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Posted by: jscnlc at Fri Nov 17 07:58:55 2006 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

I live on 3 acres of woods that backs up to well over a hundred more in the Piedmont of NC. During the warm months I constantly see snakes (mostly big black rat snakes) but every so often something a bit smaller and different. Never seen a rattler but have come across a few copperheads. Every year people on my street cause commotion with the killing of a copperhead. EVERY one of those I've seen has NOT been one. Some not even close. There are alot of snakes in this area that may look like a copperhead to someone unknowing (juvy/young adult corns, and a few large watersnakes). I believe what I've seen on my property are mole kings, Browns, Redbellys and smooth earth snakes. I'm planning on putting several old signs or peices of tim roof on my property for warming hides and for me to hopefully find out just what is living here. Can anyone give me some info on good stategic places to set these? (understand in sunlight)I'm thinking on putting them out this winter so they will not be ultra foriegn in spring. Should they be raised up a few inches and supported with branches? Should I clean the area under or ensure this is litter under them?
Also once I find some of these guys I'll photo (or short-term capture) them to show the neighbors what is and isn't a copperhead.
JC

I use to live right off of I40 and Jamestown Road in Morganton, if you know that area. Lots of black rat snakes there and what the locals call “spreadin’ adders”- hog nose snakes. The area was an old gold mining area back before the California gold rush and there was a lot of old junk in the woods where I was. One of my hobbys was finding old glass bottles with the raised letter labels left from old lumbering or prospecting camps. Almost everything I caught there was sunning right on a road or near a creek. You could place your tins at the sunny edge of a clearing near a creek and have a good spot to check for years. I would think you could find such places anyway without lugging pieces of tin around. Be mindful of property- they will shoot “at” you! Don’t be lookin like no revenuer.
Here’s a pretty embarrassing picture from eighth grade, from when I lived out in the woods in North Carolina. This black rat was just over six foot, a biggie to a little kid herper! Sure hope my sister don’t see this...

Too funny on the sis part.
I'm just planning on putting stuff out on my property and maybe encroach a little into the adjacent acreage (with permission which is not and issue)
I'm in Kernersville between Winston-Salem and Greensboro, between I40 and Buiss 40.
Haven't seen a hognose but would love to.
And yes the Black snakes are huge here and bountiful

What about raising the tins up and putting leave litter under them?

JC

I think you should make them as inviting as possible for snakes, not scorpions, etc. Maybe make a nice nest of aspen or something. I have often thought about throwing a handful of old rat bedding material with the good scent in there. How about putting some rat bedding aspen in a sack and dragging it around an area as a sort of scent trail, kinda like chumming for sharks? Lead your trail to your tins or along your collecting route? I have tied finger mullet to fishing lines and created a route that I could go check for collecting water snakes in numbers here in south Florida. I have heard they will swallow the fish and you can collect them before they can regurge it, but I always caught them near the fish, not actually eating it. That can be very productive down here. I’m sure others will contribute now that you moved this to this forum.

Good idea with the mouse bedding, been throwing it in the mulch pile.

reminds me of a funny story..my bro-in-law was fishing in the okeefeenokee swamp (so. GA)for crappie at night. He had a stringer of fish tied onto his chest waders...he kept feeling the stringer getting snagged on stuff and would pull it free...after about the 3rd time he pulled again and his headlamp illuminated a cottonmouth with the last fish on the stringer half way down it's gullet. My bro-in-law freaked and tried to run (in a swamp?)only to end up totally flooding his waders....

Ahh, spending your fall & winter productively I see. I'm doing the same thing --- cruising the back alleys and collecting old tins, boards etc, and setting them up in spots in Browns Canyon, and around Chatsworth Park So. I've gotta try the mouse bedding/aspen thing. I think I read where somebody on the field herp forum put some rodent food under their AC, so I started doing that as well. I bought a couple of those mixed bags of seeds & stuff from the good ol' $.99 Store...Prayin' for a wet winter w/ lots of Gophers or Kings in Spring. Happy herping.

reako45

I think you should try both methods, scraped and raised with small branches. Dry and humid is what you are looking for. I usually layer several boards on top of one another and cover them with some small brances/ bunches of grass, leaves twigs as much to conceal them from other people as to diguise it for the animals. Look for snails/slugs/other moisture loving critters because that will tell you if it is holding moisture. Snakes like it dry but humid, in other words a place they can conserve what water they have in them. I would place some in the sun and some under trees, some close to creek edges if you can find them. They want to thermoregulate and will use both warm and cool hides as they will. In fall is when I lay my stuff down and I hit it right before spring actually hits. I usually catch some coming up and using the boards to stay hidden. If you find skinks under them, it won't be long before the bad boys come to your boards. I don't use tin because I can't find much and feel it gets too hot unless shaded somewhat. I do find kings in crayfish holes under tin in flooded areas. Hope this helps some.
Todd Hughes