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herping in jacksonville/ponte viedra area
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by herpboy on May 17, 2005
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hey to all, im going down to the jacksonville/ponte viedra area in june and was wondering if anyone knows any good roads,state parks, wildlife managment areas, and or just some good spots to herp down around there?
thanks always
Bryan Hudson
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RE: herping in jacksonville/ponte viedra area
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by Cro on May 18, 2005
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Bryan: I have not hunted near Jacksonville in many years. Long ago, the area around the airport East of the city had good road cruising. Used to have lots of very nice corn snakes, yellow ratsnakes and amphibians.
Here is what I would do if I was wanting to find good possible hunting sites in an unfamiliar area. First, I would find a good state map, and better yet, a Jacksonville/ Ponte Viedra map, if possible. Map Quest on the net can do this for you. Print out the pages zoomed in, and tape them together to make about a 8 sheet map of the whole area with good detail.
You will see the old US highway #1, which parallells the new I 95. Old US 1 used to be the main route south, and had lots of businesses, and the businesses had signs all along the road. Many of those signs are now on the ground, as well as debris from buildings, like tin roofs, that were torn down once I 95 took business from the area. Same thing applys to Highway # 17 North of J'ville, which runs through Oceanway, Duval, Tisoria.
On the West side of J'ville, you will see old major roads like Highway 301 between Callahan and Tulane. That type of road often has old house sites and tin to flip.
Now, look to the East of J'ville, and toward Ponta Verda. You will notice a lot of rivers and creeks that run off of the St. John's River. Many of these waterways have small roads that parallell them, and run out into the booneys. Often these can be very good road cruising roads. Take a look at the road from Oak Harbor to Cedar Point and Black Hammock. It could be a great road to cruise. Also, look near Ponte Verda, and find the road that is called Palm Valley Road from HW 1 in Durbin, to Guana River State Park. There is a smaller road that runs off of it due North to a area called Twenty Mile.
The only way you will know for sure if any of these roads are good collecting areas will be to drive them and look for road killed snakes, and tin to flip. They might be good, or might not be. If I was gonna hunt that area, these would be the roads I would check out first. This technique has worked for me in the past in finding new collecting areas. Hopefully, it will work for you also. Roads that parrallell waterways are often really good road cruising. And old main roads that have been replaced by more modern roads often have tin to flip. Hope this helps.
Good Luck on your collecting trip. Once you get back, let us know if you had any luck in these areas.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: herping in jacksonville/ponte viedra area
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by pygmybait on May 20, 2005
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I'm immediatey south of Ponte Vedre in St.Augustine.
Jax is becoming so developed that there aren't too many "hot" spots to look through. Just south of Jax is St. Johns County. If you're starting in Ponte Vedre, you'll alredy be on A1A. Head south to the Guana River State Park. Pay your $2 and go past the dam where everyone is fishing. Park. Now walk down the dirt path, approximately one quarter mile until you hit the woods. There is a path that will lead you either left, right or straight. The path to the left is my favorite. There is a narrow dirt trail that will eventually lead you right to the intercoastal waterway. Between the initial three way fork and the ICW, you can expect to see some really good stuff - if you are willing to look hard enough. You will almost surely have to leave the path and walk back into the woods to find the good stuff. I think this may actually be a no no in the State parks but I'm not sure. If you do leave the path, don't go too far unless you have a GPS or a compass. You will get turned around very quickly. I've seen some great Cottonmouth's, a few Eastern Diamondbacks, Pygmies EVERYWHERE (if you dig around) and more Racers than you could shake a stick at, if you were so inclined.... E-mail me and I'll tell you a bout some other good spots here in St. Johns County.
Matt
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