Eastern diamondback

[duckplucker]

I have heard of some still being north of the Wilmington area in Pender County in the area called "Wards Corner" which is between Atkinson & Burgaw. I would think with all the burning done the past few years on Orton Plantation that would be some good habitat for Eastern Diamondbacks. Orton is getting some pretty heavy management work for quail by its new owner. The owner also converted an old rice field into a 300 ac duck impoundment.

[SOUTHERN WOODS]

I have heard of some still being north of the Wilmington area in Pender County in the area called "Wards Corner" which is between Atkinson & Burgaw. I would think with all the burning done the past few years on Orton Plantation that would be some good habitat for Eastern Diamondbacks. Orton is getting some pretty heavy management work for quail by its new owner. The owner also converted an old rice field into a 300 ac duck impoundment.

I think that guy has more money than Warren Buffet. He is all about creating and managing wildlife habitat. Wilmington got smoked up when Orton was burned a few weeks back.

Your right on the other part too, if I had to look for a Diamondback it would be in Holly Shelter.

[Quercus Alba]

Sorry, inbox should be open now.

Y'all are correct about the pender area. Apparently 26 have been recorded since 2005. 1 in Columbus, 2 in Pender, and the rest in Onslow. The last known record from Brunswick was over 50 years ago.

[JHampton]

For ya'll that want these things to "come back", make sure they come back to your place. I have a small child and pets, no use for a venomous snake.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[santee11]

I am in the woods a lot in Clarendon Sumter Williamsburg colleton charleston Georgetown and Dorchester counties and I have never in my entire life seen one. I often ask the other foresters I work with if they have seen any and the answer is normally no or one a long time ago. The only folks that see them still seem to be in the extreme southern coastal counties. I do want to see one in the wild before I die.

[Rubberhead*]

You need to raise a flock of turkeys. The guy that hatched a brood of turkeys, said that they had a special purr when they found a rattlesnakes that they found rattlesnakes that he would have never known were there.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/my-li...-episode/7378/

[Shotunderit]

The only one that I have ever seen in the wild was at Cordesville in 1973, and it was large, at least six feet.

[CRowland]

How would you do it?

Just pick up a stick long enough to keep a safe distance and drag my hat away.

You've got to think outside the box sometimes.

I'd just buy a new one - the snake could keep that hat.

[fracas714]

Sorry, inbox should be open now.

Y'all are correct about the pender area. Apparently 26 have been recorded since 2005. 1 in Columbus, 2 in Pender, and the rest in Onslow. The last known record from Brunswick was over 50 years ago.

I lived in Brunswick County In 2003 just south of Leland, I had a neighbor kill one, it was in a new subdivision off Hwy 17. It was 4ft long with 16 rattles.

[walt4dun]

Sounds like we got more than most down here based on the responses.
Most of the land down here is extremely sandy soil just like you see in my pics.
Gopher tortoise and black bears aren't uncommon either. In fact, two of my buddy's place across the delta from us are covered up with bears. And I hope they stay over there! Them sumbitches are destructive... The state is studying them on their properties now.

Gopher tortoise.

[duckplucker]

[QUOTE=SOUTHERN WOODS;1891776]I think that guy has more money than Warren Buffet. He is all about creating and managing wildlife habitat. Wilmington got smoked up when Orton was burned a few weeks back.

Your right on the other part too, if I had to look for a Diamondback it would be in Holly Shelter.[/QUOTE

I think he sucked every duck from Wilmington to Southport into his impoundment this year.

Bladen county, can't believe there are no reports from there. Bladen is rattlesnake country!

[trkykilr]

QA - I assume you only do research in NC. If you can make it down to SC, I have a place along the Pee Dee in Florence County you can walk until yo're too damn tired to walk. I've seen a couple or four live ones over the years. Unfortunately, I've probably seen 8+ dead ones as well. Folks seem to think the winning Powerball ticket will magically appear if they kill a rattlesnake.

I'd like to go down there in April and spend a day searching for them

[ccleroy]

I'd like to go down there in April and spend a day searching for them

I see what you did there.

[GreenHeadRocker]

Not an eastern but a big ass timber rattler on wateree river last year. Pictures taken by a friend of mine.

[willk]

That's interesting. You don't normally see rattle snakes swimming. There have been a few diamond backs killed in Kershaw County that I know of.

[beanhunter]

Eastern I saw was Aiken county 15 years ago.

[ecu1984]

I killed one in Croatan Forest that had to be 6 ft long and have seen many in Hoffman Forest outside Jacksonville, NC.

[Strick9]

Pm me if interested, there is a current ED research program with some pretty extensive fieldwork going on in the Francis Marion. I can get you in touch with the guy he loves them. They tend to stay in the same areas for many years. I was speaking with him about a true 6 plus footer that I had seen several times. He knew the snake by telem number lol..

[duckplucker]

I remember reading an article in SC Wildlife magazine many years ago about how folks used to travel to the SC low country long ago to collect rattlesnakes.

[Sawdust]

Only one I've ever seen in the wild was 6 or 7 years ago in Awendaw