Timber Rattler Hike!!!

If they are in an aggressive mood for whatever reason, or really startled, they won't warn you, either. :D

You're right about Cottonmouths, though, on a hot day, just about all you have to do is look at one the wrong way and it get's all ignernt. :)
 
Timbers are gorgeous snakes. Thanks for the pix.
Water Moccasins "attack" people? Not true at all.
Joezilla confirmed that this is a myth.
 
You cannot "prove" that any given animal doesn't "attack" humans. That's just absurd. Joe definitely knows his stuff about snakes but there is a lot of protectionism going on with regard to them. It's not a myth. I have never been chased by a Cottonmouth but one of them pulled that with me Brother and he shot him down. It's not so simple as to go around and calling people a liar from personal experience, that's goofy. Just like it would be idiotic to say that Joe doesn't have the experience he has.

Here is the truth: all animals are totally unpredictable. During hot summers, common black snakes can really get aggressive and come after you. FACT. Don't much give a damn what anyone says, I've observed it myself.

Similarly, Copperheads are almost docile! I've never heard of one really getting aggressive but that doesn't mean I would not look at one with a wary eye because: it's a wild animal. As such, it is unpredictable.
 
I treat all venomous reptiles like I do unknown humans who look like they have venom on trail or sidewalk as well. Neither are noble creatures, just dangerous creatures that you hold in contempt at your own peril. I don't believe in old wive's tales and don't believe in The Rattlesnake Lobby, either. :)
 
didnt realize they had rattlers that far north.. fortunate for me, they are not native to my stomping grounds... however we do have them in the mtns and eastern swamps.
 
Great shots fellas. Good to see some indigenous wildlife...even if it is venomous!
 
Great scenery, and nice pics of the rattlers.
I've been hoping(even expecting, at one place) I'd see one this year, and get to take some pictures, but it hasn't happened, yet.
Maybe tomorrow:)
 
beanbag said:
We rescued Skip, and we are pretty sure he's a pure-bread Mutt!

Seriously, he is predominantly Wheaten Terrier and Yellow Lab, but since his tongue has some purple, some people think he may have some Chow in him. what ever he is, he awesome. Thanks for asking.
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Labs have purple tongues, chows have purple mouths ( even the roof of the mouth is purple) so if there's no purple on the roof, chances are he doesn't have any chow in him.

Hope that helps
David
 
That is really light for a rattle snake up North. Wow!
 
Joezilla said:
That is really light for a rattle snake up North. Wow!
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Yes,it was very brightly colored and really stood out. Good thing too, because I'm mildly color blind and sometimes all those earth tones in the woods sort of blend for me. Like I said, I was able to spot this thing immediately.
 
Joezilla said:
That is really light for a rattle snake up North. Wow!
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I dont know the proper terms but I call that OP rattler a "Yellow Phase" I have ever only seen 2 like that in Central Pa. Most are Black.

Joezilla,,,maybe you know,,why are some yellow,some black ????
 
beanbag said:
Lol. This particular Rattler was indeed very polite. But I don't know if they all are.

The first rattler I ever encountered was about 20 years ago on a all day hike from Tuolumne Meadows down to Yosemite Valley. My buddy was ahead of me, and when he came around a bend in the trail, a rattler struck him on the boot with no warning then held its ground for quite a while.

In my second rattler encounter the snake also struck out. Again, I was in Harriman State Park about 10 miles from where I took the pictures. This time I was cruising down a dirt road on my mountain bike. I saw what I thought was a branch in the middle of the road, but when I got about 10-15 yards away, the snake struck out. I was able to safely stop. The snake slithered off the road and only then rattled.

Polite or no, getting hit by one of these things would be a real bummer.
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The ones I see in CT and Mass hold their ground for a time. Beanbag I never seen a yellow phase Timber in my woods or yours for that matter as thinking we may have hiked the same areas.
 
here they are black they run, if you do corner them,they are a rattler you will know they are aggressive don't fool yourself............
 
If it is a really rare coloration for your area, it might be someone's exotic pet that either escaped or was released. Hell, I wrote about this in early Spring in this forum, we had a wacky woman who claimed a Cobra bit her in a mall parking lot in the snow! DNR knew she was lying, they went and investigated her and she had another venomous snake, a Rattlesnake, in her house without the proper permit. So, anything is possible. A woman died years ago unpacking rattan furniture for a furniture store, bit by a Krait. Anything is possible.

As for the continuing "debate" about snakes being harmless and they're more afraid of you than you are of them and the rest of the propaganda...

If a snake is hungry, if a snake is feeding, if a snake is ready to mate, if a snake is ready to shed, is shedding or has just shed and if it is extremely HOT, they can be aggressive. They get lethargic from the cold and being stuffed to the gills with something they ate. I have not only observed snakes and know people I trust who have observed this behavior, it also stands with constrictors who are pets.

Where I grew up, black snakes, racers, and blue racers, had a really bad reputation for not standing their ground but coming right after you to give you a nasty bite. Sometimes the kids were pestering it, sometimes they were not.

Mannlicher has a thread going where he had a nice little camping trip down in Southwestern Virginia. A short distance from where he was, I watched a good-sized Timber Rattler sunning himself on top of a rock outcropping about as large as a VW Beetle. It was pretty neat because it was mid-November, if I remember correctly, but it was chilly and there was a smidge of snow on the ground in places. If they are layed up in under rocks like that and the sun heats them up, strange things can happen, you see. So, conventional wisdom is one thing and reality is another, watch where you put your hands even when you think it is otherwise okay to do so. If you are in Rattler country and the rocks are out in the sun, soaking that heat up. Don't just think because it is late Autumn or early Winter that everything is instantly okay.
 
Woods Walker said:
The ones I see in CT and Mass hold their ground for a time. Beanbag I never seen a yellow phase Timber in my woods or yours for that matter as thinking we may have hiked the same areas.
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I'm not really very knowledgeable when it comes to Rattle Snakes, but I have done some internet research since my sighting. Here is a link to the NYS DEC I just found when I searched for "yellow phase rattler."
http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7147.html
 
Cool pics ... I've hiked around there and thankfully haven't come across one.
 
I find great pleasure reading about encounters with rattkers when those involved can appreciate the beauty nature provides.
Thanks for not killing it!
 
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