Best time to herp Arizona?

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Peter Engelen
Posts: 43
Joined: January 11th, 2012, 10:37 am
Location: Dilsen-Stokkem/ Belgium

Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by Peter Engelen »

lateralis wrote:hmmmm, we are afraid of showing our fellow countrymen around, yet we will plug the Euro crowd in to the good spots so they can do the following...

http://www.venomland.net/t6192-c-w-willardi

:thumb:

Waaaaw, this is a lot of money. Sh*t I didn't know this. I could earn a lot of money with my last trip ;) . Notice that this is captive bred. And I'm not sure what the 12 means?? Generation??)
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-EJ
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Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by -EJ »

I'd be hesitant to put a willardi or more in my pants for that much if anything.
Peter Engelen wrote:
lateralis wrote:hmmmm, we are afraid of showing our fellow countrymen around, yet we will plug the Euro crowd in to the good spots so they can do the following...

http://www.venomland.net/t6192-c-w-willardi

:thumb:

Waaaaw, this is a lot of money. Sh*t I didn't know this. I could earn a lot of money with my last trip ;) . Notice that this is captive bred. And I'm not sure what the 12 means?? Generation??)
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gbin
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Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by gbin »

-EJ wrote:You're comment to the europeans... extremely arrogant.
And pretty darn funny, too, claiming as ours a saying that originated in ancient Rome (which I'm pretty sure was part of Europe)... :lol:

Gerry
hellihooks
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Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by hellihooks »

Matt,
If you and your dad ever want to try So Cal... drop me a line... I have Coastal HL's in my backyard. And desert HL's within 1/2 hr drive. :D Till then... I don't know if you can make it to the S Carolina Sea Islands in one day... but here's the Texas HL I found on a sea island...
Image

as for why one of Europe's premiere herpers would post a way point map... perhaps it was just habit...
http://www.hylawerkgroep.be/jeroen/index.php?id=40
Perhaps a few of us could pick up a pointer or two... :crazyeyes: :lol: :lol: jim
PS...Since no one else will, Jer... I apologize for my fellow Americans rudeness... :roll:
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lateralis
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:56 pm
Location: SW USA

Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by lateralis »

Oh dear, I've gone an created a dang international incident on the black forum :twisted: :twisted:
Je n'ai rien contre les Européens Peter. Un de mes meilleurs amis est de Hannut. Je me moquais des gars de A à Z, je suppose que c'est l'effet inverse.
Santé
Latitude

Kris, likewise, we'll get caught up :beer: .

Matt: didnt mean to derail your post amigo...have not gotten this involved with the forum in over a year, just thought it funny that the same games were still going on.
So...to address the warps and wefts of your inquiry.

Spring, Fall, Summer, or Winter; seasons play "one" part of the hand you want to be holding when you and your dad step off the plane (think about why). Focus more on the weather/moonphase patterns ahead of time (if that has not been said already); think about "trends", and what trends may be occuring during the times you want to go, during the different season(s) etc...
Luck...it plays a HUGE part in this game, it amazes me sometimes just how much. Think about the snakes you are most wanting to see, and study their ecology, it may help you narrow down your window...

Ultimately, there is no "best" time to go to AZ, unless you count the one where you and your dad are sharing the experience of photographing a nice animal. :thumb:

Good"luck"!
Lat
Peter Engelen
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Location: Dilsen-Stokkem/ Belgium

Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by Peter Engelen »

[quote="lateralis"]Oh dear, I've gone an created a dang international incident on the black forum :twisted: :twisted:
@ Lat,

I don't have a problem with your post. You just posted some real facts. I find this very interesting. I can't believe that this is the real price for a captive bred willardi. Normally "some" Crotalus are much cheaper than a nice coloured kornsnake. I will mail this guy and ask some more information.

@Matt,

I only have 2 weeks Arizona experience, so I don't want to call it "experience".
We found 5 horned lizards, 3 different species on 4 spots. 3 of them were found while cruising the road the herping way and just look for basking pancakes on the road on the kirbside (all of this was around 17.00) . When we stopped they all disapeared in the vegetation were we found them after a search. The other 2 we found on relatively cold (for Arizona standards) and cloudy day just laying motionless on a flat rock.

Peter
jimoo742
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Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by jimoo742 »

Peter Engelen wrote:


Waaaaw, this is a lot of money. Sh*t I didn't know this. I could earn a lot of money with my last trip ;) . Notice that this is captive bred. And I'm not sure what the 12 means?? Generation??)

I'm guessing born in 2012.
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Norman D
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Location: Sonoran Desert

Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by Norman D »

MattSullivan wrote:Hey everyone,

My dad and i are trying to decide when best to herp southeast Arizona. I have spring break in March so we have then or most of may, late june. My main target is horned lizards and idk if they have a better time of year or not but that is what i most want to find.
thanks for any help!
Matt
If your main target is horned lizards, I would say may-late june is a good bet if you decide with Arizona or any other state. Many lizards can be easier to find in spring/early summer. Monsoons isn't necessarily better for horned lizards, but monsoon is good if you want to see baby horned lizards. My wife and I recently got married on one of the sky islands and our wedding party saw 5 horned lizards. Heck, we found a newborn baby horned lizard crawling around at the site of the ceremony. But with monsoons you will battle rain. Rain isn't that great for horned lizards. There will be a very slim chance of getting rained on in May-early June; more of a chance in late June.

Horned lizards (along with gilas) are about the only lizards I stop to photograph. In my experience, road cruising a good road at an ideal time can be productive. In addition, hiking maintained trails in good habitat can be productive, fun, and provide exercise. Both activities would be great for bonding with your father.

Below I listed a website and some links to some books. Buy those books and read them thoroughly. But be aware, horned lizards aren't always a guaranteed animal. With research, you will prepare yourself with a better chance of finding them. Regardless, Arizona is a beautiful state to visit and plenty to do/see other than herping. Herping just adds to the lure of Arizona. Just have fun and be safe!


Maybe research a little on this site?
http://southwesternherp.com/lizards/index.html

This is one of the best herp books you can buy for the money, if you like lizards or not
http://www.amazon.com/Lizards-American- ... 1933855355

Never read this one, but I imagine it has good information
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/052022 ... e=&seller=
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reptilist
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Joined: June 8th, 2010, 9:30 am
Location: Clifton, Arizona

Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by reptilist »

You win the award for best response Norman!
:beer:

(And I love my copy of the lizards book!)
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Jeroen Speybroeck
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Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by Jeroen Speybroeck »

I LOVE horned lizards - Peter said about all we learned about them together in AZ.

To the sideshow discussion, I have responded here, if you don't mind =>
http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... =2&t=13526
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Jeroen Speybroeck
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Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by Jeroen Speybroeck »

reptilist wrote:(And I love my copy of the lizards book!)
Same here, although it looks a little more like a rag after our last trip ;)
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: Best time to herp Arizona?

Post by Jimi »

Agreed on the Jones & Lovich book - a must-have. Great species accounts.

Cheers,
Jimi
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