Journey To A Timber Rattlesnake Den

[@jacobspencer7]

Man alive so cool!! Timbers are soooo awesome!!!

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

@@jacobspencer7 we’re still trying to organize a trip back to see if there are young this fall, but if we can’t find time, no harm done. Less disturbance of this den is better

[@DOUBLEO_ObsessionOutdoors]

awesome!! cant agree more about finding snakes under natural cover VS artificial and on top of that the mountains just have a whole different atmosphere thats so much more addictive than coastal herping to me! Matt, remember the spot i pinned for you to check out for smooth greens/mountain earths? if you take that clear cut all the way down towards the river (about 3 miles) there are 3 separate areas towards the end that have 10-15 rattlers everytime we go! check it out next time you go! looking forward to the next vid!

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

@@DOUBLEO_ObsessionOutdoors natural habitat is so much better. Having to provide a/c to be able to find good numbers is a testament to degraded habitat

[@DOUBLEO_ObsessionOutdoors]

@SharingTheOutdoors i agree for sure aside from certain species (especially fossorials) that thrive in areas that don't realy have much to flip, then your only option to find them is to place cover unless you just get suuuuuper lucky and happen to see one out on the crawl

[@willieeversole390]

Cool video

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

Thanks! Herping videos are fun to make!

[@bobseldestagain]

I grew up picking up ringneck snakes out in Baltimore County. In fact, when my 9th grade biology teacher started a unit on reptiles and other non-mammals, I took a ringneck to class, carrying it in my shirt pocket! Not joking! When I finished my degree in Biology with secondary ed minor, I got my first teaching job at that same school. And my science teacher has become department chair!!!

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

That's awesome! Kind of like a welcome back Kotter moment. Taking a ringneck to school was way more cool than Vinnie Barbarino though! Thanks for watching!

[@blindowl-bushcraft-survival]

that is amazing they look huge

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

They are good sized snakes. Thick and chunky

[@smetlogik]

"Deforestation at its finest" 🤣 Good to see a healthy timber den like that.

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

Indeed it was. On both counts. 😊

[@steveashworth6707]

Here in Southern Ohio we dont have many left, researchers have put chips in a few and they come back several times a year to check on them. People have spotted some a little farther north and east and it makes you wonder if they are actually coming back a little!. But some kill them off for no reason even when its illegal. I feel like everything has a purpose!.

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

@@steveashworth6707 they do have a purpose for sure. They pit tag them in Maryland as well. While we won’t go to a den we’ve found often, folks sometimes tell us we will cause the snakes to leave if we disturb them. But if capture, surgical tagging and monitoring doesn’t, I don’t think a passing encounter once or twice a year would. As far as population status goes, I think education efforts are starting to make people realize they don’t have to kill every snake they see. We are seeing more rattlers and copperheads now too.

[@blindowl-bushcraft-survival]

i have never seen a dark one like that

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

That is a rare color phase, but they seem to turn up here and there, usually one or two around when you find a large den

[@bkbowhunter1]

😳😳😳 i look for snakes when I’m in the woods but NOT like that 😂😂

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

LOL Gotta keep your eyes open, that’s for sure!

[@thomass.johnson8324]

First of all, I wouldn't be sitting not knowing that you would have found that meant that many rattlesnakes in that relatively small area and find you sitting in the amongst them. That's not a smart move guys

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

Situational awareness is quite necessary in these areas

[@Kurtdog63]

My friend only kills poisonous snakes. He has never seen one that wasn't poisonous.

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

I liked your comment, but not really the content. I know what you mean though, I’m on a Facebook snake ID page, and every snake someone finds they think it’s a copperhead. Such a shame. Snakes, even venomous ones, serve a vital role in the ecosystem

[@hit47n]

Your friend doesn’t understand the role snakes play on this planet. Even flies serve a purpose. Much more than I can say for a lot of human beings.

[@Kurtdog63]

@@hit47n I don’t either

[@hit47n]

@@Kurtdog63 yep

[@tomatkinson6996]

The more you continually check these hibernaculums the more the snakes are being pushed out to other den locals. Timbers are NOT like Copperhead den areas where they can live in close proximity to man. Spent many years secretly wondering the woods and the rest with my dear late friend "Marty" Martin, he was known as the "godfather" of Timber Rattlesnakes

[@SharingTheOutdoors]

Which is exactly why we stated in the caption that we keep these locations a closely guarded secret and visit them infrequently