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Road Cruise--6/20-08

tyflier

tyflier

[Insert Witty Commentary]
Went for a cruise last night. Found some cool snakes. Took some pictures. Some of the pictures look really crappy...sorry. My camera fell in a creek last week, and some of the pictures are a little "off" as a result. But it still works until I can get a new one.

Anyhow...here's some snakes we found last night:

big_gopher.jpg

sm_gopher.jpg

Couple of Great Basin Gophersnakes

cali.jpg

Kaylee and a Cali king

sidewinder1.jpg

A GORGEOUS Mojave Desert Sidewinder

We also found a rubber boa...but catching them is super easy, and it doesn't make for very cool pics...so we didn't take any.

On the way home...we had a blowout on the side of the road, which kinda sucked. Luckily, I was still in cruise mode, and was only going 30mph. We had a spare in the car, and we were in a really good mood from a very successful night...so it wasn't too bad.

Thanks for looking!!
 
Thanks, I like your road cruise threads.
If I go out on the road at night around here I may see a dead cat or,**BONUS**, a dead opossum.
 
snakewispera snr said:
Nice one Ty....Why didn't you pick up the sidewinder? ;)
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I've only ever tailed one rattler, and that was the other night. He was SUPER aggressive...but injured. I couldn't keep him on the hook, and so I had to tail him to move him off the road. Kaylee(my girlfriend) yelled at me for it.

I have a theory...the moment I am no longer afraid of a rattlesnake bite...I should not go near rattlesnakes. I don't ever want to be comfortable and confident enough to "barehand" a venomous snake. It's too risky...
 
Hey tailing a rattler is a risky business, I know where your coming from on that score...I've also seen the damage that rattler venom does...Your better off being bit by an elapid if you have the choice...LOL...
Keep the road trips coming, and don't free handle the naughty ones...
 
I would die if I found a Cali King...Hey, I guess after you found the one sidewinder, now you're going to start finding them all the time!
 
Nanci said:
I would die if I found a Cali King...Hey, I guess after you found the one sidewinder, now you're going to start finding them all the time!
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Actually, I misidentified that rattler. Someone pointed it out to me on another forum, but that is actually a panamint rattler, Crotalus stephensi.
 
patm1313 said:
Did you get bit any?
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No. I don't usually get bit when field herping. The colubrids are usually pretty calm, though a big Cal king or gophersnake will certainly hiss and strike alot, they typically settle down fairly quickly.

The rattlers...I don't tail them unless it is absolutely necessary...and I find that it is very rarely absolutely necessary. I carry a 40" hook for the rattlers, which keeps a nice safe distance between the sharp parts and my skin. I also carry a couple 18" snake hooks for retrieving harmless species from bushes or flipping rocks.

Ocasionally we run into a very angry and aggressive gophersnake or kingsnake. But we haven't been tagged in the field, yet. I do expect to get bitten several times once we come across a Red Coachwhip or Mojave Patchnose. They are both notoriously bitey...I just haven't found any living ones, yet...
 
Interesting. I have yet to go out to the woods and not get bit when I'm trying to catch snakes, and those are just garters.
 
It'd be pretty rare to catch a garter that didn't bite. At least they stop after a few minutes.
 
patm1313 said:
Interesting. I have yet to go out to the woods and not get bit when I'm trying to catch snakes, and those are just garters.
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Garters bite ALOT...

I've found that the larger colubrids tend to be secure in their size, and therefor are not quite as aggressive...at least in my experience.

I'm still waiting to tangle with a 5 1/2' coachwhip, though. I've seen them that large dead already...I've yet to find one alive, and I KNOW they are super-aggro. I intend to get bit repeatedly with that one...
 
tyflier said:
Garters bite ALOT...

I've found that the larger colubrids tend to be secure in their size, and therefor are not quite as aggressive...at least in my experience.

I'm still waiting to tangle with a 5 1/2' coachwhip, though. I've seen them that large dead already...I've yet to find one alive, and I KNOW they are super-aggro. I intend to get bit repeatedly with that one...
Click to expand...

Good Luck. I've never had problem with being bit, it's just a snakes way of kissing. ;)
 
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