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spring time snake hunting is the pits
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by thenewdisciple on April 18, 2005
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went snake hunting this weekend, this was the first time i got to take a trip in the spring. i have only heard good things about hunting in the spring, so i had high hopes. after a days search all we produce is a small black racer. not good eh? considering we have found canebrakes, coppers, cottonmouths, black rats, eastern kings, corns, hognoses and greensnakes here before. was it just the weather or are we doing something wrong?
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RE: spring time snake hunting is the pits
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by SwampY on April 18, 2005
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Some days are just like that. I can tell you this much, the snakes were there, you just didn't see them.
There's one particular road I cruise that you can see 20-30 snakes an hour on some nights. Other nights there's not a snake in sight.
Some tin piles I check produce 4 or 5 snakes on one day - none the next.
A big canebrake taught me a valuable lesson a few weeks back. I looked around one tin pile, saw nothing and was about to walk away when I heard a faint rattle. there was a piece of tin, under that about a half inch of dirt, then under that another piece of tin, and under that a space. If she hadn't started buzzing I would have sworn that pile was empty.
Last year I flipped a piece of tin and saw nothing. Brad Kalota comes along, picks up the same piece of tin and says "aren't you gonna catch this pigmy??"
Matt K. and I were herpin in central GA, and I put my foot over into a blackberry patch to pick some blackberries. I walked away and Matt goes to pick some and says "dude, there's a BIG canebrake right where your foot was" ~ sure enough a 3.5 foot cane was coiled six inches from the footprint I'd left.
~ We only find the snakes that make a mistake. When their camo and hiding skills work we walk right by them.
Chad Minter
Author
Venomous Snakes of the Southeast
http://www.envenomated.com
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RE: spring time snake hunting is the pits
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by Crotalus_Catcher on April 18, 2005
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I agree, so far this spring the night that it was 56 degrees out I saw and/or caught 14 WDB's and a coachwhip, and the night where it was still 80 after dark, and I figured I'd really bank, I saw a DOR WDB and that was it. While there's a lot of skill to be learned in the area of catchin' herps, there's also a lot of dumb luck. Keep goin' out!
-Scott
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RE: spring time snake hunting is the pits
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Anonymous post on April 18, 2005
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Take notes of when you find things. In my opinion, the same snake does the same things every year at the same time. They are programmed to be in certain places at certain times. They know when the weather will be good or when it will be bad. When you find a snake, look at its color, look at the species etc. and think of why that snake would be out and the rest would not. Look at all of the things that led up to that find. Look at where you are at. If its too hot for you, chances are it would be too hot for a snake, if it is too cold the same. Look at the habitat. When you find a good rock with a crevice under it, on the surface this rock would appear to be the best place in the world for a snake, but with closer inspection you can see all sides to whether or not this would be suitable habitat. How far is it from water? Does the sun beat directly on it? Is it easily accessable to predators? Could the snake stay there all year and not have to find a new place in certain seasons? Have you seen snakes skins or any other sign of snakes around this area? Would the soil, grass,leaves etc. help the snake you are looking for blend in or would the snake stand out? Are there escape routes for the snake to take incase of an emergency? Dont believe everything you read. I have always heard that timber rattlesnakes love to come out in the cool of the day. In my experience I have noticed that they are out in the hottest part of the day sunning. Also when it is cloudy the timbers seem to prefer it. Hot, cloudy,and Humid. Why do snakes come out after a rain?(cottonmouths for example?) Why do they go away when it is dry? What makes them chose a certain place at a certain time of year? Why are they sitting on the roads at night? Why are so many in a certain area and 100 yards away in the same habitat there are none? Why are they under this piece of tin and not the next? Coincidence? Look at the tin you flip too. Think "Is this tin old?", Has it been there for a while? Is it rusted or is it still in good condition? Is it in the sun or in the shade or alittle of both? How big is that piece. What ground cover is under the tin? Does the ground cover make the environment under the tin better or worse? Ask yourself questions the whole time you are out hunting and make mental notes everyday.
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