Fall Trip, TX

[Pruddock]

Hey All,

I'm thinking about trying to set up a Camping/Herping trip to West Texas sometime this Fall that would probably be a Fri,Sat,Sun sort of thing. Just wondering if anybody on this forum who lives in the area would be interested in one this year. If you are just post back on here and lets see if we cant set up a pretty good sized group of people going. :cheers:

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

It'll be tough once school starts back up, but if I can work it out, I'd be down. How far west are you thinking (that could be a factor, too)?

 

[Pruddock]

Not quite sure. I know my class schedule this year would let me take off from CS reasonably early on Friday, and I was going to talk to KJUN (hes a professor as TAMU too so hopefully he'll come along) and see where he goes because I know he heads out west a couple of times a year. Where do you go to school Matthew? UNT?

I was hoping to get a decent feel for how many people would want to go before I started making any big plans including dates and stuff.

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

Not quite sure. I know my class schedule this year would let me take off from CS reasonably early on Friday, and I was going to talk to KJUN (hes a professor as TAMU too so hopefully he'll come along) and see where he goes because I know he heads out west a couple of times a year. Where do you go to school Matthew? UNT?

I was hoping to get a decent feel for how many people would want to go before I started making any big plans including dates and stuff.

Yup, I'm a grad student up at UNT. My actual class schedule should be pretty light, but I'm working on my thesis project, and it'll be crunch time this fall if I want to graduate in May. But it sounds like fun; especially if it was during the fall after it's cooled off a little bit.

 

[Pruddock]

Thats definitly what I'm thinking, although KJ just told me about this new law that was passed in Texas making it illegal to road hunt and hunt state land for snakes even if you're not collecting. Its supposed to be enacted as of Sept 1 of this year, and in my personal opinion its pretty gay. That kills most of the field herping in Texas. So I'll have to do a little more research on where we can go and when a good time to go would be, and keep posting updates as they come. Sound good? :cheers:

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

Thats definitly what I'm thinking, although KJ just told me about this new law that was passed in Texas making it illegal to road hunt and hunt state land for snakes even if you're not collecting. Its supposed to be enacted as of Sept 1 of this year, and in my personal opinion its pretty gay. That kills most of the field herping in Texas. So I'll have to do a little more research on where we can go and when a good time to go would be, and keep posting updates as they come. Sound good? :cheers:

Well, what if we just "walked around" and if we happened to see some snakes, not our fault, we were just walking! :grin01:

 

[Pruddock]

lol I haven't been stopped yet and if I just tell them its venomous I have a feeling they'll leave us alone lol :grin01:

 

[texastailfeathers]

Well, what if we just "walked around" and if we happened to see some snakes, not our fault, we were just walking! :grin01:

That's exactly what I was thinking. :grin01: An organized "walking" trip.

How the heck is a law like that enforceable? They can't take you in for walking around and observing nature. If you do see a snake, are you supposed to close your eyes and run the other way? :shrugs:

I think that's pretty funny. Have you seen this proposed law in writing?

If the Texas thing gets passed, we can always take a field trip up to my dad's farm on the Red River (Oklahoma side).

 

[Pruddock]

Yeah, if nothing else I know my family owns about 40 acres right around College Station that I haven't been out to yet, but want to check it out. It sounds like a perfect place for some Kings, Copperheads, Timbers, and I'm sure plenty of Texas Rats and Slowinskis. I haven't seen the law in writing, just heard about it from KJ and he's a herpetologist and professor here at TAMU and he's usually pretty up to date on all of the laws and follows them pretty strictly (cant always say the same for myself :grin01: ). I think the citation you get if you are caught "catching snakes" is "Intent to collect". I bet if you just have a camera you'll be fine, but if you have a hook, tongs, or bags...i have a feeling we might be screwed. I still think its pretty assinine that we aren't allowed to look for snakes when people are allowed to do rattler round-ups and crap like that in west texas, when all we want to do is observe them. But...what can you say...people are ignorant and lawmakers listen to them. :shrugs:

 

[texastailfeathers]

Yup, I'm a grad student up at UNT.

:-offtopic What's your undergrad degree, and what are you studying in grad school?

 

[Pruddock]

I dont know about Matthew, but im just gonna be a JR at TAMU and I'm Biomedical Engineering with minors in math & history. Whats your thesis Matthew?

 

[texastailfeathers]

But...what can you say...people are ignorant and lawmakers listen to them. :shrugs:

I find it interesting that state legislators would make it illegal for herpers (who are mostly hardcore conservationalists) to observe snakes, yet I seriously doubt they'd cite an old redneck farmer for cutting the head off a ratsnake who dares to enter his chicken house.

ANYWAY...I bet my husband would love to go on a trip like that. Not me though. I don't do well with dirt and bugs and I *hate* to sweat. :sidestep:

 

[Pruddock]

lol See my girlfriend is the opposite. Loves to camp, but she'll only go if I leave my hook and bags at home. She loves my corns, but no wild herps lol. She's afraid they're all venomous, and she's afraid I'm gonna call her from the ER one of these days with a Copperhead bite to the hand :uhoh:

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

:-offtopic What's your undergrad degree, and what are you studying in grad school?

Biochemistry and biochemistry.

And right now my thesis project is trying to deduce what is the minimum amino acid sequence necessary to target proteins to the symbiosome in legumes.

 

[Pruddock]

Nice...I have to take a couple of biochem classes if I decide to go to vet school, but thats too far in the future to worry about right now lol :cheers: Hats off to you man, thats a rigorous major

 

[KJUN]

lol I haven't been stopped yet and if I just tell them its venomous I have a feeling they'll leave us alone lol :grin01:

In Texas? With all the money in rattlesnake round-ups, you are MORE likely to getsearched in more detail if you pretend it isa HOT.

...and for everyone making comments without knowing the situation, it won't befunny when you get the citation through ignorance. ...and most of you are too young to know the sting operations done lasttime road collecting was illegal in Texas, right?

...and Payton took my comments a little out of context. It is illegal to collect on roads AND right-a-ways. Period. Wardens have used bags/hooks/etc. to show intent in the past. I did NOT say it was illegal to herp on state land. I said it was illegal to go on state land (WMA) without an APH - or one of the other permits. I said it was illegal to COLLECT on WMA. I did say you would get a citation if you were walking around on an area like Big Bend NATIONAL property looking like you MIGHT collect something. Look at the guy that just got a citation for stopping for a rubber snake PLUS he got a citation for having a weapon/trap with him. Theweapon? Yeah, a snake hook. ...and herpers have been getting checked hardlately for hunting licenses. Herping, in Texas, is considered hunting. You need alicense to hunt without the intent to kill....and you TECHNICALLY need a license to herp without theintent to collect. I don't KNOW that any citations for lack of a license have been issued to people herpingwithout ANY collecting gearon them (like hooks and bags). Wanna go one step worse?

Texas law says you need huntered to buy a hunting license & hunt. I've had a warden tell me he WOULD issue a citation ifhecaught someone herpingwithout Hunter Ed....and I think it would stand up in many courts today! Grrrrr!

 

[KJUN]

lol See my girlfriend is the opposite. Loves to camp, but she'll only go if I leave my hook and bags at home. She loves my corns, but no wild herps lol. She's afraid they're all venomous, and she's afraid I'm gonna call her from the ER one of these days with a Copperhead bite to the hand :uhoh:

Don't call her. That's be easy with a better girlfriend.