Snakes In Maine? (Augusta, Jackson: home, live in, legally)

[Acadianlion]

When I was in the insurance biz I did a fair amount of work with the woods products industry. I well remember talking with an old timer who told me that he had seen "timber rattlers" in Maine's deep woods. I also remember seeing what was purportedly a "timber rattler" skin tacked up to a wall somewhere in southwestern Maine. The skin was around six or seven feet long and the snake would have been around 6" in girth or so. I have heard too many stories from people who claim to have seen rattle snakes in the woods, although most of these "sightings" occurred in the 1940's and 1950's.

The State of Maine officially denies the presence of poisonous snakes in Maine, and given the mean temperatures in the state, I would tend to agree that our snake population is mostly of the garden and black water snake variety. Certainly, we do not have water moccassins here, since they are far more tropical than is Maine. But to say that we categorically have NO rattle snakes I think it a stretch.

Maine officially has no wolves either, but I KNOW people who have seen wolves and who have enough experience in the wild to know the difference between a wolf and a coyote.

We also have no mountain lions in Maine. Yet my recently deceased friend who was an avid outdoors man, saw paw tracks on the woods road that ran along the back of his property line that were the size of the palm of his hand that were "cat like". He had big hands, and was not given to fits of imagination. He was walking early one morning after an early snowfall, and the paw prints were VERY clear and undisturbed. This was in Blue Hill.

I think it is better to say that we have wildlife here, and although extremely unlikely, the chance of running into a poisonous snake approach zero in Maine.

I travelled all across this state in my insurance career. I made the trip from Caribou to Portland many times in the dark of night, as one of my clients up there could only meet with me in the evening. I NEVER saw a black bear until after I retired. One noon I was driivng in to Ellsworth and there in the middle of the road was a the first bear that I had ever seen. The only moose that I have ever seen were just out side of my house not far from Ellsworth, but they are everywhere.

When I go walking in the woods, I do not expect to stumble over a rattle snake...but I also realize that anything is possible. Getting bitten by a deer tick is a far greater danger than snakes or anything else in Maine.

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by Acadianlion

The only moose that I have ever seen were just out side of my house not far from Ellsworth, but they are everywhere.

The first time I visited Maine, we did a lot of driving around, from Oakfield to Millinocket. In 3 days, I saw 2 moose. People from there were looking at me like I was some kind weirdo-moose-magnet Some of them had never seen a moose their entire lives!

[iloveitinmaine]

I feel really sad for all the Mainers, native or transplants, who have never seen a moose or only have seen one in a lifetime !! I came here from NJ and I have seen more moose in 10 years than I can count - bulls with full racks, young bulls that I thought were cows, cows and cows with calves (one chased my hubby while he was taking a photo of her!). I have enjoyed them mostly between Bangor and Baxter State Pk., I have photos of them on the side of the road, 6 or 7 bottom feeding in a lake off of the Golden Road, and I must say I never get tired of stopping to observe them ! I have also seen bear, one in Millinocket, 2 between Howland and Lincoln. I attached a photo of one, I've never attached anything before, I hope it works !

[DavidoftheNorth]

Originally Posted by iloveitinmaine

I feel really sad for all the Mainers, native or transplants, who have never seen a moose or only have seen one in a lifetime !! I came here from NJ and I have seen more moose in 10 years than I can count - bulls with full racks, young bulls that I thought were cows, cows and cows with calves (one chased my hubby while he was taking a photo of her!). I have enjoyed them mostly between Bangor and Baxter State Pk., I have photos of them on the side of the road, 6 or 7 bottom feeding in a lake off of the Golden Road, and I must say I never get tired of stopping to observe them ! I have also seen bear, one in Millinocket, 2 between Howland and Lincoln. I attached a photo of one, I've never attached anything before, I hope it works !

Nice photo! (And good job attaching!) - I also like the color-banding effect.

[mainebrokerman]

i travel much across the state, and never saw a black bear til this past yr saw two, one one the side of the road between presque-isle and mars hill, it was a small one, up on its hind legs, i stopped to get a closer look, hoping to see mother, but the little bear just scooted back in the field/woods. and i saw a bear a few months ago, between the "forks" and jackman, at the bottom of a hill a car was stopped, with a state police-man, and beside the car was a black bear, he must have hit it, a good size bear also.
i've seen many moose, around greenville, and route 11 between patten and ashland.
i've always wanted to see a mountain lion, i've heard a couple years ago in abbott village, a bobcat was mauled by a much larger cat (as stated by a warden, but he refused to conclude it was a mountain lion)
also, has a friend in the kingfield area, stated he saw a large cat, with a very very long tail, he swore it was a cougar.
and i see very few snakes, only water snakes, i live on a lake, and they like to be in the weeds, tho they slither away, if any people are around, i use to like casting my weedless frog, out and waiting for a snake to swallow it,,,then haul him in,
i've hunted all my life, for deer, in the woods alot, and never saw a black bear , always wanted to see a bobcat or a lynx,
one animal i got to see, and didnt know what it was, right off, was a fresh water otter, saw two, out in front of my house, very playful!

[7th generation]

As a child I do believe there were found Eastern rattlers in New Hampshire but as far as them being in Maine I had never heard this. Moose are so abbundant that some loggers utilize them for work. lol

[skippingstones]

As I mentioned before, I've been lurking for awhile. The title of this thread always makes me smile because it reminds me of that movie, "Snakes on a Plane."

Carry on.

[bobkemp]

I grew up there there are no poisinus snakes. However if you have small children watch it becouse the teachers there can get away very easily with molesting your child.

Robert

[bobkemp]

Originally Posted by Acadianlion

When I was in the insurance biz I did a fair amount of work with the woods products industry. I well remember talking with an old timer who told me that he had seen "timber rattlers" in Maine's deep woods. I also remember seeing what was purportedly a "timber rattler" skin tacked up to a wall somewhere in southwestern Maine. The skin was around six or seven feet long and the snake would have been around 6" in girth or so. I have heard too many stories from people who claim to have seen rattle snakes in the woods, although most of these "sightings" occurred in the 1940's and 1950's.

The State of Maine officially denies the presence of poisonous snakes in Maine, and given the mean temperatures in the state, I would tend to agree that our snake population is mostly of the garden and black water snake variety. Certainly, we do not have water moccassins here, since they are far more tropical than is Maine. But to say that we categorically have NO rattle snakes I think it a stretch.

Maine officially has no wolves either, but I KNOW people who have seen wolves and who have enough experience in the wild to know the difference between a wolf and a coyote.

We also have no mountain lions in Maine. Yet my recently deceased friend who was an avid outdoors man, saw paw tracks on the woods road that ran along the back of his property line that were the size of the palm of his hand that were "cat like". He had big hands, and was not given to fits of imagination. He was walking early one morning after an early snowfall, and the paw prints were VERY clear and undisturbed. This was in Blue Hill.

I think it is better to say that we have wildlife here, and although extremely unlikely, the chance of running into a poisonous snake approach zero in Maine.

I travelled all across this state in my insurance career. I made the trip from Caribou to Portland many times in the dark of night, as one of my clients up there could only meet with me in the evening. I NEVER saw a black bear until after I retired. One noon I was driivng in to Ellsworth and there in the middle of the road was a the first bear that I had ever seen. The only moose that I have ever seen were just out side of my house not far from Ellsworth, but they are everywhere.

When I go walking in the woods, I do not expect to stumble over a rattle snake...but I also realize that anything is possible. Getting bitten by a deer tick is a far greater danger than snakes or anything else in Maine.

I lived in maine for over 25 years there are mountain lions, they call them lucifies though. Becouse the noise they make they say is like hearing the devil in hell. I also had one time when my brother and I sat under a huge pine and there was one asleep in the tree over us. So I know they exsist. we were lucky we were quiet and didnt waken it. I also have heard them and its a horrifying sound.

Robert

[mmpottlehill]

I live in Auburn, and have seen moose even here maybe half a dozen times. Further north I couldn't even tell you how many moose I've seen. Water snakes and garter snakes-- extremely common, but my grandparents lived on tacoma lake in Litchfield, and so I was in prime snake area frequently. My mother lived in Windham last year, and saw a bobcat. They had a rat (that sounds bad-- but it was out in the country off Falmouth Road) that would come up on her deck to eat the droppings from the bird feeder, and the bobcat got the rat. HMMM.. what else? I have never seen a bear, but a few years back (6 or so) I went camping up in Baxter, and some friends who'd gone up the previous night had their campsite ransacked by a bear. Glad I wasn't there! Growing up in the Sabattus/Wales area, I saw and heard tons of coyotes, but I've never seen a wolf. Plenty of beavers, even in the "suburb" of Auburn, and I saw muskrats growing up, too. And loons. Everybody forgets the loons! But they are everywhere on Tacoma, and the sound of a loon at night, while creepy to those from "away," is one of those sounds I associate with things being just right.