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need help finding timbers!
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by Venomjunkie on May 22, 2006
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i go up to a cabin in Somerset, PA every summer hoping to turn up a timber rattler but i always get skunked. the area up there is PERFECT. there are tons of those huge rocks that you see in every pic of a wild timber and there are very few people around. i just cant understand why i can spend hours looking for one in this perfect habitat and never catch the slightest sign of one. im really desperate here. its like the king of snakes up here in PA and i would love to see one in the wild. if anyone could offer me some tips i would greatly appreciate it. thanks!
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RE: need help finding timbers!
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by Chris_Harper on May 22, 2006
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Have you seen any dead on the road in the area? Have you asked the locals about sightings (however unreliable they may be)?
Additionally, let me just add that you probably need to just look and take pictures for now. As a general rule we don't recommend anyone under the age of 18 keep any venomous reptiles. A bite by a Timber rattlesnake is a serious matter, the consequences of which I don't think either you or your family are ready to deal with just yet.
I like your enthusiasm, but spend the next 3 years learning as much as you can before you even consider keeping something venomous.
Chris Harper
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RE: need help finding timbers!
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by Venomjunkie on May 24, 2006
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sorry i didnt clarify it better but i dont plan on keeping one (for the time being i mean). for now all i want to do is, as you said, look and take pics.
as for DORs and asking the locals, its a very remote area and the roads probably see about 10 cars a day. i really doubt there would be a DOR up there. and almost no one actually LIVES up there. the cabins that people own up there are kind of a get away spot. they only go up there like a couple times a year usually. however, i did have one local that i happened to run into ask me "so did you see any rattlers yet?". he knew i was a herper and was looking for snakes because i had my herping equipment with me. with that being said, i think thatn is somewhat of a hint that they are in the are. and as i said before, the area is picture perfect timber habitat. so can anyone offer any advice to help me find a few this summer? thanks in advance!
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RE: need help finding timbers!
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by Cro on May 27, 2006
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Dylan: What you have to consider is that although the area you are looking for timbers in looks like great habitat for them with rocks and woods, that there are ``micro habitats`` within that area where you will find them. For instance, many den sites are on South facing slopes and higher elevations. These can be good in the Spring before the snakes leave the denning area, and in the Fall when they gather back there. Have you taken a compass or a map and found South facing slopes ? Also consider that most of the male snakes migrate in late Spring away from the dens to spend the Summer in low-lying areas, often near creek bottoms. Sometimes they travel several miles. The female snakes often stay within a few hundred yards of the den site all year long, if there are food resources for them. The snakes are abpt to be ``crawling`` and possibly crossing roads in the Spring and Fall when they are mooving to and from the denning areas. So I guess what I am trying to say is that there are probably timber rattlesnakes there for you to find, but they could be in a relativly small area within all that great looking habitat that you see. So keep trying. And keep talking to the locals. If they have seen snakes in specific areas in the past, it is likely that snakes will be there again. Good Luck.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: need help finding timbers!
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by Venomjunkie on May 27, 2006
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thanks for the reply John! i actually have never thought to take a compass, as i never knew they liked south facing slopes lol. i have searched the whole area both high and low trying to find these snakes and i just cant understand why im not even finding a trace of them. one hypothesis i have though, is that im not seeing them because im going up there during the summer and i have heard that they are nocturnal during the summer months. however, rarely, if ever, does it reach 80 degrees up there so i dont think that it is too hot for them. what do you guys think about that? do you think if i go out at night i may have a better chance? either way im planning to devote every minute that im up there this year to finding one (or hopefully more) of these amazing snakes.
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RE: need help finding timbers!
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by bush_viper17 on May 28, 2006
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I had the same problem. I looked for years(literally) for timbers in my area. I looked everwhere around here and then one day, I found a spot that is just up the road from where I have been looking so long and the spot has turned up dozens of timbers in one area. I hardly ever find any that arent in that general area. The best advice is to just keep looking in different places. Also, come back in early Autumn and walk/drive the roads that cut through suitable habitat and you may find the big males laying on the roads. I have never seen a timber on the road that was under 3 feet in length for some reason. Im not sure if you have dealt with timbers before, but if not, I would like to say that they are unpredictable. One second they will be calm and not even rattle, the next second they will strike. I had one that was calm for hours and didnt even rattle and seemed to "enjoy" my company, and out of nowhere it struck out and nearly bit me. They also have a long strike range,and potent venom. Just keep looking and you will find one. Good luck!!!!
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RE: need help finding timbers!
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by Venomjunkie on May 28, 2006
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thanks for the advice bush viper. i happened to be browsing the web yesterday and found timberrattlesnake.net. it shows pictures of the types of habitat they prefer and some of the pics look exactly like where i am looking but cant find any! as i said before i plan on devoting the whole time im up there to finding these snakes but do you think i would have a good chance at finding one at night?
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RE: need help finding timbers!
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by Cro on May 28, 2006
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Dylan: While you might have some luck looking for timbers at night, you run into all kinds of problems doing that. First is the safety issue. You will only be able to see within the range of your flashlight. And if you do find one, you will not be able to photograph it, so it will have to be captured and photographed later. If you do decide to look at night, walk up a shallow creek, and shine your light along the creek banks and along the edges of small pools. If not timbers, you will probably see a few water snakes and copperheads that way, which is still fun.
I do not believe that the timbers in your area become nocturnal in the summer heat, they are just less active in the hottest part of the day. During that time, use a flashlight and shine it into rock cracks and crevices where they might be seeking shelter.
Look for them about 10:00 a.m. sunning themselves on top of or just beside of rocks and logs. Look for them in the late afternoon very near the entrances to the shelters that they will retreat to in the evening.
Hope this helps. JohnZ
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RE: need help finding timbers!
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by Venomjunkie on May 28, 2006
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i was somewhat doubtful that they became nocturnal in my area because it doesnt really get that hot. i had never thought to look that early in the morning because i thought that they would wait until the temps went up a little bit before coming out to bask. but you would know better than me so ill definitely take your advice and look a little earlier in the day. thanks again!
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RE: need help finding timbers!
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by Cro on May 28, 2006
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Dylan: A lot of rattlesnakes will come out to start basking in the early morning when it is still fairly cool.
I have found quite a few Rattlesnakes when the night before temperatures went below freezing.
As soon as the temperatures warm to around 50 degrees, the snakes come out on the South facing areas to warm themselves in the morning sun.
This is often from 8:30 to 11:00 in the morning.
This is when you should be out looking.
Hope this helps. JohnZ
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