Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I live in southern california and have about an acre or 2 of property. We have kingsnakes living on our property which i know because we occasionally see them. A few years back my neighbor freed many cal kings because we had a rattlesnake problem. My question is how can i find and catch 1. I am also wondering whether it is legal to keep them because they were once captive. Even if i can't keep them i would still like to know how to catch one so i can free it and get a picture of it. I have tried looking under rocks and logs but have had no luck. its been about 2 years since weve seen one. if anyone has any ideas please tell me. thanks.

I've heard of a couple of people talking about that. Releasing snakes that were once captives is generally not a good idea and I'm not sure if it's really legal or not in this state. somrthing about the pathogens/bacteria present in CB snakes that are not present in their wild counterparts, and the adverse affect on the wild population. What part of SoCal do you live in? I live in Chatsworth. One thing I noticed about seeing Cal Kings in the wild is that I tend to see them most in Spring and early summer (probably cuz it gets so hot here). To legally collect ant non-endangered herp species here in SoCal all that's needed is a valid fishing license ($35). Possession limit for Cal Kings and Gophers is 4. Happy herping.

reako45

It is illegal in the state of california to release any reptile that has been in captivity. At lease that is the current law, I do not know about in the past.
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3.0 WC; 0.3 CB L. getula californiae
1.0 CB L. getula nigrita
0.1.1 WC; 0.0.3 CH Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Do you know of any ways to catch them or where to look? I live in los angeles right by the san fernando valley and i have a fishing licence.

I'm in Chatsworth in the northern part of the San Fernado Valley, right along the border to Ventura County. Leave me a personal message. There's a good little spot where I found several Kings last spring (2 BIG adults & a yearling?). Didn't see any Kings after mid June. I've yet to explore really deep into the Santa Susana or Santa Monica Mtns (the King I have is from there). With all I've been hearing about El Nino, I'm hoping for a wet winter and a wet spring so we'll have some good herping here.

reako45

Where about do you live? I live in so cal also and i love finding them. Well what i do is look for any pieces of plywood laying around and flip them over but you have to 1. be careful of rattlers, 2. flip the board over asacly how it was and 3. make sure to scan the whole board before reaching in. I think the legal limit is 4 wild caught kings.