Snake ID, please?

Hello! I need some help with a snake identification. This weekend, me and my buddies were walking in the Swine Creek Reservation. We were walking down Bear Creek towards Swine Creek, when all of the sudden we found this snake right in front of us! We had no idea it was there until we were a foot away from it - it looked like a stick and it never moved despite how close we were to it.
My friends and I have been looking online to identify what type of species of snake this is. My hunch is that it is a Ratsnake, but my friends think it's a Massasauga? Any ideas on what this nice-looking snake is? Also, do you think that this snake is pregnant, or just resting from a large meal? We noticed that several lumps that the snake is showing. Thank you!

From the photos you so helpfully provided, it most definitely looks like a Gray Ratsnake. It also looks rather large to me, whereas Massasauga Rattlesnakes are two feet long at most. One of the Gray Ratsnake’s primary defenses is to remain still and blend into its surrounding. Maybe even look like a stick, right? Although I can’t be sure if she may be pregnant or “gravid” (some new terminology you can throw around to impress your friends). Ratsnakes are breeding around April, May and June, so it is possible. Since snakes can’t chew their food and have to swallow it whole, several lumps would indicate several meals at one time.

However, my thought on the lumps you saw are these snakes happen to be great climbers and need to flex and contort their bodies to get a better grip. I think you happened upon the snake mid-climb and it froze in a tensed-up position as seen in your photo.  I hope this information helps.

NATURE NOTE: Ohio is home to three different venomous snakes: the Timber Rattlesnake, Massasauga Rattlesnake, and Copperhead, none of which have ever been reported in Geauga County.

Thanks for your questions!

– Naturalist Trevor Wearstler