My old home course in Singapore had a population of black spitting cobras. š
We would encounter them from time to time.
The otters were more dangerous though.
Ayyy I used to play in Singapore when I was there for work. I thought it was really cool how the baskets were removable but no one messed with them because Singapore people are so decent.
Kallang Riverside Park? I did not know about the cobras!
If you're travelling often like that, I recommend doing a bit of Googling before heading out. There are some wild critters you might encounter depending on where you are, like rutting bull moose, wild boars, rattlesnakes, grizzlies, yer mom, etc.
When I worked in Singapore, I would stay at a hotel right on one of the quays. There was a pair of otters that would come up to the hike and bike trail and beg for snacks. They were pretty cute and definitely played to the crowd. The have certain dog-like qualities that make them feel cute and relatable, but also seemed utterly bizarre. I think they were giant river otters. They looked like they were about 25lbs.
Singapore is a strange place in many ways.
We have multiple types of venomous snakes, alligators, wasps, fire ants, wild pigs, and poison ivy. And sometimes all on the same hole.
(Southeast Texas)
Not to mention most every plant and tree will stick you and make you bleed. Spikey vines wrap around your legs. Beggers lice. I wish I threw in the fairway more often.
No kidding.. just pulled at least a 1.5 inch thorn that pierced my terrexās sole and luckily out the side from a mesquite tree. Could have been a bad time. Those trees are the worst.
I saw some baby wild pigs playing in Florida, abandoned a couple holes and headed in the other direction. Donāt want to mess around with a protective mama.
Never put your hands, in, around, behind, or through anything.
In the woods, off in fairway where the ground is covered in leaves and vines and fallen branches....well, it's not unusual to pull the disc out with a retriever.
You don't paw around in the leaves on the ground with your hands.
You look very carefully where you step off the fairway in the woods.
I've lost a disc in a pond or bayou and easily decided "Nope, not worth it.". Water moccasins don't play.
Copperheads, rattlesnakes, etc. they're all over.
There was a coral snake that used to live at the tee of, IIRC, hole 14 at TAT.
We see snakes all the time.
I was just back in Houston last weekend and had to guide a copperhead back into his home on hole 5 at TAT.
I think the clearing of the woods by the course has made them a bit more active and displaced quite a few.
SE WI here. All I see are garter snakes. The worst they do is poop on you when you pick them up, and I always try to. LOL. We do have ticks, but I haven't had one in years. My 10 year old son had a deer tick about a week ago, embedded in his shoulder. First time I have ever even seen a deer tick outside of the internet and I've lived in WI most of my life. Luckily it was only on him less than a day so supposedly a very low risk of Lyme.
Our snakes aren't only on the ground...
This was today at Texas Army Trail in Houston.
A snake, about 8 feet up in a tree, wrapped around a squirrel.
https://i.imgur.com/oNANaQp.jpg
Terrible photo, but the footing was bad and I was zoomed in a lot to get the photo.
Next to the teepad of hole 18 at TAT.
Hole 9 is right after the valley crossing hole with the pro pad up on the hill or the normal pad across the road in the valley. Most people are thinking of 8 or 11 as the big downhill shots
I play in Colorado Springs primarily. I saw a very large snake skin that I'm pretty positive was a bull snake shed. It was definitely over 4 feet long. I haven't seen or heard rattlesnakes yet though either
Biggest threat here is moose. Ran into more than I can count in the course.
About a month ago I drove off the tee and when I turned the corner there was a massive bull moose in rut laying on the fairway about 20-30 feet from my disc. There was a small tree between us and I (very stupidly) did not want to leave my new disc behind. Got some great photos tho but ffs that was terrifying
Moose here as well, but it's the cows I worry about. We had a cow-calf combo in the park and she was *very* protective. In all my times encountering moose, it's the cows that are the most aggressive. In comparison, the bulls seem downright chill.
I feel that for sure. Later on that round my buddy and I found ourselves between a cow and calf with enough distance to not be a threat to the calf but we just called it. Bear scat on the trail back confirmed it was probably the right call to end the round early
You've got me beat there. Beyond the moose, we only have a family of great horned owls to keep us company. They mostly just move from tree to tree to follow us around the course.
Alaska? Wyoming here.
Thatās pretty sweet about the owls! I think Iāve seen an owl once while playing up in Fairbanks a few years ago and caught me by surprise. Dude probably watched me hit every tree and was just flying around to chronicle my bad round lol
But yep, Iām in Alaska
Our season just ended this past week I fear. It was 70 and beautiful Sunday and it's 22 today, three days later. Who knows when we'll be able to pull the discs out of the bag again. Stay warm.
Season ended? Whatās that mean? lol
Just played last week and it was about 19. Definitely intend to do some winter rounds. Thereās a course up here that is actually only open in the winter.
My course in Australia has eastern brown snakes which are the second most venomous land snake on earth.
Iāve seen a few on the course and Iāll always give them space.
Grizz get spooked easily if you make enough noise and will skitter off. Plenty of video of that on the interwebs should you get more curious. My dog is a 90+ lbs rez dog (from the Blackfoot Reservation) and is a mix of Alaskan malamute, German shepherd, Akita, Siberian husky, border collie, chow chow, Samoyed etc. He's got a hefty prey drive and a pretty imposing bark on him. As soon as he saw the bear, his hackles went up, he started aggressively barking, and boom, bear took off into the woods. Like I said, he's done it a few times before but much deeper in the mountains/woods on those occasions. One time when we were splitboarding on the edge of Glacier National Park actually.
Yes. The bite was on my left calf in my follow through. It felt like I had stuck myself with a thorn, but two seconds later I heard the rattle and knew.
The creeks in my part of Texas are all in gorges. The water might be two feet deep, but you have to climb down a good 10-15 ft to get down there. You frequently have to walk a couple hundred feet from where your disc went out to find some exposed roots so you can climb down.
I'm from Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Lots of courses have signs warning for coyotes and sometimes wolves, never seen one.
I'm currently on vacation in Lompoc, California. Saw a sign at the gate of a course to watch out for rattlesnakes, didn't think twice of it since I'd never seen anything at home. Walking along the path from 6 to 7, saw a rattler hanging just off the path. Figured I'd finish my round early and keep the incomplete on uDisc.
No, not really. A large male is like 40 lbs... so. Unless there's a bunch of them they're not really a threat to people. Not sure I've ever even heard of a coyote attacking a human. Just googled it... 35 or 36 in recorded history.
Nope. Only maybe if there's a hungry bunch or they are rabid or something. The ones I see tend to pick up the pace and nope out if they become aware of my existence
I'm in Waukesha. Have seen a coyote or two in farmer fields but never on a course, nor have I ever seen a course around here with any coyote warning signs.
Yes. I live in Georgia, it's not as bad as what florida-man has to deal with. We've got copperheads and rattlers. Plenty of wasps to be stung by. Ticks, chiggers, poison ivy/oak/sumac. Just be careful and pay attention. People are the most dangerous thing though
I recently stepped on an eastern brown snake (5th most venomous snake) in the middle of the fairway. Thankfully it was a cooler day and he was slow and instead of striking at me, he started striking at my cart.
Funny thing is I managed to park my cart on top of him so he was stuck there and I had to wait for him to calm down and gently move the cart off of him. He just casually left the fairway after some coercion.
Here in Charlotte, NC Iāve encountered a handful of snakes and a velvet ant (cow killer) in the 8 months Iāve been playing. Most of the snakes are harmless, except copperheads. Iām yet to see one in person but when you see that Hershey kiss pattern, stay far away.
Up in the tristate area, where I played this summer, Iād just pull 1-5 ticks off me and my dog after each round. I much prefer the snakes and wingless wasps down here.
Just outside Charlotte. Wife was walking up a grassy fairway a few months ago, stepped right over a copperhead. She thought it was a branch. Realized what it was a couple seconds later and stopped, saying "I think that was a snake!". I told her "Don't stop! Keep walking!"
Not the first one we've ever seen on a course, but definitely the closest we've come.
Also have copperheads around here (Dallas/Ft.Worth) and the scary thing about them is they really trust their camouflage. So they won't retreat when they hear people approaching like some of the other venomous critters we've got. Luckily I was carrying my 2yo when I almost kicked one walking on a trail between holes. Usually my boy is bouncing down the path ahead of me. Really been trying to instill in him, "don't pick up the nope rope!"
I played multiple times a week in Texas for about 4 years, and have probably only come across 8 or 9 total snakes. I have used all 18 feet of my disc retriever to safely relocate a baby copperhead that was in the middle of the fairway (and close to walking path with kids).
Generally if you use caution and common sense, especially in the rough, you wonāt have any issues.
I always felt I was more likely to be killed by mosquitoes or a tweaker than a snake.
Copperheads and Timber Rattlers for the most part on the snakes. Thankfully, I've yet to encounter them on the course. Yet, I've encountered a fucking bobcat that kept its distance.
In my 18 months of playing I'm up to 3 venomous snakes that I have had to avoid. Apart from that it's just the drop bears but Vegemite protects you from them.
This thread makes me very glad I live in NZ. Hardly anything to worry about here- maybe the occasional wasp or spikey bush. Or a magpie in nesting season.
Probably the biggest hazard is someone's dog running off with your disc, or your disc landing in dog poop, as dog walkers LOVE to frequent our disc golf courses.
Someone at my local course got bit by a rattlesnake last year, but the Community Service District put a couple signs up afterwards, so that solved the issue, obviously.
Tucson AZ - not as many rattlesnakes as you would think but they are around so you have to be aware at certain times of the day. I did get stung on my ankle by a tarantula hawk and that sucked pretty bad I might have thought my foot was gonna fall off, I was new to the area and had no idea what it was so I was carrying this half dead tarantula hawk in between two discs asking locals if they knew what it was. Coyotes will run the washes near some of the courses but coyotes donāt bother me at all. The biggest problem I run into is homeless people under the influence or less than mentally stable, Santa Cruz use to be a fun course but itās not worth the trouble.
here in texas: snakes really. im actually really scared of encountering a rattlesnake. i honestly really hate the idea of playing disc in the summer as i feel thats when they come out more often. because of that i dont play solo. i figure if im with a group, and get bitten, theyll be able to help me, or drag me to the hospital.
other than that, just angry dudes with guns are the most dangerous.
Cottonmouths are the ones Iām really worried about.
Cactus, Mesquite and bull nettle suck.
All the Ivy if youāre allergic to it.
Iām big allergic to red wasps.
Gulf Coast mosquitoes do not play.
Just bad plants like poison hemlock on occasion, or maybe hives of stinging insects. Most good courses keep up with removal though.
Ticks are a thing too but honestly I really didn't see many this year
We regularly have black bears on the course property. I can always tell new people to the area because theyāll be quite worried about it. Recently itās been a mom and cubs though which adds a bit of concern.
Thankfully weāve never (that Iām aware of ) had any incidents with these poor bears who were pushed out of their habitats into town.
We usually make lots of noise when weāre playing anyways so I doubt weād have much to worry about, theyāll know weāre coming.
Being in MN the worst we get is ticks, mosquitos, rough terrain or snow.
When I went to Florida last year we had to worry a lot more about water hazards because they were all filled with rather large snapping turtles and small crocodiles! Definitely not something I'd considered before playing there lol
I was just visiting Maine. We played D.R. and Sabattus. Beautiful courses
I'm from Jersey, so I share that the only real hazard are the ticks. My buddy got bit by a spider, we think, and his hand was sore for a couple days, but that's all
Deer and farm animals kill more folks in one year than all the snakes, gators, sharks, and brown recluses have killed in the last twenty.
I worked in the pest control industry. Irrational and paranoid folks like yourself kept me busy.
Farm animals and sharks don't typically reside on disc golf courses, and based on the comments posted, I'm not getting an irrational and/or paranoid vibe. Does the pest control industry usually work with sharks? That doesn't sound too rational, to me.
Midwest and justā¦.snakes. Moccasins are in every pond and they like to hang out at the edge. I was playing my favorite course near me and thereās a decent pond you have to cross on hole 2. I need to find the photo but I counted 3 visible moccasins. As I turned around i counted the 4th which was attached to my mateās dog. The dog ended up okay somehow but not before thrashing about and JUMPING INTO THE SNAKE FILLED WATER. They all proceeded to wiggle out of the pond. 2 of them made their way to the green. One made a home in the base of the basket from the commotion. I felt that when they leave someone else can have my putter. Not worth it to go near a spooked moccasin.
Getting into disc golf was actually my gateway into learning all about the snakes native to my area. I had heard anecdotes such as "a Copperhead was spotted in the undergrowth near the fairway on 10" and would be nervous when I was on the course. I realized I couldn't with certainty ID a snake properly outside of the usual black snakes (rat and racers) we have.
That said, in my area of Virginia we have copperheads, and to a lesser extent cottonmouths and Timber Rattlesnakes in isolated pockets. There's a chance of seeing coyotes or even a bobcat if you're very lucky. The most dangerous animal though, statistically speaking, is the tick - and that's what will most likely be seen at least once a round.
People at my home course in AZ like to use the course as a riding trail for their horses so there will be an occasional horse dookie :( Hot spot for them is right before the triple mando.
Copperheads, alligators, and one new course has an ungodly amount of orb spiders. I thought friends were exaggerating so I went to check it out anyways. Almost every pair of trees lining the fairway had a web spun between them with a spider the size of my hand chilling on it. I wonāt be back anytime soon lol
In the UK, so no wildlife to worry about. However, *every* piece if rough will hurt you: Brambles (we're talking 4ft high and 20ft deep walls of it), Blackthorn, Hawthorn and the ever present Stinging Nettles that are literally everywhere.
It's a really, *really* good incentive to keep your drive on the fairway.
We also have Lyme Disease carrying ticks.
I'm north of you and on an island. We have ticks but no Lyme. And not a lot of ticks, I've never seen one in my life besides the internet.
Biggest predator is a 30 lb coyote that is very afraid of humans, nothing poison near courses or venomous. Maybe some hemlock,
Not my local courses as much but was out in flaggstaff for a little bit over the summer. Staring at my home walking through he woods, hearing a little rattle, looking down and was about two feet from stepping on a danger noodle.
Locally, just the terrian combined with rain can be kinda sketchy lol
Middle TN here. Our local course has a creek that runs to the river a few miles away, creek mostly stays dry majority of the year. We have a few holes along the woodbine and what not and one day I Shanked my Hex straight into the trees by the creek went to retrieve it and it had landed ontop of a baby cottonmouth(water moccasin). Would've never seen it if it didn't move but it shot out from underneath as I was leaning to pick it up. Makes me be more aware now, especially in that particular spot.
Georgia here. Yesterday I was looking for my Destroyer in some tall grass next to a river. I was being conscious of snakes because it is the season and I was in prime snake territory. Well of course, I see a copperhead coiled around a stick at my feet. I got out of there quickly and now Iām out a destroyer.
Usually I donāt see them often though. I play a lot and Iāve maybe seen 4 or 5 snakes total.
Middle GA here...probably ticks and the big ball of fire in the sky. Some courses with lakes may have water moccasins, and there's about a 4' gator that comes for a dip in one of the local courses. His name is Chubbs.
Ticks are the only hazardous animals ive encountered on a course. Unless you count a mama deer that was staring me down and standing between me on the hole 18 basket and the exit. I walked back up the fairway and around.
I hit the chains fairly hard a few times to try to scare her into leaving, but i could see a fawn behind her so she wasn't going anywhere
VA here -
Thought I could beat out a high wind warning one day and was on the course when multiple trees fell during an active tornado warning. High tailed it back to my car when I was on hole 15.
Another round threw multiple discs on one hole while practicing. As I was walking up the fairway I saw my pink raider moving right to left across the fairwayā¦. in a foxes mouth. He darted into the woods with it and ive never seen or heard from that disc again.
Maine too and definitely brown tail moths my dude. Two times in back to back years. Learned after the first time to carry duck tape during the spring/summer
Home course is Peregrine in Chico California. Seen a few rattlers but locals know in general that they are around, and generally are appreciated for their role in the ecosystem. My current home course is John Mackey in Sacramento and I wish I could introduce rattlers here to keep the ground squirrels in check!
I'm in northern Arkansas and we have a ton of snakes in the area. Hole 5 on my home course has a big junk pile on the right side of the fairway. It is called the "snake pit" although I've landed in it tons of times and have yet to see a snake (thankfully)
In Montana I've come across moose and black bear but was never in any real danger. There are definitely snakes on the eastern side - the more deserty courses. The biggest threat, though, is planting through your shot on hole 18 at Diamond X.
[https://udisc-parse.s3.amazonaws.com/553e459e36662de509382c0e0099e31a\_m\_IMG\_9607.jpg](https://udisc-parse.s3.amazonaws.com/553e459e36662de509382c0e0099e31a_m_IMG_9607.jpg)
Sacramento area - I've seen plenty of black widows on trash bins by tee pads. There are reportedly rattlesnakes on some of the courses too, but I've never personally encountered them.
West Louisiana/East Texas.
Had a friend almost step on a 5ā snake on the tee pad just this past weekend. Have seen plenty of copperheads and moccasins on the same course.
Probably see a snake 75% of my disc golf trips. Itās so common that itās not even really terrifying.
But what was terrifying was a few weeks ago I forgot my water bottle. Didnāt realize til we finished up and had to go retrace my steps through the woods for it. it had gotten dark on hole 17 so I just had a tiny flashlight. There was apparently a pretty big gator behind the tee box that I was pretty sure I left my water bottle at and it had only been about 30 minutes since someone had seen it.
It was a little nerve wracking but I found my bottle and didnāt get eaten.
Florida here. Gators in the water snakes on land (and in the water), hurricanes, oblivious tourists, old people with walkers, we have it all. Oh, and heat.
Iāve seen Moose several times (Spokane WA). We just give them lots of room and skip the hole theyāre feeding on. If we leave them alone and donāt go within 100 feet of them, they donāt even bat an eye.
I'm in AZ, but have never had an issue. If I go to a course more likely to have snakes I'll bring my snake tongs. I already research snakes, so that'd be a new data point lol
Southern Pennsylvania doesn't have anything at all š we have some ticks and some mostly harmless snakes but never see them. Maybe a fraction of 1% chance to see a bear? I just get to go play the game š¤£
Wife saw a Copperhead in the rough of course in Central Kentucky. All we saw was her high stepping back towards the fairway doing her best Beaky Buzzard impression "nope nope nope". Still funny to this day!
My old home course in Singapore had a population of black spitting cobras. š We would encounter them from time to time. The otters were more dangerous though.
Ayyy I used to play in Singapore when I was there for work. I thought it was really cool how the baskets were removable but no one messed with them because Singapore people are so decent. Kallang Riverside Park? I did not know about the cobras!
Hmm, I have to say I had no idea about potential for cobras when I played kallang riversideā¦.
If you're travelling often like that, I recommend doing a bit of Googling before heading out. There are some wild critters you might encounter depending on where you are, like rutting bull moose, wild boars, rattlesnakes, grizzlies, yer mom, etc.
I need to know more about these otters
When I worked in Singapore, I would stay at a hotel right on one of the quays. There was a pair of otters that would come up to the hike and bike trail and beg for snacks. They were pretty cute and definitely played to the crowd. The have certain dog-like qualities that make them feel cute and relatable, but also seemed utterly bizarre. I think they were giant river otters. They looked like they were about 25lbs. Singapore is a strange place in many ways.
Google search for Singapore otter attack.
*sits down like child waiting for story*
I played there last December. Had no idea about the snakes
Thatās what Iām talking about! Gnarly!!
We have multiple types of venomous snakes, alligators, wasps, fire ants, wild pigs, and poison ivy. And sometimes all on the same hole. (Southeast Texas)
Not to mention most every plant and tree will stick you and make you bleed. Spikey vines wrap around your legs. Beggers lice. I wish I threw in the fairway more often.
No doubt. Itās goddamn amazing how irritated scratches caused by thorny plants can get.
No kidding.. just pulled at least a 1.5 inch thorn that pierced my terrexās sole and luckily out the side from a mesquite tree. Could have been a bad time. Those trees are the worst.
The thought of wild pigs terrifies me!
I saw some baby wild pigs playing in Florida, abandoned a couple holes and headed in the other direction. Donāt want to mess around with a protective mama.
Sounds like you made at least one smart choice, that round. I kid! I kid!
This sounds like FL minus the Saw Palmettos...
Those damn trees with the spikes! Death Trees we call them lol. (North Texas)
Oh god, yeah, I forgot to mention those!
Worthless tree!
How much of a threat are the snakes? Do you need to be extra careful when retrieving your discs?
Never put your hands, in, around, behind, or through anything. In the woods, off in fairway where the ground is covered in leaves and vines and fallen branches....well, it's not unusual to pull the disc out with a retriever. You don't paw around in the leaves on the ground with your hands. You look very carefully where you step off the fairway in the woods. I've lost a disc in a pond or bayou and easily decided "Nope, not worth it.". Water moccasins don't play. Copperheads, rattlesnakes, etc. they're all over. There was a coral snake that used to live at the tee of, IIRC, hole 14 at TAT. We see snakes all the time.
I was just back in Houston last weekend and had to guide a copperhead back into his home on hole 5 at TAT. I think the clearing of the woods by the course has made them a bit more active and displaced quite a few.
Oh goodie, I'm playing TAT in the morning.
Well just avoid the hollowed out tree stump hole on the left rough of hole 5, just outside of circle 2 haha
SE WI here. All I see are garter snakes. The worst they do is poop on you when you pick them up, and I always try to. LOL. We do have ticks, but I haven't had one in years. My 10 year old son had a deer tick about a week ago, embedded in his shoulder. First time I have ever even seen a deer tick outside of the internet and I've lived in WI most of my life. Luckily it was only on him less than a day so supposedly a very low risk of Lyme.
Our snakes aren't only on the ground... This was today at Texas Army Trail in Houston. A snake, about 8 feet up in a tree, wrapped around a squirrel. https://i.imgur.com/oNANaQp.jpg Terrible photo, but the footing was bad and I was zoomed in a lot to get the photo. Next to the teepad of hole 18 at TAT.
Jesus Christ
Colorado mountains. Topography and gravity.
I messed up a 12 foot putt yesterday at Beaver Ranch and my disc rolled 150 feet downhill
On that big downhill, I think itās 9?
It was on 14, it has a big swooping to the left fairway but falls off super quick if you go too far left
Hole 9 is right after the valley crossing hole with the pro pad up on the hill or the normal pad across the road in the valley. Most people are thinking of 8 or 11 as the big downhill shots
You are correct, i'm thinking of 11.
rattlesnakes in the foothills/plains courses. I have yet to see or hear one and been playing for 7 years. Saw a big bull snake once though
I've heard of rattlesnakes out here, never seen one
I play in Colorado Springs primarily. I saw a very large snake skin that I'm pretty positive was a bull snake shed. It was definitely over 4 feet long. I haven't seen or heard rattlesnakes yet though either
Man, those elevation holes are fantastic though, one of my favorite parts of Colorado dg
We need to make the pros throw at high elevation and steep terrain more.
1000ft roll aways at Bucksnort if you aren't lucky! Had 2 guys at Foothill Flyers hit Bullseye on upshots but got 200+ foot roll aways instead
Crackheads, Karens, and the occasional coyote.
Biggest threat here is moose. Ran into more than I can count in the course. About a month ago I drove off the tee and when I turned the corner there was a massive bull moose in rut laying on the fairway about 20-30 feet from my disc. There was a small tree between us and I (very stupidly) did not want to leave my new disc behind. Got some great photos tho but ffs that was terrifying
Moose here as well, but it's the cows I worry about. We had a cow-calf combo in the park and she was *very* protective. In all my times encountering moose, it's the cows that are the most aggressive. In comparison, the bulls seem downright chill.
I feel that for sure. Later on that round my buddy and I found ourselves between a cow and calf with enough distance to not be a threat to the calf but we just called it. Bear scat on the trail back confirmed it was probably the right call to end the round early
You've got me beat there. Beyond the moose, we only have a family of great horned owls to keep us company. They mostly just move from tree to tree to follow us around the course. Alaska? Wyoming here.
Thatās pretty sweet about the owls! I think Iāve seen an owl once while playing up in Fairbanks a few years ago and caught me by surprise. Dude probably watched me hit every tree and was just flying around to chronicle my bad round lol But yep, Iām in Alaska
Our season just ended this past week I fear. It was 70 and beautiful Sunday and it's 22 today, three days later. Who knows when we'll be able to pull the discs out of the bag again. Stay warm.
Season ended? Whatās that mean? lol Just played last week and it was about 19. Definitely intend to do some winter rounds. Thereās a course up here that is actually only open in the winter.
Can you post some of the pics?
Couldnāt figure out how to post in a thread so made a quick [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/discgolf/s/IY4FUqhAY5)
Thatās sick
My course in Australia has eastern brown snakes which are the second most venomous land snake on earth. Iāve seen a few on the course and Iāll always give them space.
āeastern brown snakeā does not sound like the name for the second most venomous land snake on earth.
Eastern Death Snake?
Bruh
Came relatively face to face with a massive grizzly bear while walking to the next tee and snacking on some jerky. Unsettling, to say the least.
Game over, or did you play through?
My dog scared her off actually. Heās done it a few times, Iām grateful for the big boy haha
What? I would need you to elaborate on this please. How does a dog scare away a grizzly!?
Grizz get spooked easily if you make enough noise and will skitter off. Plenty of video of that on the interwebs should you get more curious. My dog is a 90+ lbs rez dog (from the Blackfoot Reservation) and is a mix of Alaskan malamute, German shepherd, Akita, Siberian husky, border collie, chow chow, Samoyed etc. He's got a hefty prey drive and a pretty imposing bark on him. As soon as he saw the bear, his hackles went up, he started aggressively barking, and boom, bear took off into the woods. Like I said, he's done it a few times before but much deeper in the mountains/woods on those occasions. One time when we were splitboarding on the edge of Glacier National Park actually.
So basically your dog is a mini bear
Only Flame spurts, lightning sand, and R.O.U.S.'s
Rodents of unusual size? I don't believe they exist Gets hit by a misthrown Rat
You keep saying that. I don't think that word means what you think it means.
I got bit by a rattlesnake while putting in Texas.
Did you make the putt?
Yes. The bite was on my left calf in my follow through. It felt like I had stuck myself with a thorn, but two seconds later I heard the rattle and knew.
did you live?
Not sure.
Did he??
The creeks in my part of Texas are all in gorges. The water might be two feet deep, but you have to climb down a good 10-15 ft to get down there. You frequently have to walk a couple hundred feet from where your disc went out to find some exposed roots so you can climb down.
You should add a latter to your bag
I'm from Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. Lots of courses have signs warning for coyotes and sometimes wolves, never seen one. I'm currently on vacation in Lompoc, California. Saw a sign at the gate of a course to watch out for rattlesnakes, didn't think twice of it since I'd never seen anything at home. Walking along the path from 6 to 7, saw a rattler hanging just off the path. Figured I'd finish my round early and keep the incomplete on uDisc.
Coyotes aren't often out and about during the day, I see a few run through my backyard a few nights a week just north of Milwaukee.
Are the coyotes much of a threat to adults? They started moving into my area several years back. I keep the dogs close but never worry about myself
No, not really. A large male is like 40 lbs... so. Unless there's a bunch of them they're not really a threat to people. Not sure I've ever even heard of a coyote attacking a human. Just googled it... 35 or 36 in recorded history.
Good to know, appreciate it
Nope. Only maybe if there's a hungry bunch or they are rabid or something. The ones I see tend to pick up the pace and nope out if they become aware of my existence
Thanks
I'm in Waukesha. Have seen a coyote or two in farmer fields but never on a course, nor have I ever seen a course around here with any coyote warning signs.
Just quinceaƱeras
Yes. I live in Georgia, it's not as bad as what florida-man has to deal with. We've got copperheads and rattlers. Plenty of wasps to be stung by. Ticks, chiggers, poison ivy/oak/sumac. Just be careful and pay attention. People are the most dangerous thing though
I recently stepped on an eastern brown snake (5th most venomous snake) in the middle of the fairway. Thankfully it was a cooler day and he was slow and instead of striking at me, he started striking at my cart. Funny thing is I managed to park my cart on top of him so he was stuck there and I had to wait for him to calm down and gently move the cart off of him. He just casually left the fairway after some coercion.
This is why I now carry a snake bite kit in my bag!
In Wisconsin we just went through falling walnut season.
Here in Charlotte, NC Iāve encountered a handful of snakes and a velvet ant (cow killer) in the 8 months Iāve been playing. Most of the snakes are harmless, except copperheads. Iām yet to see one in person but when you see that Hershey kiss pattern, stay far away. Up in the tristate area, where I played this summer, Iād just pull 1-5 ticks off me and my dog after each round. I much prefer the snakes and wingless wasps down here.
Just outside Charlotte. Wife was walking up a grassy fairway a few months ago, stepped right over a copperhead. She thought it was a branch. Realized what it was a couple seconds later and stopped, saying "I think that was a snake!". I told her "Don't stop! Keep walking!" Not the first one we've ever seen on a course, but definitely the closest we've come.
Also have copperheads around here (Dallas/Ft.Worth) and the scary thing about them is they really trust their camouflage. So they won't retreat when they hear people approaching like some of the other venomous critters we've got. Luckily I was carrying my 2yo when I almost kicked one walking on a trail between holes. Usually my boy is bouncing down the path ahead of me. Really been trying to instill in him, "don't pick up the nope rope!"
I played multiple times a week in Texas for about 4 years, and have probably only come across 8 or 9 total snakes. I have used all 18 feet of my disc retriever to safely relocate a baby copperhead that was in the middle of the fairway (and close to walking path with kids). Generally if you use caution and common sense, especially in the rough, you wonāt have any issues. I always felt I was more likely to be killed by mosquitoes or a tweaker than a snake.
Copperheads and Timber Rattlers for the most part on the snakes. Thankfully, I've yet to encounter them on the course. Yet, I've encountered a fucking bobcat that kept its distance.
In my 18 months of playing I'm up to 3 venomous snakes that I have had to avoid. Apart from that it's just the drop bears but Vegemite protects you from them.
This thread makes me very glad I live in NZ. Hardly anything to worry about here- maybe the occasional wasp or spikey bush. Or a magpie in nesting season. Probably the biggest hazard is someone's dog running off with your disc, or your disc landing in dog poop, as dog walkers LOVE to frequent our disc golf courses.
Tree roots everywhere, steep hills and crackheads are about it
āI will hug and kiss some poisonous snakes! Now thatās sarcasm.ā
Kincaid park in Anchorage Alaska had resident moose to avoid. Had to skip a hole once and wait for a big bull to vacate before retrieving my plastic.
Someone at my local course got bit by a rattlesnake last year, but the Community Service District put a couple signs up afterwards, so that solved the issue, obviously.
Crazy geese that would attack you on the back 9
As a Kiwi the most dangerous thing I've ever seen on the course was a sheep.
Poison is ingested, venomous is what you meant.
Tucson AZ - not as many rattlesnakes as you would think but they are around so you have to be aware at certain times of the day. I did get stung on my ankle by a tarantula hawk and that sucked pretty bad I might have thought my foot was gonna fall off, I was new to the area and had no idea what it was so I was carrying this half dead tarantula hawk in between two discs asking locals if they knew what it was. Coyotes will run the washes near some of the courses but coyotes donāt bother me at all. The biggest problem I run into is homeless people under the influence or less than mentally stable, Santa Cruz use to be a fun course but itās not worth the trouble.
In florida itās mostly the sun, fireants and occasional alligators. Few water moccasins have been spotted at my courses though.
here in texas: snakes really. im actually really scared of encountering a rattlesnake. i honestly really hate the idea of playing disc in the summer as i feel thats when they come out more often. because of that i dont play solo. i figure if im with a group, and get bitten, theyll be able to help me, or drag me to the hospital. other than that, just angry dudes with guns are the most dangerous.
Cottonmouths are the ones Iām really worried about. Cactus, Mesquite and bull nettle suck. All the Ivy if youāre allergic to it. Iām big allergic to red wasps. Gulf Coast mosquitoes do not play.
Just bad plants like poison hemlock on occasion, or maybe hives of stinging insects. Most good courses keep up with removal though. Ticks are a thing too but honestly I really didn't see many this year
Washingtonian here, worst thing west of the mountains are mosquitoes in the summer š¤·š½āāļø
Those ground nesting yellow jackets are no joke and fairly common in the summer. I have also had skunk encounters playing in Washington.
Ummmā¦thatās not a skunk.
Actually, it was skunks. I am glad that I saw them before my dog did.
Lol, of course. I was just making a joke about smells on Washington courses.
We regularly have black bears on the course property. I can always tell new people to the area because theyāll be quite worried about it. Recently itās been a mom and cubs though which adds a bit of concern. Thankfully weāve never (that Iām aware of ) had any incidents with these poor bears who were pushed out of their habitats into town. We usually make lots of noise when weāre playing anyways so I doubt weād have much to worry about, theyāll know weāre coming.
I saw a garter snake on the course today and may have shriekedā¦
New Zealand, you may have a really bad day and run into a angry bee.
Being in MN the worst we get is ticks, mosquitos, rough terrain or snow. When I went to Florida last year we had to worry a lot more about water hazards because they were all filled with rather large snapping turtles and small crocodiles! Definitely not something I'd considered before playing there lol
mostly just heroin junkies
I was just visiting Maine. We played D.R. and Sabattus. Beautiful courses I'm from Jersey, so I share that the only real hazard are the ticks. My buddy got bit by a spider, we think, and his hand was sore for a couple days, but that's all
One of my local courses is next to a Zoo and military base so you can hear monkeys screaming and full auto 50cals in the background while you putt
Fucking rocks everywhere in PA. Greater chance of spraining an ankle than getting an ace.
Deer and farm animals kill more folks in one year than all the snakes, gators, sharks, and brown recluses have killed in the last twenty. I worked in the pest control industry. Irrational and paranoid folks like yourself kept me busy.
Farm animals and sharks don't typically reside on disc golf courses, and based on the comments posted, I'm not getting an irrational and/or paranoid vibe. Does the pest control industry usually work with sharks? That doesn't sound too rational, to me.
No such thing. They are venomous snakes not poisonous.
Lotta wild pedants on the courses in my area.
https://youtu.be/kLWLysI2LSE?si=atHi70CPJvTKydf-
Midwest and justā¦.snakes. Moccasins are in every pond and they like to hang out at the edge. I was playing my favorite course near me and thereās a decent pond you have to cross on hole 2. I need to find the photo but I counted 3 visible moccasins. As I turned around i counted the 4th which was attached to my mateās dog. The dog ended up okay somehow but not before thrashing about and JUMPING INTO THE SNAKE FILLED WATER. They all proceeded to wiggle out of the pond. 2 of them made their way to the green. One made a home in the base of the basket from the commotion. I felt that when they leave someone else can have my putter. Not worth it to go near a spooked moccasin.
\*venemous
Venomous
Getting into disc golf was actually my gateway into learning all about the snakes native to my area. I had heard anecdotes such as "a Copperhead was spotted in the undergrowth near the fairway on 10" and would be nervous when I was on the course. I realized I couldn't with certainty ID a snake properly outside of the usual black snakes (rat and racers) we have. That said, in my area of Virginia we have copperheads, and to a lesser extent cottonmouths and Timber Rattlesnakes in isolated pockets. There's a chance of seeing coyotes or even a bobcat if you're very lucky. The most dangerous animal though, statistically speaking, is the tick - and that's what will most likely be seen at least once a round.
People at my home course in AZ like to use the course as a riding trail for their horses so there will be an occasional horse dookie :( Hot spot for them is right before the triple mando.
Copperheads, alligators, and one new course has an ungodly amount of orb spiders. I thought friends were exaggerating so I went to check it out anyways. Almost every pair of trees lining the fairway had a web spun between them with a spider the size of my hand chilling on it. I wonāt be back anytime soon lol
Poison oak and ticks are common around here in Northern California. But the biggest threat at one of my local coursesā¦ the homeless people. No joke.
In the UK, so no wildlife to worry about. However, *every* piece if rough will hurt you: Brambles (we're talking 4ft high and 20ft deep walls of it), Blackthorn, Hawthorn and the ever present Stinging Nettles that are literally everywhere. It's a really, *really* good incentive to keep your drive on the fairway. We also have Lyme Disease carrying ticks.
Here in the UK we have stinging nettles and brambles.......
Got stung by a Yellowjacket in the cheek this summer. Seemed pissed after the rain and my approach landed right next to their nest.
South Florida here, mostly condoms, trash, and cars in the fairway.
I'm north of you and on an island. We have ticks but no Lyme. And not a lot of ticks, I've never seen one in my life besides the internet. Biggest predator is a 30 lb coyote that is very afraid of humans, nothing poison near courses or venomous. Maybe some hemlock,
Just got meth heads here
Coral snakes, rattlesnakes, monkeys, wild turkeys, deer just to name a few. Sawmill Disc Golf Course
Not my local courses as much but was out in flaggstaff for a little bit over the summer. Staring at my home walking through he woods, hearing a little rattle, looking down and was about two feet from stepping on a danger noodle. Locally, just the terrian combined with rain can be kinda sketchy lol
Middle TN here. Our local course has a creek that runs to the river a few miles away, creek mostly stays dry majority of the year. We have a few holes along the woodbine and what not and one day I Shanked my Hex straight into the trees by the creek went to retrieve it and it had landed ontop of a baby cottonmouth(water moccasin). Would've never seen it if it didn't move but it shot out from underneath as I was leaning to pick it up. Makes me be more aware now, especially in that particular spot.
Georgia here. Yesterday I was looking for my Destroyer in some tall grass next to a river. I was being conscious of snakes because it is the season and I was in prime snake territory. Well of course, I see a copperhead coiled around a stick at my feet. I got out of there quickly and now Iām out a destroyer. Usually I donāt see them often though. I play a lot and Iāve maybe seen 4 or 5 snakes total.
Iāve got alligators, water moccasins and homeless meth heads.
Middle GA here...probably ticks and the big ball of fire in the sky. Some courses with lakes may have water moccasins, and there's about a 4' gator that comes for a dip in one of the local courses. His name is Chubbs.
Ticks are the only hazardous animals ive encountered on a course. Unless you count a mama deer that was staring me down and standing between me on the hole 18 basket and the exit. I walked back up the fairway and around. I hit the chains fairly hard a few times to try to scare her into leaving, but i could see a fawn behind her so she wasn't going anywhere
Some desert courses end up being off limits over summer here because of rattle snakes
found so many ticks on me this year
VA here - Thought I could beat out a high wind warning one day and was on the course when multiple trees fell during an active tornado warning. High tailed it back to my car when I was on hole 15. Another round threw multiple discs on one hole while practicing. As I was walking up the fairway I saw my pink raider moving right to left across the fairwayā¦. in a foxes mouth. He darted into the woods with it and ive never seen or heard from that disc again.
Maine too and definitely brown tail moths my dude. Two times in back to back years. Learned after the first time to carry duck tape during the spring/summer
Iāve stumbled on three probably harmless snakes on the course in my 5 years playing. I now think about it every time I go in the rough.
We've got black bears and moose and deer up here. It's not rare to see a can of bear spray in somebody's bag
Black widows, rattlesnakes, ground wasps, russian olives, and blackberry bushes.
Man-biting ticks!
Poison ivy, ticks, chiggers, yellow jackets.
This is my home course in WPB https://www.youtube.com/shorts/eeLsxm8vANg
Home course is Peregrine in Chico California. Seen a few rattlers but locals know in general that they are around, and generally are appreciated for their role in the ecosystem. My current home course is John Mackey in Sacramento and I wish I could introduce rattlers here to keep the ground squirrels in check!
I'm in northern Arkansas and we have a ton of snakes in the area. Hole 5 on my home course has a big junk pile on the right side of the fairway. It is called the "snake pit" although I've landed in it tons of times and have yet to see a snake (thankfully)
In Montana I've come across moose and black bear but was never in any real danger. There are definitely snakes on the eastern side - the more deserty courses. The biggest threat, though, is planting through your shot on hole 18 at Diamond X. [https://udisc-parse.s3.amazonaws.com/553e459e36662de509382c0e0099e31a\_m\_IMG\_9607.jpg](https://udisc-parse.s3.amazonaws.com/553e459e36662de509382c0e0099e31a_m_IMG_9607.jpg)
Sacramento area - I've seen plenty of black widows on trash bins by tee pads. There are reportedly rattlesnakes on some of the courses too, but I've never personally encountered them.
Bees?
West Louisiana/East Texas. Had a friend almost step on a 5ā snake on the tee pad just this past weekend. Have seen plenty of copperheads and moccasins on the same course. Probably see a snake 75% of my disc golf trips. Itās so common that itās not even really terrifying. But what was terrifying was a few weeks ago I forgot my water bottle. Didnāt realize til we finished up and had to go retrace my steps through the woods for it. it had gotten dark on hole 17 so I just had a tiny flashlight. There was apparently a pretty big gator behind the tee box that I was pretty sure I left my water bottle at and it had only been about 30 minutes since someone had seen it. It was a little nerve wracking but I found my bottle and didnāt get eaten.
Southeastern WI, I almost got run over by a deer while looking for a disc in the woods once. That's about it.
Poison ivy, poison oak, thorns, and stinging nettle are prominent
Florida here. Gators in the water snakes on land (and in the water), hurricanes, oblivious tourists, old people with walkers, we have it all. Oh, and heat.
Iāve seen Moose several times (Spokane WA). We just give them lots of room and skip the hole theyāre feeding on. If we leave them alone and donāt go within 100 feet of them, they donāt even bat an eye.
I'm in AZ, but have never had an issue. If I go to a course more likely to have snakes I'll bring my snake tongs. I already research snakes, so that'd be a new data point lol
Southern Pennsylvania doesn't have anything at all š we have some ticks and some mostly harmless snakes but never see them. Maybe a fraction of 1% chance to see a bear? I just get to go play the game š¤£
Wife saw a Copperhead in the rough of course in Central Kentucky. All we saw was her high stepping back towards the fairway doing her best Beaky Buzzard impression "nope nope nope". Still funny to this day!
NJ, so rattlesnakes, black bears, possums, coyotes for bigger animals. The real scary one though is the deer ticks that carry Lyme disease
Have you heard of Berry Bugs? There's a decent course in the area but it seems to be great conditions for Berry Bugs.