Snake Avoidance Techniques

[CampingfamCO]

So this might sound like a stupid thread, but man I almost had three heart attacks today riding the trails behind my house.

The first was for avoiding a small bull snake moving across the sand on the single track trail, the next was for coming around a corner not horribly fast at all, but almost hitting a deer, the last one was either a giant bull snake or rattle snake right on the edge of the trail.

The first snake sighting surprised me and got my heart rate going, the deer I’m pretty sure was more freaked out by me than I was him, but that was a surprise, the bull/rattle snake rattling I was on the verge of death internally and all I could think was do not fall and go fast!

So I’m curious what techniques everyone uses to avoid snakes on the trail? Im not worried about the deer and I’m pretty sure most of the bears behind me are just black bears so they should take off, but we’ll worry about them later. Do you just ride faster? Go slow so you are scanning like crazy making sure you avoid them, or don’t think about them and if you happen to run over one that’s just a risk you’ll take? Seriously looking for snake avoidance advice.

 

[Aussie78]

Snakes are a way of life down here in Australia if you are out on the MTB in summer.

We have a heap of deadly nope ropes here, but on average only two deaths a year due to awareness and access to anti venom.

Where I ride in summer I see on average 5 eastern brown snakes, a few tiger snakes and lots of red bellied black snakes.

All are venomous. All can kill.


The eastern browns are aggressive, loaded with deadly venom and if you’re inside their personal space, they will attack. Their personal space is a good 10-15 feet. I’ve seen a 2 foot long one move at 25miles an hour. Frightening.



The other two in my region you have to be stupid to get a bite, the tiger will strike if you or your wheel gets to within a few feet of them. The red bellied black snake won’t strike unless touched. I’ve had a front wheel 1 inch from a reds head and it just wanted to sink into the ground.

We ride with a setopress bandages in our packs. These are a bandage for snake bite with a printed pattern that when stretched to the right tension while applied to the limb, the rectangles turn square. It’s been found the biggest issue with bandages applied out in the wilderness is the correct amount of bandage tension to achieve the right amount of compression is often not achieved by anyone less then a trained paramedic.

Setopress | Mölnlycke

Lightweight high compression bandage

www.molnlycke.us

Sitting on the couch being a beer drinking couch slob is more dangerous then being out in the wilderness with a snake.

Best to know the snakes in your area that are a threat. The local vet will know what’s about as small animals will be getting bitten.

Learn about the snakes in your area, know their behaviours. Ours have a fairly narrow temperature window, reptiles can’t warm themselves and can’t cool themselves. On a 100f day you’ll never see a snake here unless you start turning over dead tree logs, then Darwin will have his way with you.

 

[nobbyq]

tha

Snakes are a way of life down here in Australia if you are out on the MTB in summer.

We have a heap of deadly nope ropes here, but on average only two deaths a year due to awareness and access to anti venom.

Where I ride in summer I see on average 5 eastern brown snakes, a few tiger snakes and lots of red bellied black snakes.

All are venomous. All can kill.


The eastern browns are aggressive, loaded with deadly venom and if you’re inside their personal space, they will attack. Their personal space is a good 10-15 feet. I’ve seen a 2 foot long one move at 25miles an hour. Frightening.



The other two in my region you have to be stupid to get a bite, the tiger will strike if you or your wheel gets to within a few feet of them. The red bellied black snake won’t strike unless touched. I’ve had a front wheel 1 inch from a reds head and it just wanted to sink into the ground.

We ride with a setopress bandages in our packs. These are a bandage for snake bite with a printed pattern that when stretched to the right tension while applied to the limb, the rectangles turn square. It’s been found the biggest issue with bandages applied out in the wilderness is the correct amount of bandage tension to achieve the right amount of compression is often not achieved by anyone less then a trained paramedic.

Setopress | Mölnlycke

Lightweight high compression bandage

www.molnlycke.us

Sitting on the couch being a beer drinking couch slob is more dangerous then being out in the wilderness with a snake.

Best to know the snakes in your area that are a threat. The local vet will know what’s about as small animals will be getting bitten.

Learn about the snakes in your area, know their behaviours. Ours have a fairly narrow temperature window, reptiles can’t warm themselves and can’t cool themselves. On a 100f day you’ll never see a snake here unless you start turning over dead tree logs, then Darwin will have his way with you.

and that ladies and gentlemen is one reason why i will never live in aus .......

 

[Tim1023]

My technique for avoiding snakes: I ride in Germany

 

[Pdoz]

Best avoidance technique is NOT being third in line. First rider wakes them up, second rider gets them angry, third rider had better be good at bunny hops..... I knew there was a reason for having 3 kids.

of red bellied black snakes.

All are venomous. All can kill.

There's only 2 parts of oz where we have red bellies that can kill - mckay and east gippsland , only gippsland gets cold enough that they are sluggish ?

I remember counting scales on a red belly , we got to the section that identified it was the venomous version just as the ID kit returned a result. Bloody hilarious watching a team that was expecting " just a red belly" switch to "life is about to get interesting" !

 

[Kingerz]

For a different perspective on Australia, I only saw two this year and one was in a wood pile at a campsite, which is about typical. This is in Victoria, where there are plenty of them. There are always tales of snakes getting caught up in wheels, but usually they avoid humans. They just don't have time to do anything when a bike comes along so high up. I agree with Aussie78 above though, and carry a snake bandage, which is useful anyway. I wear long pants (Ron Hill leggings or Decathalon) with shinpads and it's highly unlikely a snake could get any access to me below a metre up, although this is to prevent vegetation whipping. I'm more cautious at the car park or at a rest spot or camp site.

 

[steve_sordy]

I'm glad I didn't know any of this when I did my one day out mtb on my own in the Brisbane area in April this year.

 

[Tubby G]

I'm glad I didn't know any of this when I did my one day out mtb on my own in the Brisbane area in April this year.

We get adders at Dalby, and slo-worms, although not much of a threat really. It’s the goddam midgies that’ll be the end of me!

 

[steve_sordy]

We get adders at Dalby, and slo-worms, although not much of a threat really. It’s the goddam midgies that’ll be the end of me!

Jungle Formula Max Strength is designed to stop mosquitos in the tropics. It worked very well for me day or night in various places in the Caribbean, also Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. It works just as well for me on all other insects in the UK.
I believe that it also keeps adders away too, it must do as I have never been bitten by one, or even seen one!

Maximum Range - Products - Jungle Formula

See how Jungle Formula Maximum Range can protect you and your family from insect bites, especially in tropical destinations.

www.jungleformula.co.uk

 

[Nicho]

Seriously looking for snake avoidance advice.

Move to the UK.

 

[Aussie78]

Best avoidance technique is NOT being third in line. First rider wakes them up, second rider gets them angry, third rider had better be good at bunny hops..... I knew there was a reason for having 3 kids.




There's only 2 parts of oz where we have red bellies that can kill - mckay and east gippsland , only gippsland gets cold enough that they are sluggish ?

I remember counting scales on a red belly , we got to the section that identified it was the venomous version just as the ID kit returned a result. Bloody hilarious watching a team that was expecting " just a red belly" switch to "life is about to get interesting" !

I grew up in Nicholson on the river, 20 mins east of Bairnsdale. Watched a full grown bull die from a rbbs, did not know they were not as lethal in other parts, my grandfather and great grandfather always drummed into me they were just as lethal as the browns and tigers that were also everywhere on the farm. Both were living examples of Cooch from foot rot flats, and while running a beef farm, went out of their way to reduce impact and never once hurt a native species.


Googling doesn’t really reveal a whole lot. Counting the number of scales reveals they are not the one species?

A re-assessment of the taxonomy of the Red-bellied Black Snakes (Genus: Pseudechis) with the descriptions of two new subspecies.

 

[Pdoz]

I grew up in Nicholson on the river, 20 mins east of Bairnsdale. Watched a full grown bull die from a rbbs, did not know they were not as lethal in other parts, my grandfather and great grandfather always drummed into me they were just as lethal as the browns and tigers that were also everywhere on the farm. Both were living examples of Cooch from foot rot flats, and while running a beef farm, went out of their way to reduce impact and never once hurt a native species.


Googling doesn’t really reveal a whole lot. Counting the number of scales reveals they are not the one species?

A re-assessment of the taxonomy of the Red-bellied Black Snakes (Genus: Pseudechis) with the descriptions of two new subspecies.

Halfway between mt taylor and colgwhocanspellit - nice. ( I'm in maffra)

About 25 years ago the snake id swab kits were more complex so you had to call in a pathologist to run the test. As a back up, we had an old text book that we used to identify snakes - working through a flow chart with everything from head shape to number of scales between the eye and ear, geographical location etc. The dangerous red belly has an off set scale mid way between it's eye and ear , almost like a row of scales above and below but a misplaced scale in the middle of the line. ----o---- . Up until I saw that scale, I thought it was some weird ritual to get the new guy to handle the snake.....

Now, I'm NOT suggesting anyone gets up close and has a good look at the scales on a red belly...

 

[Richridesmtb]

I personally wouldn't suggest tigers aren't aggressive. The pricks will let you know if their not happy with you being in their territory. Browns are pricks and they're everywhere it seems. Rbbs are usually docile unless the person in front of you steps on one, then you'll get a good display, but you almost have to stick a finger in their mouth to get a bite because of their fang shape. Mulgas can bet testy at times when you come across them, but they're mostly happy to move away. I haven't had to deal with any coastal taipans yet, but I've heard they can get narky too.

My way of dealing with snakes is accept that they're around and be ready to deal with being bitten if you're unlucky.

 

[Pdoz]

Agree - and I'm far more worried about the one I don't see than the big log that moves across the track.

BTW, that toxinometry link sh1ts me off - take a look at his facebook page and he gas heaps of pictures where a snake is wrapped around his neck. Moron. Our local primary school invited a snake handler like him to come and show all his cute snakes to the kids....all very dramatic and " fun" untill one of those kids wanders out to the irrigational channel and tries it unsupervised

 

[Aussie78]

Halfway between mt taylor and colgwhocanspellit - nice. ( I'm in maffra)

About 25 years ago the snake id swab kits were more complex so you had to call in a pathologist to run the test. As a back up, we had an old text book that we used to identify snakes - working through a flow chart with everything from head shape to number of scales between the eye and ear, geographical location etc. The dangerous red belly has an off set scale mid way between it's eye and ear , almost like a row of scales above and below but a misplaced scale in the middle of the line. ----o---- . Up until I saw that scale, I thought it was some weird ritual to get the new guy to handle the snake.....

Now, I'm NOT suggesting anyone gets up close and has a good look at the scales on a red belly...

Nicholson is on the Princess Hwy between Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance.


Where lies this extra scale variant on the lethality scale?

 

[Pdoz]

Where lies this extra scale variant on the lethality scale?

On a smaller scale?

I've only seen one person with confirmed envenomation from it, and that was the Mackay version - he spent a few days in ICU then a couple of weeks on the general ward with stuffed kidneys. About the same outcome you get from a brown.

Nicholson is on the Princess Hwy between Bairnsdale and Lakes Entrance.

I know -Nicholson pie shop , hard to drive past!
I spent most of saturday just nth of bairnsdale @ mt taylor with my son , but personally I'd rather have been riding NW of Lakes at Colquhoun ( I can never spell that)

 

[2WheelsNot4]

The eastern browns are aggressive, loaded with deadly venom and if you’re inside their personal space, they will attack. Their personal space is a good 10-15 feet. I’ve seen a 2 foot long one move at 25miles an hour. Frightening.

That sounds like my Mum's cat, without the venom.
Mind you, i think the venom is in his attitude.

 

[RebornRider]

Best avoidance technique is NOT being third in line. First rider wakes them up, second rider gets them angry, third rider had better be good at bunny hops..... I knew there was a reason for having 3 kids.

This reminds me of the time I was riding a woodsy trail in the Denver metro area and I startled a skunk. I felt kinda bad for the guys behind me (chuckle).

 

[Lovely]

Move to Ireland.
St Patrick has got your back.

 

[MountainBoy]

I have a special bike I use for areas with venomous snakes:

Ha-ha, just kidding, I use the Pee Wee Herman Avoidance Technique:

 

[Rod B.]

I was riding down an access road in El Moro Canyon. I thought a hiker has lost a scarf which was laying across the road. The rabbit said he missed the memo on snake avoidance techniques.

Red Diamond Rattlesnake - Orange County Outdoors

Red diamond rattlesnakes in Orange County

www.orangecountyoutdoors.com

 

[Kiteboy]

Here in Florida we have Timber rattlers, Eastern Diamondbacks (big snakes!), Pygmy Rattlers and Water Moccasins. All are pretty common. Always look where you are stopping and don't stop next to dead logs or stumps. If you see one on the trail (I have twice) just keep riding. Snakes don't want trouble and if given a chance most will move off, except maybe a Water Moccasin/Cotton Mouth (very territorial and aggressive snake) Keep in mind, rattle snakes climb trees. Best keep an eye out on low branches as well.

I've seen Rattle Snakes swimming in the Gulf (yep, they swim) but not yet in a tree. Though my friend who is a landscaper has seen a number of them in trees.

 

[chrismechmaster]

Here in England I get fed up with constant rain and cold rubbish weather making me wish I lived somewhere hotter and drier
After Reading this thread I think I am happy to put up with the rubbish uk weather !!!!!

 

[steve_sordy]

How many things in the UK flora and fauna that can kill you?

An Adder can give you a nasty bite and, if you are already not well, may kill you.
A stag in rut will try to kill you if you disturb it and if it charges you and impales you.
A bull in a field of cows will have a bloody good go at killing you if you disturb him.
A herd of cows will trample you to death if you come between them and their calves.
The plant "Deadly Nightshade" will kill you if consumed in large enough quantities.
Some badly brought up and abused dogs will kill a child, may kill an adult, if they get in their way, or the dog escapes.

Barring accidents like falling trees or impalement on broken trees, that is about it.

I think that my chances of being killed by my wife is more likely (food poisoning, tripping me up, enthusiasm, bad driving....)

 

[Pdoz]

How many things in the UK flora and fauna that can kill you?

An Adder can give you a nasty bite and, if you are already not well, may kill you.
A stag in rut will try to kill you if you disturb it and if it charges you and impales you.
A bull in a field of cows will have a bloody good go at killing you if you disturb him.
A herd of cows will trample you to death if you come between them and their calves.
The plant "Deadly Nightshade" will kill you if consumed in large enough quantities.
Some badly brought up and abused dogs will kill a child, may kill an adult, if they get in their way, or the dog escapes.

Barring accidents like falling trees or impalement on broken trees, that is about it.

I think that my chances of being killed by my wife is more likely (food poisoning, tripping me up, enthusiasm, bad driving....)

Humans are fauna

 

[ShinySideUp]

Snakes, spiders, wife's bad cooking, all these things fade into insignificance when compared to living with gun-toting rednecks in the States. Their recent banning of abortions and the enhancing of the right to carry concealed weapons are two clever strategies brought in to ensure that there are enough school children to kill in mass shootings!

While the snakes in Australia might give me the creeps, they are not generally out to get me out of a warped sense of a failed childhood, neither are they on drugs. If I had to choose between the two countries, I'd probably go to Australia.

 

[Kiteboy]

Snakes, spiders, wife's bad cooking, all these things fade into insignificance when compared to living with gun-toting rednecks in the States. Their recent banning of abortions and the enhancing of the right to carry concealed weapons are two clever strategies brought in to ensure that there are enough school children to kill in mass shootings!

While the snakes in Australia might give me the creeps, they are not generally out to get me out of a warped sense of a failed childhood, neither are they on drugs. If I had to choose between the two countries, I'd probably go to Australia.

As a resident in the state of Florida (where pretty much everybody carries a gun) I can tell you I have yet to see a gun toting redneck looking to shoot people up on the trail. But since you mentioned it, I will keep an eye out. Man... I'm so glad someone brought up political issues here, I just wasn't thinking about it, but now I can sufficiently worry.

I hope they make shooting people against the law soon because trail riding is quickly becoming stressful with all the things I have to look out for!