like that get to have expensive houses in the woods, and I'm stuck in the stupid city where all I get to see is stray cats and squirrels.

Just tell her its against the law and she has problems with snakes call animal control.

Ive lived in Milwaukee all my short live yet to see any wild snakes. ive always wanted to move To more of the country side of wisconsin. I love nature and not much of Real nature in the city.

Originally Posted by jessel6893

Ive lived in Milwaukee all my short live

What area of town? I grew up on the northwest side (76th & Hampton area).

regards,
jazz

Bayview(Message to short)

petco has corn snakes and ball pythons
there is a place in appleton called 'just pets' on north richmond i believe.
they have a bunch of snakes
im from green bay
so if you ave any questions e-mail me at imfromwisconsinandimdrunk@yahoo.com

totally missed the whole "nakes in the wild heading" sorry im an idiot---lol