DAILY STAR (Oneonta, New York) 20 July 07 Rattlesnakes still know how to shake things up (Rick Brockway)
Years ago, before protection was placed on the forest reptile, a friend of mine hunted rattlesnakes. They were more common back then, and my friend Don, who lived in Deposit, searched for the venomous creatures in old rock quarries on the wooded hills near Hancock.
He and a friend carefully probed under large rocks with crooked sticks, hoping to find the dens of the dark-coiled snakes. A large snake brought good money at that time, but nothing beat the thrill of the hunt. They liked the ever-present potential for danger, and the rattles that snakes used to warn intruders only added to the excitement.
I stopped to visit Don at his home along Route 8 one day and he said, "You’ve got to see what we got this morning!"
So, we went down into the cellar and found an empty, burlap bag. That meant that two snakes had slithered across the cool, concrete floor at some point. Needless to say, I was not very comfortable with the thought of a couple timber rattlers on the loose, perhaps coiled up in the dark corners of the house’s stone foundation. So, I carefully tip-toed back up the cellar steps and headed for my truck as Don rounded up his catch.
Don eventually found the two snakes behind a pile of boards, but he gave up hunting them shortly after that adventure. That’s because a serpent bit his friend, who had been unaware of its presence as he was handling another snake near its den.
When I went to college at Oneonta State, rattlesnakes were quite common on the hill behind the Tally Ho Restaurant in West Davenport. The rocky formations and southern exposure offered good denning spots for the snakes.
I remember stopping into Dr. New’s office one time to discuss a project. I was leaning against a door casing when the corner of my eye caught some movement inside the glass case beside me. I jumped back when I realized a rattlesnake was inches away from me, then had to pry my hear from my throat.
Today, the snakes have all but disappeared. That’s why it was big news a year or so ago, when someone found a snake on Hemlock Road. Back in the 1960s, that wouldn’t have been the case because South Mountain was alive with timber rattlers.
When the turkey was reintroduced to the area, though, the number of snakes rapidly decreased. I am told that turkeys eat young snakes, which is probably why hunters in lower Delaware County no longer could find them in abundant numbers.
This past week, my wife and I spent a few days camping in the Lake George area. Just a few miles north of town is a beautiful lake with a peninsula. The trails that meander to the top of Tongue Mountain offer great hiking and a fantastic scenic vista of the lake and the surrounding mountains.
But Tongue Mountain features a population of rattlesnakes, probably one of the largest in the northeast. Therefore, hikers must use extreme care in that area.
If you come to a tree that has fallen across the trail, make sure there isn’t a surprise coiled up on the other side before you step over it. Many hikers have seen the beautiful snakes sunning themselves on the rocks and ledges throughout the forest on warm days.
We planned on hiking Tongue Mountain on Wednesday, but the rain spoiled our fun. Although I’m not overly fond of snakes, it would have been nice to see one from a distance _ just not up close and personal.
Maybe the next time we visit the area, we can climb the mountain and hike the trail from the summit to the lake. I’d really like to see what nature has to offer.
Rattlesnakes still know how to shake things up

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