Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

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chris_mcmartin
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Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by chris_mcmartin »

Nature Pavilion is going out of business at the end of the year, and is selling everything 50% off...get a 4-foot fake graybanded kingsnake (not too bad looking, either) for only $5.00!

Lots of others to choose from as well:

http://www.naturepavilion.com/toysnandli.html
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muskiemagnet
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by muskiemagnet »

your evil chris.

actually, i laugh. we bought some thick rope last year and a bunch of markers. we painted them up and placed a few at well-known flip sites near snake road right before everyone came into town for the get-together. good times. we had to leave early so it was nice to see our "land-mines" posted here. :D :D :D -sorry to those who got all excited for nothing.


-ben
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Joshua Jones
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by Joshua Jones »

Cool site, Chris. They've got some decent ones, some of the old funny-looking ones, and some that just make you scratch your head. Did you see the 72-inch klauberi? :lol:
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by chris_mcmartin »

Joshua Jones wrote:Cool site, Chris. They've got some decent ones, some of the old funny-looking ones, and some that just make you scratch your head. Did you see the 72-inch klauberi? :lol:
What can I say; art imitates life...you mean you haven't seen a 6-foot lep? :P


I get emails from Nature Pavilion (not for much longer, I guess) because a couple of years ago I bought a couple of horny toad replicas from them. One sits in my flower bed, and is so realistic I've had more than one person pause before approaching my door, to watch it to see if it will move.
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justinm
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by justinm »

muskiemagnet wrote:your evil chris.

actually, i laugh. we bought some thick rope last year and a bunch of markers. we painted them up and placed a few at well-known flip sites near snake road right before everyone came into town for the get-together. good times. we had to leave early so it was nice to see our "land-mines" posted here. :D :D :D -sorry to those who got all excited for nothing.


-ben

It fooled a few folks. I wasn't flipping as I was letting first timers do it. Good stuff for sure. Nothing beats putting a huge python skin under some AC with the head and tail removed. I was scratching my head with a few of the guys on that one.
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sjfriend
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by sjfriend »

Take fake snake, length of string and AC. Tie string to snake and attach to AC with enough length to allow AC to be lifted about halfway up before it yanks on snake towards the herper. Works best when in area where hots are expected. Just don't laugh too hard at their screaming and dancing.
Aaron
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by Aaron »

The coral snake on page 2 looks like the best one for Texas. It's got the right body shape and position and you can buy some nail polish in Del Rio and paint a wide array of graybands. Not that I would ever do anything like that:)
rtdunham
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by rtdunham »

These posts confuse me a little. If one of the Rattlesnake Roundup groups was placing these fakes to spite herpers because we let snakes live, it would make more sense. I can understand doing it once as a private joke with friends but the widespread use, well…
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chris_mcmartin
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by chris_mcmartin »

rtdunham wrote:These posts confuse me a little. If one of the Rattlesnake Roundup groups was placing these fakes to spite herpers because we let snakes live, it would make more sense. I can understand doing it once as a private joke with friends but the widespread use, well…

It might be more of a Texas thing...especially West Texas. It is a very collegial atmosphere. Snake Days (which, by the way, has a contest for finding the specially-placed fake snakes) almost feels like a family reunion.
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chrish
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by chrish »

Joshua Jones wrote:Cool site, Chris. They've got some decent ones, some of the old funny-looking ones, and some that just make you scratch your head. Did you see the 72-inch klauberi? :lol:
Their "baby" coralsnake is 21 inches long. I would like to see the adults of that species!
Aaron
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by Aaron »

Yes West TX is the only place I know of where putting out fake snakes is a tradition. People were doing it long before I first went there in 1996.

Disclaimer: dead nonnative and/or formerly captive snakes should never be used as they can carry disease.
Durban Keeper
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by Durban Keeper »

Gaboon adder replica hahaha uhm ok sum ting wong
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monklet
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by monklet »

Thanks Chris, I actually got tw snakes, baby coral and sidewinder from Safari, and a T-Rex. The T-Rex is very detailed and very accurate according to the standard pics.

The snakes are really well done. Sidewinder is pretty amaxing although the blotch count is way to low and blotches too large, the eye is too yellow (but with vertical pupil) and the rattle is all black. But the shape, posture and texture are pretty dang good, even the belly!

The coral is damn near perfect except missing some black tipping in the red. Fun stuff. Just created a little rock/lizard/cactus garden and they'll work nicely there, although I expect they'll fade with sun exposure.

Too bad MOST of the snakes are pretty silly looking. Seems they could easily do a much better job. As mentioned above, the Gaboon and Gray-banded silly bad.
hellihooks
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by hellihooks »

I know a couple of herpers who put out fake snakes (typically under a board they'll know you'll flip, and with their name/# on the belly) A lot of effort for a rueful grin, IMO... :roll:

At the 07 ARC, in Ridgecrest... we hung 'DOR' prizes on the doorknobs of those who got skunked... :lol: :lol: jim
narrowfellow
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by narrowfellow »

Cheap fake snake: Take a handful of white pebbles and put them in a sinuous pattern on blacktop, with a gap equal to the pebble size between each one. Presto, you have a Cal king. You get brake lights and cussing every time. Used to a be common practice in the Mojave.
hellihooks
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by hellihooks »

yeah... i've seen those too. Officer Chang ( a so cal game warden) uses freeze-dried snakes on the road to 'identify' herpers (they stop :roll: ) In fact, if you don't get to talk to Chang, after stopping for a fake snake on Whitewater... you haven't really had the Whitewater experience... :lol: :lol: :lol: jim
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KichiMark
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by KichiMark »

Interesting, never knew people put out fake snakes. Man it looks like I don't get around at all :lol: . From reading all of this, is it this common for people to road cruise? I only done it a couple times in the middle of no where and perhaps seen a couple cars here and there.
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BDSkinner
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Re: Fake Snakes for Road-Cruising--CHEAP!

Post by BDSkinner »

sjfriend wrote:Take fake snake, length of string and AC. Tie string to snake and attach to AC with enough length to allow AC to be lifted about halfway up before it yanks on snake towards the herper. Works best when in area where hots are expected. Just don't laugh too hard at their screaming and dancing.

haha Getting deep with this one. Isn't this why you should flip things towards yourself? hmmm can't fool them all 8-)

-Brad
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