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Hot Topic (More than 10 Replies) please dont hit the snakes! (Read 3603 times)
Natedilla
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please dont hit the snakes!
09/22/13 at 3:10pm
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Had a great time yesterday morning riding RRT. Amazing trail. Great work done out there so thanks Watcher!
Taking a "leisurely" pace yesterday due to a serious hangover, I had a chance to notice more. Saw a Cottonmouth at the little swampy pond so beware when off the bike down there. About a mile later saw a Black King laying across the trail. Very cool beautiful snakes that help keep the poisonous snake population down so let's please be careful not to hit these guys with our bikes. They actively eat poisonous snakes and are even immune to the venom.

I'm saying this because I've witnessed several riders simply riding around them coming close to striking them. Lets try to assist them, frighten them or whatever off the trail. I've seen two Cottonmouths, several Copperheads, a Timber Rattler and only one King snake on trails this year.  I'm not a fan of poisonous snakes but do respect their position. Just need them naturally kept in check.
  
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Yellowduck
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #1 - 09/22/13 at 3:27pm
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I bet that swampy pond has all kinds of things in it.  Not a good place to stop.
  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #2 - 09/22/13 at 4:55pm
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where did you see the timber rattler?

PS, snakes are venomous, not poisonous
  
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Banjopickin
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #3 - 09/22/13 at 5:20pm
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TwoNeener wrote on 09/22/13 at 4:55pm:
where did you see the timber rattler?

PS, snakes are venomous, not poisonous


I wanna know where he saw the Cottonmouth. They're extremely rare this far west.
  
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Advocat wrote on 08/22/13 at 5:16pm:
...packin some Chub in the back of the pick-up.


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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #4 - 09/22/13 at 5:35pm
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Banjopickin wrote on 09/22/13 at 5:20pm:


I wanna know where he saw the Cottonmouth. They're extremely rare this far west.


I agree. I'm going to take a guess that it was a misidentification.
  
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msedly
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #5 - 09/22/13 at 8:23pm
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Banjopickin wrote on 09/22/13 at 5:20pm:


I wanna know where he saw the Cottonmouth. They're extremely rare this far west.


I haven't seen many, but I have definitely spotted a few Cottonmouth's in Charlotte.  Usually in VERY swampy areas.  I actually saw one a few months ago while paddling around Rankin Lake right down the road from my house in Dallas.  He was hanging out in a hole in the bank.
  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #6 - 09/22/13 at 9:25pm
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Yeah, I wondered if the snake is indeed a Cottonmouth.  I also thought I'd like to know where the Timber Rattlesnake was spotted.  Isn't the Charlotte area outside their normal range and too far west for the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake?
  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #7 - 09/22/13 at 9:29pm
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I am wrong.  The Timber Rattlesnake is all over the Piedmont.

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« Last Edit: 09/22/13 at 9:31pm by Trail Junky »  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #8 - 09/22/13 at 11:00pm
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Brown water snake

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Eastern cottonmouth

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If you're close enough to tell the difference between these two snakes, you're probably too close.






  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #9 - 09/22/13 at 11:06pm
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Timber Rattler on upper Wilson Creek trails last month. Hiking trails to the creek

I'm definitly not positive that the cottonmouth was infact a cottonmouth. I've seen plenty in Florida. it was too far away to clearly see the head or eyes. It was positioned on a branch over the water.  Really dark brownish grey and about 2-2.5' long. Body was heavy and flat like im used to seeing. I'm not familiar with water snakes around here other than the browish/tan ones. Hope it wasn't one.
  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #10 - 09/22/13 at 11:11pm
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Inthebush- Yep. Darn close. What I saw didn't have much pattern visible tho
  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #11 - 09/22/13 at 11:12pm
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The real thing you need to see to be sure it's a cottonmouth is the head.  I can definitely say that the one I saw at Rankin was a cottonmouth.

On a side note, a few years back a friend of mine (riding right in front of me) ran over a rattlesnake at Uwharrie.  Scared the crap out of me.  Not sure what kind it was, but it was pretty fat and about 3-4 ft long.
  
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Natedilla
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #12 - 09/22/13 at 11:25pm
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Our scary moments have been hiking to trout streams. Never an issue until this year. Rain maybe? One mid morning (Wilson Creek again) we were seeing copperheads everywhere sun patches were on the trail. And one rattler. These are narrow trails heading down into a steep gorge so you're sliding on your butt a lot of the time. Not cool. Creepy.
  
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IntheBush
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #13 - 09/22/13 at 11:36pm
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Natedilla wrote on 09/22/13 at 11:11pm:
Inthebush- Yep. Darn close. What I saw didn't have much pattern visible tho


Dirt and mud often covers the pattern.

Here's what a water snake looks like when it feels threatened;

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Notice how it flattens its head and its body. In this pose it can be very difficult to tell the difference between the two.

A few years back my cat tree'd a snake in the yard (I lived near a creek and marshy area). My rule for safety sake is no venomous critters in the yard. Upon closer examination it was indeed a water snake. 

I wont make that mistake again.
  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #14 - 09/23/13 at 10:19am
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I'm not worried about snakes but sometimes hear strange noises near the river.....may be BIGFOOT.  He may be migrating from Uwharrie which is not far away.  I keep my anti-BIGFOOT spray handy.
  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #15 - 09/23/13 at 11:54am
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I can confirm timber rattlers in URE. Not super common but I've seen 2 over the last 10 years out there. They're native to the piedmont but have been mostly killed off...becoming locally exinct. We found a skin 4 years ago at CCP but never saw the snake. 

Best way to tell a CottonMouth from our Northern Water Snake is when swimming, the Cottonmouth almost floats on the water. The entire body is visible above water. The N. Water Snake is the opposite. Their body is almost completely submerged when swimming, with the head mostly above water. 

And +1 on T. Rattlers at Wilson Creek Nate. There are some big Brown trout but even bigger rattlers in there. Keep your wits about you  Wink

Nature rules! Haha
« Last Edit: 09/23/13 at 11:57am by Banjopickin »  
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Advocat wrote on 08/22/13 at 5:16pm:
...packin some Chub in the back of the pick-up.


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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #16 - 09/23/13 at 2:27pm
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GeneD wrote on 09/23/13 at 10:19am:
I'm not worried about snakes but sometimes hear strange noises near the river.....may be BIGFOOT.  He may be migrating from Uwharrie which is not far away.  I keep my anti-BIGFOOT spray handy.


Don't forget a bell on your handle bars, in case he's running the wrong way on the trail with his headphones in.
  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #17 - 09/23/13 at 4:12pm
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yep, no way that it was a cottonmouth this far west.  I used to catch them in the creek growing up...still bite the pi  . out of you though.
  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #18 - 09/24/13 at 2:19pm
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I've seen several copperheads lately and these do concern me.

The ones I've seen have shown the same behavior - namely, if they feel threatened (as they will if on a trail and see someone approaching) they will become absolutely still and will raise their head.  If you move away far enough they will eventually slither off the trail, but if stay there or if you do anything to "encourage" them to move they basically stand their ground.
« Last Edit: 09/24/13 at 2:19pm by John K »  
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Re: please dont hit the snakes!
Reply #19 - 09/24/13 at 3:15pm
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John K wrote on 09/24/13 at 2:19pm:
I've seen several copperheads lately and these do concern me.

The ones I've seen have shown the same behavior - namely, if they feel threatened (as they will if on a trail and see someone approaching) they will become absolutely still and will raise their head.  If you move away far enough they will eventually slither off the trail, but if stay there or if you do anything to "encourage" them to move they basically stand their ground.

Must be from Florida...
  
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