Speak Out: Road cruising
As summer quickly approaches, field herpers are getting back into the field. Road cruising is the simplest means of field collecting and among the most popular. For this speakout topic, I would like to see herpers share cruising stories, strategies, techniques, and hot spots. When giving locations bear in mind most people reading them will not know slang road names, so try to give proper road numbers and exits from major interstates if applicable. Also include the species one would likely encounter on the roads suggested. This is the first summer for many “green” herpers, so let’s try to point them in the right direction.
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Anonymous on 2004-01-23
Thanks with the reply on the Everglades. Im gonna look into that Loop Road. Thanks
Anonymous on 2004-01-23
Don't even know if it is still there but as far as the everglades goes we used to (25 or 30 years ago) go to Monroe Station and drive down LOOP ROAD... DAY or NIGHT... Always came out of there with something nice.
Anonymous on 2004-01-17
Oh man... it's winter time where I live and I've been going through road cruising withdraw. It's pretty funny. Recently I've gone on some hunting trips and along with that comes driving on open highways and dirt roads at night. Even though it's usually around freezing temps, I find myself scanning the road for snakes and avoiding running over anything that looks like a snake. Isn't that nuts? I spend many many nights during the summer road cruising. At the end of the night my eyes get pretty tired. I think it's funny though that in the middle of winter, my brain thinks I still need to watch for snakes. Does anybody else have this problem? I think it's pretty funny. I can't wait until springtime!!! By the way, I live in SW U.S.A.
Mitch on 2003-12-31
Can some other people tell me if it is better to go snake hunting in the night or day around the Everglades area?
Mitch on 2003-12-30
I live in MIami but come down to the Everglades every weekend. In the day time I usually catch Eastern DIamondbacks, Cottonmouths, Corals, Rat snakes, racers, garter snakes and some others. I don't keep any of them, I let them go. If anyone knows of good places to catch snakes on a rhode trail or foot trail in the Everglades/Homestead area, then please email me or write one of these things to respnd. I would also like to know if anyone knows when is the best time to go looking for snakes around the Everglades area at night or in the day? Please respond. my email is Mitchl9701@aol.com
Thanks
Mitch
Mitch on 2003-12-30
I live in MIami but come down to the Everglades every weekend. In the day time I usually cath Eastern DIamondbacks, Cottonmouths, Corals, Rat snakes, racers, gartr snakes and some others. I don't keep any of them, I let them go. If anyone knows of good places to cath snakes on a rhode or trail on foot in the Everglades/Homestead area, then please email me or write one of these things to respnd. I would also like to know if anyone knows when is the best time to go looking for snakes around the Everglades area at night or in the day? Please respond.
Thanks
Mitch
reptile-safaris-costarica on 2003-11-26
here in costa rica we use eye shine as a decent way to find reptiles. snakes have a very weak eyeshine, but crocs and frogs have lots.
CottonmouthKyle on 2003-11-25
My friends and I road cruise a great deal. One road we cruise a lot is Swamp Road. It you want to find cottonmouths, ribbon snakes, garter snakes, black swamp snakes, and mud snakes cruise at night. If you want to find timber rattlers, pygmy rattlers, black racers, and rat snakes cruise during the day. There are a number of other species we find but those are the most common. We have found four huge cottonmouths while cruising only about an hour down swamp road.
Good luck to yall other cruisers!
Rattler_1 on 2003-10-31
Hey yaall,
Here in Virginia the best place To observe our Beautiful Timber Rattlers is on Sky Line Drive.
We Love Them!!!(And There Protected By law!!!)
Anonymous on 2003-09-30
There was a day in northeastern Colorado in '02 where the weather set state records because it was blowing out of the south and caused an awful lot of damage to farmers properties and houses. All day long we road hunted (I was on a university herp project) we caught around 20 Pituophis c. sayi, 1 Crotalus v. viridis, 1 Thamnophis s. parietalis, and one Coluber c. flaviventris. Most of the bullsnakes were laying out straight as an arrow in the middle of the back county dirt roads sand blowing all over them. It was surprising to see the amount of herp activity on a day like that. 23 snakes for the day wasn't too bad.
L. Thompson
rubyhorsethief@yahoo.com
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