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Herping in Tennessee

nmoore601

Cloud 9 Corns
We are planning a trip to the Smoky Mountain National Forest. Has any one ever did any herping there? If so what are the best conditions? What are some
good tactics? Road hunting?
 
My best advice is to be VERY careful. The Rangers don't care much for any type of animal / landscape disturbance - and any offense in a National Forest can turn into a Federal Offense. Your safest bet is just to hope you come upon something.

The Smokys are right down the road from me, and I steer clear of flipping while I am hiking.

However, if you are prone to do some flipping anyway, you will find more salamanders than just about any other place in the world. And the Hellbenders, if you can find them, are quite impressive.

As far as snakes go, I have seen more Black Rats, Black Racers, and Garters than anything else. There are Black Kings as well. I, personally, have never seen a Copperhead nor Timber Rattler, but again - I don't flip.

Smoky Mountain National Park is a beautiful place to visit. Watch the gnats and mosquitoes, and you should have a great trip!
 
Don't want to disrupt the habitat. Just wanna do some hiking and see what I can see. I used to love riding the roads to see what was cruising on the warm pavement. I would like to also get outside the park to see some reptiles in their natural environment!
 
I am not opposed to flipping at all - just not inside the park. Lots of outlying farm land, and you are bound to see the snakes mentioned along the edges of wooded areas.

Of course, if you see anything, we expect pics!
 
I don't do planed Herping trips (not yet anyways), but I have spent a lot
of time visiting the Blue Ridge and Smokey Mt. Parkway in my lifetime, and
I have seen a fair share of snakes around there just walking, and driving
the area early in the mornings. As someone said above, most of the snakes
spotted were Black Rat Snakes, and Garter snakes, but I've seen some
watersnakes in the rivers all throughout the mountains of NC and Tenn.
As well as the foothills of SC near where I grew up.
 
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