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I went to the canefields last week with a friend and toward the end of the day found this 3 1/2-footer. He had some scabbing on top of his head and on one eye, maybe from a bird attack.

I like the first picture because it shows him and the habitat--the canal immediately behind, and a canefield beyond that. When I have a snake, whether it's captive bred or wild caught, it makes me think of its origins. Sometimes I have to imagine habitats from what i read in field guides; other times, like this one, I've experienced the territory, which makes having the animal even more special.

I like the second picture because...well, i guess my satisfaction is evident. I've found maybe close to 20 florida (and peninsular intergrade) kings, but most of them a decade and more ago, and in central florida. This was the first one i've found in at least half a dozen trips to the canefields, with kings the primary objective, so it was time! We sexed him, looked him over, took pictures, and released him. It's nice knowing he's still roaming around there.

a Happy camper indeed!

:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

crimsonking.piczo.com/

>>a Happy camper indeed!

As you were my witness!

>>a Happy camper indeed!

Sometimes you're hunting the critters, and sometimes the critters are hunting you. (That's mark--crimsonking--in the background).

That's awesome Terry! I really like the precise habitat in which it was found in the background as well.

I'd be smiling too!..

cheers, ~Doug
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"a snake in the grass is a GOOD thing"

serpentinespecialties.webs.com

Neat pictures, Terry. Back in the 70's I had one I kept for many years that had burn scars from getting caught in a canefield burn off. It also was missing 3 or 4 inches of tail. I named him Pegleg! Wish I had some pictures of him.

--Dennis

Very cool!!! Congrats on your find Terry. Nice release as well. Feels even better watching them crawl away. Hard to do that sometimes.

Joe

>>Nice release as well. Feels even better watching them crawl away. Hard to do that sometimes.

Yep. I think when i was a kid I thought i had to catch everything and take it home. Heck, once i caught a 5.5-ft+ EDB and took it home. Clearly, there was nothing i could do with it...except show it to my new bride. Anyway, it too was released, but no doubt was disturbed by the event and I try not to do that any more. Mark and I ran across one about the same size last fall, and just watched it crawl and do its stuff. Of course, we took pix and video, too.

Speaking of video (how's that for a transition!?) after we'd caught and released the king, I thought, "damn, wouldn't it be cool if I'd shot a video of finding it?" So I went back to where we'd released it, started the camera, and you can see the results at the link below. My stumble on the canal bank is real, even if the video authenticity is only half so: It does show exactly how it was found.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU72vU2XYaI

Terry, I did the same thing as a kid and kept everything for short periods. I would always release them after three weeks or so too. Nowadays I will keep some good breeding stock of a species I am interested in anD then just release all the rest where found. In MD I had found all the LTT, eastern kings and Mole kings I ever needed and would just enjoy field helping with friends. I absolutely love watching them crawl away and also finding them again year after year. It's very cool to figure out the puzzle with different snakes and to be able to find them whenever you want. Of course this took me many years with some animals,!!!!!!!

Joe

>>Neat pictures, Terry. Back in the 70's I had one I kept for many years that had burn scars from getting caught in a canefield burn off. It also was missing 3 or 4 inches of tail. I named him Pegleg! Wish I had some pictures of him.
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>>--Dennis

Neat story, Dennis. It's great to have animals that have that direct contact with the land (though I'm transitioning to favoring captive bred on the occasions when I keep animals, preferring catch-and-release instead with the wild ones.)

For those who haven't been to the canefields, here's a picture of one of the controlled burns south of where we were hunting. Half an hour later we looked back and there was no trace in the sky that the fire had ever happened.

What a neat story with pics, Terry!
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Genesis 1:1

Terry,

That's a pretty sweet find. I'm a fan of habitat shots as well. It makes for a great herping day to find a wild king.

Tim

That's awesome! I love a nice dark Floridana. Great post Terry.

Keith

Good for you.