Two year target acquired!

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Nature Nate
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Two year target acquired!

Post by Nature Nate »

My craze started two years ago when I saw a black bellied king that Fundad caught a few miles north of San Diego (I think you all know where) I asked about it and found the morph to be called a mud morph that is ONLY found in N******. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. From that time on I wanted to find a black belied king within the San Diego County limits. I started taking note of the belly patterns on all the kings I found. All the banded kings I found were checkered as the bands go half way around the belly.

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I knew that it would have to be a striper so I started taking note of where the high density populations of stripers were and followed the trail. I got pretty close with this one as the black sides came all the way down to the belly toward the tail.

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I knew I was on the right track and headed out to some boards that have been seasoning for the past year. 10+ boardlines two years later I was surprised that this girl was under the first board and was the only snake at the boardline, but she turned out to be the only snake I wanted to find. I was in a hurry and all my memory cards were full so I only took about six pictures and short video. Here she is.

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Note, I am not saying this is a mud morph, I think it's a cool looking unique San Diego black belly king. Now here come the reports of all the San Diego black bellies that all you old timers caught back in the day but never took a picture of. :lol:. To you I say good job and I'd like you to do it again this year, THAT IS MY CHALLENGE TO YOU should you choose to accept it. God Bless and good luck ;)
-NN
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Fundad
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by Fundad »

Cool king.. :thumb:

Does south of the border count?

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Fundad
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Nature Nate
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by Nature Nate »

cool king, but doesn't fit the bill for my challenge. Love the black belly. I don't know what it is but that's one of my favorite morphs.
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Fundad
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by Fundad »

Well I not doing much SD kings this year, but I ll let you know if I find one..

I thought south of the border and this year would count. :lol: I don't like your game.. :lol: jk

Fundad
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Nature Nate
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by Nature Nate »

a little less developed down there I think and there's a little more trash to flip making it a bit easier. I can only Think of two other good places that might have a black belly king other than my line, one of them is way over herped and the other one is on a military base.
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Fundad
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by Fundad »

Black Bellied kings are found in many places in SD county.

Fundad
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SurfinHerp
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by SurfinHerp »

Congrats Nate! :beer:
That's a very cool kingsnake.

I think Fundad's king should count too. It seems to have a better black belly. Wish he had some more photos to share of it. Yours has the high spotted sides that I prefer.

I bet I'll find a blackbelly striper at my main boardline one of these days. I found one similar to yours 2 years ago, but its stripe wasn't that great, and the belly wasn't as black. I considered it a grade C king.
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TORIN
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by TORIN »

What an interesting looking morph. Hopefully you guys find some more. Definitely think it counts if it's a cali king and has a black belly.

How are kings graded?
hellihooks
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by hellihooks »

Congrats Nate :thumb:
I'd settle for finding a striper, on my own... :roll: As for black-bellies...I'd go to LA and try around the La Brea tar Pits... :lol: :lol:
The 'desert-phase' Z Fundad and I cruised had a pure black belly... does that count?

There's a certain morph, in a certain locality, that I've been after for 10 years... I really think this will be the year... :crazyeyes: :lol: :lol: jim
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Kent VanSooy
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by Kent VanSooy »

Nate, black-bellies are probably around 15% of the stripers we find in these parts - but that doesn't make your find any less cool ! :thumb:
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SurfinHerp
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by SurfinHerp »

Hey Torin - grading of kingsnakes is highly technical and involves precise counts of scale rows before calculating the coloration, banding, and striping ratios.
Or else you can just do it like me and go purely by personal preference ;)
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Ross Padilla
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by Ross Padilla »

Nice one, Nate!

And that one you found, Fundad, has a lot of black belly on it. Very cool.
Zach_Lim
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by Zach_Lim »

Very cool thread
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Speckled Rosy
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by Speckled Rosy »

Nate, thats an awesome snake. I've heard of those and seen several pics of brown bellied strpers in SD. (blackbelly is what they call them in the central valley, which are also mostly dark brown) Fundads find is very interesting. The brown belly on his, appears to be extremely clean, whichis a very rare thing I don't think I,ve seen south of LA county. Yours has the typical jaggedness associated with most specimens from SD. Good going on both finds!

-Dan
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Fundad
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by Fundad »

Here is another Brown belly from Mex found in 2012..


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Fundad
hellihooks
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Re: Two year target acquired!

Post by hellihooks »

Not a black belly or nothing... but from an area where not many kings are posted from...Berdoo mts... found a few days ago... :thumb:
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