I am not 100% sure but I think to make a legal U-turn you must put on your right blinker, pull over to the shoulder, stop, turn on your left blinker, then turn around. Also I think you can only do it when there is no double yellow line.



What I actually did was turn right onto a dirt road, turn around on the dirt, then made a left turn back onto the road... but I did this without using any turn signals. It was a long straight section and there was no traffic in either direction. Unfortunately for me there was a sheriff parked about a half mile down the road with all his lights off. To him it probably looked like I just whipped around in the center of the road.



I was doing everything that night but mostly roadcruising and walking. I did shine a few cuts on the straightaways since I was the only herper there and on those sections I could see far in front and behind me. I don't think he ever saw me shining because I stopped as soon as I got the warning for the U-turn.



I did tell the sheriff, when asked, I was cruising and walking cuts. He said he really didn't like me cruising but I told him if I saw a snake I would pull completely off the road, turn on my hazards and walk back. He didn't specifically say that was ok but he didn't say I couldn't either.



Funny thing is is in past years, I have had sheriffs pass me on that road right as I was in the middle of shining a cut and they never have stopped me or anything.



Another thing about the encounter is he asked me several times if I had collected any snakes that night and if I was carrying any snakes. I hadn't and told him so everytime he asked. He stopped me twice that night, both times asking me the same questions. Also he drove past me slowly three times just watching me. Fine, I guess, but he never said word one about no collecting from the road. I think he was looking to bust somebody and this occured during the so called "grace period" during which TPWD said edjucation was their number one goal, not busting. It's a good thing I knew not to collect as I think this sheriff wanted to write a citation.

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