Still nothing.......

[RandyRhoads]

Tack on at least another 5 miles to what i'm estimating around 40-50 miles of hiking through Arizona total, and no snakes. If I had not met and hung out with a cool old vet who told me tales of his snake encounters, and gave me a nice speckled rattlesnake skin to tan, I would believe snakes to be a myth here. Mmm even got an invite for a BBQ to eat the rattler tomorrow. I don't understand how I can't have found a single one. Everyone says they're everywhere, and this is the time of year they are really active.

I did find a nice adult desert iguana. And for the first time I found a diamondback shed in some rock outcroppings.... i'm getting clooossseerrr....:yes:

[Gungirl]

What time of day are you going out looking? Are you going on common trails that others use earlier in the day? Has is been hotter than normal? Many things will affect if you see snakes or not. Think about what you are doing and where you are going and switch it up a bit.

[RandyRhoads]

Oh I have. Yesterday I left around 6 and staid until 9. I've gone early mornings, latenights, dusk, different months of the year, different trails. The only thing I haven't had a chance to do is go out after a big rain.

[RandyRhoads]

Oh I have. Yesterday I left around 6 and staid until 9. I've gone early mornings, latenights, dusk, different months of the year, different trails. The only thing I haven't had a chance to do is go out after a big rain.


Edit: Mohave rattlesnake skin, not diamondback:sorry:

[*Don't Mind Me*]

Keep your back to the sun, that way you'll see their basking spots. Use binoculars to find them before they are scared away. And try the going out after a big rain idea.
Good luck :)

[Kingsnakechris]

I live in AZ lol I promise there are many kinds of snakes here. Where are you out here? Early mornings are the best bet for me, kings, coach whips, rattlers, just gotta be patient and look at EVERYTHING..

[RandyRhoads]

Another 5 miles during the day out by Oatman. I'm in Mohave. I'm going to try going out Silver Creek Rd. in Oatman late tonight and see if I can find any around the roads.

[Kingsnakechris]

Your pretty far from me lol. I'm in maricopa county, but yeah early mornings and sun down, try night cruising... You SHOULD see a few.......

[RandyRhoads]

Man i've gone out early morning, day time, dusk, and night time. Now i'm sticking to dusk-night. Tonight will be pure vehicle travel. If I don't see any after 30 or so miles of backroad travels tomorrow i'll go back to dusk hiking.

[RandyRhoads]

SERIOUSLY. I must have the worst luck ever! After another looong night of field herping , miles and miles of hiking, I head to my truck and start going towards home. A truck is coming from the distance, as they pull up they stop and ask how it's going. After a little bs'n I told them I was looking for snakes and haven't been able to find a single one. Apparently they had just seen a sidewinder on the road a few minutes up I was about to travel on. They pulled out their cell phone and showed me a video of it laying on the road and then sidewinding off after a while. THIS IS RIDICULOUS HAHAHA. WHEN WHEN WHEN??

[Kingsnakechris]

Haha man that's ***** luck, it happens though. The biggest rattler I've ever seen was held up under an old sign about a half foot into an old rodent hole.. You really have to look EVERY WHERE, mid day can be good but dont leave a stone un turned....

[RandyRhoads]

Ok so i'm not wasting my time going out in the afternoon flipping boards, looking in trash piles and in rock crevices? Or would I be better off saving my energy for a 7-12 hunt?

[MoreliAddict]

If all you're doing is looking for snakes, you're covering wayyyy too much ground. The key is to be thorough. You've certainly walked past a bunch of snakes within those 5 miles, especially if you're finding sheds lol

[RandyRhoads]

I only found one shed out of all my trips. I went back and thoroughly searched where the Mojave shed was foung. Well, how thorough can you be in rocky outcropping, short of a jackhammer? I'm not going to mess up nature tearing everything apart, but I did look in and udner as much as I could.

According to Wiki there is approximately one Sidewinder per hectare in the habbitat. If so they must all be laying low not rattling as I criss cross back and forth.

I'm starting to think this is an Arizona joke you guys play on new people:crazy2::crazy2::crazy2: Ohhh yeaaah ....We have snakes everywhere!:mad:

[MoreliAddict]

Just saying though, if you spent the time it took to travel 5 miles all within 1 mile just to be thorough, who knows!

It's also a matter of luck too...

[RandyRhoads]

Well. Dagnabbit now I have that itch. I'm going back out now. Hopefully i'm not wasting my time during the 115 degree heat.
C'mon monsoon...bring um out for me, just don't wash me away :D

Chris - Do you think daytime is a waste? While looking for sidewinders/ Mojaves should I still to rocky mountains areas or wide flat areas?

[Gungirl]

I have a friend that went to AZ on a 2 week vacation. When she got home she showed me pictures of the snakes she saw. They where not even looking for them and she must have seen 20 or so. Now when I was there for 2 days I saw 3-4 if I remember right. I would say you have horrible luck.... Hope you get better luck soon.

[Kingsnakechris]

Well. Dagnabbit now I have that itch. I'm going back out now. Hopefully i'm not wasting my time during the 115 degree heat.
C'mon monsoon...bring um out for me, just don't wash me away :D

Chris - Do you think daytime is a waste? While looking for sidewinders/ Mojaves should I still to rocky mountains areas or wide flat areas?

The flash floods are no joke man, it could be raining miles away and one of the canals or wash ways can and usually do fill up fast! Keep safe man, that being said, keep to the 7-12 and rocky areas with lots of trees and junk to hide under, look at finding these guys like looking for I.E.D's, hours n hours of nothing but you KNOW it's there. Also a little digging in those abandoned rodent holes under trees could be a good idea. Good luck man, stay hydrated!

[RandyRhoads]

Thanks Chris!

I couldn't help the urge so I went out but the only thing dumb enough to be out in this heat was me haha... Tonight i'm going up to Kingman to see a friend who says he knows the hot spots, hopefully this is the night.

[RandyRhoads]

Ahh bummer...last grandparent just died while I was out.:sad:

[Kingsnakechris]

Sorry to hear that bro, good luck with everything.

[Kingsnakechris]

Kingman is good, there's a variety there for sure. I don't know the area very well but good luck to you!

[RandyRhoads]

AGGGGHHH!!! 100 miles of backroad driving tonight and not a thing!!! I'm going out my usual path one more time tonight. This is becoming one expensive snake.......... The hiking I don't mind...but the gas....

[Roadtrash]

If you know where some old mine shafts are check the first 30 feet or so on the really hot days, that always works for me. At least for rattlesnake not as good for other species. Other wise shortly after sundown along the roads. Look along the roads around the farming areas and you will find more than deeper in the desert. There is more food there in the way of mice, etc. AZ does have a lot of snakes you just have to be in the right place at the right time.

[RandyRhoads]

Well I just drove out miles upon miles on gravel roads out to the mountains. Did a bit of night time hiking with a maglight. Nothing. I don't understand it. They have an amazing food source all around where i'm at there are tons or chipmunks and cottontails. There are plenty of burrows to hide in. Plenty of shrubs for cover. I really must just have the worst luck ever. I saw coyote, scorpion, jackrabbit, cottontail, and beetles tonight. It's a full moon. It's overcast. Everythings coming out. Still no snakes. If I could at least SEE one, even if it got away, I would feel it's worth it to continue draggin myself around the desert all night to come home empty handed and go to bed coated in dirt and dust, only to wake up and do it again. I wasn't expecting to catch a couple or even one every night, but this is ridiculous. Meanwhile random people keep seeing them, even in the same place i'm searching high and low in. I bought a hunting license for this... I might as well start going after the rabbits and coyotes.

It would probablly be a lot cheaper to just buy a sidewinder/mojave...but that seems like cheating.

[Kingsnakechris]

Lol coyotes are great targets... There was a bounty on them for the longest time, don't remember how much it was but it was nice, I'm sure you'll come across at least one. Ive never had this bad of luck bro...

[Roadtrash]

It's raining today in the desert so this might be the day to go out and look. Only supposed to get to about 94 and with the cloud cover it should be a good day. Just watch out for the flash floods if the rain gets a little hard.

[Kingsnakechris]

It's raining today in the desert so this might be the day to go out and look. Only supposed to get to about 94 and with the cloud cover it should be a good day. Just watch out for the flash floods if the rain gets a little hard.

Today should be great! I agree, watch out for flooding man. Like I said it could be dry as hell where you are but these wash ways out here go on for miles and miles and fill up in an instant. Good luck on your hunt bro!

[RandyRhoads]

Thanks guys. And i'm off ....

[RandyRhoads]

I thought with it not having rained in such a long time, that today with all the rain was a sure thing. I checked 30 feet into an old mine. That was about as far as I felt comfortable going. Time to start round two for the day...

[Roadtrash]

The mines are best checked on the hot days they go in to get out of the sun. Today they should have been out and about.

[Kingsnakechris]

How long are you planning on staying out in az? If your gonna be around for a few more days I could show you around maricopa and ACTUALLY find you some badddddd *** rattlers. I've gone all over az feld herping but the snakes that I see out my way are stunning! Great patterns, they really aren't to aggressive down here either (they are still rattle snakes tho) I think I posted one of the pics I took last time I went out on the field herping thread. He was a BIG boy too.. Thick as a tennis ball and about as long as I am lol check it out, those are the average finds out here for me...

[Kingsnakechris]

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/field-herping/91864-good-time.html

^^^
Here's the link with the pic of the WDB I found. He was pretty pist off because I flipped up an old sofa with an old 2x4 (the sofa was gutted) and I saw the tail end of him heading into an old rodent hole, I grabbed my snake hook and dug him up gently. I picked up the 2x4 to show a comparison of how thick he was and he struck at it a few times before he finally nailed it.. Venom was running Down the side of the 2x4 two solid lines and it rain about 6 or 7 inches down the board.... Would have been a nasty day lol

[RandyRhoads]

Beautiful pic. Unfortunately i'm leaving. I come here a lot, but Maricopa is about a 5 hour drive from here.

[Kingsnakechris]

Thanks, yeah finding a big pissed off WDB is always a thrill. Well if you ever find yourself headed back out here let me know, maybe we can set somthin up, I'm always down to show a fellow veteran a few good herp spots... Particularly the white tank mountains.. Desert, rocky, brushy it's home to a few different species of snake. I've found ALOT of kings out there but considering how many rattlesnakes there are I'm not surprised lol. I'm free pretty much all the time bro until I get my back fixed. Feel free to pm me next time your headed out this way,

Chris