Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are on night herping with a full moon,Ive heard different things.Some say it doesn't matter and others say they won't even go out.

Just wondering what everyone thought about it...I honestly don't pay attention to the moon when I go out and usually see at least a few snakes

Mike
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R.I.P Steve Irwin aka Crocodile Hunter

"Never insult an Alligator until you have crossed the river"-oriental proverb

I wont do it unless I am really really bored! The few times I have gone out on a full moon here in the So. Cal deserts, I've seen next to nothing. I'm not sure if the owls and other preditors are picking off the snakes or what. I've found the darker the sky, the better the herping!
I,m not sure about other parts of the country, or others experiences. But for me it was no good!

Good Luck,
Jason Mc

In general, snakes are more active on nights around the dark of the moon than the full moon. But, they are active on full moon nights. If I'm planning a herp trip in advance, I usually try to target the week around the new moon.

Of course, if you don't go out, you will be guaranteed to find NO snakes. If you go out, you might find some.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

After 35+ years of road cruzin', mostly in Florida & S. Carolina, I remember nights that reminded me of the late great Carl Kauffeld's statement, " on Tamiami trail, you could slide from east to west across Fla on the number of DOR's." These nights were ALWAYS on a new moon and never a full moon. I have also found that tin/trash flippin' during the day always seemed to be more productive during new moon periods vs. full moon periods.
I don't have the answer......just the long experience.

I agree with Chris - I always prefer finding nothing to wondering if I'm missing out. I have the same debate with myself when I'm hiking and it's 80 degrees...I KNOW there is nothing under the tin 100 yards up the hill because it is just too hot, but I have NEVER not checked just to be sure.

Jake

Also going with Chris and Herpdoc on this, dark of the moon on both sides is best in my experience, but I cruise any phase if the mood hits me. I will have to start recording the day flipping moon phase, thanks herpdoc, bet your right about that as well. They are therming getting ready for the nights hunting!
Todd Hughes

A friend of mine in the CA High Desert went out w/ his son this past Oct. on a full moon night and his count was 16 snakes. I like you have heard conflicting reports, and don't know if any other factors are involved in successful or unsuccessful nights.

reako45

Oh, on a PS, my friend said, by the size of the snakes he saw that night that he guessed them to be hatchlings. Don't know if or how that factors in.

reako45

Late year hatches, hatchlings have no experience, they disperse, many get preyed upon. Adult snakes have learned to avoid predation by avoiding the moonlight. Just my thoughts on it, I think they remember an attack and learn from it if they survive.
Todd Hughes

Late year hatches, hatchlings have no experience, they disperse, many get preyed upon. Adult snakes have learned to avoid predation by avoiding the moonlight. Just my thoughts on it, I think they remember an attack and learn from it if they survive.
Todd Hughes

I've noticed that if I do find a snake night cruising with a full moon it is usually a hatchling or yearling. I usually avoid full moon nights unless I have the time and all other conditions are good. I usually will find at least one snake,I figure it could be that special albino,abberrant patterned snake,LOL. I'm curious what everyones experiences are with windy nights,this seems to be the absolute worst time to night cruise and I have yet to find any snakes on a windy night. I think its because they're tongues stick to the sides of they're face,lol. Kevin

LOL! I like windy nights in west Texas, not so much along the Gulf coast.
Todd Hughes

Like I said, I have nothing other than many years of experience. Yes hatchlings - yearlings may be abundant on half to full moon nights when the weather is good...however, my experience most always targeted C. adamanteus. This target always led me to corns and kings, especially scarlet kings. Although much has to do with luck, how often a location is checked, if the animals found were F@#ked with too much, if the tin/board/rock was put back....etc.... did I mention luck. But, I still feel, on either side of a new moon, day hunting and night hunting are more productive to see what we all want to experience when you look on either side of the new moon phase. just my 3 cents!
Bob

money well spent! Tested it out Sunday night, only 1 single spadefoot out and about. Overcast sky blocking the moon but the glow still came through the clouds. I believe you hit the proverbial nail on the head. The recent showers had me thinking the Mexican milk males would be so randy they would be less than cautios, but I was wrong. I expect in 10-14 days that will change dramatically.
Todd Hughes

Personally I don't believe snakes stop thier regular activities just because of a full moon. They're still out there, but they're far more secretive, similiar to what they'd be during the day. On a bright night they're as reluctant to expose themselves on a road as they'd be during the day if they were out.

The trick to full moon nights is not to limit your hunting to road cruising. Get a good headlamp and head off the roads a little... good chance you'll find those snakes that would have crossed but didn't for fear of being too exposed. It's worked for me.

where you can go online to check out what the moon will be like in future days?

also,very informative answers.

thank you
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R.I.P Steve Irwin aka Crocodile Hunter

"Never insult an Alligator until you have crossed the river"-oriental proverb

go to the grayband forum, click on the alterna page, go to weather, they have the moon phases on there.
Todd Hughes

http://www.stardate.org/nightsky/moon/

Very nice graphic representation of monthly moonphases.....

Brad Chambers

This post piqued my interest, so Jasonmc (hopefully he'llpost pics)and I went cruising last night. If last night's moon wasn't full it was pretty close to it. Like an idiot, I didn't have a pen to log exact times and locations, but we saw more than 20 live snakes (and several DORs), all last years hatchlings, very small. They were mostly Glossies and Mojave Greens w/ a few Gophers. The only snake over 2' we saw was a DOR Mojave Green.

reako45

it is almost in full swing in southern cali, then?
Todd Hughes

I wish it were "full swing" out here, Todd. I was talking w/ another herper from the field herp forum about how dismal the "on foot herping" has been this year because it's so DRY! We've had very little rain. In spots where I should be seeing Kings (where I've seen Cal Kings in the past) I'm seeing helleri, and even those are few. If you're out to see snakes here in SoCal, it looks like road cruising is the way to go this year. So far on foot I've seen 2 Ringnecks, 1 Striped Racer, 4 Southern Pac. Rattlers, 1 San Diego Gopher and too many to count sceloporous & uta lizards. Happy herping.

reako45

We are looking at a slightly above normal year for precip. Looks like a great start, had a snow filled winter in west Texas this year and it is raining now. Looks comperable to 2004, a record wet year. Hope it brings the graybands out, as well as the other west Texas species.
Todd Hughes

Here are some pics of a few snakes that reako and I found on the full moon. I did'nt take many pics since I have so many of these species from this area already.
Thanks for looking!
Jasonmc