This weekend I will be fishing and camping in the Mendocino National Forest, which is an hour or two east of mendocino. It's a huge wilderness area, and I know there are bears, mountain lions, bobcats, elk, deer, etc... the habitat is mostly mixed pine forest, lakes, streams, some chapparal, and grasslands in moderate elevations.
So I was hoping to go looking for some cal kings, garter snakes, gopher snakes, rattlesnakes, maybe even a zonata if I'm really lucky. Does anyone have experience herping in these areas? Can anyone give me tips as to what kind of habitats and microhabitats to look for? What time of day are most snakes active at this time of the year? Thanks... any tips will be rewarded by some photos when I get back!
