# What’s with snakes this year??



## TimR (Jun 13, 2020)

We went all of last year seeing one snake, a black racer. In the past week, we’ve seen a 5’ black racer and a 2’ garter snake within 20’ of each other, the garter appears to be camping in a small burrow just under porch, haven’t seen the racer since. That was about 4-5 days ago. Today I was bug spraying around foundation and came up on a small king snake...he probably didn’t like the taste of what I was spraying...I accidentally got him before I knew it, hope he’s ok, they would be a good snake to have around.
Oh right, yea, we’re up on a small heavily wooded mountain , so really do expect to see them more than we did years ago. Perhaps hammering and saws kept them away for a bit.

Reactions: Like 1 | Way Cool 1


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jun 13, 2020)

Here's one of what we have around here...
big timber rattler

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## TimR (Jun 13, 2020)

I’m hoping we don’t get any around here. The guys who hunt around here haven’t seen one ...yet. Copperheads can be found but not often fortunately.


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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jun 13, 2020)

Timbers and copperheads are the only venomous ones we have here. I've caught one copperhead but haven't tried the rattlers yet. My wife never really liked any snake but I've caught some black rat snakes and a corn snake and let her pet them. She's okay with them now

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## Wildthings (Jun 13, 2020)

Those are some gorgeous snakes. Two of my favorites


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## ripjack13 (Jun 13, 2020)

I caught a 2ft garder last week at my brother's house. It scared the p00p out of him with it. Although I mentioned to him, if it was 20yrs ago, I would have tossed it around his neck like a scarf.
He hates snakes.
I held its head, and let him touch the body.
Nope. Still hates snakes.


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## ripjack13 (Jun 13, 2020)

And I also caught one on the lake 2 weeks ago!

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## Eric Rorabaugh (Jun 13, 2020)

That's purdy

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## trc65 (Jun 13, 2020)

I've seen a lot of snakes this year as well. Pulled a three ft fox snake out of the garage last week, he was on his way down the basement steps when I stopped him. 

We don't see any venomous snakes around here. Supposed to have some timber rattlers around, but never seen one, more common a little closer to the Mississippi river, in some of the rock bluffs further north. Also have eastern massasaugua rattlesnakes that are endangered. Saw one in our timber when I was a kid, but sightings these days are very rare.

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## Mr. Peet (Jun 13, 2020)

TimR said:


> We went all of last year seeing one snake, a black racer. In the past week, we’ve seen a 5’ black racer and a 2’ garter snake within 20’ of each other, the garter appears to be camping in a small burrow just under porch, haven’t seen the racer since. That was about 4-5 days ago. Today I was bug spraying around foundation and came up on a small king snake...he probably didn’t like the taste of what I was spraying...I accidentally got him before I knew it, hope he’s ok, they would be a good snake to have around.
> Oh right, yea, we’re up on a small heavily wooded mountain , so really do expect to see them more than we did years ago. Perhaps hammering and saws kept them away for a bit.
> 
> View attachment 188737



They often eat the bugs that eat / absorb the bug treatment and succumb to second hand exposure. I lost several ring snakes after a visit from Terminex.


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## Mr. Peet (Jun 13, 2020)

ripjack13 said:


> And I also caught one on the lake 2 weeks ago!
> 
> View attachment 188793



Having treble handling your milk...


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## Mr. Peet (Jun 13, 2020)

trc65 said:


> I've seen a lot of snakes this year as well. Pulled a three ft fox snake out of the garage last week, he was on his way down the basement steps when I stopped him.
> 
> We don't see any venomous snakes around here. Supposed to have some timber rattlers around, but never seen one, more common a little closer to the Mississippi river, in some of the rock bluffs further north. Also have eastern massasaugua rattlesnakes that are endangered. Saw one in our timber when I was a kid, but sightings these days are very rare.



We don't have any Fox-snakes in our area. Neat looking...


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## ripjack13 (Jun 13, 2020)

Mr. Peet said:


> Having treble handling your milk...



Nope. Plain ol nothern water snake....


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## Mr. Peet (Jun 13, 2020)

ripjack13 said:


> Nope. Plain ol nothern water snake....



Oh, the head looked different, so I thought. Love those red half moon shapes on the belly. That was always a quick read way for me.

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## FranklinWorkshops (Jun 13, 2020)

We don't normally see rattlesnakes in this part of PA but last summer, we saw a timber rattler on the road near a state park close to us. I told the park ranger about it and he said they are seeing snakes and other animals that are previously unknown in this area. He thinks that climate change is causing them to move outside their traditional ranges.

Reactions: Informative 1


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## trc65 (Jun 13, 2020)

Mr. Peet said:


> We don't have any Fox-snakes in our area. Neat looking...



In general appearance, the fox is similar to the massasauga, but the dead give away for me is the color of the head. 

https://www.inhs.illinois.edu/collections/herps/data/ilspecies/massfox/

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 1


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## DKMD (Jun 13, 2020)

FranklinWorkshops said:


> He thinks that climate change is causing them to move outside their traditional ranges.



I wonder if the COVID effect could be a factor... there have been a lot less people out and about


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## TimR (Jun 13, 2020)

Mr. Peet said:


> They often eat the bugs that eat / absorb the bug treatment and succumb to second hand exposure. I lost several ring snakes after a visit from Terminex.


Yea, I felt bad about the young king snake I accidentally doused with bug spray. I checked on it on way in this evening and he was dead where I first found him.


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## Herb G. (Jun 13, 2020)

I've had snakes galore here this year. I was cutting the grass on my tractor & a 6' long black rat snake took off from the high grass I was cutting.
He got along at a pretty good clip too. I didn't hurt him.
2 days after that, I saw an albino black rat snake. I wish I could have got a pic of him.
There are copperheads a plenty around here too.


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## David Hill (Jun 14, 2020)

No more than usual here--in terms of numbers. Between the dog and I--1-3 copperheads a week is the norm. Lots of oak trees around, and they like my stacks too. Seen a few more Texas Rat snakes and Speckled King snakes this year (like them!!), Once a year will see a Coral----pretty & leave those alone--they eat other snakes


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## FranklinWorkshops (Jun 14, 2020)

DKMD said:


> I wonder if the COVID effect could be a factor... there have been a lot less people out and about


Well, for our sighting of the timber rattler, that was a year ago but I do know that we are seeing other wild animals that may be a COVID-19 side benefit. Our neighbor saw a bobcat cross our yard recently and the next neighborhood over had a black bear last week and documented it with lots of photos. A coyote was hit and killed on a state road just a mile from us and I flushed a red fox who was napping, it seems, under our boxwoods next to the house. So we are seeing more wild animals this spring and many people are saying that is because we humans are staying indoors more. And for you turkey hunters, we have them all over the place and that's not normal.

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## barry richardson (Jun 14, 2020)

Saw these out on the hiking trails over the last few weeks; first is a Long Nose snake, first one we have seen, the other is a western diamondback, common around here, but pretty shy, so we don't see them too often... both were only about 3 feet long...

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