Miscellaneous WTX Trips 2002

Every summer I make a number of road trips to the Trans-Pecos in search of the Gray-banded Kingsnake - and to simply enjoy the pleasure of new discoveries on the open road.  On this page, I'll chronicle the short trips that I made over the summer of 2002 (that I haven't already covered elsewhere).

6 June 2002

Left Arlington at 3 pm headed for the Trans-Pecos - its the dark moon in June, where else would you expect me to go???  Headed for Iraan/Sheffield for my first night out.  On the way down, found:

1 Masticophis flagellum DOR

1 Pituophis catenifer AOR - about 5'

1 Phrynosoma cornutum AOR

I arrived at Big Lake, TX, following a downpour.  The entire area was wet.  I'm not sure how much it rained between here and Iraan, but I know that there was at least some rainfall, because the whole place was shut down except for amphibians and 1 wet horned lizard:

1 Phrynosoma modestum AOR

sev Rana berlandieri AOR

sev Scaphiopus couchi AOR, many calling in pools near Live Oak Creek

sev Gastrophryne olivacea calling

sev Bufo speciosus AOR

Slept on roadside along FM 2400.

7 June 2002

Got up around 0930, decided to head down to Dryden before heading to Marathon to spend the day at the county park.  On way down, found:

1 Cnemidophorus tesselatus AOR

2 Phrynosoma cornutum AOR

2 Phrynosoma modestum AOR

sev Sceloporus merriami on road cuts east of Sanderson

Arrived at Marathon County Park at ~1240.  Saw Painted Bunting, Vermillion Flycatcher, Blue Grosbeak, Black Phoebe, Summer Tanager, Bronzed Cowbird, Golden-fronted Woodpecker, Northern Mockingbird, Barn Swallow, Eurasian Starling, Western Kingbird, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Scaled Quail, and Turkey Vultures.  Herpwise, found very little (it was cloudy and cool):

1 Cnemidophorus exsanguis

1 Cnemidophorus septemvittatus

After a good afternoon nap, I headed out to cruise for the night at Black Gap.  I arrived at the Gap at ~1815 hours.  It had rained in patches and sprinkled on me a little bit while I sat around and waited for it to get dark. There was a little bit of a breeze up the canyon from La Linda.  In all, the conditions seemed perfect for snake movement . . . and I did see quite a few snakes:

(before dark)

2 Salvadora deserticola 1 DOR, 1 AOR

sev Sceloporus merriami on road cuts

1 Cnemidophorus septemvittatus

1 unid snake (cf Masticophis) AOR

(dusk and beyond)

1 Phrynosoma modestum AOR

2 Agkistrodon contortrix AOR

1 Crotalus atrox AOR

5 Hypsiglena torquata AOR

2 Rhinocheilus lecontei AOR

1 Bogertophis subocularis juv AOR

3 Coleonyx brevis AOR

1 Trimorphodon vilkinsoni AOR

1 Crotalus molossus AOR

I photographed the trimorph on the roadside at night.  The picts were too jumpy, so I bagged them to photograph the next morning, when they would presumably calm down (hah!).

I'm sure that there were alterna and celaenops moving this night, as conditions were ideal (except for there being 4 cars - I've never found a kingsnake at the Gap with more than 2 cars present).  Another herper did see a Coleonyx reticulatus, another indicator that kingsnakes were probably moving.

8 June 2002

I slept on the roadside at the Gap, and got up the next morning about 0730 and start to take photos of the two pictigaster from last night.  A night in a snake bag did nothing to settle either one of them down, and both snakes were really bitey - striking, lunging, and crawling all over the place.

I finally succeeded in getting photos of the smaller of the two (see picture above), released it, and got out the larger one.  He crawled off 4-5 times and I was grabbing him with the (as it turns out too short) tongs when I slipped up - I grabbed him a bit far back and I left my index finger extend out of the grips.  The next thing I knew, I've got a 3 foot pissed off pictigaster hanging off the end of my finger - "Oh, crap!".  I dropped the snake, the tongs (which I left there until August), and started to put away all my stuff.

The bite initially felt like a bite from a Racer or Coachwhip, you know, a really toothy Colubrid.  One fang penetrated into the top of my knuckle rather shallowly.  The other fang pierced the inside edge of my finger about 8 mm down from my fingernail.

I went and threw all of my gear into the back of the truck, and headed for the phone at Stillwells.  Had I been nearer a hospital (like in Alpine) I would have probably waited to see how the bite was progressing, but since I was by myself and an hour and a half from any medical help, I decided it would be best to call an ambulance.  It sure wouldn't do for this to get serious way out here all by myself!  My finger was already burning and beginning to swell.

Arrived at Stillwells at about 0800 with my index finger greatly swollen.  I called EMS and decided to meet them on US 385 south of Marathon.  I told them to call the Border Patrol and warn them that I was coming through and in a hurry and not stopping.  I also called Marla to let her know what happened, and to let her know that I was going to be OK (just in a lot of pain).

Met the ambulance about 15 miles south of Marathon (did see a Terrepene ornata AOR on the road) at about 0830.  Swelling had proceeded to fill about 1/2 of my hand.  At this point, I basically felt like I had been stung by 5 yellowjackets and was slamming my hand in a car door repeatedly.

I get in the EMS, one of them drives my truck back to Alpine behind the ambulance.  Immediately, they say the doctor wants them to do "cut and suck", and I have to tell them that this hasn't been a recommended snakebite procedure for 20 years and that besides, at about 45 minutes post bite, that its even too late for the little benefit offered by suction.  Now they want to put on a tourniquet!  Jeez!  This doctor is an idiot!  I refuse the tourniquet.  Finally, they want to put on a light ace bandage - I know that this is the snakebite first aid for Elapid bites, and that it won't do any good for a Copperhead bite, but I decide to let them since it can't hurt and will make them feel better.  I do instruct them to start charting the spread of the venom with a pen.  By about 0850, I begin to feel a bit of nausea.  As we pull into the ER in Alpine, my entire hand is swolen and I do throw up (about 0915).  My blood pressure is also a bit high, either from the snakebite or from annoyance at the doctor's directions of "first aid".

When they wheeled me into the ER, I immediately told the nurse that I didn't need or want antivenin.  She said, "Good, we used ours all up last night."  Basically, they hooked me up to telemetry, monitored me, and gave me painkillers (including morphine).  When they asked if I wanted to check in to the hospital, I let them - I was pretty high at the time, and didn't look at my HMO card - if I had, I would have stayed at Norman's, because the overnight stay cost me $500 in copay.  Also, if I'd have known that they were going to wake me up and draw blood every 2 hours during the night, I would have toughed it out on my own, as well.

about 1 1/2 hours post-bite

about 1 week post-bite

9 June 2002

When I checked out of the hospital the next morning, I was swolen up through my forearm into my biceps.  My lymph nodes in my armpit were swolen and painful to touch.  While I was sore and groggy from painkillers, I was more or less Ok.  My cousin Robert drove me home so I could go to work on Monday - you don't get paid sick leave teaching summer school!

(note:  as of 02/02/03, finger is still a bit stiff, and I can't quite close it into a fist.  Some numbness still persists at site of bite)

13 June 2002

Decided to hunt US 277 near Loma Alta before going to TPWD's Wildlife Diversity Advisory Committee meeting in Austin on Friday morning.  On the way down, found:

1 Crotalus atrox DOR

Hunted 277 and a friend's land until about 1230 without finding anything.  Before heading east to sleep for the night, found:

1 Elaphe baird DOR

1 Rhinocheilus DOR

Slept at a roadside park near Mountain Home.

14 June 2002

After the TPWD meeting, I decided to go hunt the Sheffield Area.  Found:

1 Crotalus atrox juv coiled at base of road cut

1 Coleonyx brevis AOR

The wind was out of the east, but otherwise conditions seemed ok.

15 June 2002

Got up relatively early to drive back home in the hopes of finding a hognose.  Found:

6 Phrynosoma cornutum AOR

1 Pituophis catenifer DOR, about 5'

1 Masticophis flagellum AOR

1 Chelydra serpentina DOR

1 unid slider AOR

In all, these were 2 of the slowest nights I've ever experienced in the Trans Pecos, particularly considering conditions seemed pretty good, especially on Thursday night.

11 July 2002

Marla & I left Cheyenne with Grandma, and headed out for a weekend of hunting in the Trans-Pecos.  Dave Long and Ben German were to meet us at US 277.  First, we were going to go to Alpine to meet up with my cousin Robert and hunt around there.  It was raining all across the area, and had been for several days, so conditions seemed ripe for alterna movement.  Found:

1 Rhinocheilus lecontei AOR (NE Alp)

1 Crotalus molossus DOR (W Alp)

1 Elaphe subocularis 30" female on cut (S Alp)

3 Hypsiglena torquata AOR (btw Alp & Xmas)

1 Thamnophis marcianus AOR (just N of Xmas)

1 Rhinocheilus lecontei AOR (btw Alp & Xmas)

12 July 2002

Left Alpine to cruise & spotlight Langtry and 277.  Wet roads indicated that it had rained from about the west end of the Glass Mountains until about Dryden.  On way over, found:

1 Heterodon nasicus DOR juv

At dark, ran up Pumpville Road a ways, the spotlighted from Val Verde County line to Seminole Canyon.  Found:

1 Hypsiglena torquata on cut

Cruised on over to 277 to meet Dave & Ben.  Met up with them about 2 miles north of Loma Alta pulled over on the roadside trying ot help Dean McInturf extract a Baird's Ratsnake from a crevice.  We saw no snakes, although Dave & Ben found a suboc, as did Wayne Howell.  We hunted until sunrise.  On way back to the hotel, we found:

1 Elaphe guttata DOR

13 July 2002

Again we cruised Loma Alta.  Lovely sunset today:

Met up with Dad, and he rode with us.  We found:

3 Tantilla cucullata on cuts

1 Sceloporus olivaceous DOR

1 Scaphiopus couchi AOR

Dave & Ben did find a nice male light phase blairs around midnight, just south of Mail Trail.  We also heard Syrrophus marnocki calling throughout the night.

14 July 2002

Marla, Dad, & I headed out to Barnhart to fix our deer feeders before going home.  We stopped south of Loma Alta to take some photos of wildflowers:

On way, we found:

2 Masticophis flagellum DOR

At the deer lease, we found:

sev Crotaphytus collaris

sev Cnemidophorus gularis

30 August 2002

Kenny Wray & I headed west for one last weekend of road cruising in the Trans Pecos.  Our first night was spent mostly on the plains west of San Angelo and on the Stockton Plateau between Barnhart and Sheffield.  Found:

2 Masticophis flagellum DOR

8 Crotalus atrox 6 AOR, 2 DOR

1 Crotalus viridis AOR

1 unid snake, cf Thamnophis AOR

1 Crotalus molossus DOR

1 Rhinocheilus lecontei DOR juv

1 Coleonyx brevis AOR

1 Crotalus lepidus DOR male

The DOR lep was particularly painful for Kenny, who is a lep-nut, and who hasn't found a live lep in the Trans-Pecos since his very first trip.

31 August 2002

We slept on the roadside at the junction of fm 2400 and fm 2886.  Hiked around on 9 mile hill a bit (N of Sanderson) then continued on to Marathon to spend the day at the county park. On way over, found:

1 Masticophis flagellum DOR juv

1 unid snake, cf M. taeniatus

At Marathon County Park, we found:

1 Agkistrodon contortrix (Kenny did)

several Cnemidophorus exsanguis

1 Elaphe guttata shed skin

We then drove on into Alpine, visited with Norman Nunley, Jon Siefer, and Brad Anderson.  We decided we'd hunt the River Road, where Ric Blair had seen 3 AOR & 1 DOR lepidus the night before.

We stopped and photographed the bats under the bridge in front of Elephant Mountain, where thousands roost under the roadway.

On way down, we found:

1 Crotalus atrox AOR

On river road, found:

4 Crotalus atrox AOR

1 Masticophis taeniatus DOR

1 Crotalus molossus AOR

8 Hypsiglena torquata AOR

1 Sonora semiannulata AOR

1 Arizona elegans AOR

1 Agkistrodon contortrix AOR

1 Elaphe guttata AOR juv

We slept at the Terlingua Chili Cook Off site.

1 September 2002

We hunted Pepper's Hill for lepidus at dawn, found only S. poinsetti and S. merriami.  Drove back to Alpine for a nap.  We decided to hunt the Davis so Kenny could find a lepidus.

Went up to McDonald's Observatory area.  On way, found a DOR M. flagellum.  At the Obs cuts, I put Kenny out to walk while I cruised the area up towards the Lawrence E. Woods Picnic Area.  I found:

2 Crotalus lepidus males AOR, one ~34"

Picked up Kenny, who had found nothing, then continued on to lower elevations.  Ended up spending the night at the Picnic Area in the Glass Mountains.  Found:

(Musquiz Canyon)

1 Crotalus molossus DOR

1 Elaphe guttata DOR

1 Crotalus lepidus DOR

(on 118 N of Alpine)

1 Pituophis catenifer DOR juv

1 Hypsiglena torquata DOR

1 Lampropeltis getula DOR juv

(on 90 W of Alpine)

2 Pituophis catenifer 1 DOR, 1 AOR

(on US 90 btw Marathon & Alpine)

2 Rhinocheilus lecontei juv's, 1 AOR, 1 DOR

We also saw a few toads - the only one we stopped for was a Scaphiopus couchi.

2 September 2002

On the way home, we stopped at the deer lease to top off deer feeders. Saw a few Crotaphytus and Cnemidophorus.