Snake Encounters while Geocaching

[+Colorado Cacher]

I stopped counting after rattlesnake #12.

[+Star*Hopper]

Came across this guy about a month ago while on a cache hunt. He was casually making his way across the trail. It's a non-venomous bull snake.

 

 

(Thought I'd interjected this earlier, but just realized it never showed up)

 

Kohavis ol' pal.... I hate t' have to tell ya, but that snake is drunker'n a 9-eyed Ninja!

 

 

(from an o-o-o-l-ld joke)

~*

[+GPS_Runner]

I was caching on my way through Coalinga when I stopped at Tammy Rack (GC18T8A). I found the cache, and a little something extra:

 

[+CapeDoc]

 

 

A Puff Adder. Cytotoxic. Stand on it and it will put you in hospital for three months. Seen on the way up to a cache.

[+TheLinderKlan]

Surprisingly none during caching yet. I've seen quite a few while just out hiking though. Living in the desert you get used to sharing the area with the stinging biting nasties. For the most part if you leave them alone they will leave you alone - you just need to watch where you step and you don't stick you hand into any dark holes.

 

My closest snake encounter was actually while desert racing. Night race and car came in for service. Me and one of the other guys were under the car for a few minutes. We rolled out and the car took off and someone yelled "snake!!" A sidewinder had slid his way up under the car with us - not exactly sure how close he got, but he was sitting right in the middle of the spot where the car was.

 

The scorpion stories made me LOL though. My girls (4 and 6) don't even get excited over them - all I get is "dad, there is a scorpion in the garage/patio/driveway/whatever, can you go get it?" You can just fling them out of the way with a stick.

Edited November 19, 2008 by TheLinderKlan

[+SG One]

I've seen quite a few snakes while geocaching. Only one really startled me - I happened to look down to see a small copperhead coiled up right next to my foot. I was too busy running away to get a picture .

 

However, I did take these at other caches:

 

 

 

I didn't take the pictures of this snake but it was seen near a cache:

 

 

 

Any idea what kind of snake this is? It is a scary picture. I have never seen a snake of that size in a tree in North America.

[+Bamboogirl]

We've had two in the last year or so up on Mission Peak. Both your basic Western Rattlesnakes, both very very funny.

 

The first was an early spring when they were just getting out of hibernation. We were headed up a very wide well-used trail and saw a small one, maybe 3' long stretched out in the warm dirt catching some sun. We walked up to him and he took a look and then headed off to one side of the trail. I watched him to be sure he was leaving when this couple came trooping down the trail headed right for the snake. Totally cluless, blathering away and about to stomp on this poor snake.

 

We yelled at them to stop and they look at us like we were nuts. I pointed to the snake and the woman saw it and pitched a fit. She started yelling at the poor guy she was with in farsi or something, climbed up on him and refused to come down. He ended up carrying her past the snake and when he put her down, she continued to yell at him. I think it scared the poor snake half to death. We were laughing our heads off along the rest of the trail. Some people just should not be in the hills.

 

The second was a different day a little farther along in the summer. We were on the same trail system in sort of a narrow cut heading down through a creek. Hubby saw the head of the snake of the trail. It was a big one and none to happy to have to move. He set up a huge rattling fuss and backed off into the grass. The problem was we couldn't tell where he was and Waylon was stuck there while we sorted out where he had gone before we continued on. We ended up using the hiking poles to shake the grass around on the opposite side of the trail and went on around that way. With the snake carrying on like that, sticking around to try to get a picture did not seem like the cleverest of ideas.

 

Good times, indeed!

[+George1]

Several years ago I found this fine specimen. I was playing with track back on the GPS, not watching where I was walking, and almost stepped on him. He was very cooperative for pictures though.

 

[+George1]

Several years ago I found this fine specimen. I was playing with track back on the GPS, not watching where I was walking, and almost stepped on him. He was very cooperative for pictures though.

 

[+wimseyguy]

Has anyone else ever had a close encounter with a venomous snake while geocaching, or even bit?

Yup, got bit by a 2' copperhead back in June. Here's what I looked like 48 hours later after some pain management at the ER, but before any specialized treatment at the hand clinic the next day.

 

 

It took almost three months for all traces of the swelling and bruising to go away, and there is still some scar tissue and minor nerve damage in the tip that has left it a bit desensitized.

Edited November 20, 2008 by wimseyguy

[GPS-Hermit]

Why did you have to start this thread? Now I am moaning with ecstasy every time I open this thread! Snakes, including venemous snakes, are some of my favorite creatures in the world! In fact, we have a beautiful 3+ foot female copperhead name Janey who lives under one of the stones of the stone steps in our front yard, and she has let me get my hands and my digital camera to within a few inches of her face for some up-close photos of her at times (she is a total photo ho...). She is adorable!

 

BTW, it is well-known in many circles that our forum poster Sioneva (aka Sionevil) is a sinister snake in the grass, but that is a different kind of snake than the reptiles which we are discussing here.

 

Snakes ARE neat but they are snakes and a copperhead bite is no fun to recover from. Use your zoom when taking pictures and remember the stats on snake bites - 50% are trying to handle the snake and got careless. The last copperhead I messed with, hit my stick about 3 times before I could move it. They strike extremely fast.

Edited November 23, 2008 by GPS-Hermit

[+Grigorii Rasputin]

Has anyone else ever had a close encounter with a venomous snake while geocaching, or even bit? I had close encounter with a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (4 feet long) a couple months ago, it got to within a foot of biting my leg, thank god it missed!! Photos and video below.

 

OH, CRAP!!!!! YOU WIN!!! Suddenly, caching in the Michigan winters doesn't look so bad!!!! Okay, note to self: take "geocaching in Southwest" off of my list of things to do!!!

 

Grigorii Rasputin,

My Webpage

My Blog

[+rovers3]

Came across this Hog Snake, quite harmless but looks threatening, puffs up to try to look frightening. It was near a cache by the name of Slither (GC12HF1) that contained a rubber snake "The snake is the keeper of the cache. Please don't let him loose or take him with you. Please leave him in the cache so he can look after things for us."

Edited November 24, 2008 by rovers3

[+infiniteMPG]

Almost forgot, this guy posed for me really nice while Paddler Found and I were cachin' and kayaking on the Hillsborough River near Tampa :

 

[+KJcachers]

No snakes for us yet but we did find this little lady while night caching for "The Confederate Cemetary" in Fredericksburg, VA.

 

[+whartonia]

Okay, now I'm creeped out! We've been caching for the last year here in Central Florida. Never once did I think about a snake while traipsing through the woods for a cache. I recently started a Geocaching Club with our homeschool group. We hunt once a month. Would anyone care to post a list of do's/dont's regarding snakes?

[+KJcachers]

do stay away from them.

don't get bit by them.

 

glad I could help!

[+infiniteMPG]

Okay, now I'm creeped out! We've been caching for the last year here in Central Florida. Never once did I think about a snake while traipsing through the woods for a cache.

Just because I posted a picture of a honkin' big poisonous snake in Florida don't assume they're everywhere... never seen any of these guys go any further north then Summerfield so you have nuthin' to worry 'bout way up there in Belleview...

I recently started a Geocaching Club with our homeschool group. We hunt once a month. Would anyone care to post a list of do's/dont's regarding snakes?

Speaking from a Floridiot's experience there is some major points to watch for. When you have to cross over a fallen tree (which is every ten feet some places around here), be sure you see what's on the other side or hiding underneath on the other side. Also, snakes like to warm in the sun especially during cooler weather so make your presence known... if you're being stealthy and walking softly, be sure you see where you're walking. Snakes feel ground vibrations so stamping your hiking stick on the ground can alert them you're coming and they'll usually get out of your way. And by all means learn the difference between king snakes (red on black) and coral snakes (red on yellow).. best to just stay out of all snake's way, after all, you're prancing thru their bedroom