Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Where was it found?
How long did it take to find it?

My first was 8-9 miles west of Langty, on a cut at 2:20am, 6/15/96 on about the 9th night of hunting on my first trip out there. I had Dave Long and Paul Sager showing me the ropes.

My first GBK find, I'll never forget. I was at Corner Critters Pet store. I saw her sitting there, and I just had to have her. I know, you Texans are lucky, but I live in Maryland, so I have to find them at shows or pet stores, but I enjoy them just as much. Derek

It's not a field collecting story, but... My first Gray Band sighting was a nice light Alterna phase hatchling at a friend's house back in the late 80's. His name is Mark Cantos & I have not seen or heard from him for many many years. At the time he was feeding a huge Indigo snake whole chicken drumsticks right out of his hand & I still remember being more impressed by the 11" hatchling Alterna! I guess this is when I was hooked!

The first Alterna I ever owned came from Gerry Salmon. It was a dark phase, actually black River Road hatchling with bright thin red bands, so bright that the bands looked like they were painted on!

Now remember this was pre-internet/kingsnake.com & here in NY the Alterna pickens were very slim. Back then Gerry would show up to local herp shows carrying a cardboard box with just a few animals, but you could bet he had some of the best Alterna around in there.

I bought several animals from Gerry back then and even with all the Alterna in my current collection, I still wish I had every single one that I got from Gerry back!!

Happy Holidays to all!!

~ Mike Russo

Scored my first on Juno Road, June 9 1981 @1:15am crossing the road in the middle of Jarretts crossing about 9.5 miles north of Bakers. No one there to show me the ropes but I had Denny Millers book/thesis that showed multiple collection sites north of Bakers crossing. I had tried Pandale dirt the previous night but got 2 flat tires and had to sleep in the car and then walk to Chamberlains at sunrise and borrow a used tire. Didn't want to chance that again so chose to hunt Juno because it was paved. Ironically I found my first suboc about 2 hours before the alterna and it is still alive to this day [25 yrs. 6 mo, 8 days]!
The alterna died in 1998. This was my first of 14 consecutive trips that I found an alterna. My lucky streak ended in the early 90's and I havn't found one since. Talk about a slump! Don't wish that on anyone. BA

Brad, that kills me!!! I remember those days of the ol' Pandale dirt road! I had many a flat myself, but just kept flying down the road until I reached Chamberlians! The ground was soft so I didn't figure I could do too much damage to the rims. I guess you have been collecting out there as long as I have. Good story! You made me laugh! I think the best thing I ever caught on Juno was a Suboc back in 1987! You guys can have that road!

Wayne

If I remember correctly, both alterna and subocularis were protected in 1981.

It's good that you have been going back and checking on those animals in the wild and were able to determine how long they lived "in the wild". LOL
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Chris,
Why do you always get your panties in a bind about a suboc caught 25 years ago??? If you read all the posts about peoples first alterna there are a number of people who admit to catching one between 77 and 87 when they were "protected" BFD! Get over it dude. Your idols/heroes in San Antonio and Houston did the same thing. It was a farce that they were ever protected in the first place.. I have no idea what your trying to say in your second paragraph. Your not very coherent.

>>Your idols/heroes in San Antonio and Houston did the same thing.

what the hell are you talking about Brad? Last time we had this discussion you accused me of collecting in the Park. FYI I saw ANOTHER live one in the park and AGAIN left it there. Can you say that? You also accused me of purchasing a park animal from someone in Alpine, which also NEVER happened.

just keep me out of your mind/posts.

BTW - I'm not Chris's idol - we've never had the pleasure to meet face to face, so about the only thing you got right in that post is, well, nothing!

Joe, remember if you give someone enough rope they will hang themselves. Online confessions can stick. Snubbing the law makes them mad. lol
-----
Steve W.

Calm down Joe. I never mentioned anyone's name or anything about the Park. I've never met Mr. Harrison so I had no way to know he was making his post in jest. BA

Brad,

I know full well you aren't the only person who "allegedly" picked up an animal during the dark ages here in TX. In fact, several people have confessed to being guilty of the same charge here. Maybe I should have posted my tongue-in-cheek reply to one of their posts. Sorry.

Frankly, I could care less who collected what where and when.

And Joe, when we do meet, I'm sure you will be my idol!
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Chris,
Didn't know you were making a joke. How could I extrapiate that from your post? You brought up the same thing 6 months ago.
Apology accepted. Have a Merry Christmas.
BA

Brad,

If I made the same joke 6 months ago, then sorry to pile on.
Once a smart ass, always a smart ass.

Merry Christmas to you and yours as well.
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

Well, Joe IS a rock star, no doubt, but idol? I think he has a little German in him! Next year around the first of June I predict my first grayband. I have dreamed it a hundred times. But I will pay my dues and put in the time. I can't count the two Carston Zoldy let me fetch for him around Langtry 2 years ago because I didn't see them. They are where they are when they are there.
Todd Hughes

"They are where they are when they are there."

Where are they the rest of the time?

Rockstar? hmmm German????? hehe

You better hit Val Verde starting the second or third week of April so you can get the first one out of the way - the first one is the hardest. The next 100 are easy!

Here - I re-arranged these lyrics for you:

I'm through with waiting in line
to shine a cut on Juno
It's like the sun’s coming up
and I aint seen jack, you know
This night hasn't turned out
quite the way I want it to be

(Tell me what you want)

I want a big ass jeep full of old CD’s
My own gas card without a limit
An arroyo I can play baseball in
And a king size cut with enough
alterna for ten plus me

(Tell me what you need)

I'll need a battery pack that's got no limit
And a big snake bag with alterna in it
Gonna join the four in one night club
At an unknown locality

(Been there done that)

I want a brand new house
on a ranch in Brewster
Anywhere between Alpine and
Black Gap is fine for me

(So how ya gonna do it?)

I'm gonna trade some Hypsiglena for a whole lot of money
I'll quit my job and change my address

[CHORUS]
'Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars
driving real damn slow with our high-beams on
The snakes come easy and the gas comes cheap
We'll all get fat 'cause we love to eat
And we'll hang out in the middle of the desert
In the dead of night under a million stars
Every good snake hunter’s
Gonna wind up there
In the asphalt jungle
With Game Wardens and Border Patrol

Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

I wanna be great like Hubbsquatch without the reputation
Hire eight research assistants that love information
Sign a couple checks
So I can find more snakes than Zee

(I'll have a gravid female on the rocks)

I'm gonna dress my ass
with big snake boots
Get a front gate key to the private ranches
Gonna date a Rancher’s daughter that loves to
shine the cuts for me

And we'll hide out in pitch black rooms
With the blinds pulled tight and the
A/C cranked
Then get some breakfast at 3 PM
Take another nap and do it again
Everybody's got the
Weather Channel on TV
Hey hey I wanna be a rockstar

I'm gonna shine those cuts
that hold the treasures
Gonna drink my frappucinos
from a camelback dispenser
Get carpel-tunnel from the steering wheel
Listen to Nickelback and plan some pranks for Tremper

I said it before an I'll say it again....you da MAN!!! All it takes is a little weather to set in and you to can be a poet! Hey, post Greg's pic if you mention his name, I lost it LOL! ....don't forget the Krispy Kreams,.....Zee, this year's got my name all over it, 9 is divine!
Todd Hughes

>>>>post Greg's pic if you mention his name, I lost it LOL!

Who is Greg??

Brady!!! 'squatch!
Todd Hughes

in the flesh!

So that's where all the pyros went!! You guys must be dying for Spring to return! That's pretty dam* funny!

Wayne

Every time I see that I laugh like a lunatic and cry and my wife wants to call an ambulance! Tolja' it was Greg Brady! LMAO!
Merry Christmas Joe! Hope y'all have the best!
Todd Hughes

My first real trip out on Juno Road. June 9th, Midnight 1993. The moon was big, hopes were big, and the alterna was AWESOME.
Just south of the lower S curve on the eastern shoulder with a mouse in its mouth. Alterna morph with orange infused with the grey. Gave it a blue look. It had two parallel black lines for the nuchal blotch. I don't know what happened to the animal. A "friend" took it for a while in 1996 and I haven't seen it since. Wish I still had it. It was a male and again was amazing. I have been hooked ever since.
I didn't have coach or anything. I had the Miller book that I borrowed from Tull Farley. I knew of Earl Turner. Troy Hibbitts helped me a lot. Last but not least Ron Markel. Ron gave me tons of information but sadly never collected an Alterna himself.

These days I owe all my luck to Lance Benton. He is a patient collecting buddy and has observed more alterna then I ever will.

All this talk about Alterna really makes me want to head out soon.

Happy Holidays!
Steven Owens

I knew I heard that line somewhere

It was a killer Juno though, and huge... Too bad he is AWOL

After 6 years of searching, I found my first while walking the south picnic area on 277. It was on june 7th at 9:17. I looked down at my feet and see a couple inches of snake shooting thru the grass. I think because I had looked so long, and hard the first thought that poped into my head was "what the hell is a theryi doing here". Then reality set in and I jumped down and caught my first alterna.

Mine was a 32" female on the shoulder of hwy 90 in the flats west of Osman, 1975. For some unfathonsable reason I do not have collecting notes on it, nor a photograph.

Tne night before I was heading down the big hill E. of Langtry and saw someone in front of a white van, looking at something. I stopped and it was Lee Box looking at a beautiful light male blairs he had just caught, black head on it. I'd been driving through the area for a few years but hadn't seen anything so would depart for a really good area, such as Van Horn. This was the first live gray band (blairs back then) that I'd seen. Lee told me to drive the roads and look for something black, which I did and I got mine the next night. The following day, late afternoon, while we were hanging out at Chamberlain's waiting for sunset we put our snakes down on the dirt and they immediately locked up.

My first gray-banded kingsnake was found on my very first trip to West Texas on June 22, 1982 at 2:20am, I think it was our 5th night or so when we found it. My longtime friend Mike Puckett & I had left that 3rd week in June & took my 1978 Datsun truck down to Texas. I had seen a few graybands, captive born & wild caughts in collections in KS & OK & I was charged to go. I had went over maps & roads with Brad Anderson & Stuart Tennyson that same year, so I was Langtry bound, as that was the blairs captital of all of West Texas, so far as we knew then. I will fully credit Mike Puckett with first seeing that snake though, as we were driving about 2+ miles up pandale dirt road, just past the top of "blairs" hill, actually we were heading South, as we had went several miles further North that time & Mike had a 2 cell flashlight & he was shining the road, as we were driving slowly. Of course that road had "wash-boards" all over the place & that little female 15" light phase black-headed blairs was in the depression of a washboard area there & as I drove by it, not seeing it, Mike was fortunate enough to have shined his light right on the snake & he yelled "theres one!", "a grayband!". I stopped & we did a jig & hugged each other right there on the spot. Minutes later, we ran into John Hollister & showed him our find, he said it was a nice one & congradulated us. I had that snake a number of years untill it developed a tumor above its vent & finally perished....Here was a photo of it, about 2 years after it was first found..........

I honestly don't remember my first alterna because when I began going to West Texas in the 70's I was hunting lepidus and subocs... I do remember going for several years without seeing one after I got interested in them. I do remember a beautiful one -- black with bright orange bands -- on Luna Vista about 25 years ago. I have never seen once since that was so amazingly patterned.

And I will never ever forget watching my son get his first several years ago -- the two of us enduring the rigors of hunting Juno. -- south of the s-curves about 3 a.m. -- a light phase alterna male -- the only snake seen all night. One of the best moments of my life seeing the pure joy rise out of him as it sank in what was crawling through his hands.

Happy Holidays folks!!

>>I do remember a beautiful one -- black with bright orange bands -- on Luna Vista about 25 years ago. I have never seen once since that was so amazingly patterned.
>>
FR had a photo of a Luna Vista just like that in his snake room around 1979 or 1980, perhaps that was your snake? It was a pretty nice snake, a rival for Denny's screamin Black Gap animal.

Forky

Well... I did give the great looking beast away. Ricky and I have talked a lot about this animal, and I would have thought I gave it to him -- but he says no. I think Frank caught the one you are referring to himself? His memory is way better than mine (LOL!!!).

I embrace senility and know only that it was real, it was a screamer, and I am not sure who I gave it to. Maybe Bob Mackin?

It would sure look good under the tree! Happy Holidays Forky!!

'77 IN LEE BOX'S VAN,... WE CAMPED AT BAKER'S AND WERE FLYIN'WEST ON RT 90 RIGHT AT PERRY CHALK RANCH ON THE WAY TO LANGTRY ....'BOUT 7 PM.....LEE YELLS "SNAKE AND ITS A GOOD ONE"....WHEN HE WENT TO BRAKE AND AN EMPTY CAN ROLLED UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL.....THE VAN WAS ROCKIN & ROLLIN' ALL OVER 2 LANE 90.....BY THE TIME IT STOPPED I WAS STUCK UNDER THE DASH BOARD...WE GOT OUT AND THE SNAKE WAS GONE.....THEN I LOOKED DOWN THE ROAD...I SAW A SHINY TAR STRIP HUGGIN' THE EDGE OF THE ASPHALT....I RAN BACK AND BLAM....JUST LIKE THAT MY FIRST OF MANY BLAIR'S.....LAST YEAR WAS MY FIRST STRIKE OUT......

May 2002. Wayne told me and my brother that we'd never see anything on Pandale paved and could not possibly find a GB with a maglite. We would just be wasting our time. Well, we did both. The first one was sitting in a depression off the paved road in a pretty flat stretch about 915, and the second was on a cut by the tower on 277 about 1130. We knew we were lucky finding two the first night out. So, if Wayne ever tells you that you can't do something, you're golden! (I'm still waiting for him to tell me I can't win the lottery)

YOU WILL NEVER EVER WIN THE LOTTERY!!!!!!

You guys with all your "first trip out west" and "I had been hunting for three straight nights before I found one" make me sick. I moved to El Paso in 1988. I hunted many nights in West Texas from Del Rio to El Paso on famous and unknown roads. I probably hunted well over 100 nights over 12 years before I finally found an alterna.

I found mine on Juno, south of the S curves in a little dip at 8:35 pm on May 31, 2000. The sun hadn't even set and I didn't have my headlights on. I was doing a quick pass before it got dark to remove roadkills, etc, prior to a long night hunting. As I came over down into the dip, I saw a snake on the opposite lane. I wasn't "alterna-hunting" yet, so I figured it was a guttata and I was debating just passing it since it was heading off the road to safety. I slowed down and rolled down the window and - holy crap! It's an alterna! It was an adult medium dark blairi.

I jumped out, picked it off the road and climbed back in the car. It immediately sunk its teeth into the steering wheel of my car. I still have that bastard and it still tries to bite me anytime I get near it. It is the meanest alterna ever. Maybe he thought he was bad-ass enough to be able to come out in the day.
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

.

I've hunted those cuts in the Huecos many dozens of times. You do a drive by, and BAM - alterna!

You suck. LOL
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

But I will admit that I can hunt there the next decade and not see another.

Lance

Actually, I think that might be the trick. Don't hunt there for several more years and one day on the way to AZ or CA, just casually shine a light out the window as you drive down 62/180. It probably won't decrease your odds anyway?
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

That I was on my way home from a business trip in CA and was able to herp two nights in AZ and one night in TX for $0.00? I actually took three free trips, the two others out in Florida (ANF and Okeechobee) and Pender Co. North Carolina... Which may just have the best looking corn snakes, I had a blast...

If I am going to rub it in at all, I should at least be thorough.

BTW, next year we need to try and cross paths out West or down South. My luck just turned around a couple of years ago after the good ol College Station days. I will make us some "Freer Burgers" with extra onions and chili...

Don't feel too bad. I'm quickly closing in on your record. I've hunted west Texas on and off for 11 or 12 years with probably about 70-80 nights total.

Come spring I'll have two goals:
1) find a GBK
2) let Chris know that his dry run record remains unbroken.

Daryl

>>Come spring I'll have two goals:
>> 1) find a GBK
>> 2) let Chris know that his dry run record remains unbroken.

You are a brave soul, toying with the alterna gods like that!!
That sort of cockiness might be too much for them to stand and you just might win that record!! LOL
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

I must have pissed them off years ago. I try to serve my penance with quiet humility. But alas, I'm not quiet or humble. I accept the probability that I will remain Alternaless for some time to come.

Also, the fact that 98% of my herping will be done in south Brewster county skews the odds even further out of my favor.

Get ready to pass the torch.

I found my first second and third on cuts west of Langry in '92
It took a couple of trips, and came after a couple of dry runs in "Alterna Land" but is where I had my "First Time"

More than my "First Time" I am amazed at how much my methods have evolved since those days....

Stared out with a mag light, spotlight and sleeping in the car.

Next I had a Wistol Light, Spot/Floodlight, and maglight staying at the High Bridge Chevron.

Then came Lajitas and alot more focus on road cruising and a stubby.

Now, I either cruise or walk with a LED headlamp and a modified maglight. Now I only seem to use my stubby when working on the car.... It makes too many shadows to hunt with for my taste now.

After a half dozen trips since 1986, finally hit pay dirt this past May, about 30 miles south of Alpine. It was 2:30 am, and we (myself and Carl Ackerbauer)were heading back to our motel after a fairly fruitless evening running the Rver road. We saw the first series of nice cuts north of elephant, and decided we'd give walking a shot. It wasn't 5 minutes before my Stubby II revealed about a 6 inch section of gray coil projecting off a ledge about 10 ft up. It was a gorgeous female alterna, overstuffed with a VERY recently swallowed crevice spiny.

It really is one of the best feelings in the world.

Brad Chambers

Our first alterna was found about 7 miles south of Bakers on the long, straight uphill grade. It was after 3 am in June of 92 - a very large dark phase blairs. When I picked it up it bit me three times hard. Les Hughey with his noisy car was about one quarter of a mile in front of me. I could see his taillights in front of us when this dark alterna flash was seen cruising across the asphalt.

Malron

I remember his diesel audi. I know LANCE remembers him.
Good Ol' Lester. King of Bakers Crossing. I wish I owned that land.

Best Wishes,

Steven

I remember him all right.... One my many memorable tales. I remember hearing that he at one point opened up a shop in Del Rio that went under. I am not sure if he is still around or not???

Well,I know Aaron knows this story very well as I have only hunted with him the last six years.

Anyway,it was (97) the second year out and was about the 17 night of hunting including 11 the first year.Well anyway,My friend twinkie and I were headed westbound on 90 when we saw a guy (that we had been talking to for several days)walking the west cuts right at eagles nest.It was like 3:00 a.m and there was no traffic to speak of so I just stopped in the middle of the raod to see if he had saw anything of interest etc....

I rolled down my window and he walked over from the cut to our truck.He said it was his last night out there and that he hadn't seen one subocs and that he was really bummed out.I told him that we had seen about ten and had collected four and if he wanted one.I said its not like the thrill of seeing your first one but hey!its a subocs no matter.He said yes he would love one and I told him I would swing around to his vehicle.

He satrted walking back to his truck and as I cut the wheels to the right I lit up a snake in the bike lane.I actually thought it was a large longnose at first then I yelled (not thinking of coarse) twinkie its a alterna.Well,We were both buckled up etc... and by the time I had got out of the truck dude had it in his hands and was almost crying.He said this should have been yours but I caught it.It was still the best one I have ever seen.It was pitch black with bright tomato red saddles and little to no borders.Of course we argued our case but the only way we would have got the snake was to kick his ass (and thats not past me but?)and that would have been the easy part but then the word all over alterna land would have been that WE stole the snake.I am sure the story would have been great.

Myself and my buddy both agreed anyway that niether one of us caught it so let just move on we said.Yes we were very pissed but what can you do.Even if that guy would have handed it to me it wouldn't have been the same.It took all the winds out of our sails.

Two days later we had stopped by Randy elis's house to look at something and there was the snake.Randy talked the guy out of it and reportedly sold that eagles nest male for $500.00 bucks cause he knew somebody that was killing for one.He may have sold it as a christmas too who knows?LOL....

Anyway,we heard a little down the road that the snake died shortley after being purchased.LOL.....I hate to see any snake die but that thing had bad blood on its hands?LOL....

so,It wasn't until 2000 when Aaron and I were leaving dinner at the starlight cafe were about ten of us (probably five cars worth)got ready to leave.Everybody started out like mad men trying to be first out there.Well,we just hung back about ten minutes then took off all by our selfs.We just came over a dip and were rounding a corner were there was a large imbankment on the right side when at the same time we yelled snake and all I could make out was this skinny lightning fast thing coming into the road.(we were near lajitas)and in a flash Aaron was out even before I had completly stopped and came running back to the car with a killer looking male alterna.It was actually my first.I popped my cherry on the river road near lajitas.LOL

It wasn't till june ninth (one of my daughters b-days)on (92) that I found my first one by myself walking.Buffalo creek 277 at 4:34 a.m.
A group of four guys had just drove right paqst it with spotlights going everywhere.The snake was crawling up to the road so it may have been hard to see unless somebody was shining the ground.

Anyway,There has been a handfull since then but thats my first really.

Sorry for the long post but its winter.
picture is the lajitas.It never did really well and ended up dieing.All others that are w/c are doing great.

Shannon

Maybe I don't have a pic of him on my puter???

Aaron do you still have a pic of him?he was a screamer.

well,heres one I walked last year at the radio tower.

Shannon

Yes here it is. This is your pic but I saved it.

My first one was in the early 70's, I think 73 or 74. My brother was going to SRU when D. Miller was working on his thesis. He told me if I would drive around at night in the mountains near BBNP, I might find some cool snakes. The only pictures I had seen of an alterna were the ones in Conants field guide and the only live ones I had seen where two black ones that my brother caught early that year in Black Gap. It was on the north hill of Luna Vista about 1:30 am. I know now that it was a nice light phase alterna but at the time I wasn't even sure what it was so I pinned it and put it in a bag. Without even knowing what it was, I was hooked.
Later
Rick

Well, I'm still looking for my first. But I have some idea what it will feel like.

Several years back, I was hunting the RR and spotted a blairs about 6 feet up on a cut. I slammed the breaks, almost wrecked, just about pissed myself, dropped my light, almost fell out of the car, then "quitely" snuck up on the object of my dreams. I was actually shaking as I grabbed it. Then, my heart sank! He was DEAD. Some joker had picked up a clean DOR (or perhaps a dead captive?) and staged him "crawling" up a rock ledge.

My guess is that the prankster is probably on this forum. If so, please reply! I cursed you that night, but I've had many laughs remembering it in the years since. You REALLY got me good.