+PascMiss Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hi.... Since summer is on the way in South Mississippi, I wanted to know if people still do a lot of hiding in the woods during summer months? I have been thinking about a hide in the woods, off of a trail, but do not want to put any one in danger of a snake bite. Do y'all take this into consideration when hiding during the hotter months when snakes come out? Thank you for your time. PascMiss Quote Link to comment
+Caped Crusader Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 It's been my experience that more caches are hidden in the summer months. You just have to be more cautious and on the look out for snakes and other critters, especially here in Arizona. Alot of people also put warnings on their cache page like "As always watch for snakes, spiders, thorns, etc." Hope this helps some. Quote Link to comment
CLV3 Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Hi.... Since summer is on the way in South Mississippi, I wanted to know if people still do a lot of hiding in the woods during summer months? I have been thinking about a hide in the woods, off of a trail, but do not want to put any one in danger of a snake bite. Do y'all take this into consideration when hiding during the hotter months when snakes come out? Thank you for your time. PascMiss Snake warning is an icon you can use as well. Quote Link to comment
GOF and Bacall Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Anyone who spends time in "the great outdoors" without taking into consideration the fact that we share this planet with other creatures is an idiot. That said we have a lot of idiots on this planet for the critters to munch on. Use the appropriate attribute icons and put any warning you feel necessary on the cache page and then don't worry about it. If we live in fear of every possible problem we may run into we are not living, merely breathing. Quote Link to comment
+smithdk Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Almost all of my hides are in the woods. I will hide one there wether it is the summer or winter. During the summertime I will be more careful and watch for the snakes. They aren't out to bite you. I look forward to hunting your next cache. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Around here if you look for a cache in the woods you will encounter snakes eventually. It's not a concern to me at all. I have a few caches that have been guarded by rattlesnakes and one that was guarded by copperheads. No big deal. Most snakebites occur when people play with them. Don't play with the snakes and your chance of being bitten is remote. Quote Link to comment
+StarBrand Posted February 1, 2009 Share Posted February 1, 2009 Prairie rattlesnakes are a fact of life out on the prairie. They are really very common. Over the years, I have received many dozens of logs commenting that they saw a snake. A few of those included photos of snkes right on the cache container. It happens. Snakes are not going to chase anybody down and strike them. As noted aobve, most snake bites occur when people do something foolish with the snake. I have been told by snake experts that about 80% of all rattlesnake bites in the US occur to males between 18 and 25. That tells you a lot right there. I carry a wooden staff in the summer, and I poke around under or in anything before I put my hand there. Quote Link to comment
+PascMiss Posted February 1, 2009 Author Share Posted February 1, 2009 Thank you for all of the information. I will not worry about the snakes and critters. Thank you Quote Link to comment
+hydnsek Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 (edited) Fortunately, up here on the Wet Side of Washington state (west of the Cascade Mtns), we have no poisonous snakes! Having grown up in Tennessee and Alabama, where all 4 of North America's poisonous snakes are found (and I encountered 3 of them over the years), this is comforting. However, rattlesnakes are common in the deserty, rocky areas of eastern Washington. On one caching hike, we had five encounters with rattlesnakes in three hours! They all rattled, but only one was mad enough to coil up and be menacing (the second time we passed him by the trail). Rickie, who was bringing up the rear, said Lucy and I jumped six feet the other way in perfect unison when he rattled and weaved at us. All that to say....snakes are out there. So are skunks and poisonous spiders. Out here, so are bears and cougars. Doesn't stop us from placing or finding caches. We just stay aware of our surroundings and take reasonable precautions (e.g. don't blindly stick your hands in rock crevices in summer...). Edited February 2, 2009 by hydnsek Quote Link to comment
+team moxiepup Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 We've come upon several snakes in our travels, but living up north, we have only run into non poisonous ones. I actually enjoy these little encounters. (Ppup does too, only if she hasn't been "surprised" by one! ) We are a bit concerned about Moxie when we go to Geowoodstock in Tennessee this year. We usually have her on the extended leash when we cache. She enjoys trotting along up ahead, sniffing where ever her nose may lead. Is this a bad idea down south? Do the poisonous snakes tend to just slither off, like our garter snakes do, or will they stand their ground and/or lunge? I know rattlers will stay put and rattle, but how long will they just rattle before biting? Even though at times she's 16 ft ahead of us, we do watch her carefully, and keep her out of trouble, but with critters that could be deadly, we want to know how long a lead it is safe to give her. Quote Link to comment
+Lacomo Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I don't worry about snakes, and I sure wouldn't let them stop me from hiding a cache. You leave them alone and they will leave you alone. I have been bitten by snakes several times but never by a poison one. It has always been when I was handling them. Never hurt much more than just a pinch. I think I have had them draw blood a little bit but I've had briers and thorns draw a little blood many times. Quote Link to comment
+KoosKoos Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Except for one aggressive coral snake, I've never encountered a snake while out geocaching that wanted anything to do with me. As others have said, being outdoors means dealing with the native wildlife. It's up to the seekers to make sure they're being careful while geocaching. No need to slow down hiding! (or searching for that matter) Quote Link to comment
+OldBenC Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 I always carry a stick to check out holes first. Quote Link to comment
GPS-Hermit Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Most places in the woods that are great for hiding a cache are also great for snakes to live and poking around with a stick is standard procedure for me. I don't think you should worry too much about the snakes. I find that it is a bad idea to put a cache inside a hole where you must stick your hand in and not be able to see what is in there with the cache. I call this a blind reach and it is done alot. I appreciate not seeing those. If I don't feel good about reaching in - I will log without signing and explain why. I have only found 2 of these. I do feel strong that you should avoid PI and Sting Weed when hiding the cache. Also hide the cache a good distance from the trail if it is a busy one. Your cache will last longer that way. I personally like them way off trail - even out of sight from the trail. In the spring the snakes can be anywhere and most are not agressive at all. Just backup and leave them be. Get pictures of them, it is like a trophy. Quote Link to comment
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