Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've lived in the panhandle since 2003, and have yet to find *any* Lampropeltis in the field. I've found racers, rattlers, water snakes, ribbon snakes, hognoses, longnoses, bull snakes, coach whips, black headed snakes, blind snakes, ring neck snakes and tons of other snakes...but I have yet to find a freaking kingsnake!! We should have both speckled and desert around here (as well as the central plains milksnake) and yet I've been skunked. Does anyone have advice? Encouragement? I've been out to Palo Duro Canyon more times than I can count, I've been out to wildcat bluff (which is great for box turtles and plains rats), and buffalo lake wildlife refuge looking for them...

Are you speaking of the Texas Panhandle?
If so, you should have Desert Kings (Splendida) I doubt you will find any Holbrooki that far north....
The main "Tip" I can offer for Desert Kings is you can find them close to creeks, ravines and rivers along the tree lines....Under logs and/or tin, boards & trash.....
Todd (Antelope) can probably give you more tips but that is what I look for when hunting Desert Kings....

I want to know how to find some freakin Prairie Kings.....I've found every species known to the South Texas area except for freakin Prairie Kings....LOL
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John Lassiter

"Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part....."

Heh, I like prairie kings too, but I'd take specks or deserts over those any day. I wanna find one so bad; they're on my list along with black tailed and rock rattlers as herps to see before I die. And I've had similar crappy luck with C. molossus despite lots of time in NM looking for it. Least I find tons of other herps looking for these.

Texas Snakes by Werler and Dixon puts Potter/Randall as an inter grade zone between holbrooki and splendida. I'd take either though...freaking gorgeous animals. I barely did any herping this season but oh well. I don't want to take one from the field--I'm buying some CBs from a forum member--but just to see one in the wild *sigh*.

Coincidentally I am in a Holbrooki/Splendida intergrade zone as well...

In Corpus Christi we can find definite intergrades....South and West of here pure Splendida.....North and East of here along the coast Pure Holbrooki......
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John Lassiter

"Poor planning and procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part....."

John, come with me, I have the prairie habitat for us down here. I think (know) John is right, you won't find specks up that way, not too far north, too far west. Those splendida you seek are mainly nocturnal, so flipping is your nearest only way to find them with the road cruising law in effect. You could road cruise at night just to photo, but not to collect or even handle. That said, I'd look for trash to flip near a water source as John said. And the milks? Even harder to find IMO, rock tipping could produce, but I think rodent burrows could be best.
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Todd Hughes

I feel your pain. For some reason often a realtively easy herp to find eludes field herpers. For the past 20 years I've been vacationing in Las Vegas, and although I've found a wide variety of reptiles and amphibians, I had yet to come across a Longnose Snake. I spent much time looking in their specific habitat, finding Glossy Snakes, Gopher Snakes, Rattlesnakes, etc.

Then this June it finally happened - on day one of the vacation - two Longnose in one night!

Tim

Third Eye

I find 'em all the time out here My in laws live in a little town near lake meredith and I've found 'em in the hills around it pretty regularly. Course I haven't looked there for a couple of years now. They have a lot of axanthic ones there for some reason.

Head East towards Oklahoma! I loved in Amarillo for a few years and went to college in Stillwater, Ok. In Ok, if you find a field w/isolated rock outcroppings the Speckleds should be there like crazy! Especially if its the only visible rock over a large area of typical Panhandle flatlands!

Bill

Billy, it does my heart good to know you loved in Amarillo for two years! LOL! J/K!

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Todd Hughes