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Went dog walk/hike/herping

V

Vlcek81

New member
Beautiful day out today, decided to take my almost 2 yr old German Shepherd Gunnar out for a hike. Gone for 3 hrs hike up through the mountains to wear you can see my whole town was a beautiful sight.

As for herping went i turned over some Large rocks and tires only find nothing.

A lot of puddles from the rain on large ATV, dirt bike, and even car paths that i also searched for snakes, but none were found, Did find tons of frogs and tadpoles in these puddle areas.

One area is like a trench of rocks ranging from softball to larger then bowling balls in size and years ago i remember friends and i found some wolf spiders that we hve never found before. They were huge like tarantula size i had actually caught 2 from there. Anyone actually know how big they get? I think i will head out tomorrow with my digital camera in search for one to show.

All in all was a great day weather and the hike me and Gunnar both had a fun time.
 
Anyone have any herping advise/ ideas for finding some snakes? We found a copper head once in a small pool of water from the rain on a bikeride and havent had any luck in thoes so far. Mostly trying to find some small garters or ringnecks, not to keep or anything just to see out in the wild
 
Unless it is really, REALLY hot, I wouldn't be looking in puddles for snakes. Rain can be a draw, but in my experience, they will search for shelter in inclement weather. I have found plenty of snakes basking in the sun, absorbing heat and moisture after a good rain shower, though. These are usually found in the rising steam on blacktop, or basking on a higher location, absorbing sun, and enjoying the rising steam.

Flipping over rocks, logs, and natural cover is a great way to find reptiles and amphibians. It's also a great way to absolutely destroy habitat. If you "flip cover", make sure you are careful, non-destructive, and that you replace everything back the way it was. If it looks like a good place for snakes to hide, it probably is. Replacing it precisely gives you another opportunity to look on another day.

Also, if you're flipping cover...don't use your hands. You never know what's under that rock or rotting log. Could be a rattler, copperhead, scorpion, centipede, spider...could be a good number of things under that rock that you don;t want to get bitten by. Use a snake hook or potato rake to gently lift pieces of cover. Better safe than sorry.

Always bring a camera and a small field log. When you find animals, make note of the species, location, date, time, ambient and ground surface temperatures, weather conditions...the more detailed your notes, the more useful they will be. Keeping extensive notes will help you to decipher habits, patterns, and "hot spots" for the animals that interest you most. Photos will aid in identifying animals, so pay particular attention to ventral and dorsal patterns, coloration, scale type, and relative size when taking your "documentary shots". The more accurate and detailed your photos, the easier it will be to ID the animal.

In general, snakes are active when their basic requirements are met. Comfortable temperature, availability of prey, and visibility of prey.

A diurnal snake, like a racer, can tolerate high temperatures, moves very quickly, and hunts visually. Look for these snakes in open areas with scattered cover, often in the middle of the day, seeking out lizards and small birds.

A nocturnal snake, like a kingsnake or rattler, will be more comfortable hunting in the late evening, and can often be found soaking up the warmth from pavement and large rock outcroppings after the sun goes down.

My best advice is to get a reasonably local guide, one that covers a majority of the reptiles and amphibians you're likely to encounter in your area, and start looking for suitable habitat. If you know what your target animals need to live, you'll know where and when to look. The more time you spend in the field, the better your chances.

Lastly, take lots of notes, take lots of pictures, and have fun. Most importantly, if you don't know what it is, don't touch it. Take pictures from a safe distance until you are confidently able to ID dangerous from not dangerous.

My final piece of advice...dead rattlesnakes can and do still bite. NEVER assume that a snake is dead. I have a few friends that have been bitten by "dead rattlers". I was scared half to death by a "dead" Northern Pacific that covered nearly 3' in distance striking at me. Always use a hook. It's just safer.
 
Thanks for all the info man! Yea i was careful to place the rocks and old tires down in the position they were in. As for the poisonous ones i wont be picking them up at all but will def take the camera, supposed to be nice again tomorrow so may be ill be posting back with some pics
 
Vlcek81 said:
Thanks for all the info man! Yea i was careful to place the rocks and old tires down in the position they were in. As for the poisonous ones i wont be picking them up at all but will def take the camera, supposed to be nice again tomorrow so may be ill be posting back with some pics
Click to expand...

Whether you plan on interacting with venomous snakes or not, I would still recommend a decent snake hook, and a few lessons on how to use it.

Think of it this way...Your goal is to find suitable snake habitat, and hopefully have the chance to observe and photograph some wild snakes in natural settings. If you are successful, you are likely to encounter something venomous. You're in PA, so depending on which part of the state you are in, you could encounter Copperheads, Cottonmouths, Timber Rattlers, and even potentially an Eastern Diamondback.

If there is a couple of young Timber rattlers in the road, you're just as likely as anyone else on this forum to have the desire to move them along. Having, and knowing how to use, a snake hook makes this safely possible. Moving lazy rattlers off of trails, even positioning them for a better photograph. Having a snake hook, and being able to use it properly, will make these experiences and opportunities safer and much more enjoyable...

Besides...you herp for long enough, and you begin to crave the adrenaline-fueled moments of interaction with those animals. IMO, it doesn't get any better than one on one "special time" with a wild rattlesnake. There's just something about them that makes those moments almost magical. You'll see... ;)
 
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