Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Every june my wife and I meet my brother and his wife in the Smoky Mountains for some hiking. This year we hiked six days straight for a total of about 70 miles. We caught and released two Black Ratsnakes and one Ringneck Snake. We also saw Garter Snakes and Water Snakes.
The first Black Ratsnake adopted a typical Ratsnake defensive posture.

After my brother picked him up he calmed right down.

While in the mountains we saw 15 bears, a coyote and loads of deer and wild turkeys.
This was a smallish female with a single large cub. We encountered them right before sunset and they were pretty calm about having us nearby.

Thanks for the pics!

It is always nice to find animals in the wild. I live in the country and see lots of animals - and it never gets old.
-----
Mike

2.4 BRB
1.2 Spotted Python
1.0 Cal. King

15 bears Jeff. I haven't seen more than a few bears at the zoo if my memory serves me correctly so that makes me really jealous to say the least. Thanks for posting pics and glad to hear that your back is doing better since you hiked almost 12 miles a day
Bob

Bob,
...This time of year the bears are eating berries where they can find them. We were looking around Cades Cove just goofing off and noticed a field of several acres that was covered with ripe black berries. There was a thick tree line several hundred yards away so we set up along a trail across the field between the tree line and the berry field late in the afternoon. As soon as it cooled a little with the dropping sun the bears came out of the tree line across the feld to the blackberries. We saw six of them cross the field within 75 yards of us in less than 30 minutes. The others were crossing trails ahead of us while hiking except for the mother and baby in the PICs and we saw them on an evening drive.
Jeff

>>15 bears Jeff. I haven't seen more than a few bears at the zoo if my memory serves me correctly so that makes me really jealous to say the least. Thanks for posting pics and glad to hear that your back is doing better since you hiked almost 12 miles a day
>>Bob

Very cool Jeff. Was this a backpacking trip? That's a lot of hiking. I'm going backpacking for four days next week. 1st time I've ever been. Your pics remind me of the first time I saw a bear in the wild. I was working in the southern Sierras, driving down a single lane fire road. All of a sudden there's this giant beast running top speed away from my car. Before I even knew what I was looking at, it had turned off the raod and was gone.

My first thought was, "Damn, I didin't think a big ol' bear could run that fast". My second thought was, "Oh S#!t, I had no idea a bear could run that fast!".
-----
Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

located in every county now. funny when they show up in the paper for strolling down the street....

Colonia in this article is 5 minutes from my house...
bears NJ

-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research

Mike,
..Backpacking would mean sleeping in a tent and I have spent far too many nights sleeping in tents or out in the open to want to ever do any more of it. Seriously I do own a tent and plan to kayak to some of the unpopulated Georgia coastal islands and spend a few nights.
Jeff

>>Very cool Jeff. Was this a backpacking trip? That's a lot of hiking. I'm going backpacking for four days next week. 1st time I've ever been. Your pics remind me of the first time I saw a bear in the wild. I was working in the southern Sierras, driving down a single lane fire road. All of a sudden there's this giant beast running top speed away from my car. Before I even knew what I was looking at, it had turned off the raod and was gone.
>>
>>My first thought was, "Damn, I didin't think a big ol' bear could run that fast". My second thought was, "Oh S#!t, I had no idea a bear could run that fast!".
>>-----
>>Mike Lockwood
>>www.tooscaley.com

Very cool Jeff!!
I go done every year too.. I have seen a bear twice, but never been able to spot one while there is enough light for a photo!

BTW - I sent you an email the other day, but my email has been acting up - did you get it?

>>Every june my wife and I meet my brother and his wife in the Smoky Mountains for some hiking. This year we hiked six days straight for a total of about 70 miles. We caught and released two Black Ratsnakes and one Ringneck Snake. We also saw Garter Snakes and Water Snakes.
>>The first Black Ratsnake adopted a typical Ratsnake defensive posture.
>>
>>
>>After my brother picked him up he calmed right down.
>>
>>
>>While in the mountains we saw 15 bears, a coyote and loads of deer and wild turkeys.
>>This was a smallish female with a single large cub. We encountered them right before sunset and they were pretty calm about having us nearby.
>>
>>
>>
-----
photos.xtremecombatsports.com

Tim,
..I did not get your email.
Jeff

>>Very cool Jeff!!
>> I go done every year too.. I have seen a bear twice, but never been able to spot one while there is enough light for a photo!
>>
>>BTW - I sent you an email the other day, but my email has been acting up - did you get it?
>>
>>
>>
>>>>Every june my wife and I meet my brother and his wife in the Smoky Mountains for some hiking. This year we hiked six days straight for a total of about 70 miles. We caught and released two Black Ratsnakes and one Ringneck Snake. We also saw Garter Snakes and Water Snakes.
>>>>The first Black Ratsnake adopted a typical Ratsnake defensive posture.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>After my brother picked him up he calmed right down.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>While in the mountains we saw 15 bears, a coyote and loads of deer and wild turkeys.
>>>>This was a smallish female with a single large cub. We encountered them right before sunset and they were pretty calm about having us nearby.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>-----
>>photos.xtremecombatsports.com

Thats what I was afraid of.. I will find an old one from you and reply to it in a few minutes, maybe that will work..

>>Tim,
>>..I did not get your email.
>>Jeff
>>
>>>>Very cool Jeff!!
>>>> I go done every year too.. I have seen a bear twice, but never been able to spot one while there is enough light for a photo!
>>>>
>>>>BTW - I sent you an email the other day, but my email has been acting up - did you get it?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>>Every june my wife and I meet my brother and his wife in the Smoky Mountains for some hiking. This year we hiked six days straight for a total of about 70 miles. We caught and released two Black Ratsnakes and one Ringneck Snake. We also saw Garter Snakes and Water Snakes.
>>>>>>The first Black Ratsnake adopted a typical Ratsnake defensive posture.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>After my brother picked him up he calmed right down.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>While in the mountains we saw 15 bears, a coyote and loads of deer and wild turkeys.
>>>>>>This was a smallish female with a single large cub. We encountered them right before sunset and they were pretty calm about having us nearby.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>-----
>>>>photos.xtremecombatsports.com
-----
photos.xtremecombatsports.com

Very cool pictures Jeff! Wow, 15 bears! It is always my goal NOT to see any bears. We go hiking in the mountains of North Idaho every year (will be there in a few weeks)and just love passing all the "Warning Grizzly Bear Country" signs... In all our years going there we have only seen 1 and he was running across the road in front of our car, so not sure he counts. Everyone is always claiming to see black bears there too, but they must not like my deodorant or something.
-----
-----
Amber Liann
1.0 Suriname BCC (Aloysius)
1.0 Colombian BCI (Austin)
0.1 BRB (Carmen)
4.5 KSB (Snow, Anery, Albino)
1.0 Pueblan Milk (Marishka)
1.1 Sinaloan Milk
1.1 Hypo Honduran Milk (Damien & Lucy)
1.1 Pastel BP
1.0 Spider BP
1.2 Het Pied BP
1.1 Het Albino BP
1.7 Ball Pythons
0.1 Crested Gecko (Chloe)
1.2 SHTCT Leos (Rico, Sabine, & Yazmine)
0.1 Albino Leo (Mandy)
0.1 Leo (Lola)
2.0 Bearded Dragons (Sydney & Dundee)
1.0 Uro (Kegan)
2.1 Wiener dogs (Dakota, Montana, Cheyenne)

nice pics all around, the black rat defense posture is just AWESOME, I love those snakes, glad I didn't find him, would have had to keep it lol. I love rat snakes, I currently have 8 texas rat snakes. thanks for sharing...hiking is fun!!! With all the captivive breeding, I still love wild caught snakes. bad me
-----
Thanks,

Frank Roberts
Roberts' Realm Of Reptile Research