rattlers

bushwacker

bushwacker

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May 11, 2008
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What time of year do you first start seeing rattlers? I'mplanning a trip to north cenral pa end of april. Just wondering if they'll be out by then. Also, when you guys fish in secluded/ potentially dangerous places, what precautions do you take....aside from lettting someone know where you're gonna be?
 
After letting someone know where I'm going, just plain old common sense. I try to be more alert to my surroundings and take my time. When I rush things, something always goes wrong.

JH
 
June is when u start seeing them unless its wet still. The dryer it is the better your chances of seeing them are. WHATEVER YOU DO DO NOT EVEN TOUCH ONE EVEN IF ITS DEAD! Thats an $80 fine at least probably more now even if you touch it and get caught. The way they are protected I think if one bit you you'd have to pay a fine since u were touched by it.
 
Don't know about Eastern but the Western prairie rattler would come out in March along the western rivers if you had a chinook.Could have snow on the hillside and there would be a rattler sunning on the river rocks.
 
I've only ever seen one. So I wouldn't worry too much about them. Just make a lot of noise, and if you have a wading staff, using it to sweep away tall grass from your path. Don't take blind steps! But that's more a fear of loose stones and trips than rattlers. A busted ankle is deadly if your a couple miles from your car.
 
I have only seen a couple, and that is when I veered away from the stream.

It biggest thing I do when II'm in North Central Pa is look over large rocks and logs before stepping over --I don't want to get bit in the back of the leg.
 
I think I remember this question being asked last year but can they bite through breathable waders?
 
Only ever saw one and it was a big one. Last May at Stony Creek on the service trail less than a mile from the parking lot. My buddies girlfriend almost stepped on it along the side of the trail. It moved a little but didn't start rattling until I decided to lean in for a closer look. I never got closer than 7 or 8 feet from it and felt any closer was asking for trouble. I didn't know rattlers were supposed to get that big. I was worried how many people were walking on that trail with it there. A lady walking two Rottweilers came past and we walked back a ways with her because I was afraid her dogs would see it and go nuts, but it was gone, I think.
 
Easiest question Yet!

You see a rattler when it rattles!

Warm rocks are a snakes best friend. Rattling is a warning not a death sentence. They do not want to become a meal. Fancy that! My knees might shake enough to establish my self as a threat as to strike but snakes just don't just jump out and bite you.

You should always watch where you step, bees can be much worse than snakes!!
 
Not too sure about when the rattlers start coming out, but I can assure you that you'll know one if you see one!!!

As for the backwoods precautions....

1.) I always carry a gun. Lots of bears and reportedly mountain lions (yes I said cougars) north of I80.
2.) I carry a tool bag in the truck with me. Might come in handy if your truck breaks down several miles back an access road.
3.) Tow straps or chains are always good to carry. A full size shovel has saved me several times as well.
4.) And your cell phone.... everyone seems to remember to take this with them, but not everyone remembers to keep it fully charged. Its great to have should you get hurt, but won't do you much good with a dead battery!
 
I worry more about copperheads. We have them on the small spring creeks at my cabin. They can lay in the watercress and strike without warning. I often think about them when I'm fishing Falling Spring, etc.

On rare occasions when fishing in back country areas with a reputation for snakes I carry a pistol with snake shot. The odds of killing a snake close enough to strike before it stikes is almost zero.
 
I've been here over 3 years now and have not seen or heard one yet. I take the dog for bears or bobcats (there are no mtn. lions just big bobcats)seen them..I am getting a small pocket 22 for snakes cause my dog likes to pic up snakes. i've been told to carry my cell, and leave note where im goin. huh never know where I'll be..
 
I worry more about deer ticks.

Timber rattlesnakes often don't rattle so, just because you don't hear 'em doesn't mean you should not be on the lookout for 'em. I'm not sure about when to expect to see them outside of their dens but would imagine that by early April they will be out on rocks on sunny days near denning sites. While not the largest rattlesnakes in the US (that distinction belongs to the Eastern Diamondback), timber rattlesnakes can top out at about 50 inches.
 
I am no expert but can tell you from experience that a rattler that just shed can rattle so low you can barely hear it.
Standing on a riprap rock along the main gallatin river in Mt.I heard a faint buzz,looked down and there was a rattler along side the rock,about 4inches below my foot-it went under a rock and I kept fishing,having learned from early times to step on the rocks,never alongside.lol
 
Yup I am with you FishIdiot, I worry more about the deer ticks. Actually was out yesterday and got three slowwww crawling dog ticks on me.
 
I have a cabin up on the South Mountain of Forkston in Wyoming County. Every year they have a "Rattlesnake Roundup" in the Noxen area, just below my cabin.

I've run into many dozens of rattlesnakes up there. I don't bother them unless they are near my cabin. I've had a few hang out right under my cabin! I'm always careful where I walk in the warm weather, and try avoid areas with thick undergrowth where I can't see where I'm stepping.

Trust me, they don't always rattle to give up their location, I've had more than a few close calls. If they do rattle, you're way too close. Unless you're Wyatt Erp, you would not likely be able to draw and shoot a pistol before the snake strikes. Like I said, I leave them be if possible.

In the many years of fishing all over the place, I have never run into a rattlesnake or a copperhead.
 
troutbuster,

1. Is the gun to kill the snake for ID after the bite? Typically you can pull a gun, aim, and shoot, you coulda just gotten out of the way to begin with.
1b. Bears and bobcat, you don't need a gun for either. Mountain lions. I fully believe there's an escaped pet or two around which may live for years. I don't totally disregard the possibility of a wild, breeding population, but i have my doubts.
1c. That said, it is your right to carry your gun, and I support it. I don't thing you need it, but if you like to, then thats all the explanation you need.

4. I always carry my cell phone and it rarely runs out of charge. However, north of 80, coverage is pretty spotty unless you're near a town.
 
To protect myself from getting nailed by a rattler, I would trade a pistol with snake shot for a walking stick or a wading staff and a cell phone. The snake would probably strike at the closest moving object, that would likely be the stick, giving you time to bolt. If not, you can call for help. But like PCray, I defend your right to carry a firearm if that's what you want ot do.

I agree with Fishidiot, when I go fishing, I'm a lot more concerned about deer ticks than any snake.
 
afishinado wrote:
To protect myself from getting nailed by a rattler, I would trade a pistol with snake shot for a walking stick or a wading staff and a cell phone. .

I have seen plenty of rattle snakes in Idaho...South for k of the Boise River was just littered with them. We used to just make enough noise that most of the time they were probably scurrying away and we never even noticed them.

But seriously, how do you people enjoy fishing, let alone get out of bed in the morning. You worry too much. You can still be prepared without living in a paranoid state.

And yes, I would find a tick and some bees way more threatening than something I could not only out run, but actually be able to see and react to.
 
afish,

I'd like to have a stick too, have something to poke it away with. But snakes, especially pit vipers (like rattlers), strike at heat as opposed to by sight. If you've ever used a stick to mess with a snake, even non-poisonous ones, its hard to get them to strike it, and thats why.

tom, yeah, people are making too much of snakes. A little caution is warranted in snake rich areas, but theres no need to not go there or walk around paranoid all the time.

As far as ticks or bees, so long as your not allergic to bee stings, then I see them as much more likely to cause you problems, but the resulting problems are not nearly as severe as a snake bite. Lime disease can be pretty serious, but I'd still choose it over bite from a timber rattler. I haven't had much of a tick problem from fishing, but I used to get them fairly often when I did more small game hunting than I do now.

As far as time of year, I saw my first snake last year in March. But the few rattlers I've seen have all been mid-summer.
 
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