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As I Was Working The Woods Today...

Cabin Fever

By Cabin Fever,
in General Chit Chat

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Cabin Fever Mentor

Cabin Fever

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..... it dawned on me how lucky I am that I don't need to be concerned with poisonous snakes in my area!! I was out trimming around a couple stands today, stepping over logs, tripping through rock piles, wading through briars, and trudging through brush where I couldn't see where I was stepping. How nice it is, not having to be on high alert worrying about poisonous snakes!! I use to hunt in PA and I would NEVER have been so care-free walking through the woods this time of year, as I was always on the lookout for rattlesnakes or copperheads!! :fie:

I'm sure other people in different areas of the state aren't so lucky? Do you need to be mindful of poisonous snakes where you hunt?

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Doc Experienced

Doc

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I probably don't really have to be concerned, however the thought does cross my mind occasionally. Not too many decades ago areas around Naples and Honeoye were known for occasionally coming up with a rattler or two. In fact 50 or 70 years ago there was a character over in Honeoye called Rattlesnake Pete who regularly went out hunting for them with apparently some success (hence the name). However, in the decades that I have been running these Ontario County ridges, I have never had an encounter or heard of any others that have had any sightings. So perhaps they have been systematically eliminated. Also, I heard that if you have black snakes, you are unlikely to have much of a rattlesnake population. We have tons of black snakes. I wouldn't swear to that local myth or fact, but that is a local thought that I grew up with.

At any rate, even though this area has been rattlesnake free for decades, I still can't help but wonder everytime I step over a log, or mess around any of the many rock piles that I encounter.

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fasteddie Grand Master

fasteddie

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When I was a kid and worked for Kelly Brother's Nurseries in Dansville , some of the guys used to go to Rattlesnake Hill and catch and sell them . I think it is between Dansville and Nunda . I never had the desire to go ..............

I lived in Groveland and we had Black Snakes there .

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growalot Newbie

growalot

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I've come across two on our hill and when I lived with my sister above Stone brook we had a small rattler in the house...that was not a pleasant surprise...the ones here...one just missed me on the mower got the tire...and in same general area I ran a rather big one over with the 4 wheeler..several years later while going to pick up fire wood...and darn glad I was on vehicles both times

Can't say I ever worry about it....the sound is very distinct...I fear ground bees more by far...

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Doc Experienced

Doc

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I know they kill rodents, and supposedly have a place in our eco-system, but if something happened that eliminated all of them, I wouldn't really shed a tear. There are plenty of places where they don't exist, and I haven't heard of any ecological disasters occurring because of that. I don't really need things that hide in the grass and have the capability of killing me. Geesh! I don't even like the non-poisonous ones. Anything that can get up and walk around where you can see them is one thing. But I have no use for things that hide in the grass ...... lol.

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Dom Rookie

Dom

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In Dutchess County we have copperhead's and many black and garden snake's,Just 2 spring's ago there was a young girl that didnt make it in time and passed from a bite from a copperhead.I am most cautios when around stone wall's/pile's.Like Grow said ground bee's are a bigger problem you never know wher they are sometime's it's to late and youve been stung.

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Doc Experienced

Doc

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In Dutchess County we have copperhead's and many black and garden snake's,Just 2 spring's ago there was a young girl that didnt make it in time and passed from a bite from a copperhead.I am most cautios when around stone wall's/pile's.Like Grow said ground bee's are a bigger problem you never know wher they are sometime's it's to late and youve been stung.

Now see .... there's what I'm talking about. There's one of them slithering disgusting things that have to crawl around on their belly and hide in the grass and such and the damned thing don't even sound off with a rattle. At least a rattlesnake will occasionally give you fair warning. Granted, you probably are within striking distance by the time you hear the rattle .... lol.

Kill them!!!! Kill them all!!!!! Bury them deep then bury the shovel!!! No place poisonous stuff.

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Paulie Newbie

Paulie

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I am not a fan of Snakes in general!!! They can all be departed if you ask me! Two years ago I was walking up a trail in Nov ( a nice warm day when the sun was warming up the trail) and there layed a gardner snake (spelling??) Well, I jumped back and put the gun on it as it scared the daylights out of me...I almost shot it out of fear..and it was only a foot long! I got in my tree stand as fast as possible after that and didn't want to come down!

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growalot Newbie

growalot

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Paula.... there for a while I thought it was just a man thing...ya know....left over from the "garden"...lol

I never had a fear of snakes...worked the pet shop industry when the kids were young...had some wild experience with pythons as big at 12ft...now they are some thing to fear...I was feeding a retic(one reason I don't like them) a big fat ole rat...this female was the nastiest creature alive...no one wanted to feed her...any how I opened the door and threw the rat in quick ...as I was pulling my hand back fast I heard what sounded like paper tearing...It happened so fast I never felt any thing...until I heard the owners daughter yelling behind me as I latched the door...Wasn't fast enough and she fileted the palm of my hand...blood dipping and from my middle finger to pinky was hang off the side of my hand..all I could think to say was Damn! wasn't fast enough...that got me a payed vaction...lol

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Cabin Fever Mentor

Cabin Fever

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Those copperheads can have a short temper and they don't give a warning like the rattlesnakes do! I hate snakes! When I was a kid in PA, my parents just made me so paranoid about watching for snakes, as there were a lot of copperheads around. They just drilled that into my head! I still have nightmares about snakes!! LOL

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