+Truscott Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 How many of you have actually come across a snake while geocaching? I live in Texas and have not been doing this for long. Several caches I've found, I've thought to myself..."Self, if the weather was a little warmer, I wouldn't be looking here for a cache bacause of rattlesnakes!" Just wondering! Quote Link to comment
+Mule Ears Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 How many of you have actually come across a snake while geocaching? I live in Texas and have not been doing this for long. Several caches I've found, I've thought to myself..."Self, if the weather was a little warmer, I wouldn't be looking here for a cache bacause of rattlesnakes!" Just wondering! Here in Arizona, we encounter rattlers pretty regularly throughout the warm months. They're pretty easy to avoid, though it's a good idea to use caution when exploring holes, crannies between rocks, etc. A found stick or a trekking pole should go into the hole first Quote Link to comment
+egami Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 How many of you have actually come across a snake while geocaching? I live in Texas and have not been doing this for long. Several caches I've found, I've thought to myself..."Self, if the weather was a little warmer, I wouldn't be looking here for a cache bacause of rattlesnakes!" Just wondering! We don't have an abundance of poisonous snakes here in Iowa. Although, we do have some rattlers. Mostly I've seen Bullheads when out caching or doing similar activities. Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Regularly in the summer months. The american prairie is home to Prairie Rattlesnake. They move away quickly as a general rule but if you pay attention you see them. A few of my caches have regular sightings of the things. Visitors report seeing 4 or 5 each summer. Quote Link to comment
+Miragee Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 We see them regularly around here also. Last Friday, I spotted this guy trying to warm up on a cool day. He was small, so I think that lump is a meal he ate recently. He was so cold, he moved away very slowly. This snake really frightened me when he rattled. It was in an area where I wasn't thinking about snakes and poking ahead with my walking stick . . . Quote Link to comment
+Flatouts Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 We have snakes here in Orlando, only came across one that I was aware of. However, we have two hides out that each have received a or log or two about a snake hanging out next to the cache. As with any journey you take out into mother nature's world, always use caution when going into the habitat of all her creatures. Be respectful, use common sense and heed their warnings if one is given and you should do just fine. I don't like snakes, but I do respect them and will call upon the cache again when the snakes not home home. Quote Link to comment
+butrflybec Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) I've come across several....the most popular I have seen here in Mississippi have been rattlesnakes, copperheads, and water moccasins. A couple years ago a copperhead was directly on the ground infront of a cache and I just happened to look over as my dad began kneeling down to grab the cache and quickly jerked him up and away. You just have to be careful, and look before you step, or reach. Or in our case take a "younger set of eyes" to walk in front of you...my dad lets me go first down the trails for this reason...or so thats what he says, it could be I'm just a shield incase we do encounter one. Edited April 7, 2008 by butrflybec Quote Link to comment
+Totem Clan Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I've seen plenty o' snakes while hiking/camping so forth but so far the only snake I've seen while caching was a black racer that was living under this cache. Quote Link to comment
+steve p Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Or in our case take a "younger set of eyes" to walk in front of you...my dad lets me go first down the trails for this reason...or so thats what he says, it could be I'm just a shield incase we do encounter one. Oh, that's what I can do... Have my kids walk the trail in front of me so they'll get bitten first! Quote Link to comment
+Totem Clan Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Or in our case take a "younger set of eyes" to walk in front of you...my dad lets me go first down the trails for this reason...or so thats what he says, it could be I'm just a shield incase we do encounter one. Oh, that's what I can do... Have my kids walk the trail in front of me so they'll get bitten first! They always bite the third one in line. Or was that the second? Not wait it was the fourth one, that's it. I think. Quote Link to comment
+butrflybec Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) Or in our case take a "younger set of eyes" to walk in front of you...my dad lets me go first down the trails for this reason...or so thats what he says, it could be I'm just a shield incase we do encounter one. Oh, that's what I can do... Have my kids walk the trail in front of me so they'll get bitten first! AND...they can clear spider webs for you. Being the watchful eyes for snakes, I don't mind...running into spiderwebs because you are first in line is NOT fun! Edited April 7, 2008 by butrflybec Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 In NJ I see a lot of black snakes (they get biiig) and garter snakes and once in a while I run into a rattlesnake or copperhead. I have one cache where roughly half of the finders during the warmer months run into a rattlesnake. Quote Link to comment
+Rick618 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Thankfully, we have no poisonous snakes, a few venomous ones though. Last year we saw a really nice sized rattler on a well used trail. Some bikers almost found it the hard way. Just yesterday, I found a small rattlesnake between the feet of the other cacher with me....I guess the little guy was still cold from the low temps earlier in the day. We also saw a watersnake near another cache earlier in the day. Quote Link to comment
NH_matt Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Up here in New Hampshire we don't have to worry about snakes. But even worse. We have to deal with tourists from MA and CT. I live in what they call "Moose Alley" and they park on the side of the road looking at moose. I would rather shove a live rattlesnake down my pants than have to deal with those what we call Massholes. Quote Link to comment
ao318 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Here in the Sacramento region a lot of the cache pages are updating their listing with recent rattle snake sightings for that particular area. There was one I had visited a day after a snake was on the cache from one log posting. As the weather warms up the snakes like to lie on the river parkway trails in the morning and evenings to warm up. Just don't bother them. The #1 candidate for being bitten is over 18 y/o, male and drunk. Quote Link to comment
+simpjkee Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I saw this rattler just a couple miles outside of Mesa, AZ. I also almost stepped on a snake of unknown species in northern Arizona, but it slithered away so fast I never really saw it. The only other time I've seen a snake was along Barton Creek in Austin, TX. I almost stepped on it too, but it was fast and was gone before I could really spot it. Quote Link to comment
+LewisClan77 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I ran into a few of them a couple of weeks ago. If you go to my profile and click the link for my 1600th cache find...Count Doocu, You can read the logs. The day after I found it and posted about seeing them very near the cache, The owner went out and took care of them. He posted some picks of them too. Quote Link to comment
+gof1 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Fortunately we seldom see snakes around here, but it isn't an impossibility. If I need to check in a hidey hole I shove a stick in first. I was with another cacher once when he almost reach in a log with a raccoon in it. I think he was more scared than the raccoon. I know I jumped. I think the raccoon had the advantage, we made enough noise to warn him we were there. Quote Link to comment
+Lil Weed Pot and Flower Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I found a cache in NE Oregon that had a rubber snake coiled on top. I didn't think it too funny at first but can laugh about it now. Almost shot it. Quote Link to comment
+SnowBird690 Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 (edited) I live in Texas and have seen lots of snakes while out caching. But I am not afraid. I have done my research and looked up what all the venomous snakes in this area look like and I haven't seen a single one yet. I have run across several diamond back water snakes, a whip snake, gardner (garder?) snake, and most recently I snapped a picture of some broadbanded water snakes, and a yellow belly water snake. Here in Houston it is very swampy so there are lots of water snakes, oh, can't forget the hog nosed snake I saw one time. I love snakes, I think they are very beautiful. I love to see them. Here is the yellow bellied water snake that I saw. This guy was about 4 feet long! I thought it was a king snake but I was wrong. Then on the same trip I almost stepped on these two broadbanded water snakes. Then there is the ever beautiful hog nosed snake I saw last year while fetching a cache. Edited April 8, 2008 by SnowBird690 Quote Link to comment
+Zolgar Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Ain't yet. I'm sure I will though. As the warmer times roll around here in AZ I'll be making sure that I'm careful where I step. Likely using a walking stick to poke the ground. When traipsing through the desert, I'll also be carrying a .22 revolver with snake shot. Not gonna go gleefully killing snakes, no. But I'd rather have the option in case I need it. Quote Link to comment
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