Rattlesnakes in NJ?

GWashington1732

GWashington1732

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Jun 20, 2009
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I was trying to identify a brownish snake I saw at work the other day and I came across this site with all of the snakes found in NJ (http://www.state.nj.us/dep/fgw/ensp/pdf/snakes.pdf). I scrolled through it and was surprised to find the timber rattlesnake on the list. I didn't even know we had rattlesnakes. And they can be found right around where I work and they like to in brush piles like the dozen or so that we have. That's not the one I saw, but I didn't even know they were around.
 
Yes they are quite common in this area.

Look for them on rocky ledges on warm spring days.

In hotter weather they will be harder to find.




Big Mike
 
Yup. I was fishing in the Ken Lockwood Gorge and saw a timber rattler on the rocks.
 
There's a fairly high concentration of them in the "southern" (western) part of Stokes State Forest, near Walpack; the area around Buttermilk Falls.
 
we have the massassuga rattlesnake(s) in Ontario so rattlers are pretty spread out
 
I'm up in Westchester county, NY. We have timber rattlesnakes around here, so you're not too far off, unless you're waaaayyyy down there.
 
GoNadz said:
I'm up in Westchester county, NY. We have timber rattlesnakes around here, so you're not too far off, unless you're waaaayyyy down there.
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I'm in north carolina an we have timber rattlers an eastern dimond backs so are the timber rattlers going north or comeing south, PS, In my area we use to only see maybe 1 rattle snake every year or two now we see 5 to 6 a year, I walked right on top of one last year it never rattled an I never seen it until I was about 2 foot away (it didn't bite me) but it did ruin my day.
 
hogslayer said:
I'm in north carolina an we have timber rattlers an eastern dimond backs so are the timber rattlers going north or comeing south, PS, In my area we use to only see maybe 1 rattle snake every year or two now we see 5 to 6 a year, I walked right on top of one last year it never rattled an I never seen it until I was about 2 foot away (it didn't bite me) but it did ruin my day.
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Right on. I had the same kind of experience. I saw this one when my foot was 18" above it. It got very angry, very quickly, so I backed the hell up immediately! Sorry, didn't mean to imply that you guys farther south don't have 'em, just that I couldn't agree/disagree/give any further input.
 
Just watch where you walk, pay attention when dismantling brush piles, pay attention in the woods especially around rocky areas. Not all of NJ is urban/surburban. Snakes aren't a big deal... unless you get bit. :)

We have lots of snakes in TN-KY-AL-GA-NC (the Southeast). In fact the area is some of the best areas to find rattlesnakes and copperheads in the country.
 
I have never seen a rattlesnake here in GA, but seen more than my share of cottonmouths and copperheads.

Where I grew up in Nebraska there are tons of them everywhere....and in Texas too.
 
I'm sure that Sussex county has lots of them .One problem here in NY is that the snake "experts" have claimed they are extremely rare .These experts are desk bound idiots who know nothing of the real world . One mountain in my town has always been noted for rattlesnakes !! We also have copperheads.
Look at snakes closely - the poisonous ones have pupils that are vertical slites while safe ones have round pupils ! All snakes are protected here in NY so if you have little kids around then it might come to SSS !
 
The timber rattlesnake is one of the two venomous species of snakes found in Maryland.
 
shaker said:
we have the massassuga rattlesnake(s) in Ontario so rattlers are pretty spread out
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Apparently we also used to have Timber Rattlers, but they are now believed to be extinct - the last sighting was in the early 1950's.

Doc
 
mete said:
I'm sure that Sussex county has lots of them .One problem here in NY is that the snake "experts" have claimed they are extremely rare .These experts are desk bound idiots who know nothing of the real world . One mountain in my town has always been noted for rattlesnakes !! We also have copperheads.
Look at snakes closely - the poisonous ones have pupils that are vertical slites while safe ones have round pupils ! All snakes are protected here in NY so if you have little kids around then it might come to SSS !
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no freaking way will i get close enought to see its pupils,,only thing a big a$$ed snake is going to see is the bottoms of my boots as I exit
 
What wimps !! My GF said the same thing !
The other indication is that the safe ones have an oval shaped head while the bad ones have a triangular head !
 
In Oregon rattlers are only found in the eastern part of the state. Guess wich part I live in. ;)
 
I watched a documentary that stated the increased presence of snakes in NJ will reduce the small mammals, which will result in less ticks and subsequently less Lyme disease. Rattle-On :)
 
mete said:
What wimps !! My GF said the same thing !
The other indication is that the safe ones have an oval shaped head while the bad ones have a triangular head !
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HELL yea! Call it what you will, I'll still give 'em wide berth. I like to compare a rattlesnake's rattling noise to my girlfriend starting to get tuned up; when you hear that sh*t, go the other way!:D
 
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