Snakes... and geocaching!

[Albany Canucks]

I enjoy the fact that geocaching takes me into the Great Australian Outdoors with my family. But when searching through some bush earlier today with my children in our hunt for an elusive cache, a thought crossed my mind: what about snakes? Does the prospect of snakes make geocaching a hazardous activity, especially when you're looking under rocks and branches, and moving aside undergrowth to see if there is a cache hidden underneath? It's one thing to go for a heavy footed walk through the bush, but it's another to start poking around in the scrub and looking under rocks and roots. Anyone have any snake & geocaching stories or experiences to share, or for that matter warnings or general advice? My children grew up in North America, so I'm rather wary of the prospect of them disturbing a venomous snake while hunting for a geocache, especially in an area that's in the bush or outside suburbia, and particularly when everyone is checking all the crevices and holes at GZ. How real is this possibility? And are we asking for trouble by combing the bush in our quest for finding a cache?

[Damo.]

Yep. People come across them all the time.
http://forum.geocaching.com.au/viewtopi ... =6&t=14839
http://forum.geocaching.com.au/viewtopi ... 10&t=11104
http://forum.geocaching.com.au/viewtopi ... =2&t=13303

[SamCarter]

However we don't have large aggressive bears.

Oh ... apart from the drop bears.

[tronador]

Most snakes will slither off when they become aware of you. But if you are unlucky enough to step on one of course it will bite. After all you'd probably bite too if someone stepped on you.
Just take care and don't put your hand in dark hidey holes ,use a stick first. It's really only a problem in the warmer months. most sightings occur when they are sluggish in early spring, still a bit cool for them being reptiles.

[Bewilderbeest]

Spindoc Bob has put advice re snakes into at least one episode of his Geotalk podcast. You can check them out here: http://www.geotalk.libsyn.com/index.php ... mit=Search

[BigON]

All snakes in Australia have right of way in the bush and are considered dangerous. Red back and Funnelweb spiders are just as bad.
Coming up to this time of year even the magpies get dangerous around Canberra at least.
Drop bears and bunyips while excedingly rare are worse than any of the above.

[Agent Basil]

and don't get me started on Yowies !

[ruzzelz]

More chance of some real damage from a Croc in Northern areas

Sankes don't worry me at all

[iamapom]

In 500 finds I've only seen one snake, it was a beautiful black and white striped Tiger Snake in Yarra Bend Park in Melbourne. He was pretty scared of me, but I felt really privileged to see him. And had he bitten, well I'm an adult, could have got an anti-venom in time. Since that occasion - I have been considering carrying compression bandages in the geo-bag.

And don't get me started about Drop Bears. I was cornered by an angry mob of 7 of them on the very same day as the snake sighting. I must have got too close to the nest and they were protecting their baby drop cub litter. It's not PC to say so, but those things are really dangerous vermin. They should smoke them out and club them like they did in the mass drop bear round-ups in Queensland in the 1960s. Maybe we could organise a "drop bear clubbing" Geo-event ??

[grahamf72]

I've come across 2 brown snakes while caching, and once found a carpet snake curled up in a hollow I was planning to put a cache in. In the case of the two browns I spotted them from a good distance so kept my distance until they moved on. I tend to avoid off-track bush in summer time when the snakes are most active. Around here it's too hot to do much in summer anyway. Usually the snakes will clear out when they hear a person coming. They reckon snakes are more scared of us than we are of them, so they must be absolutely terrified.

As for dropbears, I haven't come across one myself thankfully, but once found the carcass of a kangaroo that I reckon had been attacked by one. They seem to have moved away from the populated areas, so there's not a big chance of finding them. I've heard that they are now officially extinct in SEQ, but I reckon the more remote areas on the ranges still support a fairly large population.

[Powerplay]

Out caching in some scrub last summer and came across two Red Belly Blacks coiled up
together I think they were mating not sure didnt stick around to long to find out.

[Tuena]

I do a lot of caching in rural areas & bush walking when seeking trigs & often come across snakes. Most prefer to slither away however browns in particular will make a stand. Cranky b....s. The last snake I saw was near Texas (GA1741) & he/she was the biggest red belly I've come across.

Walk loudly, wear gaiters, be respectful, keep your distance although sometimes you will be within centimeters of the snake before you see or hear it. If this happens, stand still until it moves on. Use common sense & don't put your hand in hollows. Take a stick & leather gloves if that's where the cache has been hidden.

I see snakes all year round although they don't like really hot weather.

As to drop bears or yowies I haven't seen any although back in the 60s when I lived in Tenterfield I was hunting with dogs near Mt Mckenzie when a creature appeared. The dogs weren't concerned & I had no idea what it was. I looked on in amazement & never thought to dispatch it. When it left the dogs rolled in its scent. Wasn't a feral dog, cat or pig as I'd thoughtfully disposed of my fair share of those.

[darth trader]

There is a dangerous one called a 'hoop snake' too.
You gotta watch out for it too. most snakes you can outrun when you startle them. But the hoop snake will take its tail in its mouth and form a large hoop and roll around chasing its prey. Stay away.

[bshwckr]

Statistically, the drive to the cache is infinitely more dangerous than the Australian bush full of snakes.
I am more worried about the kangawallyfoxes. MinMin lights a problem too. Had an incident at the back of the Hampton State Forest late one night.

[Tuena]

I was looking for a cache in a northern NSW cemetery some years ago when I almost trod on a whip snake. Made for a cracking yarn later on at the pub.