Timber Rattler in PA with pics......

[jelloitsalive]

On my last hike in PA we came across a timber rattler. It was on a rock outcropping soaking up some sun. He rattled at me for about 10 seconds then calmed down. I guess if your a rattlesnake your not scared of to much. Who else has came across these. And how often are they found along the AT. Should you use one of those extractors if bitten or will that cause more damage. Thanks for any input and check out the pics.......

[atmilkman]

Nice color. 10 rattles. Pretty healthy.

[jelloitsalive]

Nice color. 10 rattles. Pretty healthy.

Thanks does that meen its older?

[atmilkman]

Thanks does that meen its older?

Not necessarily. Usually that it has eaten very well and grown quite a bit. It indicates how many times it has shed it's skin which would coincide with eating good and being healthy.

[rocketsocks]

Nice, he/she is poised in strike mode...cool.

Well, I've read that using the "Extractor" is not really gonna remove the venom from deep with-in a wound, and that it can cause tissue damage....but yeah, I bought one years ago...haven't carried it yet.


also that if it's not used pretty much right after a bite occurs the wound will swell, closing or encapsulating the affected area, and the extractor wont draw the venom out....ymmv

[Onsen]

The markings are beautiful....but I'll
probably never stumble upon one in my lifetime.
Shame.

.....via tapatalk.

[Lumberjack2003]

I came across them a couple of times. One section in PA was a short part where I walked from rock to rock and you could here them under some of the rocks.

[rocketsocks]

Nice, he/she is poised in strike mode...cool.

Well, I've read that using the "Extractor" is not really gonna remove the venom from deep with-in a wound, and that it can cause tissue damage....but yeah, I bought one years ago...haven't carried it yet.


also that if it's not used pretty much right after a bite occurs the wound will swell, closing or encapsulating the affected area, and the extractor wont draw the venom out....ymmv

Further...when the "Extractor" came out...they were the Cadillac of the snake bite kit, and Doctor endorsed. As the saying goes, "We pack our fears" and and while they may not carry em anymore, I'll guarantee ya many hikers bought these...but they'll never admit it, hehe

[Silent Stroll]

I find them all the time when it's below 88 degrees. Last Friday I came within 1 step of stepping on one. I stay to the rocky trails in PA and they are common. I do not carry a kit but I do carry a light stick when the temps are in the snakes favor.

[rocketsocks]

Do you think they stop moving if it gets to hot? I was at the "Pinnacle" in PA a couple years ago, and it was 95 degrees in August...we couldn't find a one, and I was looking all day.

[-SEEKER-]

I've seen and taken pictures of three of them.

[rocketsocks]

Tons of great pics here, quite the resource really.

http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/browseimages.php?c=550

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


The dictum primum no nocere (first do no harm) has significant meaning because many poorly substantiated treatments may cause more harm than good, including making incisions over the bite, mechanical suctioning, tourniquet use, ice packs, or electric shock, per eMedicine Emergency Medicine and PubMed.gov.

[Silent Stroll]

10 105.jpg

Do you think they stop moving if it gets to hot? I was at the "Pinnacle" in PA a couple years ago, and it was 95 degrees in August...we couldn't find a one, and I was looking all day.

From what little I know, they would be out in the early morning on a hot day and move under the rocks to keep cooler when the temp rises. If its in the 70s or 80s I search for them and take pictues...and I poke them.

[mikec]

I've seen them along Peters Mountain, PA and south of Culvers Gap, NJ. And I have heard them rattling numerous times but not actually seen them.

[rocketsocks]

10 105.jpg

From what little I know, they would be out in the early morning on a hot day and move under the rocks to keep cooler when the temp rises. If its in the 70s or 80s I search for them and take pictues...and I poke them.

ooh that's a fat one!

I don't poke em, but I do bring thine staff.

[rocketsocks]

I've seen them along Peters Mountain, PA and south of Culvers Gap, NJ. And I have heard them rattling numerous times but not actually seen them.

I swear I heard one rattle South of Culvers Gap about a month ago, as I was stepping down off a rock ledge, but dismissed it thinking it was my tinnitus acting up. hmm!

[jersey joe]

I swear I heard one rattle South of Culvers Gap about a month ago, as I was stepping down off a rock ledge, but dismissed it thinking it was my tinnitus acting up. hmm!

Well, the mountain just south of Culvers Gap IS called rattlesnake mtn. I saw two in one day in this area. One was just north of the Mohican outdoor center and the other was just south of rattlesnake mtn.

[Silent Stroll]

ooh that's a fat one!

I don't poke em, but I do bring thine staff.

My first video poking one. I keep turning the phone because I didn't know if the sound would be recorded. Hawk Mtn. PA. I find them their ALL summer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs79T0THaKs

[rocketsocks]

Well, the mountain just south of Culvers Gap IS called rattlesnake mtn. I saw two in one day in this area. One was just north of the Mohican outdoor center and the other was just south of rattlesnake mtn.

That's where it was , when you start heading down to Mohican center or just before, there's that three foot drop right on the trail (really it's like climbing down a big boulder with a notch in it) when I stepped off I heard something and looked back underneath the rock but didn't see anything.

So I guess this doesn't stand for "rocketsock's" mountain after all.Culvers Gap-DWG 046.jpg