Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i've gone snake hunting for as long as i can remember, but never located a den before. 3 weeks ago a friend and i were hiking a swamp in southern illinois that he use to go to when he was a kid .his uncle told him there were alot of cottonmouths back there. we came upon a hill next to the swamp with south facing rocky outcrops. i told him, this is perfect..sure enough we found 7 cottonmouths laying around the rocks. ive gone back twice since then and there are more and more there each time. this last time there were two holes ( dens )with mother and babies sunning.its been a little cooler each time i go.. i dont capture them, i only film them and photograph them. i use to have to "catch them" to satisfy my hunt ( and let them go ), but i now find much more enjoyment in just taking pictures and not disturbing them anymore than nessecary. most of them just layed there and let me photograph upclose..they've really got the bad reputation unjustly.....

I live in MO and spend allot of time herping southern ILL and MO. I've seen several dens like you decribed. There's nothing like comming across one. At first you just notice one snake and then they seem just start appearing everywhear. Like yourself I also enjoy photographing them and believe them to be a very docile snake. Mike

hey mike, yes there are several swamps around this area that i have checked out.. i find lots of snakes but never a den.there were copperbellied watersnakes and several racers also. i was drawn to the place. to me it was so exciting and fascinating i just kept wanting to go back. i'm not going back anymore this year. i dont want them to feel unsafe there.. i will go back in the spring for sure. and yes they get a bad rap.they are actually very mild tempered.. i was taking pictures of one about 8 feet down the hill from another one..the one up the hill ( was coiled )looked right at me and and headed right towards me ( the swamp was behind me ).i was on one knee , i grabbed my video camera. alot of people would have swore it was attacking them, but i knew better so i stayed put.. it came right to me and went about 10 inches from my knee right past me and straight to the water like i wasnt even there. i was lucky enough to get it on film.

Hey Bob, if you're interested drop me a emale and maby we could exchange some herping areas/info. Rest assured my only interest is in photography.

Believe it or not I know of den sites in southern MO that cover huge hill sides. One could (with out much trouble) count up to 60+ Cottonmouths along with Yellow-bellies, Brod-bands, and a few others. Mike goshawk00@hotmail.com

hey mike , did you get my email??