As far as I know field reports of kingsnakes are on-topic here. As long as they are about kingsnakes I think it's ok. Although I agree that it's not good to be too specific about exactly where you find them, due to the fact that you can't control who is reading these forums.



As far as catching and/or holding them, there is a school of thought amongst some experienced field herpers that too much distubance of wild herps can cause them too abandon their homes and thus become subject to predation, starvation, loss of reproductive opportunities, or other harms.



Aside from that, rough handling can also cause direct harm if the snake thrashes about or you hold them too tightly. If you must handle them it's best to sort of scoop them up and support them evenly with both hands and let them just crawl through your hands without too much restraint. Touching snakes on the head, neck or back(top) is especially disturbing to them as predators generally attack them from above.



Lastly, congrats on your find. That is a beautiful speckled kingsnake.
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