Herping near San Antonio

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joeysgreen
Posts: 523
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 9:09 pm
Location: Edmonton, Alberta

Herping near San Antonio

Post by joeysgreen »

Hello everyone, I am going to a conference next week in San Antonio. Looking at the map there isn't any great looking parks to get in some herping. May I please ask for recommendations? If I have a camera and binoculars, do I need a herping/hunting license?

Thank you kindly,

Ian
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chris_mcmartin
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Joined: June 9th, 2010, 12:13 am
Location: Greater Houston TX Area
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Re: Herping near San Antonio

Post by chris_mcmartin »

The San Antonio area has arguably the greatest (potential) diversity of herps in the US...I can't remember the total number of species documented from Bexar County, though some are much, much less common now (if they can be found at all) due to habitat loss over the past few decades.

I'd buy the 5-day nonresident license and herp stamp...you'll be covered for road cruising as well as flipping (which might be your best bet--trash sites should at least offer up some Crotalus atrox and other species). I haven't lived there in over a decade and some of the spots I liked right in town are now paved over. :?
joeysgreen
Posts: 523
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 9:09 pm
Location: Edmonton, Alberta

Re: Herping near San Antonio

Post by joeysgreen »

That's both encouraging and unfortunate. Where can you get a herping license?
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: Herping near San Antonio

Post by chris_mcmartin »

Herping licenses can be bought at many retail outlets...Wal-Mart being one. I think sporting goods places like Academy Sports have them too. You have to specifically ask for the reptile & amphibian stamp--I think it's #178 (but the stores usually have hard copies of the regs you can take with you that will tell you what the number of the stamp is).

August can be a tough month if it's hot and dry. Recent rain will help (and I think the San Antonio area has indeed received some, but I haven't been paying too close attention). I'm hoping someone who still lives there can chime in and maybe offer to meet you for a little while during your visit.
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chrish
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Location: San Antonio, TX
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Re: Herping near San Antonio

Post by chrish »

You can also buy your license/stamp online from the TPWD website.

As for herping around here right now, August is tough and this August has been pretty dry. We did have a wet first half of the year but July and August have been hot and dry.

Flipping is far less productive under these conditions. Road cruising is more productive. If I was you, I would check a rainfall site like http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ridge2/RFC_Precip/ and zoom in to the area around San Antonio. Then go back a few days/weeks and see what areas have had rain and try herping there.

It is pit viper season right now so driving the right areas should produce atrox and copperheads, depending where you are. If you are lucky and in the right part areas you might stumble across our less frequently seen species like C. ornatus, C. lepidus or C. horridus although you have to get a distance out of the city to see any of those.

Good luck.
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