Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

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richlong8
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Re: Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

Post by richlong8 »

[quote=" But I've had four nasty encounters with rattlesnakes already this season up at my ranch between Visalia & Three Rivers - two of which involved my two dogs - BOTH were bit (The vet ![/quote]
I do not think that GTW is infested with rattlers. The lower elevations where your dogs got bit usually have more snakes. On a 2013 weekend trip to the Kern River in the GTW, at about 5000-6000', I did not see any, but normally, you might see 1-2 a day. The higher you go, the less likely you will run into a snake. I don't recall seeing one when I have been above 8000' in elevation. Plenty of nice fish in the Kern River though.....and sometimes you will see gopher snakes swimming in the water!
Ska-T
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Re: Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

Post by Ska-T »

The unattractive feature of the Golden Trout Wilderness isn't rattlesnakes, it is the abuse caused by bovine grazing and the prodigious amount of cattle crap near and in waterways.
:soapbox:
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AlmostThere
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Re: Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

Post by AlmostThere »

Rattlers have been documented as high as 11,000 feet in the sierra. They are more numerous around water sources where small critters are also numerous, tho.

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camptramp
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Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

Post by camptramp »

Ska-T wrote:The unattractive feature of the Golden Trout Wilderness isn't rattlesnakes, it is the abuse caused by bovine grazing and the prodigious amount of cattle crap near and in waterways.
:soapbox:
I don't know if this is the result, but I noticed the water in pools in the Little Kern River were somewhat brackish. Not crystal clear like I expected.

I did come upon a rattler - right next to water. This one was ingesting a meal - somewhere nearby was a 'roar' - I kid you not. The closer I got the louder it got. Made me wonder if these critters cover for each other while they are dining?
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1373594163.837066.jpg
Here's more photos:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yf8tyj7w80pwv55/j3IruFZRM9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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camptramp
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Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

Post by camptramp »

I can tell you I need to figure out how to lighten up. I can't haul all this stuff any more!
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camptramp
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Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

Post by camptramp »

camptramp wrote:
Ska-T wrote:The unattractive feature of the Golden Trout Wilderness isn't rattlesnakes, it is the abuse caused by bovine grazing and the prodigious amount of cattle crap near and in waterways.
:soapbox:
Made me wonder if these critters cover for each other while they are dining?
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1373594163.837066.jpg
Here's more photos:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yf8tyj7w80pwv55/j3IruFZRM9" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In the snake world: "Hey Tony! I got me a rat! Time for me to chow down! Cover for me, will ya?"
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rlown
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Re: Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

Post by rlown »

pretty sure rattlers are tasty and can be mixed into a fine pasta sauce. Just saying. you do need a fishing license to take a snake. Check your DFW regs accordingly.
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Rockchucker
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Re: Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

Post by Rockchucker »

I kind of like rattlers, mostly because I despise rodents, and find most snakes rather docile. They rattle to say 'hey I'm here, don't step on me'.
I'm no suture for my future.
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rlown
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Re: Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

Post by rlown »

they don't always rattle. i've stepped over two that didn't.
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Re: Golden Trout Wilderness - rattlesnakes infestation - fact or

Post by Ska-T »

Nice photos!
camptramp wrote:I can tell you I need to figure out how to lighten up. I can't haul all this stuff any more!
I can see the utility of the ladder, easy to hang your bear bag, but regarding the hoe, were you removing non-native plants or doing trail maintenance? :D
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