Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Can someone tell me how the herping is going in west texas, gona be out there about june 1st for a week or soin the Christmas Mountians, love that country.

normally a little to early for anybody trying out west. Really though i don't know why with all the movement of herps in other places like Oklahoma and such. As a rule , look for people reporting in the new moon cycle of May although it seems to be still on the cool side for now. You are planning about the same time as about a zillion other herpers are because of the wanning and waxing lunar phase on June 6th. Me, I'm not game till July this year to see what the past several years rainfall has to offer and to try to break away of seeing so much of the venomous and plus I hope to see those forgotten really HOT days and nights that of the last 5-6 trips in the last 2 years I didn't encounter. The rainy month is SUPPOSE to be July but with the past few years.....nah ! Every month was a rainy month.

First year for alterna, also E. Bairdi, iam also looking for venomous, lepidus, and molossus, gona make a long trip through Val Verde, Terrell and Brewster counties, do you think early June will be to early?

Early June is good for the colubrids. In fact, it is probably the best time for subocularis. For subocularis, further west is better than further east. For bairdi, either stay east (Val Verde county) or go to the Davis Mts.
Alterna are where they are. You will be there during their peak activity period, but they aren't the sort of snake you find every night.
You may see molossus, as they are pretty common. Lepidus are a little tougher to find unless you get out and hike looking for them away from the roads (they get on roads and cuts, but you can field find 10 for every one you can find on the road). You see more rattesnakes in August, but they are seen in June as well.

-----
Chris Harrison

my best months for subocs and venomous has always been aug. and early sept. Of all the trips down, i have seen less hots in July and that's what I'm banking on. There was a very few July trips that I observed a huge movement of rat snakes in the west that several people knew about. Probably one heck of an ideal situation where it happened, happened. Did 3 trips last year and the June one WAS very productive but we had to stay south of Alpine due to very cool nights and rain almost every freaking day and night up there. Of course RR has always been good to me but I have been very fortunate on 118 just south of Alpine between the rest areas. Since I'm a Bend region person and not wanting to go to the central or eastern part of the Trans-Pecos, 30% of the leps that i have observe has come off of that area of 118 with 20% off of the 10 mile stretch going down to Study Butte and the rest off of RR. Molossus every place with the nicer ones off of north 118 and RR outside of Lajitas. I have heard of the leps of the Davis but i really haven't given that a try for a lot of years. I need to though. My best suboc area has been that long stretch of 118 that i call the floodplain between Elephant resort and to the entrance to the Longhorn motel.