Wild Ohio Video - Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area - Wyandot and Marion Counties

Sep. 22, 2013

Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area video by ODNR - Division of Wildlife   -   http://vimeo.com/74759804

This 9,230-acre wildlife area lies in the grain farming country of north-central Ohio, eight miles south of Upper Sandusky. Wyandot County Road 115 provides access from State Route 294, two miles west of Harpster, and from State Route 309, eight miles west of Marion. State Routes 67 and 294 border the area on the west and north.
Killdeer Plains Wildlife Area is quite flat, with little natural drainage; however, land adjacent to the Little Sandusky River on the east edge of the area is quite rolling.
dnr.state.oh.us/Home/wild_resourcessubhomepage/WildlifeAreaMaps/NorthwestOhioWildlifeAreaMaps/KilldeerPlainsWildlifeArea/tabid/19775/Default.aspx

Killdeer Plains offers Viewing Opportunities for Massasauga Rattlesnakes
Killdeer Plains, Mosquito Creek, and Spring
Valley wildlife areas and the Cedar Bog Natural
Area currently support massasauga rattlesnake
populations.
 
Massasauga rattlers are typically found rest-
ing under flat boards, metal, or other discarded
material. They often bask in the sunlight in
clearings and openings.
These snakes are quite timid and pose no
threat to people if they are left alone. Snakes
do not seek out people to bite; striking and
biting is a defensive measure on the part of the
snake. The risk of snake bite is highly overrated;
annually, more people die from bee stings or
lightning strikes than from snake bites.
Massasaugas are active and found most
commonly in April, May, and October; they are
less likely to be encountered during the months
of July, August, and September.
 
Ohio Venomous Snakes

http://ohiodnr.com/wildlife/Home/resources/reptiles/poisonoussnakes/tabid/5685/Default.aspx

Eastern Massasauga

http://ohiodnr.com/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/easternmassasauga/tabid/6610/Default.aspx

Eastern Massasauga Life History Notes

http://ohiodnr.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=KyXJdy4lsMI%3d&tabid=6610