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It's time to start hitting the trails but not sure when rattlesnakes become active. I'm fairly new to the area and this is my first spring. I've read other forums and many people have stated they've been here for years and never saw one. I've been here for 7 months and have encountered two. One behind my house and one on a local trail in the Sandias. I have no fear of them and treat them with the utmost respect and fascination. However, I'm trying to get my wife off the sidewalk because I just can't walk in circles. Unfortunately, she is afraid of snakes and it would only take one encounter to put her back on concrete.
I know when they are active during the day and how to avoid them but not sure when they become active in the spring.
There are no absolute answers... There is some good guidance here.
It does also mention:
"The center reports that between two and five people have reported being bit by rattlesnakes in Santa Fe County between 2008 and 20014 — about the same number of people who reported being bit by a scorpion in that time frame.
Black Widow spiders, also prevalent in New Mexico, have claimed more bite victims in that time period, with about 40 reports in all."
We have lived here 17+ years. I have not seen a rattlesnake which has not been spotted and called out by someone else first, but I have spotted probably 30+ Black Widows...
Prairie rattlesnakes, Coral snakes, Black Widow spiders, Apache Brown spiders, Arizona Bark scorpions and Striped scorpions are the five main very poisonous species to watch for in the Sandia Foothills -- we were taught this in my 1st grade class at Bellhaven Elementary in 1963. Always look in your cowboy boots before putting them on...
Last edited by Danbo1957; 04-02-2017 at 08:51 PM..
In a state where pedestrian fatalities are the highest in the nation (not to mention injuries) you are not exactly safe walking on a sidewalk. More people die or get injured in the Sandias from falls than from encounters with reptiles and spiders.
I would not say scorpions here are "very poisonous", they are mildly toxic and unlikely to cause serious issues. In almost 30 years of hiking in the Sandias I've seen only about three rattlesnakes, one tarantula, and zero scorpions.
From a "Rattlesnake FAQ": "Generally, rattlesnakes emerge from hibernation in March or April, or when the average daytime temperatures reach and remain about 60F and higher. The snakes are then most active when the temperatures are between 80-90F."
Well poisonous doesn't necessarily mean fatal. I remember my father getting bit by a scorpion on his right ankle, his whole lower leg swelled up and he said that it was very painful for the next three days; that was in our back yard at our home in the Far NE Heights. I can imagine how difficult that bite would have been to deal with when hiking off the beaten trail in the Sandias.
I would not say scorpions here are "very poisonous", they are mildly toxic and unlikely to cause serious issues. In almost 30 years of hiking in the Sandias I've seen only about three rattlesnakes, one tarantula, and zero scorpions.
Agreed. Scorpions are present, but certainly not common. I've never seen one in 29 years of living here and lots of hiking in the foothills and elsewhere. They were much more prevalent when I lived in Tucson, AZ. I have seen quite a few rattlers in the Sandias, but almost all on the eastern side of the mountains...
Last edited by Cactus Hibs; 04-03-2017 at 02:10 PM..
My girlfriend was bitten by a rattler while hiking in the hills of L.A. It was a really big deal with lots of drama. The hospital had trouble getting the antivenom. Her leg was huge and she was in the hospital for about a week. The cost of the antivenom and the treatment was sky high.
You'd think modern medicine would have this under control, but it is still quite an emergency situation.
Well, there were enough scorpions in Albuquerque for the former minor league hockey team to be named the New Mexico Scorpions. Scorpions are more of a minor threat to Burqueños in terms of numbers, but can be a threat to pets, especially curious dogs and cats.
It's time to start hitting the trails but not sure when rattlesnakes become active.
I was hiking a trail at the 7,000 ft. elevation today and was surprised to see several lizards already active. I can't recall the last time I saw lizards in this area. And while I know there are occasional rattlesnake sightings, they are not common and I've never seen a one in the 20 years I've lived here (dead or alive).
My girlfriend was bitten by a rattler while hiking in the hills of L.A. It was a really big deal with lots of drama. The hospital had trouble getting the antivenom. Her leg was huge and she was in the hospital for about a week. The cost of the antivenom and the treatment was sky high.
You'd think modern medicine would have this under control, but it is still quite an emergency situation.
Yes, it's too bad there was not one universal anti venom that could be used in one of those auto inject gadgets that I remember from the army. My worry is that I get nailed out hiking when I am almost always off the map alone.
I've only run across one in the western foothills Elena trails, a couple out in the Ojito area and one, which was my first in an area they call rattlesnake canyon on the east side. I'd be too embarrassed to say how I spotted this monster. Let's just say I would have a hard time sitting. Glad it was still in the a/m and this guy was coiled and cold.
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