Got your post last night but it's a ways down so I thought I'd flag you here.
Yeah...way too hot for finding many kings right now unless you happen to see one or are digging in stump holes, etc!
About the two dead Easterns...no pics because I was on my motorcycle for the one just past the river near Rich Bay road. It was about 36" or so and looked similar to the female I've got - the poor thing was badly mangled and it took me a minute (once I got a good look at the crushed up head) to see it was a Eastern. They are pretty uncommon up there but the Jackson Lake Ecopassage folks catch one every now and again crossing from Lake Jackson (thank goodness for that safeway). The other came from east of Chaires Road in Jefferson County. I have a co-worker that's into snakes and he sees tons of all types of DOR's when he bicycles with this group on Sat. mornings. So while I was out cruisin' on my motorcycle to check out some riding areas I noticed the road he told me about (WhiteChurch Road) and I went down it (not a good idea to take a 600 lb cruiser on a sandy road!) when I saw this small ca. 24" Eastern that still had some reddish tint to some scales. All I had on me was me and my wallet and nothing to carry anything in - if I had been a mile or two from home I would've road with it in my hands and made do, but it's about 20 miles out so I couldn't do jack but toss it in the grass for something to eat it. But I know the spot so some mommy and daddy Easterns are in the area.
We really need to hit this spot when it cools off and in the spring. I road down the road on my motorcycle and it's wet, rural woodlands for about 8 miles, all mostly undeveloped. The roads are all in the Capitola "city" area south towards the town of Wacissa toward 98 on and off of HY 59.
Also, there is a killer tin spot in ANF not for from HY 98 - it's on private land but you can park up the road and sneak your way to it - I have to use this tactic often when collecting plants and I'm a master at it...often the land really isn't private or the landowners are cool - you just have to make a judgement call. Anyway, there must be 50 pieces of tin of different sizes all over the place in this location and there's a creek nearby so kings SHOULD be there at some times of the year unless others have beat us to the spot.
Get Hillson to give you my e-mail so that I can get in touch with you to work out some sort of herpin' plan for when it cools off in mid-Sept. You and your friends plus me should produce some good spots and plenty of eyes and hands to snag some kings!
Later.
-John
