jimx200

Last night while riding the paved bike trails in the Empire Ranch area of Folsom, CA., I discovered (just in time) a large rattlesnake streached across the trail...damn thing was probably a little more than 4' long and had a nasty temperment. I debated whether to kill it, but decided not to. This area's busy with bikes/people walking/kids in strollers and most probably clueless as to it's being prime rattler territory. As I was there for maybe 10 minutes, I redirected about 5 bike riders, a few joggers, and 2 people walking dogs. I really hate snakes and ended up having a bad dream about them last night...maybe my sister being hit by a rattler has something to do with it. Bike riders beware...especially in early morning and evening when the like to warm themselves on the pavement.

bmfsiii

Glad you did what you did letting people know about the snake. For the most part though, most snakes will leave rather than stand their ground, so you shouldn't have too much to worry about.

Keith99

I've only come close to trouble with rattlers twice. My very first ride on my MTN bike. Wearing light hiking boots and I got the laces tangled in the chain. No problem, just backpedal and it was clear, but I was looking down and looked back up just in time to see a rattler crossing the trail about 10 feet ahead of me. Luckily I know which end is which.

The other was a ride in La Jolla Canyon (near Pt Mugu). Riding up I see real beauty crossing the fireroad just before a streem crossing. I get off, wait and admire. (It was a beautiful snake). Some guy comes riding down the fireroad on the other side of the stream and even though I'm standing up, pointing and yelling it is a rattler (and my voice is pretty loud) he just keeps coming. After he almost runs it over I ask if he had not heard me and he replied yes, but he thought rattlsnakes were green. What can you expect from a gut from New Jersey.

BillyD

+1

Just another critter trying to make it in a tough world.

mollusk

Cottonmouths aren't like that. They don't back down at all.

A couple of weeks ago I rode past a large eastern diamondback rattler. It was over 6 feet long. Since it wasn't coiled I felt pretty safe riding past it. Once I got home I read that they can strike from any position and don't need to be coiled.

mr handy

My Grandfather always calls cotton mouths "the sneaky snake" because they wait for you to walk buy than they bight you in the back of the leg.
(Think central Missouri accent... for example its pronounced dog with a long O, and corn with an A, carn)

trek1

Nice freakin' snake

dcvelo

Sorry, OP, but I've always really liked snakes (and get pretty mad at anyone who tries to hurt them for no good reason). Glad you didn't....thanks.

Did ride by a 6 foot timber rattler on Skyline Drive (Blue Ridge Mts.) last summer. We were coming up a climb we'd gone down earlier, and I saw something long in the middle of the road that looked like a stick. I thought to myself "there wasn't a stick in the road before". Got closer, realized it was a snake. Closer still, realized it was a rattler. Turned and told my wife maybe you should pick up the pace a little. We got by it okay.

I didn't need to hear they can strike from any position...I'd thought we were okay since it was stretched out.

Funny, later on the same ride a black bear cub ran out on the road 15 feet in front of my wife's wheel, on a climb....when I told her we maybe didn't want to hang around and meet the mom, she did the best impression of Lance Armstong on Alpe d'Huez I've ever seen...

7rider

Most people have only heard the sound of a rattler in a movie. The first, only, and hopefully last time I've ever heard a rattler was on a trail past the picnic area at the top of City Creek Canyon in SLC. Another rider had warned my buddy and me about the rattler as we passed him on the trail. In my mind I said, "Oh yeah. Whatever." Five minutes later, I heard a distinctive rattle a foot away from the trail and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. We passed the rattler without incident, and fortunately, on the way back down, there was only silence at the point where we had heard the rattler.

electromethod

I had a cottonmouth get caught up in my condensing unit. Couldn't figure out why the fan blade wasn't moving until we took it apart..... sucker had gotten wrapped around in there..... shudder. Other than that, I have run over a few over the years with the riding mowers...... what a mess. If you live near fresh water such as a pond, then you come to terms with it. I have problems with the diamondback rattlers on my property...... they like to lay in my bloody lawn and in the shrubs......... only time you will hear me scream like a woman...

urbanknight

I've come across a few rattlers here in So Cal. One I almost rode over a baby (less than 2' long) with my bike but missed and it didn't pay me any attention, but a car behind me ran over it and it responded by coiling and hissing. I decided to leave it alone, but a resident saw it and grabbed a shovel to kill it and toss it into the wash (not smart on many accounts, but he did it before I could get back and tell him otherwise)

Another time I was hiking when I came across a rattler on the middle of the fire road, the back half of a squirrel sticking out of its mouth. The snake was not moving a muscle (probably because it felt me coming), so I proceded past it figuring it can't attack with its mouth full. I'm sure the snake appreciated finishing its lunch in peace.

Yet another time I was volunteering as a spectator marshall for a rally auto race and found that our spectator area included a rattlesnake den! The one rattler that was out and about the day of the event scurried into the den as soon as we arrived and we made sure to make enough noise to keep them in hiding for the rest of the morning. And if the footsteps of a couple hundred fans weren't enough, the 500 hp cars racing by every 30 seconds sure did the trick!

I have also come across snake tracks in the sand. Often those tracks had no other tracks over them in a heavily used area, meaning the snake was there just moments ago and hurried into the brush when it felt me coming.

Never had any of these snakes threaten me, because I live and let live.

Snicklefritz

I've never heard a rattler and hope it stays that way. Snakes are fine as long as they are in a cage or stay in the bushes. In my neighborhood I do see snakes from time to time though. Unfortunately, it is never under the best of circumstances (for the snake). They will crawl out of the bushes or brush lining this one really pretty road near where I live. It's a huge road with smooth pavement. They love to crawl out into the road and sun themselves there. Not a very good idea. By the time I ride by on my bike, they've been squashed by cars who ran over them. I ran over one once, except I didn't realize it was a snake at first. I thought it was a piece of rope lying on the ground - there's some construction in the same area and utility trucks are always losing some of their cargo. Well I run over what I think is this rope and in my rear view mirror I see it thrashing around. oops. I guess it was a very angry snake.

v1k1ng1001

I ran into a rattlesnake while trail running last year. I didn't want to back track four miles so I had to grab a branch and push it aside. They're mostly harmless as long as you see them in time.

ratebeer

I believe the ones common here (green, banded) are California King Snakes. They might rattle at you like a viper but they're harmless.

mimis

how exactly were you planning to kill it??!!
do you have snake charmer skills? are you crocodile dundee?

mihlbach

Just running over it would have probably broken its spine and eventually killed it. I try not to kill snakes though I've bunnyhopped a few.

kensuf

badger badger badger badger mushroom mushroom

Matt888

Haha. Don't dis Mick mate. Everyone here in Australia is just like that bloke.
Pfft Rattle snake. Thats not snake. We have a million snakes more deadly than that little tacker.

rjg001

I grew up in southeast Missouri and used to do a fair amount of camping, fishing and just tooling around in the woods. I've seen my fair share of copperheads, cottonmouths and timber rattlers. In my younger days I was always kind of intrigued and thought it cool to observe at a safe distance. And even if I noticed by surprise that I was pretty close to one, it didn't really terrify me.

Now, having lived in the city for a while and possessing a little different perspective on the whole thing, I would probably have to change my shorts if I came upon one unexpectedly.

ryanspeer

My dad grew up on the east coast and has several stories of close encounters with snakes. Thanks to them, I now have a healthy fear of them. Fortunately out in Seattle, about all we have to worry about are Garder Snakes (sp?) - one of which I accidentally rode my bike over a couple of weeks back when I thought it was just a small twig on the trail - then it started wiggling but by then it was too late to change course.

Meanwhile, snakes of ANY kind give me the creepy-crawlies BIG time (except for them harmless lil' Garder Snakes).

ryanspeer

Is it true that AUS has 8 of the 10 most deadly snakes in the world, while your neighboring NZ has none? That's what I heard somewhere once.

urbanknight

I thought the California King was a type of boa (no rattle) while the local rattler was the daimond back?

Wouldn't work. I've been told snakes have collapsable ribs, but whether or not that's true, I've seen a snake get run over square in the middle by a jeep and all it did was piss the snake off, kissing and coiling. The recommended way (should it ever become NECESSARY) is to chop its head off with the sharpest thing available. You're then supposed to bury the head at least 6" deep to avoid someone/something coming along and getting stuck by its venomous fangs.

I've also been told some snake hunters grp a snake by its tail and whip it so fast it breaks its neck, but I would expect to fail and get bitten with such an attempt.

Snicklefritz

I've heard a snake can actually still bite for a certain amount of time after you cut its head off.

cc_rider

Never seen a rattler while out riding, although I suspect they are out there.
But some of the rail-trails I ride have signs warning about copperheads.

urbanknight

Good to know. I'll have to look that up should I ever have to kill one (knock on wood).

Doc: "How'd the snake bite you?"
Me: "Oh, the snake didn't bite me. Just its head"