Posted by:
Tony D
at Tue Feb 17 07:55:31 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Tony D ]
Every area is different so I can only tell you what I do. Some may be appropriate for your area some may not be. I will say however that I like to hunt snakes as non-intrusively as possible. Its most rewarding to me if I can place myself in the field when they are exposed doing what they do naturally.
Number one thing I've learned is timing is everything. Most snakes are quite secretive and don't expose themselves often. Seasonally, they are more likely to be more visible in the spring and fall when they're more actively thermoregulating. One advantage to spring hunting is the relative lack of ground cover. In the spring any given acre of land has a lot fewer places a snake can hide on the surface than in the summer.
I've also noted a daily component to their movements. Early hours of the day may see them out warming up in a patch of sun. We do some observing in the Alligator Wildlife Refuge and have noticed a flush of movement across the roads just at dusk. It's not uncommon to see 3 or 4 snakes within 100 yards crossing the road at the same time. My thought has always been that they've come to the edge of the road during the day but wait to enter what they see as open terrain until night begins to fall and they feel more secure about it. To me this also indicates that they are moving during the day there is just generally too much cover for them to be easily found. Anyone who has watched a pet snake borrow into a lawn and almost disappear understands that they likely walk by many many snakes for everyone they see.
As for locations, I look for substantial habitat. Small fragments surrounded by ag field are generally not worth the effort even if there is plenty of AC.
Surface water seems to be an important component here too. Ditches, vernal (or temporary) pools or adjacent ponds or rivers seem to be indicators of good snake habitats that sustain populations. This isn't set in stone but I've never found aggregations of kings far away from a water source.
I also like border habitats like where woods meets field.
The main thing is that it's a learning experience. When you find a snake ask yourself why it was where you found it, what was it doing, what in the habitat supports it. You'll develop some theories and then test them in other similar areas. Some things will work some wont you just need to remember a bad day herping is better than a good day working.
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“Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” Emmerson
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RE: Maybe looking in the wrong areas? - Tony D, Tue Feb 17 07:55:31 2009