When is the best time to start looking?

[Beautifylgirl]

What time of year is the best to start looking for garters. Is there a temperature that the air or ground has to reach? Here in Washington it's around 40-55 degrees F , until about mid to late April and then starts to get warmer. Is that the best time? or should I wait until it gets 60 degrees plus. Also where is the best place to look? I have a 2 acre deep property that I live on that is very wooded in most of the property but not very moist. Should I look closer to the waters edge (where my WC was found) or under wood ? Any help is appreciated.

Thank you.

Brittany

[greyhawk]

Around here in Massachusetts, snakes start coming out sometime in April. I think May is the best month, at least for the place I go to. But i'd start looking once temps have been in the 60's for a few days, or any 70 degree day. I don't know exactly what the climate is like there, and it varies from year to year, but I'd say early to mid April would be a good start. But I mean, if your getting a warm spell at the end of March, they might come out early.

Personally, I would look for features on your property that stand out, like clearings, water, trash piles, logs, rock piles, etc. Solid forest is usually not very good because the snakes have an equal chance of being at any given spot. If you have some water edges, or a pile of rocks then I'd look closer to them because they will probably be more concentrated there.
And think about what a garter snake eats...probably amphibians, and amphibians will probably be near water.

Another thing you could do is if there are logs, rocks, or similar things, you can strategically place them near where you think the snakes would hang out, then in a few days, they might be underneath it. Once at a vernal pool I catch snakes at I saw a black trash bag near the woods. It was already there so its not like I was littering, but I put it at a certain spot, and a few days later a milk snake was under it and a garter was inside of it, already in the bag. But ya, rocks + water + frogs = garter snakes.

[Cazador]

Good advice from greyhawk up there. As a kid, I would set out 1" x 12" x ~18" boards along the water's edge of our ponds during the summer, and the snakes would gravitate toward them. I'd just have to walk by and flip the board over, and there would usually be worms, frogs, an occasional tiny fish at the water's edge, and sometimes even a fat snake. I liked boards, because they would float if the ever got blown in the pond, but anything that provides cover and is easy to flip over would work. They're looking for food, protection from predators, and sometimes a place to bask in (or retreat from) the sun. Concentrate on those areas, and you'll increase your odds.

Since it's on your own property, just provide shelter for them wherever you'd like, but focus on areas that would provide food. They'll be most active in sunny areas and therefore more likely to encounter your new hiding spot, which provides shade, cooler temperatures on sunny days, a safe place to rest, and hopefully food. They're lethargic now, but they still occasionally move. It wouldn't hurt to set out a few boards now and cross your fingers, but your odds will go way up next spring. Best of luck,
Rick

[greyhawk]

Well said Cazador. But one thing I just remembered. Pretty much the same thing as laying out boards near the waters edge, but the most garters I've ever seen at one area was a rocky horse trail with water on each side. It was all rocks, so people put old rugs down so the horses wont hurt their feet. Under these 5 or 6 carpets were about 15 to 20 garters, one ringneck snake too. So boards will do I'm sure, but if you have any old rugs, try them too.

[Markus18]

last summer i was in canada ontario,the city was called lively next to sudbury.and my uncle lives there!in 5 weeks i saw about 16thamnophis!i was on the nighttime at the road and saw the snakes cross the road!he lives by a big lake called long lake.its in a wood!and in his wood storage were 2 thamnophis!but i dont know which taype they where.i saw 1 at the lake eating a frog!it was a big brown thamnophis.and a opheodrys vernalis or aestivus in the grass

[Markus18]

and here in germany i saw a lot of natrix natrix natrix!we have much wood here with little lakes and in the summer there full of frogs.so i sit at the lake and look on the sea and you can see how the snakes swim and catch some frogs!

[KITKAT]

I have experimented with boards and find that the best ones have an edge around them. Take an appropriate sized piece of plywood, and fasten a 1 x 1 inch strip on the edges. Lay the board down so that the 1 x 1's are on the ground and hold the board up off the surface slightly. Brush some dead grass or leaves around the edges.

Also, boards that are down for several years always top the new ones. Good luck!

[abcat1993]

I can't wait to go turkey hunting in the spring. The place where we go hunting is perfect for snakes. I just found what I think was a watersnake yesterday. There is a big pond filled with thousands of frogs and a creek with the same. Too bad I didn't think about snakes like that last year.
PS: does anybody know a site that helps you figure out which snake you have? I saw it before but couldn't find it.

[Thamnophis]

Abcat1993, isn´t it getting cold in Illinois in this time of year?

[abcat1993]

Abcat1993, isn´t it getting cold in Illinois in this time of year?

Yes, it was on the ground and I stepped on it. It was fine though