I have been fortunate enough to have made two recent trips to the Trans-Pecos region over the past few weeks despite the ever increasing, insane gas prices. Although most of West Texas had not seen a real good amount of rain in sometime, I still made my annual pilgrimage over Memorial Day weekend. This little trip was not only an opportunity to get out for some herping, my wife's side of the family was heading out there as well, checking out a bit of property that another family member was offering for sale within Fort Clark Springs in Brackettville (just East of Del Rio in Kinney Co.).
5/24/08
My wife and I left Houston late Saturday afternoon and headed West through San Antonio towards Brackettville. On the way I found very large adult Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) DOR, just West of the Kinney Co. line. We arrived late and joined our family, kicking back enjoying hot fajitas and good company. I chose to stay in that night in hopes of some good rest before hitting the roads the following night.
5/25/08
After 18 holes of golf and a quick nap I met up with my good friend Rob klockman from Del Rio for a night of herping north of Brackettville along FM 674. Even though only a handful of Gray-banded Kingsnakes (Lampropeltis alterna) are known from this road, the habitat is very promising some 20 miles north. I am quite certain that more exist, just many choose to hunt elsewhere to better their chances. We drove the road for quite a while and walked the series of cuts on the West side of the road. After a few hours of not seeing a single snake we headed back into town. We then hit a series of dirt roads south of Brackettville that have produced a good deal of snakes for Rob. The habitat there is very similar to what you may see in far South Texas, very different from from the typical habitat near Del Rio and further West. Although dry and hot, I was still hopeful in seeing some nice Mexican Milk Snakes (Lampropeltis t. annulata) from that area. We continued on and after a few more hours of driving and not seeing a thing we called it a night.
5/26/08
I got up around 7 that morning and headed back to the roads south of Brackettville in hopes of seeing any early morning active herps.
A few habitat shots
Continuing on
Great habitat for Western Diamondbacked Rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox), Bullsnakes (Pituophis catenifer sayi), Texas Indigo Snakes (Drymarchon melanurus erebennus), Mexican Milk Snakes (Lampropeltis t. annulata) and countless others
A common site near the border, a technique used by the Border Patrol to smooth out the some of the areas along the dirt roads to keep an eye on any illegal traffic coming through
More nice looking habitat
The early morning sky was quickly engulfed in ugly dark clouds keeping the herps hidden away
I returned back to Fort Clark, joined my family and packed up for the long ride back to Houston. It had been several years since I had been shut out in the Trans-Pecos. Although defeated by the weather and conditions, I was hopeful about my return to the area in a few weeks. Heading home we found a handful of road-killed snakes.
1 adult Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) (Kinney Co.)
1 adult Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi) (Uvalde Co.)
1 adult Northern Plains Rat Snake (Pantherophis emoryi emoryi) (Uvalde Co.)
1 sub-adult Texas Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri) (Fayette Co.)
1 adult Texas Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri) (Montgomery Co.)
On 6/6/08 I geared up for the Herp Conservation Unlimited 2008 Meeting and Field Trip at Gries Ranch near Pandale, Texas. I left Houston early that morning and headed West into Austin to pick up my friend Nathan Hall. On the way I found a handful of DORs.
1 adult Texas Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri) (Montgomery Co.)
1 adult Texas Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri) (Washington Co.)
1 adult Diamondback Water Snake (Nerodia rhombifer rhombifer) (Lee Co.)
1 adult Yellowbelly Racer (Coluber constrictor flaviventris) (Bastrop Co.)
Once in Austin, Nathan Hall packed up and we headed South through San Antonio and then West into Del Rio where we picked up our good friend Rob Klockman. After gassing up and buying a few cases of beer and some batteries we headed off to the ranch, nearly 70 miles Northwest of Del Rio. A few hours before dark we arrived at the front gate. In front of us lied a 17,000 acre ranch of promising yet harsh Chihuahuan desert stocked full of rough rolling canyons, rocky outcroppings and a nice array of nasty cactus.
Surrounded by canyons we meandered our way down the ranch road to find the main cabins. We couldn't help but admire how nice the terrain was, a very ideal place to discover L. alterna and others deep into the night.
Reaching the cabins we were greeted with familiar faces, Joe Forks, Jason Penney, Gerry Salmon, Tom Eisle, Roy Engledorf, Max Johnson to name a few, friends we have seen throughout the Trans-Pecos for several years now, as well as new ones. We settled in and quickly joined the festivities before dark. Laughter, warm fajitas, cold beer and funny-as-hell stories made for good times.
Darkness was falling quickly and after storing our things in the cabins we got ready for a night of herping and exploring the canyons. Other herpers dispersed in small groups to the many different accessible canyons. Rob, Nathan and I walked for several hours along a few different canyons and hillsides. Early into our journey we became painfully familiar with the dog or "jumping" cholla cactus that seemed to find us everywhere we went. This stuff literally sprung up the back of your legs as you trampled through a bed of them and would then quickly stop you dead in your tracks. Limping along, we continued. At 3:19 in the morning while walking the very bottom of a steep canyon, I looked down to find a beautiful young Mottled Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus l. lepidus) casually resting on a rock face. I calmly called out to the guys above me that I had found one and of course, they thought I was "full of it" since I am known to play practical jokes on my herping buddies. Once they realized that I wasn't pulling anyone's legs they finally came down to find this jewel.
A short while later, we found ourselves tired. The hours of driving and walking around the canyon began to take its toll. After a few tense moments of disorientation we stumbled our way back up to the rim of the canyon where the truck was quietly awaiting.
6/7/08
The next day brought about more friends and HCU members. Again we all found ourselves gathered at the main cabin, sharing stories and talking about who found what the previous night. Shortly thereafter, Rob, Nathan, Max Johnson and I drove out to another nice canyon, a place we needed to scout out during the day before attempting to hike it at night.
Rob Klockman and myself in the foreground
Max Johnson and Nathan Hall
A few habitat shots
Ideal habitat for L. alterna and others
After a good while of walking and a little down time of simply sitting and enjoying the view we headed back to camp. On the way back I hit this poor ancient guy with my truck as he struggled to crawl across the road. Thank God for that cage on the front otherwise we would have been toast!...
Pulling back into the front of the camp with this guy dangling made for a really good laugh. George Gries, the owner of the ranch, not to mention a superb fellow got a kick out of my trophy and was pleased to add such a nice rack to his collection. The late morning was great as we ate and fellowshipped, down a few cold ones and listened to some of the funniest stories I had heard in a long time. Joe Forks and Gerry Salmon had us in stitches by the late afternoon. Some people took photos as others waited for their turn to sit down and talk with Dan Krull from Kansas who was there filming a few segments for his anticipated documentary "AlternaRush".
Some of the Motley Crue, Photo by Jason Penney
Group getting a few photos of some of the animals collected
Bullsnake (Pituophis catenifer sayi), Photo by Jason Penney
Trans-Pecos Ratsnake (Bogertophis subocularis), Photo by Jason Penney
Trans-Pecos Ratsnake (Bogertophis subocularis)
Another shot of the Mottled Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus l. lepidus), Photo by Jason Penney
An in-situ shot of a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox), found by Max Johnson
Northern Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus m. molossus), Photo by Gerald Keown
Trans-Pecos Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster), Photo by Gerald Keown
We relaxed until almost nightfall. Again, we packed up our gear and headed down towards the canyon. We hiked for as long as our bodies would allow us, which wasn't long. Driving the ranch roads as well as heading up north to Pandale made for the remainder of the night. Whipped, we finally turned in for the night.
A view from down in the canyon just before nightfall
6/8/08
The next morning around 7 we packed, cleaned up and headed back towards Del Rio. After dropping off Rob, Nathan and I made the drive back to Austin. A few hours later I pulled into my driveway completely worn out. I did manage to find a few DORs on the way home.
1 adult Texas Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri) (Lee Co.)
1 adult Texas Rat Snake (Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri) (Montgomery Co.)
1 sub-adult Broad-banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata confluens) (Montgomery Co.)
1 adult Buttermilk Racer (Coluber constrictor anthicus) (Montgomery Co.)
Overall, we had a fantastic outing at Gries Ranch. From what I gathered, everyone involved enjoyed their time there even though not many herps were found. Things would have certainly been different had it recently rained. Thanks to Joe Forks, Jason Penney, Rob Klockman and others who helped make this gathering a success. Thanks to the sponsors for the donated equipment and a very special thanks to George Gries for allowing us to stay on and explore his ranch. It was great seeing everyone and look forward to next year!
Nathan Wells
Lol. Good stuff...