rattlers on 5 mile mt?

[Adk_dib]

Are there any rattle snakes on 5 mile mtn by lake george, ny. Will be climbing from the north just south of Hauge? Have my dog with me and don't want her to get into any trouble.

 

[Rik]

Yes there are. I avoid this area with my dog during the warmer months. I have seen 3 snakes there on two different occasions. I don't find them to be much of a concern for myself but for the four-legged friends that like to sniff around it makes me nervous and takes away from my enjoyment of the hike.

 

[DougPaul]

Tongue Mtn in general has a high population of rattlesnakes.

Doug

 

[Peakbagr]

My buddy hikes Tongue all the time. He's seen rattlers 2-3 times.
The last one was last year. He was hiking with his spouse(who is afraid of snakes). He walked by a large, motionless one that he mistook for a stick right next to the trail. The stick came to life just as his wife got next to it. She was terrified.

I was hoping to get our 6 month old puppy out this Spring and Tongue is perfect terrain coming from the north. The snake population is why we decided not to do the hike. Also, remember, a dog or child takes a lot of venom in relation to body size. When the babies hatch, they are even more dangerous in many ways. They have not learned to "economize" their venom. When they hit you, they drain the venom glands 'cause they don't know any better.

 

[--M.]

I demand that DEC institute a snake-education program. Who do they think they are, anyway? As David Byrne said, "They're setting a bad example, they ought to be more careful."

 

[Remix]

PM me and I will send you some nice pictures.

 

[rup]

How far north in the ADKs does the rattlesnake population get?? To the high peaks region??

 

[Rivet]

How far north in the ADKs does the rattlesnake population get?? To the high peaks region??

I don't remember reading about any rattlers except on Tongue mountain range in ADKs, and Overlook and Tremper in the Catskills. They like to bask in the sun on southern slopes.
I have never seen one. Good thing too - I hate snakes!

 

[peak_bgr]

There are Tmber Rattlers in the Split Rock area of Westport and Essex. The problem this year might be the cold weather we've been having. The snakes will come out of there caves and rocks more frequently and bask on the rocks to get warm. I have yet to see one in the Tougne Range, but I always leave my dog at home when I decide to visit there.

 

[snowbird22]

Are there any venoumos snakes in the Whites such as rattlers??

 

[rhihn]

Here's a site that describes the location of poisonous snakes in NY:

http://www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/snakes/snakes.htm

Briefly, it mentions three species in NY: timber rattlesnake, massasauga, and copperhead. The timber rattler is found in southeast NY except Long Island and NYC, and scattered populations as far north as Lake George and Southern Tier in western NY. The massasauga (endangered) in only in wetlands NE of Syracuse and west of Rochester. The copperhead is mainly along lower Hudson Valley south of Kingston (absent from Catskills and west).

I've never heard of them being farther north than the Lake George area.

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

Are there any venoumos snakes in the Whites such as rattlers??

NH has them, but they are extremely rare. I don't know if they're in the Whites.
I don't think it's anything we should worry about.
http://www.newenglandreptile.com/timber.html
http://www.wildlife.state.nh.us/Wildlife/Wildlife_Reports/wildlife_report_062304.htm

 

[Rivet]

pictures

Here are some pictures I found.

http://www.skidmore.edu/~kmarsell/sci_03/wk2/snakes2/snakes2.html

Don't try to pick them up! Yikes!

 

[Peakbagr]

When I was visiting at Spence and Maddi's (hosts of the summer gathering)
a couple of weeks ago, they mentioned that a pretty good sized rattler had slithered up alongside the house thru the lawn.
Word to the wise for all you gathering campers.

 

[Waumbek]

Are there any venoumos snakes in the Whites such as rattlers??

The official answer is no except for some rare sightings of the timber rattler. I've never seen one in NH. NH does have the timber rattler look-alike, the milk snake, according to NH Fish & Game. I'm not sure I'd hang around to verify the V or Y on the head, however!

"I think I saw a timber rattlesnake."
"We receive several of these calls throughout the spring and summer. The majority of the time, what individuals actually see is a milk snake. The milk snake is a common species in the state. It is a light-colored snake with copper-brown blotches going down its body. When startled, the milk snake will coil up and vibrate its tail so rapidly that it makes a buzzing noise which is often confused for the rattlesnake. All milk snakes will have a V or a Y shaped blotch on the top of their head just behind the eyes. So, if you should see a snake with blotches or one that is coiled up making a buzzing noise, look for the V or Y shape blotch on its head, which will confirm that it is indeed a milk snake. (Milk snakes are the only snake in New Hampshire that is a constrictor, it wraps around its prey-mice, small birds, and other snakes-and suffocates it. (The milk snake is non-poisonous)."

 

[rup]

Sounds like the advice is to stay N of LG.

 

[Rivet]

I just did a 12 mile loop hike on Tongue mountain. And this was the only snake I saw.

 

[HikerBob]

Waumbek said:

...timber rattler look-alike, the milk snake

Well ain't that a coincidence!

I just posted yesterday with a pic of a Milk snake I'd snapped in my yard in Western Mass. It's also my avatar at the moment. You can find my pics HERE

There is a very good snake ID site by UMASS Amherst HERE some very useful info including some myth busting

Bob

 

[Tramper Al]

Are there any venoumos snakes in the Whites such as rattlers??

No, sorry, there are not. My source is the excellent New England Wildlife, a nice scholarly, though accessible, text. They show that range of the Timber Rattlesnake in New ENgland to be mainly in the Taconics, though there are some small pockets in around in places like the Blue Hills (south of Boston) and the Monadnocks of Southern NH. None in the Whites.

Then there is the Nothern Copperhead, ranging through much of CT, the southern Connecticut Valley of MA, and again the Blue Hills.

I did once see a beautiful big milk snake on the AT on Webster Cliff, of all places.

 

[NH_Mtn_Hiker]

I just did a 12 mile loop hike on Tongue mountain. And this was the only snake I saw.

Looks like a Garter Snake, also known as "Stinky Snake".