I never have been a snake person, I will admit I use to think the only good snake was a dead one. But after several videos and documentaries on these amazing animals I have come to appreciate them and respect what they do. I even have a favorite the eastern hog nose. So I appreciate your passion and what you do to bring this information to use and educate us uneducated folks on theses animals place in the world.
Katherine thanks for your candid response. Although I would expect snake enthusiasts to appreciate some of my work, what matters to me more is when it has a an enlightening impact on folks like you! Someone doesn't have to like snakes, spiders, sharks, etc., but can learn to appreciate their importance in the wider ecosystem, one of which our own species is intrinsically part of. Hognose are my favorite as well, such peculiar fascinating animals.
The end part of the video made my heart absolutely break. Thank you for exposing and spreading information, especially when it's not very friendly looking. I really hope there is a big change that comes to these ignorant events.
Thanks for watching it through. It may take awhile for attitudes to change in parts of this country, but if sweeping social changes can occur, from ending slavery to gay marriage being legal from coast to coast, in only a few generations, a little education can go a long way.... pointing out that abusing a wild animal/resource will have deleterious consequences for us in the long run.
Living in north central/north east PA it has been hard to find good factual information on timber rattlesnakes in my region. I am so very glad I found this video and learned so much! Excellent content!!
Not only is the information invaluable, but the quality of the footage and the overall production quality is amazing! Thank you for sharing this here on YT.
Thank you Tom once again for your interest and support! I put a lot of work into this production and I hope it ultimately helps in future awareness and conservation of rattlesnakes.
Wonderful documentary - I learned so much about these well hidden treasures. My experience with snakes was mostly unpleasant, especially when a large Black Rat Snake slid up within a few feet behind me while I was sitting cross legged photographing a bird. The surprise and terror caused me to bolt upright and into the air in a single, superhuman motion sending my camera and tripod flying. Your work provides incredible insight into the lives of snakes, and will hopefully turn fear or hatred into respect and admiration for these beautiful creatures. I know I'd love to encounter any of those you covered in my travels through the Connecticut woods. Thank you.
Thank you Bob! You are exactly who I am trying to reach out to! We fear what we don't understand, whatever that might be and most people loathe snakes, not to mention that some research indicates that it is an innate evolutionary fear, so as you can imagine it is a steep uphill climb to convince folks that snakes, play a vital role in the ecosystem and that even venomous species pose little risk to humans, compared to the other myriad of risks we face in nature or driving on the road, or for that matter, going on a blind date lol. Keep enjoying nature and for the record I have had snakes startle me on occasion!
mark what a great video this was rattlesnakes are my favorite snake to watch I sure did learn about what they do during the summer thanks for making this video I enjoyed it a lot 👍
Mark, that was outstanding! I was so excited when I noticed you had finally finished this video. Just watched it on the big screen! Thanks so much for sharing this, I learned a lot. Now I want to see my first timber Rattlesnake even more!
Thanks for spending the time to watch it and I am pleased it left a positive impression. Good luck on your timber rattlesnake quest! Spring is nearly here!
Phenomenal work thats produced both an educational and ecological understanding of a snake often misunderstood. The ending was particularly interesting, as I feel while there is much work to be done in dispelling myths, there is hope when I see your videos. Not resorting to sensation as entertainment requires vision when dealing with snakes, and by doing so you benefit the snake as much as yourself. Bravo.
Such a humbling compliment and one that really hones in on what I was trying to accomplish with this production, but admittedly during the long process of editing, so tedious at times I wasn't sure if the balance I was trying to achieve...namely educational, not sensational, but somehow still worthy and entertaining was even attainable, but in the end I felt I did my best and I hope this docu kicks around for awhile, perhaps even after I am gone and serves some notable purpose educating those folks that loathe snakes but have open, inquisitive minds.
@@lotterhand I find that in the process of video making one builds up a library of shots, like cards, that can be reshuffled in order to achieve a series of possibilities. I feel at the moment I have just dabbled in video but feel its strong pull. As for sensational versus entertaining/educational, the audience of UA-cam is growing: nature, even snakes, is not about just venom and danger, it can be about their interesting differences and beauty, and there are people, plenty who appreciate both.
How does this have so few views, it deserves waaay more! I found your channel trough Dan the Turtle Man, he linked your turtle video and I've been hooked since lol
Thanks for the vote of confidence! Dan the Turtle Man is awesome, he produces such entertaining and informative content and I am so so grateful he has recently shared a couple of my videos!
@@lotterhand pa definitely regulates the season. Only males 42” or longer can be kept. I simply observe and handle anything big and release. In fact the rattlesnake roundups in pa are all catch and release. They get painted and taken back to the catch location so they can continue to live. They’re very interesting and highly misunderstood animals. I often times observe the same snakes hunt after hunt. Keep doing your thing man, I enjoy your content
Mark, awesome job and great video as always, if you are ever in the keystone state and want to visit some of our dens let me know. You are a great advocate for the species and thank you for your work
Thank you Rob! Sweetwater is unnerving but I thought It was important to present in this video to illustrate the attitudes millions of people still harbor in the country.
Thanks so much for your support . Congrats on your first timber! Encountering my first horridus was one of the best moments I have ever had out in the field!
This is an incredibly well done video, great footage, voice over, b roll, information, no shockers there as that’s all mark lotterhand videos. I really enjoyed this film, and I am more than excited to go visit some mountain tops. Have you ever considered doing this with other species like copperheads? I think with how great this film came out, you would have great success with other species. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing what you put out this spring and summer
Thank you Riley, I am bolstered by your compliments! Yes I have considered an equally comprehensive video for copperheads and I have captured a decent amount of footage over the last few years, but do to their more secretive nature I don't have their complete life history...yet. Cold and snowy here today, but spring is around the corner. Happy herping...Thanks again!
Thank you. Yes to both! Last year was my first time doing so and I was pleasantly surprised what was captured. I plan on setting up trail cams at dens and basking sites from now on. In addition to the snakes feeding, I want to capture any predation or predation attempts on the snakes. Over the summer on FB someone posted a red-tailed hawk dispatching a timber neonate using a trail cam. I have always thought that raptors are horridus top wild predators, at least for young animals. Hopefully in the coming years, the trail cams will revel a lot more about this reptile and its interactions with other wildlife.
@@lotterhand awesome. sounds like you might get some really awesome footage. I tried buying one (twice) last year, but had difficulties with customs and import regulations. Do you have issues with sunlight and wind triggering it?
Love this documentation. 😍 Thank you for the beautiful and adorable snakes in your pictures. Do'nt like the round ups.... sorry, but these peope are'nt any longer humans for me.... God has many faces.... we must not love all of them, but we have to respekt them.... Greetings from Germany from a great rattlesnake fan 🤗
Mark, your videos are really amazing! Actually that is an understatement! They are so well done and thought out. I really appreciate your knowledge and all the time you put in to these videos.
Thank you for spending the time to watch the production! It did involve some tedious editing and research, but it was worth the effort when folks like you appreciate why producing such videos should be important. Thanks again!
I couldn’t help but rewatch this video when it showed up in my recommended section, being that I found my first Timbers of the year recently, I was in a rattlesnake sort of mood. Rewatching this film (which I still adore how well it was made) left me with some more detailed questions, like how do you find the hibernaculums? Do you wander appropriate habitat and happen to find them, or is it something more sophisticated than that? And also, how much lower down the mountains will they be from basking sites? I always assumed that they were as close to the top as possible, but exploring the area of my timber rattlesnake site I don’t seem to find the best hibernaculum structure, or at least what I think would be the best hibernaculum structure. And as for the age of the hibernaculum, I know some came be hundreds of years old, but how new can the be? Like if a rock face falls and creates new crevices, will they use it as a hibernaculum? Anyways, I solemnly enjoy this video, I think it is the best educational timber rattlesnake video on the internet. As always, well done on the amazing film and footage.
Thanks Riley. A reliable method I use to locate hibernacula is searching lower down a mountain/ridge birthing rookeries. Some dens are hundreds of feet from rookeries, and a couple hundred feet lower in elevation, which can encompass a huge swath of a mountain side. It sometimes can take years to find a den, even after familiarizing yourself with a healthy birthing rookery.
Humans have a tendency to apply human personality traits to animals. This can be useful in conservation efforts but can also be harmful. When people look at rattlesnakes, they see an “aggressive” face, “crafty” unblinking eyes, and “sadistic” fangs. The truth is of course that animals rarely have desires other than to sustain themselves. Even then, they’re not even self-aware. This is why careful observation of nature is so important for the public to be apart of. Reality is so much larger than people assume.
*Very proud Texan, & I find the Sweetwater rattlesnake roundup truly vile & sick, it needs to be stopped because these snakes are controlling the rodent population & the rodent population will only grow after this smh, thank you for the video & keep on loving these beautiful creatures!*
Thank you for your response! I have visited Texas several times and I consider it one of the most beautiful states in the country with Big Bend NP as one of my top three favorite national parks I have had the opportunity to explore in the West! And I must admit that folks from west Texas including Sweetwater exude southern hospitality, but unfortunately there is an exaggerated hatred of snakes that is passed down through the generations. Such unwarranted loathing for some wild animals in this country is nothing new and is far from unique regarding the Lone Star State. During our grandparents generation the federal government was bent on destroying all wolves, coyotes, mountain lions etc...including in National Parks. Now of course we realize how important these predators are to a healthy ecosystem and that human hunting of their ungulate prey can't fill that complex role. Rattlesnake roundups, which are not associated with sustainable hunting practices in the long run are attitude throwbacks to the 19th/early 20th century....i.e., rattlesnakes are in the way of human settlement, killing them offers monetary gain, and most important...no matter how many are dispatched their numbers will never really diminished. I can't help but think of one of the most shocking stats in our recent past - 3, 000,000,000 to 0....that is the number of passenger pigeons in the early 1800's compared to the beginning of the 20th when they were erased from the face of the planet. And then there was the heath hen, Carolina parakeet, Steller's sea cow, ivory-billed woodpecker, and almost the symbol the of west, the American bison that in just one century their population was decimated to just a few hundred animals out of tens of millions. So we know what unregulated hunting and outdated unscientific attitudes are occurring at these roundups, but is a challenge to dislodge engrained centuries-old attitude.
A great informative video, well done.. Yes I hate those damn Roundups, and have been working for about 5 years or so , to end them.. They are horrible.. I think every reptile channel should give a brief mention of the atrocities done at these events.. I go to many places, pet shops, vets, schools, zoos, handing out flyers and information. Most people have never even heard of Roundups, some thought it was a joke.. The word needs to be spread. Those poor snakes, nothing more than animal cruelty, for the sake of profit..
Thanks Frank for your input and support! I commend you for your efforts and perhaps we can brainstorm to help end, or at least phase out the roundups and I couldn't agree more, if you live in the US and are a reptile enthusiasts, rattlesnake roundups should be at the forefront of their minds. I even suggest that many should attend the roundups to witness not the slaughter, but the people who attend, which as in the case of Sweetwater, are families with kids. That is the crux of the problem, a younger generation being exposed to disinformation and fear of native wildlife vital to ecosystem. Thanks again for being on the right side of history....
I don't like snakes, but I do respect their space on this planet and I have lived in areas highly populated by them rattlesnakes . I am just grateful they have rattler to warn me. I think the roundups should be illegal it is just a sad thing that humans feel the need to do such a vulgar practice.
Thanks for your reply. I accept the fact that most people don't like snakes, especially venomous species, but like you, I wish more respected their ecological significance.
Swear to God let me catch someone trying to "round up" rattlesnakes one day. They shouldn't be afraid of rattlesnakes but I'll show them what they should be afraid of. Fake ass wannabe cowboys
Wannabe cowboys does sum up a lot of what I witnessed at the Sweetwater Roundup. Worst aspect however, was that nearly have the attendees were kids with their parents. That's the crux of the problem, the ignorance and unwarranted fear being passed down to future generations.
I appreciate how you distinguished between hunters and people like them rattlesnake roundup clowns. I'm not a big snake guy.. and I have killed snakes on my property in the immediate vicinity of my house.. I have small animals, kids, and some stock. That's my personal decision, and I've seen what they do all the stuff I mentioned above. But I leave all animals, including snakes alone, if they don't present an immediate threat to me or my property.. I've found that a few cats around,.keeps most all snakes away.. in 20 years I've probably killed 4 rattlesnakes out of the hundreds I've seen on my property. I would not STAND for somebody coming onto property within my control, to eliminate anything.. rattlesnake roundups aren't hunting. They aren't about safety, they aren't about population control. They are about exploiting a natural resource for profit.. rattlesnake meat, and skins fetch a big profit .. and that's what its all about to them .. Hunters do not exploit natural resources. Poachers do. And real hunters take great pride in the conservation of wildlife. White tail deer hunters for example, take huge pride in maintaining a healthy herd, and overall population. And place strict limits on what can and can't be taken , and how much or how little can be taken. I'd have no problem with rattlesnake hunting, if done in a traditional way. But gassing a snake den, capturing thousands of snakes , whole generations ,, is unacceptable and can never be considered legitimate hunting or conservation .
Thanks for your insight. You basically sum up a pragmatic view that I wish more folks embraced. And I really do believe that most hunters care more about the environment and its wildlife resources in a tangible, personal way compared to most other folks. As you have indicated, it's respecting the natural resource that is being harvested, and could include rattlesnakes as well, but unfortunately the roundups disrespect this native resource on a colossal scale. I really appreciate your response. So many people think this issue is related to anti-hunting, anti-guns, or not respecting a landowners right to dispose of an occasional non-threatened venomous snake (i.e., politics as usual) but it is about the bigger picture, one of which history has taught us numerous times. Ignorance and fear regarding the natural world has overall been deleterious for own species.
Hey man...I actually like Texas. One of my favorite national parks is Big Bend and the southern hospitality is refreshing, Dallas Zoo unmatched. I am not really a big sports fan so nothing pro or con to add on that score (no pun intended). Every political stripe, region, state, or city has its black mark and I would argue that Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup (and others) with regards to hunting ethics is a black mark for Texas, Massachusetts...our country and more specifically the vast majority of the hunting community that respects the resource they are harvesting.
I never have been a snake person, I will admit I use to think the only good snake was a dead one.
But after several videos and documentaries on these amazing animals I have come to appreciate them and respect what they do.
I even have a favorite the eastern hog nose.
So I appreciate your passion and what you do to bring this information to use and educate us uneducated folks on theses animals place in the world.
Katherine thanks for your candid response. Although I would expect snake enthusiasts to appreciate some of my work, what matters to me more is when it has a an enlightening impact on folks like you! Someone doesn't have to like snakes, spiders, sharks, etc., but can learn to appreciate their importance in the wider ecosystem, one of which our own species is intrinsically part of. Hognose are my favorite as well, such peculiar fascinating animals.
Very informative documentary! Crotalus Horridus is one of my favorite crotalids. I was fortunate to encounter two Hoosier Timber Rattlesnakes in 2015.
Thank you and congrats on finding horridus in John Mellencamp's home state! I would love to see my favorite species in its western range!
Timbers are the prettiest rattlesnakes in North America. I love em'. This was a very good documentary.
I couldn't agree more! Thank you!
The end part of the video made my heart absolutely break. Thank you for exposing and spreading information, especially when it's not very friendly looking. I really hope there is a big change that comes to these ignorant events.
Thanks for watching it through. It may take awhile for attitudes to change in parts of this country, but if sweeping social changes can occur, from ending slavery to gay marriage being legal from coast to coast, in only a few generations, a little education can go a long way.... pointing out that abusing a wild animal/resource will have deleterious consequences for us in the long run.
Living in north central/north east PA it has been hard to find good factual information on timber rattlesnakes in my region. I am so very glad I found this video and learned so much! Excellent content!!
Thank you Jamie! I am glad that I was able to share some of my horridus observations with folks like you that might appreciate them.
What a fantastic documentary on a beautiful animal the Timber Rattle Snake.
Thank you!
Not only is the information invaluable, but the quality of the footage and the overall production quality is amazing! Thank you for sharing this here on YT.
Thank you Tom once again for your interest and support! I put a lot of work into this production and I hope it ultimately helps in future awareness and conservation of rattlesnakes.
Oh ,I to am looking forward to spring to see what comes out of the den sites near me
Wonderful documentary - I learned so much about these well hidden treasures. My experience with snakes was mostly unpleasant, especially when a large Black Rat Snake slid up within a few feet behind me while I was sitting cross legged photographing a bird. The surprise and terror caused me to bolt upright and into the air in a single, superhuman motion sending my camera and tripod flying. Your work provides incredible insight into the lives of snakes, and will hopefully turn fear or hatred into respect and admiration for these beautiful creatures. I know I'd love to encounter any of those you covered in my travels through the Connecticut woods. Thank you.
Thank you Bob! You are exactly who I am trying to reach out to! We fear what we don't understand, whatever that might be and most people loathe snakes, not to mention that some research indicates that it is an innate evolutionary fear, so as you can imagine it is a steep uphill climb to convince folks that snakes, play a vital role in the ecosystem and that even venomous species pose little risk to humans, compared to the other myriad of risks we face in nature or driving on the road, or for that matter, going on a blind date lol. Keep enjoying nature and for the record I have had snakes startle me on occasion!
Amazing footage, very well done!
Thank you Garrett!
Super cool documentry. A very much knowledgeable doc. Thank you sir.
I appreciate it and thanks for spending the time to watch it!
Great Video Mark. I concur with everything you said in this video.
Thank you!
mark what a great video this was rattlesnakes are my favorite snake to watch I sure did learn about what they do during the summer thanks for making this video I enjoyed it a lot 👍
I am glad you enjoyed it, hopefully as much as I did putting it all together.
@@lotterhand hi mark I liked the video very much all of your videos are amazing 👍
Very well put together videos!
Thank you very much!
Very nicely done, Mark !!
Many thanks!
Nicely done. Hopefully this year you catch a feeding sequence.
Thanks Mike, I am hoping as well and any predation attempt on the snakes.
As always thanks for taking us along with you !
My pleasure, thank you!
Mark, that was outstanding! I was so excited when I noticed you had finally finished this video. Just watched it on the big screen! Thanks so much for sharing this, I learned a lot. Now I want to see my first timber Rattlesnake even more!
Thanks for spending the time to watch it and I am pleased it left a positive impression. Good luck on your timber rattlesnake quest! Spring is nearly here!
Phenomenal work thats produced both an educational and ecological understanding of a snake often misunderstood. The ending was particularly interesting, as I feel while there is much work to be done in dispelling myths, there is hope when I see your videos. Not resorting to sensation as entertainment requires vision when dealing with snakes, and by doing so you benefit the snake as much as yourself. Bravo.
Such a humbling compliment and one that really hones in on what I was trying to accomplish with this production, but admittedly during the long process of editing, so tedious at times I wasn't sure if the balance I was trying to achieve...namely educational, not sensational, but somehow still worthy and entertaining was even attainable, but in the end I felt I did my best and I hope this docu kicks around for awhile, perhaps even after I am gone and serves some notable purpose educating those folks that loathe snakes but have open, inquisitive minds.
@@lotterhand I find that in the process of video making one builds up a library of shots, like cards, that can be reshuffled in order to achieve a series of possibilities. I feel at the moment I have just dabbled in video but feel its strong pull. As for sensational versus entertaining/educational, the audience of UA-cam is growing: nature, even snakes, is not about just venom and danger, it can be about their interesting differences and beauty, and there are people, plenty who appreciate both.
Absolutely fantastic!
Many thanks!
Thank your mark! It is nice to follow these beautiful animals, all year round, through your spectacular images!
Thank you! I am looking forward to more of your berus encounters !
Another great documentary Mark!!
Thanks again!
How does this have so few views, it deserves waaay more! I found your channel trough Dan the Turtle Man, he linked your turtle video and I've been hooked since lol
Thanks for the vote of confidence! Dan the Turtle Man is awesome, he produces such entertaining and informative content and I am so so grateful he has recently shared a couple of my videos!
SPOT ON,, GREAT VIDEO,, AWESOME CREATURE
Thank you Kevin!
Excellent!!
Many thanks!
How does this only have 8k views.. everything about this is stunning
Thank you!! I am humbled.
You make awesome videos Mark!
I appreciate that!
Love your rattlesnake content! Helps me as a rattlesnake hunter here in pa.
I have no major issues with the hunting of rattlesnakes as a natural resource as long as it is regulated and monitored by snake biologists
@@lotterhand pa definitely regulates the season. Only males 42” or longer can be kept. I simply observe and handle anything big and release. In fact the rattlesnake roundups in pa are all catch and release. They get painted and taken back to the catch location so they can continue to live. They’re very interesting and highly misunderstood animals. I often times observe the same snakes hunt after hunt. Keep doing your thing man, I enjoy your content
@@DH20056 Thanks Dale! Hopefully, someday the western roundups will adopt PA approach to hunting rattlesnakes.
That was brilliant, thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Mark, awesome job and great video as always, if you are ever in the keystone state and want to visit some of our dens let me know. You are a great advocate for the species and thank you for your work
Thanks for the support!! I have yet to observe horridus in PA and may take you up on your offer. Thank again.
Awesome Topic
Very very nice !!
Thank you very much!
Well done! Incredibly filmed and informative!
Thank you for the vote of confidence!
Awesome video Mark. Super informative and quite disheartening to learn of the Sweetwater round up event. Keeping making great content!
Thank you Rob! Sweetwater is unnerving but I thought It was important to present in this video to illustrate the attitudes millions of people still harbor in the country.
Amazing content , my new favorite channel! I live in Hamburg Pa anne just saw my first timber rattlesnake and Jim Thorpe !
Thanks so much for your support . Congrats on your first timber! Encountering my first horridus was one of the best moments I have ever had out in the field!
Love the timber
This is an incredibly well done video, great footage, voice over, b roll, information, no shockers there as that’s all mark lotterhand videos. I really enjoyed this film, and I am more than excited to go visit some mountain tops. Have you ever considered doing this with other species like copperheads? I think with how great this film came out, you would have great success with other species. Keep up the good work and I look forward to seeing what you put out this spring and summer
Thank you Riley, I am bolstered by your compliments! Yes I have considered an equally comprehensive video for copperheads and I have captured a decent amount of footage over the last few years, but do to their more secretive nature I don't have their complete life history...yet. Cold and snowy here today, but spring is around the corner. Happy herping...Thanks again!
Awesome content man! A great look into the life of a secretive animal!
Thanks Peter! It was a worthwhile project.
Love it!
Thanks!!
Very nice little doco. That trail cam footage is interesting. Did you set them up in the hope of filming some interactions with mammals, or feeding?
Thank you. Yes to both! Last year was my first time doing so and I was pleasantly surprised what was captured. I plan on setting up trail cams at dens and basking sites from now on. In addition to the snakes feeding, I want to capture any predation or predation attempts on the snakes. Over the summer on FB someone posted a red-tailed hawk dispatching a timber neonate using a trail cam. I have always thought that raptors are horridus top wild predators, at least for young animals. Hopefully in the coming years, the trail cams will revel a lot more about this reptile and its interactions with other wildlife.
@@lotterhand awesome. sounds like you might get some really awesome footage. I tried buying one (twice) last year, but had difficulties with customs and import regulations. Do you have issues with sunlight and wind triggering it?
Such vicious animals. Glad we have roundups. We need more
Idiot. Aren’t you the guy who claimed to be mick foleys dad on another video?
Love this documentation. 😍
Thank you for the beautiful and adorable snakes in your pictures.
Do'nt like the round ups.... sorry, but these peope are'nt any longer humans for me....
God has many faces.... we must not love all of them, but we have to respekt them....
Greetings from Germany from a great rattlesnake fan 🤗
Thank you very much!
Mark, your videos are really amazing! Actually that is an understatement! They are so well done and thought out. I really appreciate your knowledge and all the time you put in to these videos.
Thank you for spending the time to watch the production! It did involve some tedious editing and research, but it was worth the effort when folks like you appreciate why producing such videos should be important. Thanks again!
Love this ❤!
Thank you Mike!
I couldn’t help but rewatch this video when it showed up in my recommended section, being that I found my first Timbers of the year recently, I was in a rattlesnake sort of mood. Rewatching this film (which I still adore how well it was made) left me with some more detailed questions, like how do you find the hibernaculums? Do you wander appropriate habitat and happen to find them, or is it something more sophisticated than that? And also, how much lower down the mountains will they be from basking sites? I always assumed that they were as close to the top as possible, but exploring the area of my timber rattlesnake site I don’t seem to find the best hibernaculum structure, or at least what I think would be the best hibernaculum structure. And as for the age of the hibernaculum, I know some came be hundreds of years old, but how new can the be? Like if a rock face falls and creates new crevices, will they use it as a hibernaculum? Anyways, I solemnly enjoy this video, I think it is the best educational timber rattlesnake video on the internet. As always, well done on the amazing film and footage.
Thanks Riley. A reliable method I use to locate hibernacula is searching lower down a mountain/ridge birthing rookeries. Some dens are hundreds of feet from rookeries, and a couple hundred feet lower in elevation, which can encompass a huge swath of a mountain side. It sometimes can take years to find a den, even after familiarizing yourself with a healthy birthing rookery.
Humans have a tendency to apply human personality traits to animals. This can be useful in conservation efforts but can also be harmful. When people look at rattlesnakes, they see an “aggressive” face, “crafty” unblinking eyes, and “sadistic” fangs. The truth is of course that animals rarely have desires other than to sustain themselves. Even then, they’re not even self-aware. This is why careful observation of nature is so important for the public to be apart of. Reality is so much larger than people assume.
*Very proud Texan, & I find the Sweetwater rattlesnake roundup truly vile & sick, it needs to be stopped because these snakes are controlling the rodent population & the rodent population will only grow after this smh, thank you for the video & keep on loving these beautiful creatures!*
Thank you for your response! I have visited Texas several times and I consider it one of the most beautiful states in the country with Big Bend NP as one of my top three favorite national parks I have had the opportunity to explore in the West! And I must admit that folks from west Texas including Sweetwater exude southern hospitality, but unfortunately there is an exaggerated hatred of snakes that is passed down through the generations. Such unwarranted loathing for some wild animals in this country is nothing new and is far from unique regarding the Lone Star State. During our grandparents generation the federal government was bent on destroying all wolves, coyotes, mountain lions etc...including in National Parks. Now of course we realize how important these predators are to a healthy ecosystem and that human hunting of their ungulate prey can't fill that complex role. Rattlesnake roundups, which are not associated with sustainable hunting practices in the long run are attitude throwbacks to the 19th/early 20th century....i.e., rattlesnakes are in the way of human settlement, killing them offers monetary gain, and most important...no matter how many are dispatched their numbers will never really diminished. I can't help but think of one of the most shocking stats in our recent past - 3, 000,000,000 to 0....that is the number of passenger pigeons in the early 1800's compared to the beginning of the 20th when they were erased from the face of the planet. And then there was the heath hen, Carolina parakeet, Steller's sea cow, ivory-billed woodpecker, and almost the symbol the of west, the American bison that in just one century their population was decimated to just a few hundred animals out of tens of millions. So we know what unregulated hunting and outdated unscientific attitudes are occurring at these roundups, but is a challenge to dislodge engrained centuries-old attitude.
A great informative video, well done.. Yes I hate those damn Roundups, and have been working for about 5 years or so , to end them.. They are horrible.. I think every reptile channel should give a brief mention of the atrocities done at these events.. I go to many places, pet shops, vets, schools, zoos, handing out flyers and information. Most people have never even heard of Roundups, some thought it was a joke.. The word needs to be spread. Those poor snakes, nothing more than animal cruelty, for the sake of profit..
Thanks Frank for your input and support! I commend you for your efforts and perhaps we can brainstorm to help end, or at least phase out the roundups and I couldn't agree more, if you live in the US and are a reptile enthusiasts, rattlesnake roundups should be at the forefront of their minds. I even suggest that many should attend the roundups to witness not the slaughter, but the people who attend, which as in the case of Sweetwater, are families with kids. That is the crux of the problem, a younger generation being exposed to disinformation and fear of native wildlife vital to ecosystem. Thanks again for being on the right side of history....
New Subscriber. My name Mark too. I'm coming to visit our land 😂😭🤣😅 keep the videos coming.
Awesome! Thank you!
I don't like snakes, but I do respect their space on this planet and I have lived in areas highly populated by them rattlesnakes . I am just grateful they have rattler to warn me. I think the roundups should be illegal it is just a sad thing that humans feel the need to do such a vulgar practice.
Thanks for your reply. I accept the fact that most people don't like snakes, especially venomous species, but like you, I wish more respected their ecological significance.
Do northeastern rattle snakes
hang around in creeks ?
Yes, especially during hot dry spells in summer.
Swear to God let me catch someone trying to "round up" rattlesnakes one day. They shouldn't be afraid of rattlesnakes but I'll show them what they should be afraid of. Fake ass wannabe cowboys
Wannabe cowboys does sum up a lot of what I witnessed at the Sweetwater Roundup. Worst aspect however, was that nearly have the attendees were kids with their parents. That's the crux of the problem, the ignorance and unwarranted fear being passed down to future generations.
I appreciate how you distinguished between hunters and people like them rattlesnake roundup clowns.
I'm not a big snake guy.. and I have killed snakes on my property in the immediate vicinity of my house.. I have small animals, kids, and some stock. That's my personal decision, and I've seen what they do all the stuff I mentioned above.
But I leave all animals, including snakes alone, if they don't present an immediate threat to me or my property.. I've found that a few cats around,.keeps most all snakes away.. in 20 years I've probably killed 4 rattlesnakes out of the hundreds I've seen on my property.
I would not STAND for somebody coming onto property within my control, to eliminate anything.. rattlesnake roundups aren't hunting. They aren't about safety, they aren't about population control. They are about exploiting a natural resource for profit.. rattlesnake meat, and skins fetch a big profit .. and that's what its all about to them ..
Hunters do not exploit natural resources. Poachers do. And real hunters take great pride in the conservation of wildlife. White tail deer hunters for example, take huge pride in maintaining a healthy herd, and overall population. And place strict limits on what can and can't be taken , and how much or how little can be taken.
I'd have no problem with rattlesnake hunting, if done in a traditional way. But gassing a snake den, capturing thousands of snakes , whole generations ,, is unacceptable and can never be considered legitimate hunting or conservation .
Thanks for your insight. You basically sum up a pragmatic view that I wish more folks embraced. And I really do believe that most hunters care more about the environment and its wildlife resources in a tangible, personal way compared to most other folks. As you have indicated, it's respecting the natural resource that is being harvested, and could include rattlesnakes as well, but unfortunately the roundups disrespect this native resource on a colossal scale. I really appreciate your response. So many people think this issue is related to anti-hunting, anti-guns, or not respecting a landowners right to dispose of an occasional non-threatened venomous snake (i.e., politics as usual) but it is about the bigger picture, one of which history has taught us numerous times. Ignorance and fear regarding the natural world has overall been deleterious for own species.
Leave Texas out of your woke ending.
Hey man...I actually like Texas. One of my favorite national parks is Big Bend and the southern hospitality is refreshing, Dallas Zoo unmatched. I am not really a big sports fan so nothing pro or con to add on that score (no pun intended). Every political stripe, region, state, or city has its black mark and I would argue that Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup (and others) with regards to hunting ethics is a black mark for Texas, Massachusetts...our country and more specifically the vast majority of the hunting community that respects the resource they are harvesting.