Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Its been years as to me hunting up there. Is there a area or road that is off limits to hunt ? Let me get this right : Boy Scout Road and the Observatory Road. Right ? Is it any good on the way up on 118 also ? If it is still in the triple digits of temps, doesn't this area still cool down the fastest ? Thanks for any help.
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

there is more to snake hunting than always asking questions & complaining about things in the region. if you watch a football game & critique all the plays that doesn't make you a quarter back, they call that an armchair quarter back.
hahahahahahahaha

how to relate your comparison there ol Jeff because I'm not into that much sports . but.. with the gas in the well over $3 buckaroos right now and for the near future, i think even a knucklehead like you could understand the posing question and gee, how do you know I'm even asking for myself ? HUH ? Yes, we still have relics out there that doesn't make use of these techno stuff / thingies. Now on complaints ? By me ? I'm just reading the news and posting to anyone interesting. Kinda like that other guy does on all of the " other " important boards on this site. Wonder if he was ever tagged as a complainer for posting news. LOL ! I know you're in fun here Tanks.....
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

one of the old guys? well better get out hunting before your eyes fail old man, load up your walker & your hemroid pillow.
i was just thinking if you spent less time on the net posting & reading bad news you would be able to work a little more & would be able afford 5 or 6 dollars a gallon without a problem.
hahahaha

I always love the amusing Jeff Adams philosophy.

"if you watch a football game & critique all the plays that doesn't make you a quarter back, they call that an armchair quarter back.
hahahahahahahaha"

Okay. So let me get this straight...If Peyton Manning were to sit at home and watch a football game, would that make him an armchair football player, or a football player who is watching and commenting on a game? What's wrong with Chambo keeping folks informed of what's going on in the Bend?

You crack me up Tank...With emphasis on CRACK.

if payton was watching a game & critiquing it, it would make him an armchair player. you are only a player when your playing, other wise your a spectator & if your coaching or complaining your an armchair quarter back. real football players dont watch games usually, there for real snake hunters dont sit on the outside watching snake hunting & complain.
there is a difference between being informed or just getting the negative news all the time, for all of you chicken little's out there the sky is not falling you merely where hit in the head by an acorn. keep working long hard hours, come to my state pay lots for gas & hotels i do appreciate it, it allows me to take extra vacations.
take this picture for instance, i watched these bison bread does that make me a buffalo breader, i think not
lol

Once again...I just love the way you think.

"i watched these bison bread does that make me a buffalo breader"

Well...I prefer my Buffalo grilled, not breaded.

And if you were a bison breeder, then yes, you'd still be a bison breeder if even those weren't your bison who were breeding.

I do love the chicken little/Chambers comparison.

Ole Jeff...Always barking up a storm...

AMEN!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! It's funny isn't it???

No, but if you could spell as well as you talk bullshi* Jeff, you just might be "d a n g e r o u s". Take some spelling courses!

Wayne

PS. Let's not forget punctuation!

breed or bread who cares you get the idea, if they were breaded then they would not be grilled, but rather chicken fried.
the fact is just because i talk about snake hunting doesnt make me a snake hunter, i talk allot of politics, this does not make me a politician does it??????
i talk allot of bullsh_t this doesnt make me bovine does it?
i talk allot about how poor of a job tp & w does, does this make me a game warden? now that is something to ponder lol

That Chambo DOES herp, and thus he is a herper...Ahhh, it's all so clear now isn't it.

BTW- I will be sure not to shine your cut next time im around. :0

troy aikman is retired, so he is no longer a qb right? chambo hasnt been hunting in a long time so i think he may be retired now also, so would he be a herper or just an old washed up retired snake hunter?
damn this ads a new slant on things lol

down next week and of course taking FULL advantage of the motel discounts and the Continental breakfasts that all is offering due to the high price of gas ! LOL ! So we will be in this HUGE Mother of a vehicle called a Ford extended cab 250 and dark green ( I think ) . Now is that smart as in GAS Guzzler ? We will be blazing the highways and byways of the western range till our wheels fall off. The gas in the Bend region is holding steady at $3.39 per. Okay Tank, you talk the talk but can you walk the walk. LOL ! again. I know of SOME other /s others that might be down. If in Bend region, the local hangout now seems to be either Tivos, Chili Peppers or Long Draw Pizza for herpers but if that is true and anybody is down there, don't be surprise if i still sneak up to the Big Bend Motor Inn Café and grab some of that FIRE Chili Macho Salsa. My mainstay ! .........
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

more like Long @ss wait Pizza! I bet if you called a pizza in right now you'd still have to wait for it when you get there..... I'll never, ever, set foot in that place again!

PS it took over 3 hours for them to make our Pizza

and while i know tivos is at the longhorn now, that old Matterhorn res. got more than one person sick in its days. El Montezuma if you know what i mean.....man still can't get away from the old Pancho's in its days. reminiscing now........
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

you better ease back into it ole timer, many retiree's have had trouble coming out of retirement. Its pretty hot down here & we dont want you to over do it. Maybe start off as a cheer leader & work your way up.
I will down at that time as well, look for me i have a bunch of baby alterna to release out there, unfortunately these damn snakes breed like crazy & you cant give them away hardly lol

invite you to our place of stay and you can float in your own bubbles at the pool there tank if out west where the REAL men look. Heck, I hear one of our mutual buds might even try the western part that is sooooo un-common for him instead of hugging his other domain. LOL !
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I may be old , cantankerous, crabby, and cynical, but......

I was in the region for 10 nights in late May/early June. We found that, while most of the Davis cooled down earlier than other nearby areas, the region from the north end of Limpia Canyon to, (and especially) the Boy Scout rd. stayed warm much later. My advice is to hunt the Observatory rd. first, then Musquiz, then as these areas cool head north to Boy Scout.

In this way we found no less than 5 subocs on BS, two of which were hatchlings (from the previous year, of course).

Brad Chambers

Its all good . . . the only places "off limits" are in the State Park.

118 is good everywhere you can find a hillside or a road cut, Musquiz, Observatory, and along Limpia Creek. Snakes also are out and about at cool temps here - I got an Observatory male last year at midnight with the temp around 60. In July of this year, I found lepidus active at the Observatory at 1:30 am (and another one sitting in feeding position at 2:00 am), temps again near 60.

The Observatory is almost entirely a cut-hunting affair (either afoot or by spotlighting). From about 10:30 - 11:00 downhill traffic can be annoying if there's a STAR Party at the Observatory. I know of only 1 alterna AOR here, but lots off the cut.

To the best of my knowledge, no alterna have been found in the canyons up beyond it on 118 - but I've seen leps, bairds, and blacktails up there. There's little traffic, too, but it cools off quickly and is fairly shaded. Its lower than the observatory, but less exposed - it usually starts cooler and stays that way.

Limpia canyon (17) probably offers the best bet for seeing an alterna on the road, but traffic (particularly on the weekend) can be really bad. I've only seen alterna there DOR, unfortunately. Hunting cuts on 17 is hazardous unless you walk - there is no shoulder to get off on if you try it from the car, so you have to be ready to punch it at the first sign of headlights in the rear-view mirror.

Scout is the driest place in the Davis . . . don't know what the rain has been like up there this year . . . its so far from the rest of the "good runs" that I don't usually go up there (also, the good section of the scout is only about 1 mile or less). Its definitely a good road, but it can also be a pain when there are parents picking up or dropping off their kids . . . also, if another hunter is there and doesn't cooperate by spacing with you, it can be a pain.

The cuts on 118 near the state park are not bad, either. I've seen 2 alterna, lots of lepidus, blacktails, blackhooded snakes, night snakes, and bairdi on those cuts.

I've actually found warmer temps up at the Observatory early in the evening when compared to 118 along Limpia or in Musquiz or 17 in Limpia Canyon . . . I think the rocks are still radiating heat until about 11 or so, while down along the creeks there is so much moisture and vegetation that evaporative cooling drops the temps more quickly. However, after 11:30, the temps even back out and the Observatory gets cooler.

That's my experience hunting the place 15-16 nights the past two years . . .

Troy

Troy.
I've taken surface readings on rocks in the Davis when it was COLD, say 50-60F in the afternoon and they do suck up a lot of heat. This is from memory, never wrote down the data, and it has been 17-18 years ago, but I remember I was wearing a coat to beat the cold. I think it was Novemember. The rocks checked were west facing and were solid rocks, no dirt. The surface temps were in the 80's, maybe as high as 90. I used a probe to check temps a bit back and it cooled off rapidly as I went deeper. It dropped maybe 15 degrees in 5 inches or so.
so yes, the rocks do build up a lot of heat to radiate off.

Very interesting.
All important mass temps are intriguing in that area.
Only anecdotal, of course, but I've measured igneous rock temps south of alpine to be 90s on the top surface at 3 PM, but a rock only 6 inches thick will be low 70s underneath!
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Regards, Bill McGighan

Was just up there last week and the weather was warm during the day but decent at night. Boy Scout had a few puddles the Fri nite I was there but saw nothing, heard plenty of amphibs along some of the low spots. I'm sure that Boy Scout would've been great, but I had just done a 600 mile trip earlier in the day and was bushed at around 11P...also lots of boy scout travel that evening. Musquiz canyon was about my best bet for the next 3 days with plenty of molossus, bairdi, and bulls. Unfortunately, no leps or alterna. It has been getting late afternoon/early evening showers in the Davis area the last weekend of July so it may be good now.
Best...
Jim

That the prices make folks even more picky over the time that is best to hunt. All you can do is try to hit it around the dark of the moon and pray that the weather cooperates.

Best Wishes,

Steven

Just to clarify. As was said you may hunt Boy Scout but there is a gate at the end where the private property starts. Sometimes the gate is open but you should know you are not allowed past it. It has signs so it should be obvious but I thought I'd mention it anyway.