Critters on the course you ran into...

[uncle pennybags]

View attachment 341719
Snapper hanging out in the the same area as the earlier groundhog.

Give it a nudge back to get off the pavement!!

 

[wolfhaley]

Giant Oregon Slugs.

 

[lee76007]

So far this has been the year of the turtle. Northwest River course Chesapeake Virginia. On left photo Hole 11 short tee, short Fairway. 2nd round next photo Hole 11 long tee, long Fairway. Not the same turtle, and about 100 feet apart.

Happily I continue my three year streak Not coming across a Timber Rattlesnake.

 

[jeffmonty]

Giant Oregon Slugs

Keep your eyes open. Those are just little guys!

 

[jeffmonty]

So far this has been the year of the turtle. Northwest River course Chesapeake Virginia. On left photo Hole 11 short tee, short Fairway. 2nd round next photo Hole 11 long tee, long Fairway. Not the same turtle, and about 100 feet apart.

Happily I continue my three year streak Not coming across a Timber Rattlesnake.

I get it on the rattlesnakes. When I've played there, I've always been on the lookout for snakes, and I've wondered how the locals even spot them with all the leaves and ground clutter that they can camouflage in. I think I've been lucky to be there in the snake off-season. I always enjoy that course, though.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I get it on the rattlesnakes. When I've played there, I've always been on the lookout for snakes, and I've wondered how the locals even spot them with all the leaves and ground clutter that they can camouflage in. I think I've been lucky to be there in the snake off-season. I always enjoy that course, though.

Totally agree. Glad I live where venomous serpents are scarce (only one species in Michigan, and they're not all that common).

I try to be a little bit more careful as I travel around the south, where you're much more likely Copperheads, Cottonmouths, Eastern Diamondbacks.

That said, I get the impression encountering Nope Ropes is even more likely in the heavily forested Pacific northwest, and especially throughout the desert southwest.

 

[Skamanda]

Totally agree. Glad I live were venomous serpents are scarce (only One species in Michigan, and they're not all that common).

I try to be a little bit more careful as I travel around the south, where you're much more likely Copperheads, Cottonmouths, Eastern Diamondbacks.

That said, I get the impression encountering Nope Ropes is even more likely in the heavily forested Pacific northwest, and especially throughout the desert southwest.

Do they still have the rattlesnake warning on the Monster course, at Hudson Mills?

They were also present at Stony Creek (some teenage girl got bit by one a few years ago), but not near the disc golf course...

Never really thought venomous snakes would be one of the hazards of Michigan woods disc golf, when I started playing...

 

[ru4por]

Do they still have the rattlesnake warning on the Monster course, at Hudson Mills?

They were also present at Stony Creek (some teenage girl got bit by one a few years ago), but not near the disc golf course...

Never really thought venomous snakes would be one of the hazards of Michigan woods disc golf, when I started playing...

They do. I think a few of the Metro parks now have warning signs at the beginning of courses. I have seen FAR more Mississauga at Hudson Mills, than all other sighting around the state combined. They are not very venomous and are a very shy and skiddish snake.

 

[BogeyNoMore]

I've yet to a Massasauga in the wild (not that I'm complaining).

I strongly suspect that most Massasauga "sightings," are for the more common Northern Water Snake.

Only venomous snakes I've ever seen in the the wild were both in FL. A cottonmouth at Tradewinds Park, and a small Eastern Diamondback at Ronnie Van Zant.

 

[DavidSauls]

Our northern water snakes, plus a few other water snake species, are almost always the source of people claiming to have seen a copperhead or cottonmouth on our course.

 

[biscoe]

Yep, rough being a water snake. There are no cottonmouths within roughly 80 miles of my home but any snake near the water is consistently identified as such.

Did see a young copperhead maybe a foot long at Loriella a couple weeks ago. Guy in my group was walking about 20 feet ahead of me and must have come really close to stepping right on it or rolling over it with his cart. I saw it when I was maybe 10 feet away (I spend a ton of time in the woods and pay pretty close attention) and it was clearly agitated- head lifted ready to go. Copperheads are pretty much the least aggressive snake around so he had to have either made contact or damn near for it to be behaving that way. Loriella seems to be copperhead central- 2 golfers have received bites over the years and numerous others have been spotted.

I see a handful of copperheads each year and have also seen cottonmouths and timber rattlers in the wild as well as what I assume was a diamondback rattler a long long time ago out west. Copperheads are the only ones actually local to me.

 

[DavidSauls]

We've been at Stoney Hill 20 years and never seen a venomous snake. Not saying that they're not here, but we have king snakes, and king snakes eat venomous snakes.

At Earlewood, in downtown Columbia, on the other hand, I've seen a lot of copperheads, and once stepped next to one (juicing my next drive by about 50', with the leftover adrenaline).

 

[lee76007]

I get it on the rattlesnakes. When I've played there, I've always been on the lookout for snakes, and I've wondered how the locals even spot them with all the leaves and ground clutter that they can camouflage in. I think I've been lucky to be there in the snake off-season. I always enjoy that course, though.

Just like this morning when I play there summertime. The canopy is so thick, it's sunglasses off, and eyes on the ground ahead searching them out. Spring three years ago when there coming out of there den looking for food. I saw 4 in two rounds, and at least just as many where I could hear and see the grass moving. My disc to the right of #17 basket landed between two of them. I was so spooked it took me a few months to go back there again.

The good news the park supervisor had told me earlier in the year some sort of a specialty mower had been purchased to clear out brush, dead leafs, and cut down grass. They've been using it since my last visit a few months ago. This morning was the two most enjoyable rounds in the summer I've had there. More clear space ahead to watch for snakes, I could easily see ankle breakers/roots, and see my disc more than 100 feet out whether in the fairway or rough. I enjoy the course, it's a think about it course, and I plan on going back more often now. With the ground cleared out, the course was very scenic.

I've actually seen more snakes at Munden Point than any other course, hole 11 where we looked and found your disc wintertime. I've lost one disc each of the past two summers off tree kicks. The grass grows 7 to 8 feet, can't see the floor, and I've seen snakes slither onto the fairway. Both times I peaked, and left them there.

 

[Monocacy]

I have never seen a venomous snake on a disc golf course in 30+ years of playing. Not complaining, mind you. Just an observation.

Lots of regular ol' snakes - garters and kings and blacksnakes and whatnot. I saw a thick-ish snake drop into Seneca Creek recently, but I suspect it was a water snake.

 

[jeffmonty]

Totally agree. Glad I live where venomous serpents are scarce (only one species in Michigan, and they're not all that common).

I try to be a little bit more careful as I travel around the south, where you're much more likely Copperheads, Cottonmouths, Eastern Diamondbacks.

That said, I get the impression encountering Nope Ropes is even more likely in the heavily forested Pacific northwest, and especially throughout the desert southwest.

Believe it or not, we have zero venomous snakes in western Washington. I'm happy it's not something we have to watch out for. I do see a lot of garter snakes, they're cool though. Worst thing out here are the yellow jackets in ground nests and bald face hornets that get you when you least expect it. And it's usually 5 or 6 stings until you can get away, lol. I just got stung 4-5 times at once last week by those bald face bastards. Never saw the nest next to my lie until it was too late.

 

[ru4por]

Ran across a smaller Copperhead at Angry Beaver in Charlotte. Playing with a couple locals, who were not surprised and said that the snake had been spotted a few times in that exact area. Thanks for the heads up. Out in the fairway sunning, so we saw it well ahead of getting on top of it. Pretty snake.

 

[Pizza God]

Well, I did a little trip to Florida this last week. I did play 7 courses around the state between tourist traps.

I really wanted to see an Alligator or other reptile when I was playing, nope, never happened. Only Iguana I saw was smooshed on the road. Did see some alligators, but none on the course. No snake, no mammals either. Didn't even see any birds out of the ordinary. I was going to play a course that you might see Monkey's on, but I wound up skipping that course.

 

[DavidSauls]

It's the gators you don't see, that you have to worry about.

 

[wolfhaley]

More Oregon slugs today

 

[wolfhaley]

And Horning's most well known residents