THIS IS FOR ALL THE NEW GUYS ON THE SCENE AND THE FINGER POINTERS. Just as today. Many people are not posting their finds, as they have to lie about how or where it they collected them, if they want to post it at all. If they say they caught the snakes on a certain cut, then they are admitting to breaking the law. So if you are collecting illegaly then you really cannot say where you caught the snake, unless you are an idiot. Besides you would be admitting that you were dishonest if you did. I know that a lot of snakes are being caught illegally, I hear it from a lot of people, and I have seen it posted on the internet. I am sure that law enforcement has the info. also. The word gets aroung very quickly. So for those of you who doubt everybody, lets see you give the true collecting data and post it on the forum, or sell it with the chance of being caught on down the road. You do not have to get caught with the snake in your hand to be guilty. If you cannot give the exact collecting data then the snake is worthless according to some of you.
Not to long ago, and for a very long time it was illegal to collect alterna, subocs and many other herps. There were some pretty stiff fines imposed for collecting the animals. I know a lot of people that were busted back then. So it was all driven underground, just as it appears to be that way now. All the dealings were done with friends, and everyone was very worried about every new face that came along back then. There were undercover agents collecting amongst the herpers, and getting information. There were many people that were scared of me at the time, they thought I was undercover. Everyone was suspected. Many a snake was sold with the verbage included in the negotiations, do not tell where you got the snakes from or any other incriminating information. So alot of the information was not written on cards. It was kept in the heads of the collectors. The babies were sold on and passed on down the same way without papers. The last thing that a herper wanted was to have his collection raided, the snakes confiscated, hiring high paid lawyers, and fines for lacey act violations, and what not. It is a violation if you collect them now off a roadside cut and take them across State lines. Plus the chance that you could incriminate someone else with the data if you bought the snakes or offsping from those snakes. So you guys be happy that you have been able to do that. You cannot do it now. So any little club that starts up with preferred honest localities. Take it as having been a good opportunity. Because if you sell the snakes now with the true locality you are in trouble. So you cannot, as before rely on any data put on new finds to be reliable.
It is very very different for some of you new guy's on the scene over the last 10 years. Dan Johnson would not have been able to give his collection data back then, nor now. You could be more open over the last 10 years or so as it was not against the law. So this new keeping of data, is just a recent thing in terms of my life collecting alterna. It was illegal back then and it is illegal now. Unless you lie. For those of you that have posted pictures, and then keep the data, Then secretly tell where the snake was really caught, to a buyer or interested party, it could get busted at any time. Law enforcement keeps this data for sometimes many years before they act. They try to pull as many people as they can into the web before pouncing. I have seen it happen many times. Time plays a trick on memomory as evidenced in many posts. Example is I cannot remember if it was two boys, and then another post they thought it was a boy and a girl. The poiont is they remember the snakes just not all the details. It does not mean they were lying. So there were some good years for keeping data. But if you are walking the cuts on boyscout road, or shining the cuts and catch a snake anywhere. You either lie or you just can't report the exact locality. Just keep collecting and keep talking. You will be incredibly unhappy when Law enforcement comes banging on your door, and you have all the collection data there to incriminate yourself.
So we know some of your guys entire collections now, as you guys that like to boast have displayed all you have collected. When we see a new one that was collected, one can easilly assume it was caught illegaly, are willing to give the collection data? Just for thought.. Ric Blair
