Snake Encounters whilst Caching..

Team Red Devil · Post by **Team Red Devil** » 01 March 06 6:49 pm

Hello all!

As some of you may know, we are working with a well known Snake Wrangler here in Perth to create a booklet to help cachers ID snakes seen out caching.

We want to put in stories and little tidbits of peoples snake experiences when out caching, and pics if you have any! You will get full credit of course!

We will be branching out state by state as time and resources allow. (We are accepting stories from interstate cachers now as well)

For Perth cachers- if you do see a snake whilst out, please take note of it, and forward it to us- you'll be helping with snake research here in Perth.

I have no idea if any of this makes any sense- I just can't seem to say what I need to say in the right words today!

Marie- TRD.

Spruce Mooses · Post by **Spruce Mooses** » 01 March 06 7:21 pm

Haven't yet and quite frankly hope not to!!
Have seen plenty of snake holes though...

Nosugrefs · Post by **Nosugrefs** » 01 March 06 7:47 pm

See them quite regularly here in the wildes of Brisbane. I had a lot of exposure to them in North Queensland as well. I suspect Agsmky will have some interesting stories. We often have to move green tree snakes from a tree or shrub we're about to trim, but their friendly fella's generally. We often see carpet snakes and the very ocassional brown. The bitey ones tend to give us a wide birth and on the trail its pretty rare to have a nasty one give us trouble. Mrs Nosugrefs is wary of scrambling through long grass in summer however. I suppose I am too, but the thrill of the cache hunt overcomes the anxiety. If we have an opportunity we'll take some pics and send them.

Team Tiges · Post by **Team Tiges** » 01 March 06 8:23 pm

I'm so sick of seeing snakes out caching. Myself and <a href="http://geocaching.com.au/cacher/aloysius7">Aloysius</a> have seen them more times than we care to remember, and I know aloysius has seen at least one that he's been trying desperately to forget!
 
For a state with only three varieties of poisonous snakes, we do seem to come across a few when out caching in Tassie. We saw one on Sunday actually... I just got time to get a picture of it before it slithered off!...
 
My favourite snake story happened while sussing out a set of falls in Tassies midlands. Have a look <a href="http://teamtiges.aus.cc/mambo/index.php ... d=50">here for the full story</a>. The story starts on the 4th paragraph.

acts2youthgroup · Post by **acts2youthgroup** » 01 March 06 8:45 pm

I have had two close encounters while out caching, one the snake took a strike at me, this was at a cache called rumpletweezer in Melbourne, this snake had been seen several times at this spot; the snake in question was a copper head. And I had a close encounter up in Bennella with a tiger snake closest I have ever come to standing on one and the first time I have seen a tiger puff up its head.

And just last week my dogs were going nuts barking at something and when I looked out me bedroom window they were barking at a tiger snake.

I have grown up in the bush and they donÃ‚â€™t really bother me but I always look where I am putting my feet down.

shonkylogic · Post by **shonkylogic** » 01 March 06 9:47 pm

I have seen the occasional brown snake in SA, especially in the hills and Flinders Ranges, but two weeks ago a colleague and I came across a small one on a roadway on top of a bridge in the metropolitan area.

It skittled off the footpath and onto the roadway when it saw us approach, but was a bit agro at the cars going past, trying to strike them. The third car ran over its tail, which made it even more agro. It eventually slithered back towards the gutter, and dropped down a drainage hole to the riverbank below.

I'm always pretty wary of snakes and always wear covered shoes and usually long pants when caching.

We even have a cache here called Snakey Surprise!

embi · Post by **embi** » 01 March 06 11:50 pm

My log from February 25, 2003 at Cobblers

February 25, 2003 by embi (288 found)
This was the second cache I went to today. I'm not logging this as a find or non find as I ended up not doing it. I got within 10m of this cache and then just stood there for 5 mins not moving at all. The reason??? I was 30cm away from a snake who was in a strike position just waiting for me to move. I was stressing big time. I'd moved down the small incline quite quickly and heard a rustle. I stopped in time to see the snake. We had a stand off for a while each of us not knowing what to do. In the end I decided to take the initative and moved my knee. The snake back off. I took off like a rat down a drain pipe. I might leave this one for awhile before I go back. It put the wind up me.

Richary · Post by **Richary** » 02 March 06 12:12 am

Perhaps I've been lucky, but the only snakes I have seen here in SA while caching have been on the road driving between them. I have stories from the past in NSW though.

We used to live on a farm with a swamp down behind it. There were a few eastern browns and red bellied blacks down there, that used to like coming towards the house occasionally. I always found the shotgun a better option than the .22! Sometimes the cats used to bring baby browns in (still alive) to show us their new toy - and no, the shotgun wasn't used then.

During floods the only way into town was via rowboat. One trip a red bellied black that had taken refuge in a tree decided the boat looked like a better option and jumped into the water after us. Now this was an old heavy rowboat and I'm no Olympic rower but reckon I could have given them a run for their money. I had no idea if it could have jumped out of the water to join us but wasn't hanging around to find out.

The only other one was when my ex stepped over a yellow bellied black while bushwalking, I was following and stopped in time. Luckily it was just sunning itself on the path and not being aggressive at the time.

Post by **CraigRat** » 02 March 06 7:51 am

I've seen 3 Tiger snakes now while caching and numerous when not caching. I don't know if it's because there are more of them this year or if it's because I am actively looking out for them nowdays since nearly treading on the Copperhead that was near my front door........

Last one I saw was about 4 weeks ago at 'Just Missed the ARK' in Hobart where I saw a tiger about 1.5m away heading for cover.

I've noticed a few comments in other Tassie logs about them, so please take care!!!

I am looking forward to the upcoming colder weather so I can go back into the long grass with a bit more confidence!!

rhinogeo · Post by **rhinogeo** » 02 March 06 9:51 am

I was in front of the group on our first attempt on Catherine's Cradle when I stopped dead in my tracks after waking up a 2 metre brown snake who prior to our due our noisy progression down the ridge had been peacefully sleeping curled up on a log a was about to brush against

He watched us and we watched him for a couple of minutes before he decided that we weren't that interesting, and ever so casually, uncoiled himself and slid away

burdair_3 · Post by **burdair_3** » 02 March 06 10:51 am

Living in Queensland we are very aware that there is a strong chance we are going to encounter a snake or two whilst out geocaching. But so far on the whole we have been very lucky. (Touch wood

)
We have had two (although we were pretty sure it was the same snake)close encounters both occuring at a cache called Bundy Views. It was our first cache for the day and Mr burdair and burdair jnr were hot on the trail of the cache while I was a little bit behind them when I spotted a rather large snake slither by between them and me. I allowed the snake to continue on its way before moving and telling the guys about it. Of cause we then very carefully continued our search for the cache and eventually found it. Although we thought the snake was long gone we still had to walk back through the area the snake had headed. But it hadnt! Trying to stay out of the grass we made every effort to stand on the rocks on our way back and burdair jnr had just done this when he looked down only to spot the snake right next to his foot. He of cause froze then quickly grabbed hold of his pet bird who was sitting on his shoulder before letting out the biggest scream. The poor snake must have nearly had a heart attack because he was out of there in a flash and I might add that burdair jnrs heart was still pounding pretty fast by the time we got back to the car.
So we now watch every step we take if we have to walk through grass.

Map Monkey · Post by **Map Monkey** » 02 March 06 6:08 pm

"No snakes up here, the Crocs ate them all"
Anonymous Northerner

Geocaching is generally safe, as one makes so much noise, there is absolutely no chance of seeing a snake, or animal for that fact......though the tyre tracks straight to the cache makes it easier for newbies

Only one encounter so far when caching, in NSW:

Aaaaahhhhh....this cache was scarey. There are at least 2 Red-belly black snakes IN this tree, with one (about 6cm diameter) sliding about 20cm from my face when following the instructions to find the cache. It looks like this tree (if i have the right one) has decayed to the point of one branch falling off, and rotten throughout (great habitat for vermon). I could not hightail it out of the area quick enough, as my son was just 3 metres away playing happily while i was searching for at 10 minutes to no avail. The township is spectacular with every second house seeming to over 100 years old....well worth checking out. Agsmky

What out for snakes around Dubbo, especially near GeoSketch #2 Bunninyong, bloody ferocious things

Agsmky

GIN51E · Post by **GIN51E** » 02 March 06 10:24 pm

The house over the road had a 5ft red belly on their back porch eating a 4ft red belly

a very odd thing to see, i'm sure it wont need to eat anything for a long time

Damo. · Post by **Damo.** » 02 March 06 11:18 pm

I saw some quite large Red Bellied Black Snakes in Barringtons tops Near "Hounddog's Bone" and "Telegherry Tantaliser". Just sunning themselves on the road though.
While planting "Hell's Hole" there was a small Whip Snake nearby but they are pretty harmless and passive. I picked one up once thinking it was a green tree snake and put it in a bush. Thought it was odd how uncomfortable it looked up off the ground.

zactyl · Post by **zactyl** » 03 March 06 12:46 am

Damo. wrote: While planting "Hell's Hole" there was a small Whip Snake nearby but they are pretty harmless and passive.

And here he is