honeyv Posted May 10 Report Share Posted May 10 Wondering if anyone else was aware of the small population of Rattlesnake we have in the Wainfleet Bog. Was just reading up on a few articles. Pretty nifty. https://brocku.ca/brock-news/2017/05/brock-research-helps-reverse-rattlesnakes-death-rate/ Tyler0420 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler0420 Posted May 10 Report Share Posted May 10 Interesting. Didn’t know we had them around here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeyv Posted May 10 Author Report Share Posted May 10 12 minutes ago, Tyler0420 said: Interesting. Didn’t know we had them around here Me either. Been in Naiagara almost half my life at this point and it's the first time hearing of them in the area. Tyler0420 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 11 Report Share Posted May 11 I have never seen one in Niagara but heard they were in the Niagara gorge years ago , maybe a few in there now ? I knew they are in the bog. I saw a one at the French River near Hartley Bay 30+ years ago . It was hard to spot in the leaves at a camp spot on the Wanapitei River and one that was killed by the owner of rental cottages. Parry sound was known for rattle snakes and people were warned to be wary when picking blueberries. When we were teens while fishing the upper 12 we heard a high pitched scream coming from the stream . We saw this snake with a wide head and thought it was a cobra ! It was a big garter and had a frogs legs in it's mouth and the frog was screaming very loudly . We felt sorry for the frog and took dinner away from the snake . We are part of nature too , yes ? 🙃 honeyv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeyv Posted May 11 Author Report Share Posted May 11 22 minutes ago, smerchly said: I have never seen one in Niagara but heard they were in the Niagara gorge years ago , maybe a few in there now ? I knew they are in the bog. I saw a one at the French River near Hartley Bay 30+ years ago . It was hard to spot in the leaves at a camp spot on the Wanapitei River and one that was killed by the owner of rental cottages. Parry sound was known for rattle snakes and people were warned to be wary when picking blueberries. When we were teens while fishing the upper 12 we heard a high pitched scream coming from the stream . We saw this snake with a wide head and thought it was a cobra ! It was a big garter and had a frogs legs in it's mouth and the frog was screaming very loudly . We felt sorry for the frog and took dinner away from the snake . We are part of nature too , yes ? 🙃 Oof... My brother and I used to have an old aquarium when we were kids. We would catch Garter Snakes and feed frogs and grass hoppers to them and then my dad would make us release them when he got home from work. Apparently the rattlesnakes are still in the Parry Sound area, but in all the backcountry canoe trips I've done on the crown land up that way, I never seen one myself. Still enough to check everything before getting in the sleeping bags though lol. I have seen a baby Milk Snake in the gorge before on a hike. I might have to take a hike through the bog now. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiagaraRiverFisher Posted May 11 Report Share Posted May 11 This pic of a rattle snake was sent to me recently , it was in the 12 mile creek . The picture was takin by Fred Bowering , you might remember seeing a video of Fred in 2018 jumping in Rennie park water and saving a swan with a hook and line in its mouth ! Rattle snakes have been observed by family and friends in the Allanburg area for many years. https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4718736 honeyv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verado Posted May 11 Report Share Posted May 11 Massassauga rattlers have been in the wainfleet bog forever. As a kid, my mother and aunts used to pick blueberries there while my uncle stood guard with a .22. Over the last several years, a few have been spotted at our Crowland Trap Club on Misner Rd. I remember in the 70s-80s buying peat for the garden from a firm that operated next to the bog. I was warned by the operators that the odd customer had received a rattler in their load. Years ago we rented a cottage on 6 Mile Lake in Muskoka and the owners told us the rattlers were quite common in the area. We saw one on the dirt road another just off the porch. Apparently they are endangered ( wouldn't bother me in the least) and there is a severe penalty for killing them. There is a sign in the 6 Mile Lake area that states a $30,000 fine for killing one. honeyv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deetch Posted May 11 Report Share Posted May 11 Correct Verado, the massassuga has been in the bog for years. There are plenty of snakes down the whirlpool that can harm you also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Row dog Posted May 11 Report Share Posted May 11 What other dangerous snakes are in gorge/ Ontario ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisb Posted May 11 Report Share Posted May 11 The massassauga rattler is the only venomous snake in Ontario. honeyv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeyv Posted May 11 Author Report Share Posted May 11 16 hours ago, NiagaraRiverFisher said: This pic of a rattle snake was sent to me recently , it was in the 12 mile creek . The picture was takin by Fred Bowering , you might remember seeing a video of Fred in 2018 jumping in Rennie park water and saving a swan with a hook and line in its mouth ! Rattle snakes have been observed by family and friends in the Allanburg area for many years. https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4718736 That's insane! I fish the 12 a fair bit for carp before Trout and Pike Open, I've never seen one. Although, I accidentally caught a watersnake reeling in once and that was pretty wild. Good for Fred for saving that Swan and that awesome photo! I'll have to be more weary bringing the dog out with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeyv Posted May 11 Author Report Share Posted May 11 5 hours ago, deetch said: Correct Verado, the massassuga has been in the bog for years. There are plenty of snakes down the whirlpool that can harm you also Curious which ones? As far as I knew Ontario only had the Massassauga... but to be fair, I had no idea we had em' in Niagara... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 11 Report Share Posted May 11 Some people mistake our milk snake for a rattler . Years ago my Rotti was barking at something in the back yard under the huge apple tree . It was a very large milk snake and its tail was vibrating like a rattle snake . I grabbed it behind the head , put in a 5 gal. pail and released it beside a creek in Pelham . It sure did look like a rattle snake ! Now I believe that big snake with the screaming frog in it's mouth (50+ yrs. ago) was a milk snake , not a garter . I fear water snakes more as they will bite and cause pain. https://canadianherpetology.ca/species/species_page.html?cname=Eastern Milksnake Dan Andrews 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verado Posted May 12 Report Share Posted May 12 About 15 years ago I was fishing on Erie on a flat calm day about 2 miles out. I noticed a V in the water coming straight at me that turned out to be some kind of water snake. I had a 17' Lund at the time with a small rear boarding platform that was parallel to the water. That damn snake was determined it was crawling up on to my platform and I knocked it away several times with my paddle. It was very aggressive and kept coming back so I finally got the hell out of there. Possibly, being that far from shore, it was tired or drowning but believe me, there is no room for snakes in my boat. Surf and Turf and boogaloo 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Surf and Turf Posted May 12 Report Share Posted May 12 Hmm... I think there may be some photo shop involved in the "canadian creek rattlesnake" picture.??? We used to look for them down in the Gorge when we were fishing as teens but never found one. I've seen a few up around Honey Harbour at dusk hearing them well before seeing them which is good thing, they come out on the rocks so have to watch where you are walking. My wife almost stepped on a baby one a couple of years ago, I'm surprised she didn't get bit because she danced all around it a few laps while screaming before actually getting away from it. honeyv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigugli Posted May 22 Report Share Posted May 22 Growing up around Mactier and 6 Mile Lake in the 60's, the Massassauga was commonplace. I regret my uncle had a hand in killing off nests to protect my cousin. My cousin was a permanent 2 year old. Every critter was a play thing. Snakes, bears, snappers. So every spring the uncle would go around the property blasting snake nests. Funniest bit I remember about the snakes was watching a group of fool tourists. They were standing in the middle of the highway with a camera tripod no more than two feet from a coiled Massassauga rattler. I half hate to admit it, but I was hoping the snake would take a bite. honeyv and smerchly 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
genec Posted May 23 Report Share Posted May 23 The tourons ( tourist morons) are now taking dumb pictures of bigger game. However, one mama moose took care of a touron in Alaska trying to photograph her babies, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smerchly Posted May 23 Report Share Posted May 23 32 minutes ago, genec said: The tourons ( tourist morons) are now taking dumb pictures of bigger game. However, one mama moose took care of a touron in Alaska trying to photograph her babies, T'is the era of 'have travel with smart phones' and movie star wannabes who want to be the first to post their 'report' on social media. I do not like having a phone camera shoved into my face . I'm surprised I haven't seen videos showing phones being eaten by ignorant people .... Times have changed ,unfortunately . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave524 Posted June 7 Report Share Posted June 7 Still got the rattle off one I wasted opening day Woodcock season in the Wainfleet bog , it was almost 60 years ago , i was young and didn't know any better verado 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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