Snakes and geocaching

[most255]

How do you act around caches in area inhabited whit venom snakes? Any special equipment or clothes?

[+ncfinn]

Don't stick your hand in any crevice such as under a log or a rock.

Poke around with a stick first.

Be carefull if you lift up a rock or a log or anything lying on the ground. Other than that, snakes in general will get away from you before you ever have a chance to see them.

[+Snake & Rooster]

Don't stick your hand in any crevice such as under a log or a rock.

Poke around with a stick first.

Be carefull if you lift up a rock or a log or anything lying on the ground. Other than that, snakes in general will get away from you before you ever have a chance to see them.

 

Yup. We carry walking sticks. By tapping on the ground and rocks, you create vibrations to let snakes know you are coming. They will try to get out of your way. The stick then becomes a tool to poke around the cache site, rather than blindly sticking your hand where it doesn't belong. I've found rattlesnakes within 10 feet of caches and others I know have seen them using the cache container as a bed. The only person I know that has been bit, was picking it up. Duh!

[+briansnat]

There is a healthy population of rattlesnakes in one of my favorite local caching areas. When walking off trail in the area I use two trekking poles. I figure that letting the pole go first before my foot is a good idea. I walk a little more slowly than usual and watch my step. If I see one, I just walk around it. ZI don't poke blindly into crevices or put my hand anywhere I can't see first.

 

At least rattlesnakes usually give you a warning if you approach. What I really don't like are copperheads. Another of my favorite local caching and hiking haunts has copperheads. The the things are well camoflaged and tend to lay still when you approach, so I'm always afraid of stepping on one. In copperhead country I'm very careful where I step.

 

My wife actually stepped on a rattlesnake while geocaching a couple years ago. She was moving fast and I guess luckily she was out of range before the snake had time to react. I was about 100 feet away and I don't think I've heard a louder scream.

 

There are a couple of geocachers in this are who have snake leggings, but I think that might be overkill. As long as you watch where you step you should be fine.

[+Wayfinders]

 

Ironically, near New Jersey's copper mine series. He sat there perfectly still. Glad my friend saw it because I'm colorblind. Without movement I very well could have stepped on him.

[+Miragee]

I have a walking stick and use it in front of me like a blind person's white cane, when I think I am in "snake territory."

 

The day I was walking up a little knoll near a reservoir, I didn't have snakes on my mind at all, so when this guy rattled at me, I jumped about six feet.

 

 

A walking stick, or trekking poles, are essential for hiking, and for protection against getting too close to a venomous snake.

[+StarBrand]

Prairie Rattle Snakes are common around several of my hides. Hardly a summer goes by without me seeing mention of a snake sighting in several logs.

 

Carry a walking stick to probe shadowy areas before putting your hand in. Make some noise as you move along - usually more than enough to scare them away.

 

Don't run away if you spot a snake nearby. Back away slowly and cautiously. No sense in running blindly into another one.

 

Keep in mind they are not going to chase you down or attack you for no good reason.

[+NorthWes]

Aaarrrgh! These photos freaked me out! I've cached in briansnat's neck of the woods (albeit briefly) & much more extensively in the southwest. Never have I seen a snake - lots of nasty spiders, but no snakes - even though I'm sure they were there. I use a walking stick & like briansnat's description of slower walking style. Must adopt that style when caching Outside next time... nice thing here in Alaska - no snakes. We do, however, experience bear encounters from time to time (even right in the city of Anchorage...). But snakes... no...

 

Seems like a flamethrower would do the trick, but I suppose that's counter to all the eco-friendly 'Leave No Trace' initiatives I try to practice, eh?

[+NorthWes]

Aaarrrgh! These photos freaked me out! I've cached in briansnat's neck of the woods (albeit briefly) & much more extensively in the southwest. Never have I seen a snake - lots of nasty spiders, but no snakes - even though I'm sure they were there. I use a walking stick & like briansnat's description of slower walking style. Must adopt that style when caching Outside next time... nice thing here in Alaska - no snakes. We do, however, experience bear encounters from time to time (even right in the city of Anchorage...). But snakes... no...

 

Seems like a flamethrower would do the trick, but I suppose that's counter to all the eco-friendly 'Leave No Trace' initiatives I try to practice, eh?

[cliff_hanger]

While rock climbing at this cache (GC15K9) I reached up and placed my hand in a horizontal crack right on top of this little guy.

Dunno which of us was more surprised. Fortunately, he we just a harmless little milk snake. Pretty though.

 

[+QC 49ers]

Around here I usually just do what others have commented on, using a stick or pole to tap around ahead of me. This doesn't always work around here though since we have quite a few cotton mouths around the water. These are one of the few snakes that are known to actively pursue people. They've also been known to try and get into peoples boats. With these you just need to keep an eye out and hope they aren't having a bad day.

[+Okiebryan]

While rock climbing at this cache (GC15K9) I reached up and placed my hand in a horizontal crack right on top of this little guy.

Dunno which of us was more surprised. Fortunately, he we just a harmless little milk snake. Pretty though.

 

 

Wow, he's pretty! I like snakes. Just not the poisonous ones. We are fortunate here that we only have 3 kinds of venomous snakes to look out for. Copperheads are not so bad, in that they will "hide" by being still unless you mess with them. I've walked right by several of them while out surveying, and they didn't move a muscle even though I nearly stepped on them. Rattlers will strike anything that moves if it's too close to them. Cottonmouths are mean little b***ards and will chase you. That is one snake that I will go out of my way to kill.

 

Any snake who is not one of those three definitely gets left alone.

[+StarBrand]

Around here I usually just do what others have commented on, using a stick or pole to tap around ahead of me. This doesn't always work around here though since we have quite a few cotton mouths around the water. These are one of the few snakes that are known to actively pursue people. They've also been known to try and get into peoples boats. With these you just need to keep an eye out and hope they aren't having a bad day.

NOT TRUE!! - Common myth but just not true. Many sources on the Internet to disspell that one. I have friends that handle snakes and are snake experts. No North American snake will chase down a human.

 

An employee and Reptile Gardens confimed this for us a year ago.

[+geomann1]

We have quite of few venous snakes in Florida, one just watches on step.

 

A state snake expert once told me that statistically, the most common victims are drunk white males who were messing with the snake.

 

That being said, I knew one person who was bit by a venous snake (pygmy rattlesnake), he was walking in a area with common snakes wearing flip-flops and the snake was under his car and bit him on the foor while he was opening the trunk.

 

I've found (and killed) 4 on my property (3 pymgy's [1 I mwed over] and a water moccasin trying to get in the garage). Normally, I leave them alone, but with kids I don't want them around the house.

[+Renegade Knight]

How do you act around caches in area inhabited whit venom snakes? Any special equipment or clothes?

 

Caveman Cacher see sleeping rattle snake. Caveman cacher leave snake sleeping. It better that way. Just in case poke in holes with stick, not hand. Normal other than that.

[+Peconic Bay Sailors]

Found this guy in Watchung Reservation in NJ last October...

about 4 foot long...

The Dogs sniffed m out and barked at him, but wouldn't get witin 6-7 feet of him...

(we have smart dogs)...

He also had a buddy a few feet away...

It was in the low 50's/high 40's and they were moving VERY slowly...

Edited February 21, 2008 by Peconic Bay Sailors

[4wheelin_fool]

Around here I usually just do what others have commented on, using a stick or pole to tap around ahead of me. This doesn't always work around here though since we have quite a few cotton mouths around the water. These are one of the few snakes that are known to actively pursue people. They've also been known to try and get into peoples boats. With these you just need to keep an eye out and hope they aren't having a bad day.

NOT TRUE!! - Common myth but just not true. Many sources on the Internet to disspell that one. I have friends that handle snakes and are snake experts. No North American snake will chase down a human.

 

An employee and Reptile Gardens confimed this for us a year ago.

 

I never believed that they did either, but while hiking last summer we came across 2 snakes in a shallow creekbed. One snake had a fish sticking out of its mouth and the other snake was trying to grab it out. A guy nearby said not to go close as they would chase after you. I thought it was funny and didn't believe him so I went in closer to look. The snake that was trying to steal the fish from the other hissed and went after me a few times. If I had grabbed the other snake, it would have no doubt chased me down.

 

But under normal circumstances I dont think a snake would go after a human.

Edited February 21, 2008 by 4wheelin_fool

[+LECTRAGLIDE]

Around here I usually just do what others have commented on, using a stick or pole to tap around ahead of me. This doesn't always work around here though since we have quite a few cotton mouths around the water. These are one of the few snakes that are known to actively pursue people. They've also been known to try and get into peoples boats. With these you just need to keep an eye out and hope they aren't having a bad day.

NOT TRUE!! - Common myth but just not true. Many sources on the Internet to disspell that one. I have friends that handle snakes and are snake experts. No North American snake will chase down a human.

 

An employee and Reptile Gardens confimed this for us a year ago.

Confirmed /not true .The only way any snake will come at you is if it feels there is no way out. Even if poked the snake will more often try to move away .

[+EScout]

Every one of my cache listings has a snake warning, and rattlesnakes will be out and numerous in a couple of months, crawling all around them. Kind of makes them more challenging and fun. Here are some fellows I have seen in the past. I get close enough with my camera that they know I am there and they get a little upset. What everyone else says is correct: bring your trekking poles or hiking stick and pay attention.

 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2008 by EScout

[+Webfoot]

I've encountered snakes three times while caching. This little guy wasn't venomous. However, one of my friends went back out to the same cache a couple weeks later and found a baby rattler coiled up right next to the cache.

 

This guy gave us a good stern warning. We'd walked further away from it initially when finding the cache, then turned around and went a slightly different route back to the trail and right near this guy. He was pretty P.O.ed because we ended up putting him in between us. I took this picture after we'd made a wide circle around him. He's about five feet long.

 

My last snake encounter happened last Sunday. I'm actually chagrined about the entire episode, because it was really stupid what I did and it could have been a lot worse.

 

Read the log to find out what happened.

[+Jedi Cacher]

Prairie Rattle Snakes are common around several of my hides. Hardly a summer goes by without me seeing mention of a snake sighting in several logs.

 

Carry a walking stick to probe shadowy areas before putting your hand in. Make some noise as you move along - usually more than enough to scare them away.

 

Don't run away if you spot a snake nearby. Back away slowly and cautiously. No sense in running blindly into another one.

 

Keep in mind they are not going to chase you down or attack you for no good reason.

 

I know where you are coming from StarBrand. I encountered a prairie rattlesnake while checking out a cache near the agate beds last fall. As I was descending the bluff I got a call from my wife on my cell phone and wasn't paying attention and about stepped on it. Didn't know I could move that fast!

[+QC 49ers]

Around here I usually just do what others have commented on, using a stick or pole to tap around ahead of me. This doesn't always work around here though since we have quite a few cotton mouths around the water. These are one of the few snakes that are known to actively pursue people. They've also been known to try and get into peoples boats. With these you just need to keep an eye out and hope they aren't having a bad day.

NOT TRUE!! - Common myth but just not true. Many sources on the Internet to disspell that one. I have friends that handle snakes and are snake experts. No North American snake will chase down a human.

 

An employee and Reptile Gardens confimed this for us a year ago.

 

I can't speak for your internet sources or freinds, but my brother and dad have both had cotton mouths come after them. In both cases the snake came out of the water and chased after them. Maybe they were South American though. I too have a friend who was been a snake handler/breeder for a long time, I will have to ask him his opinion on the subject some time.