From the fields collectors perspective, we could get twenty bucks for a yellow one, and nine bucks for a dark one, even if they were both found under the same tin on the banks of the Brooks canal. The dark one would end up on the dealers price list as Florida King on some (in an attempt to honestly represent), and Brooks (honestly represented but unhappy customer up north) on some others. The yellow one might never even make it to the list, as they would get picked by the connoisseurs constantly hanging out at the dealers. In the case of Love’s (Glades Herp) they had some field collectors that would bring stuff in from Brooks canal and they were confident of locality, and knew a good one when they saw it. They had great opportunity to select the best of the best ever found. It was inbreeding those very best that resulted in the hypo popping out of those yellow Brooks. Those were the best of the captive bred at the time. Doug’s field collected hypo came from out at the Miami Jetport in Collier County. It is what he bred it to to create the founding hypos that made those what they are. I believe he too knew a good Brooks when he saw it, and his breedings with the hypo were to keep it strictly Brooks. He could have crossed it into Florida types but didn’t. That’s why he was pissed at Tim Ricks creations being sold as Brooks. Doug probably had some Love Brooks stock. Everybody did. I’ve never been certain Doug didn’t just have the hypo pop out of some Love line Brooks anyway. This area is not that big really, they are probably all basically the same snake. I first saw the hypo Brooks on Vince Shiedts price list way back, I still have it somewhere. They were $600.00 but he didn’t really have any yet. I attended a small reptile show one mile from my house, and there spotted the first hypo I ever saw. My jaw dropped! I was quietly hoping the dude did not even know what he had, and asked what it was. It was Doug Beard. I bought two hets for $350.00 each. It was like that scene in Jurassic Park where the guy says “well, it looks like we’re out of a job”. I knew it was the end of field collecting of Brooks kings. Love the story of it all. Thanks for listening... I mean reading.

Here’s an old picture of a Doug Beard het for hypo. A nice looking Brooks.

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