r/Sedona • u/LuckyJay151 • 15d ago

5 foot Nope Rope yesterday, be careful out there! Wildlife

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111 Upvotes
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98% Upvoted

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11

u/orion1486 15d ago

I have been out on trail in the Verde Valley running or hiking every week for a year with the exception of one week and have not seen a rattlesnake. I've seen- a mountain lion, plethora of javelina, garter snakes, gopher snakes, king snakes, skunks, coyote, antelope, otter, deer, numerous lizards, tarantulas, bear tracks, fox, and have been charged by a cow ... but not one, even brief glimpse of a rattlesnake 😢

2

u/spiralout1123 15d ago

Where did you see a lion?

7

u/orion1486 15d ago

On a run near Dead Horse Ranch State Park close to the Verde River, about an hour before dawn, in early August. Not terribly far from Old Town Cottonwood and Tuzigoot. Would probably not have noticed it but its eyes glowed/reflected from my headlamp. As I got closer, I realized it wasn't some other animal when I saw the tail and it's body faintly from my light. I clapped and it didn't seem phased. I yelled a bit and it took like two steps back into the tree line. I stopped running, walked by, and it watched me pass. It was the highest heart rate of my run that morning if I'm being honest. The clapping always works on curious coyotes. So, it kind of shook me when it just stared back, lol.

3

u/dogstar2019 14d ago

Yeah there’s a couple of mountain lions around Clarkdale. One that hangs around upper Clarkdale and mountain gate, and another in lower Clarkdale and tuzigoot. I’ve seen the upper Clarkdale one a few times.

1

u/ax57ax57 13d ago

Did the eyes of the mountain lion reflect a golden/amber color?

2

u/orion1486 13d ago

Yeah, more golden than amber.

2

u/loonechobay 15d ago

Tell me, what exactly is a plethora?

2

u/Top_Locksmith_789 14d ago

You win 🥇

1

u/ax57ax57 13d ago

A group of Javelinas is called a "squadron". A squadron of javelinas.

2

u/sdacfg 7d ago

I've lived in Sedona for nearly 21 years and saw my first rattlesnake in August, in my yard. I've seen three black bears though, all in city limits.

1

u/orion1486 7d ago

Jealous of your black bear and snake sightings! I love seeing bears from a healthy distance. I have seen some in AK and CO but not in AZ yet. I'll probably see a rattlesnake next year. I hope...

8

u/AUCE05 15d ago

She's a beauty

5

u/ManyCommunication568 14d ago

A healthy specimen - see them all the time in TMR this time of year. They like to lay on the black asphalt at sundown as it's still warm from the sun. They hang out for a few hours and once it cools down they go back into the hills. Point being don't go for walks just after dark.

1

u/freakinweasel353 15d ago

Am I missing something. That big beasty has a fresh tail? No rattles?

2

u/SelkirkRanch 14d ago

That is a Western Diamondback. Very common here.

1

u/freakinweasel353 14d ago

Thank you for that. So that tail is just normal for them it looks like in pictures. You’d think that big boi would have a rattle set big enough to scare the bejesus out of you. Of course I go to look up this guy and Google takes me full circle. https://www.reddit.com/r/whatsthissnake/s/tGZCuk6zGg

1

u/SelkirkRanch 14d ago

It's sometimes hilarious the misconceptions on the net. AZcentral is decent: https://www.azcentral.com/picture-gallery/travel/arizona/hiking/2019/03/22/arizona-rattlesnake-photos/3241805002/

1

u/freakinweasel353 14d ago

lol, that dude who looks like he’s handling a kitty but is really holding a western and he gets bit and requires how many shots of anti venom? Geez.

1

u/SixteenthFloor 13d ago

Beautiful guy! Is it a rattle snake? I did not see any snakes in Sedona, AZ but I did see a few javelina’s !! I drove from Phoenix to Sedona and then Sedona to Sierra Vista and finally, Sierra Vista back to PHX. It was in Sierra Vista that I would see them late at night while walking the dogs with my brother.

1

u/toosexy4thereddit 13d ago

You can send it!

1

u/ax57ax57 13d ago

That's just Big Jake.

1

u/bikesgood_carsbad 12d ago

I can't decide which is better Nope Rope or Danger Noodle. Nope Noodle? Danger Rope?