New York Rattlesnakes

[clayton163v]

As I wrote in another thread and decided to post here:

Oh, there are rattlesnakes in downstate New York too.  I was hiking in Orange County about an hour's drive from NYC with some buddies when me and one friend got ahead of the other two.  Suddenly my late brother and our other friend came running up as pale as the dead and shouting in unison.  "I ALMOST GOT BIT BY A RATTLESNAKE!"

Me - being a know it all - calmly said "that is not too likely."  "What did it look like?" 

IT WAS FIVE FEET LONG AND BRIGHT NEON GREEN! Bellowed by the two of them in creepy unison. 

I calmly stated with great certainty :  "The only Rattlesnakes in New York are Timber Rattlesnakes.  They are not green and are quite rare."  Nor are there any snakes that are bright green around here.  You guys saw a snake and freaked out.  Calm down. 

Well, we continue on our hike with both of them sticking to their story.  When we went down the mountain and came back through the area both of them shouted in unison (no kidding): "THERE IS THE RATTLESNAKE UNDER THAT ROCK!"

And lo and behold, there was a five foot long bright neon green snake under the rock.  Flummoxed, I stated with diminishing certainty:  "Well, it's not a rattlesnake because Timber Rattlesnakes are NOT green."

My buddy Matt, not known for a timid nature, says:  "Oh yeah, I will F@CK with it!" and he grabs a long stick (10"+ feet) and - as I told him "do not harm it" - it suddenly shakes its rattle with great menace.  In a "time to eat crow" moment I was not permitted to forget - ever - Matt then yelled "WELL WHAT DO YOU SAY NOW!"

I replied, look, "that sure looks like a Rattlesnake, but Timber Rattlesnakes are not green and they are New York's only rattlesnakes.   I do not know what that is but lets move."

When we got home, I grabbed the nature books - my folks have a large library of such things - and looked up the Timber Rattlesnake.  Sure enough, there it was nice and brown.  But in a small corner of the main photograph there was a smaller photo and in that photo the snake was BRIGHT NEON GREEN. 

It turns out that when New York's Timber Rattlesnake comes out of its burrow after hibernating, it is bright green for a few days.  

True story.  And I miss my brother.

[peebag]

Their meat tastes like chicken.

True story.

[jetophile]

I'm thinking that was Blackrock Forest. There's a protected den that's on the down low (I won't say where it is), but I wear snake boots for a  reason. Not trying to be a pain in the ass here, but why anyone would antagonize wildlife in the first place is always beyond me. You get what you deserve if it goes south, and then the animal pays for being an animal. 

I know what to look for and I watch it. I have a rattlesnake bite kit in my glove compartment (they're cheap, $10 bucks), but I rarely take it with me because of said snake boots. It's tough not to panic if you get bitten, and that's how the venom spreads, through your heart beating like a bitch. Most times it's not deadly, but it can be for a variety of reasons if you're alone in the middle of the woods. 

As to the green, camouflage is camouflage for a reason. Don't fck with snakes or anything else. Thanks, and sorry about your brother. 

[Bronx]

That's probably a great thing for NY! Maybe they will start reducing the rat infestation in the city.

 

 

 

 

 

[nycdan]

Is this your way of saying we are drafting Spencer Rattler next April?

[clayton163v]

On 5/25/2021 at 6:19 PM, jetophile said:

I'm thinking that was Blackrock Forest. There's a protected den that's on the down low (I won't say where it is), but I wear snake boots for a  reason. Not trying to be a pain in the ass here, but why anyone would antagonize wildlife in the first place is always beyond me. You get what you deserve if it goes south, and then the animal pays for being an animal. 

I know what to look for and I watch it. I have a rattlesnake bite kit in my glove compartment (they're cheap, $10 bucks), but I rarely take it with me because of said snake boots. It's tough not to panic if you get bitten, and that's how the venom spreads, through your heart beating like a bitch. Most times it's not deadly, but it can be for a variety of reasons if you're alone in the middle of the woods. 

As to the green, camouflage is camouflage for a reason. Don't fck with snakes or anything else. Thanks, and sorry about your brother. 

Sorry for the tardy response.  I had not see it. 

Close, but not far away.  It was on Schunemunk Mountain which can be clearly seen from the Thruway south of Newburgh.  It is due west of the Blackrock Forest.  To my dismay, they have built condos on it.  I often wonder how that dwindling population of rattlers is doing now that man is encroaching on the last wild areas.  Once upon a time, it was a spectacular one day hike.  The thing is an outcropping of red sandstone conglomerate which is quite distinctive.  You can find glacial erratics throughout Harriman Park if you keep your eyes peeled.  There is a one the size of a motorhome that overlooks Suffern.