Rattlesnake season underway on Central Coast

UPDATE 5/8/2017 5:45 p.m.:

It’s rattlesnake season and across the area, there are more reports of sightings.

Not only are the cold-blooded reptiles looking to stretch out in the sun for warmth, it’s also mating season. Until things settle down, park officials are reminding people to keep a close eye and ear out.

“I was walking down the path, and usually before you see the snakes you hear them, so yeah, I heard it as I was coming,” said Corey Sinnet of Carmel Valley. “Just grabbed my dog and made it around it.”

Fortunately for Sinnet, his encounter ended injury-free. It was a different ending for a hiker near the top of Mission Peak in Fremont last week. Authorities said he was bit after sitting down on a rock and putting his hand down.

Reports of rattlers are happening more this time of year.

“Ranger Joe” Narvaez at Garland Ranch Regional Park offers this advice.

“They like rocky dry terrain,” Narvaez said. “And they especially like open sunny areas where they can sun themselves, bask in the sun, especially in the mornings to warm up. And that’s where you can come across them, right in the middle of a trail.”

He said if people come across a snake on a patch to stop and step back if you need to.
If it’s a single-track trail and you can’t get around it, he recommends getting a long stick and shooing the snake off the trail.

“They can strike about half their body length, they can’t jump or leap, but they can strike about half their body weight, could be two feet or more,” Narvaez said.

If you do get bit, call 911 or have someone else call for you. Narvaez said people shouldn’t try to drive themselves to the doctor for treatment. The trails are wide enough to accommodate medical vehicles that can bring patients to the hospital.

If it’s a pet that gets bit, take them to the vet right away. One dog was bit in 2016 but was treated quickly for its injury and was ok.

It’s not just rattlesnakes that are out, gopher snakes are also.

“They look alike and they behave similarly,” Narvaez said. “They’ll rattle their tail in the dry twigs and it sounds a lot like a rattlesnake. They can also puff up and flatten their head and look a lot like a rattlesnake. Although upon closer inspection, the gopher snake has a much smaller head and is not diamond-shaped like a rattle snake and of course they don’t have rattles.”

If a rattlesnake proves to be problematic, it is relocated to another part of the park. Narvaez said the park does not kill rattlesnakes.

ORIGINAL POST:

Not only is it mating season, but more rattlers are out on sunny days trying to warm up. We spoke to a ranger at Garland Ranch Regional Park who said he had his first sighting last week, but has been receiving rattlesnake reports for the last few weeks.

“They are more afraid of you than you are of them,” said Ranger Joe.

However, if a person is bitten, they should call 911 to receive medical attention right away. Ranger Joe said they should not drive, nor should anyone try to suck the venom out of the wound.

Rattlesnakes can be mistaken for gopher snakes, which also live in California. Gopher snakes can also imitate a rattling sound with their tail, but aren’t venomous.