# Collecting Wild Scorpions?!



## CCC (Mar 31, 2005)

Does anyone ever go out and collect Wild Scorpions?? if you have, can you guys please tell me where i can go to get some myself, i live in southern CA!! thanks in advance!


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## christian (Mar 31, 2005)

CCC said:
			
		

> Does anyone ever go out and collect Wild Scorpions?? if you have, can you guys please tell me where i can go to get some myself, i live in southern CA!! thanks in advance!



i would buy a scorpion that has not been caught from the wild cause these scorpionns  are usually more agressive/defensive... they can also have problems with their health much easily. all creatures caught from the wild will usually die faster... and I also think that catching a scorpion is dangerous stuff especially if u know nothin about it... I know nothin about the animals of your country but all amphibians and reptiles(there are no scorpions or or large spiders in here estonia  ) of estonia are under protection so afterall i think its not a very good idea though i dont know much about scorpions...


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## Gsc (Mar 31, 2005)

I live in Texas now, but when I did live in socal, we'd go camping in the Anzo Borago desert....not far from san Diego. I found lots of them out there & some "wind spiders".... take the hikinig trail to the hidden group of palm trees with the water...on that trail (esp once you start getting some vegetation), I found alot...plus just in the camping area we found many.....  Blacklights at night helped some also.... Good luck...


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## Arlius (Mar 31, 2005)

Thats about all there is to collecting wild scoprions... find the area where they live (usually drier area, depending on species, often near rivers too...)
Take a portable black light, and start hunting (search under rocks, logs, etc)


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## Brian S (Mar 31, 2005)

Yeah start kicking over rocks and you otta find several out in California. We only have 1 species here in Missouri and I can find them sometimes so you shouldn't have any problem finding them where you live.


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## TheNothing (Mar 31, 2005)

hopefully I don't have to beg you all to

*PUT WHAT YOU DISTURB BACK WHERE IT WAS!*​
rocks, logs, sheets of plywood, whatever
take out a garbage bag with you and help pick up human debris

More important than environment is micro-environment.  While it might be a blistering 105 degrees, under a rock it'll be 75-80 and humid... turn it over and all that changes... put the rock back...


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## Hoosier (Mar 31, 2005)

It is easier to just buy them tho


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## TheNothing (Mar 31, 2005)

but much less fun


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## Gsc (Mar 31, 2005)

Yeah...like said above...PLEASE put back (flip back over) all the rocks & logs.

I enjoy field collecting (for personall collection...not super mass wholesaling) ...for all y'all against it please realize that 99.5% of ALL scorpions in the pet trade are WILD CAUGHT.  

Collecting them is 1/2 the fun...you learn alot about their natural history and their preferred habitat....

Its also cheaper...yes, you pay for gas, but you can easily collect yourself a dozen in a day...PLUS you get some exercise and get to be out in nature!  

Just remember to only take as many as you need for yurself... that way, next time, you can go back and find them again!


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## Black Hawk (Mar 31, 2005)

i agree with TheNothing on this one, srry Hooser, something about goin out and getting seems like loads of fun. i can't wait to go! and like earlier stated, return the rocks to where they were.


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## JonDaAzn (Mar 31, 2005)

how do you guys transport them? it seems like they would get banged around in jars and such, but i heard something about packing the containers with paper towels or something...


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## TheNothing (Mar 31, 2005)

deli cups w/ a bit of sand
not much of an issue... i know how i'm handling them
USPS/UPS/FedEx/DHL is what you have to worry about


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## CCC (Apr 1, 2005)

*Locations*

thank you guys for all the replies! i knew it is easier to just buy from the store, but collecting wild scorpions is the experience that i've always wanted to have, i am really looking forward to do so someday!! By the way, IS IT POSSIBLE FOR YOU GUYS TO TELL ME SOME SPECIFIC LOCATIONS(SUCH AS NATIONAL PARK AND SOMETHING LIKE THAT!!) TO GO TO COLLECT SCORPIONS??? IF YOU KNOW ANY!! THANKS!!!


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## TheNothing (Apr 1, 2005)

here's where it gets tricky
National Parks - not legal to remove anything from the park... they're protected federally, thats why they're national parks
BLM - these properties are private (Bureau of Land Management) and you need permission to use them.  This permission sometimes is easy, sometimes it isn't. www.blm.gov


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## WhyTeDraGon (Apr 1, 2005)

hey Gsc, know of any "hot spots" in San Antonio? I know the Hill Country, but I dont get out there much. And the only thing I find around here are A. anax and A. hentzi.


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## Gsc (Apr 1, 2005)

I haven't done too much collecting around San Antonio...usually her ein Brazos Co., the Hill Country, or West Texas....  I know its really developed around where you live... any open fileds with rocks, debris, or old lumber should be promissing... just keep flipping stuff...sooner or later you'll find some!

Good luck


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## WhyTeDraGon (Apr 1, 2005)

I hear alot of good stuff about West Texas's reptile and invert population, maybe someday ill go check it out


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## ScorpDude (Apr 1, 2005)

your taking a living creature fom the wild, taking it from all its ever known and caging it. Atleast with captive bred animals captivity is all they've ever known.

Just think how stressful it must be for them


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## TheNothing (Apr 1, 2005)

and thats why the 98% of all scorpions on the market are wild caught.....


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## haroldo359 (Apr 1, 2005)

i love going into the woods and looking for snakes and scorpions.  i don't keep anything that is endangered or anything.  i also like to take pics of the stuff i find and let go.  hopefully the rain will stop... i'll go tomorrow.


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## prang11 (Apr 2, 2005)

I cant wait to go scorp collecting this summer.  I am going to be trying to plan a trip in oregon either to medford or kahnita (probably didnt spell that right) so if anyone is interested just let me know.  Go and get us some U. mordax.


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## CCC (Apr 2, 2005)

*still have no idea!!*



			
				TheNothing said:
			
		

> here's where it gets tricky
> National Parks - not legal to remove anything from the park... they're protected federally, thats why they're national parks
> BLM - these properties are private (Bureau of Land Management) and you need permission to use them.  This permission sometimes is easy, sometimes it isn't. www.blm.gov



sorry i didn't mean i want to go national parks and break the laws, i just gave an example....well, i still have no idea where to go   and start to get frustrated  , i live in LA area and hope someone can give me some info on "where" (name of the place) to collect wild scorpions!!! sorry for asking the Qs so many time, it's because i really want to go and have such experience... thanks!! :worship:


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## Gsc (Apr 2, 2005)

Hey CCC...drive a few hours west of ya (to get out of town)...you'll find them.... I've lived in CA a few times... You'll get alot of scorps out in the less populated areas... Good luck....


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## CCC (Apr 2, 2005)

Gsc said:
			
		

> Hey CCC...drive a few hours west of ya (to get out of town)...you'll find them.... I've lived in CA a few times... You'll get alot of scorps out in the less populated areas... Good luck....



Thanks Gsc for your help, and when you said drive a few hours west, do you mean go toward Santa Barbara area?? i found a place called "Los Padres National Forest" do you think i have chance to find some scorpions around outside that area???  :worship:


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## ScorpDude (Apr 3, 2005)

TheNothing said:
			
		

> and thats why the 98% of all scorpions on the market are wild caught.....


And would you like to explain why that makes it fine your you to contribute to this problem? Because thats what it is, a problem...


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## Bayushi (Apr 3, 2005)

Not to be an ass, but pretty much anyone who owns a non mammalian pet they have bought from a pet store has a moderate percentage of owning a wild caught specimen.  As this being a problem in some ways it is and others it isn't. The only way to regulate WC animals in the pet trade is to stop the import and sales of animals.

 As for people going out and catching  scorps, it's not like the average collector is going to decimate the population.  This is basically an old debate that seems slightly pointless. It's akin to someone saying that hunting is wrong, yet they still eat meat with the statement "cows are domestic so it's okay."

  If you own any scorpions that were purchased from a pet store you have no proof they were not "ripped from the wild and taken from all they know".  In alot of cases pet suppliers don't say they scorps they are selling to the pet store are wc or cb and the pet store usually doesn't care as long as it's going to be money in the bank for them.

  Before you say a person is part of the problem think about the current situation at hand.


    --Tet--


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## TheNothing (Apr 3, 2005)

Its a "problem"?
hummm
suppose if it were a "problem" they'd be protected and not allowed for import/export in the trade...


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## G. Carnell (Apr 3, 2005)

Hi Isaac
most things nowadays are determined in regard to money, so there is a problem, but nobody gives a crap, so things go on as usual

just because if hasnt already been banned, doesnt mean its right, this world isnt perfect at all

lots of scorps are being relentlesly collected in parts of the world, take the Emp as an example
are you telling me that there isnt a problem with overcollection ANYWHERE in the world?
these things happen, dont presume anything


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## WhyTeDraGon (Apr 3, 2005)

ScorpDude said:
			
		

> And would you like to explain why that makes it fine your you to contribute to this problem? Because thats what it is, a problem...


have you purchased any scorpions? Well...then you've contributed


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## TheNothing (Apr 3, 2005)

G. Carnell said:
			
		

> Hi Isaac
> most things nowadays are determined in regard to money, so there is a problem, but nobody gives a crap, so things go on as usual
> 
> just because if hasnt already been banned, doesnt mean its right, this world isnt perfect at all


I understand that

At the same time though, those of us here aren't going out at collecting buckets of scorpions, killing them and mounting them on belt buckles either.


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## haroldo359 (Apr 4, 2005)

also, by going out and collecting a few with the hopes of one day breeding them and putting cb babies back into the hobby... you are working to correct the problem. 

catching a few here and there is going to decimate the wild population. if you were catching thousands and selling them... maybe.


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## Brian S (Apr 4, 2005)

The bottom line is that we all need to try to get our scorp breeding programs caught up with the tarantula breeders. I know that scorp breeding is probably more difficult than the tarantulas but I feel it is something that needs to be done before more countrys close their borders to the export of their wildlife. There are many tarantulas in the hobby that wouldn't be here now if someone wouldn't have decide to breed them years ago. If we are gonna keep the scorpion hobby going, we all need to get more CB stock in the hobby. 
(just my 10 cents)


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## ScorpDude (Apr 4, 2005)

WhyTeDraGon said:
			
		

> have you purchased any scorpions? Well...then you've contributed


I have brought scorpions, but i refuse to buy Wc animals and so have only bought CB babies or specimens from private stock that i have been asured are CB.


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## cacoseraph (May 9, 2005)

CCC... head for the hills 

i live in LA area (Inland Empire) and just literally head for the hills when i want to go collecting.  Granted i have only caught 1 scorp, but by the gods, it's a sound theory!


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## Gsc (May 11, 2005)

Yesterday was a good day collecting...  My girlfriend's parents have 2 acres of land around their house in the Texas Hill Country... They always run into UNWANTED inverts...I was happy to "remove them"...(saved them from being squished)...I made a radius no more than 20 yards around the house flipping rocks and debris... I found in an hour:

16 Striped Bark Scorpions (C. vittatus...most were gravid)
2 Scolopendra heros castaneiceps (TX Giant RedHeaded centipedes)
1 Scolopendra polymorpha (Texas tiger centipede)
6 Sub Adult Aphonopelma sp. Tarantulas....


This was all in a MOWED yard..... didn't even have time to make it out to "overgrown" areas....


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## cacoseraph (May 11, 2005)

i'm dying!

this makes me want to go hunting right now


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## Bayushi (May 11, 2005)

Atleast most of you have the chance to go hunting. no scorps where i live and if what people tell me is correct, I'm like a half days drive from a place i can go collecting.

  Although I'm not too certain they are correct, some people have said there are scorpions in the  area of Oliver B.C..  if anyone knows... it'd be appreciated if they could confirm or deny this....


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## Gsc (May 11, 2005)

I wish y'all were down here in Texas....I could take you to spots where you could find all sorts of inverts... It sure is fun spending a day in the field!!!

Good luck on your hunting!


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## Tony (May 11, 2005)

ScorpDude said:
			
		

> your taking a living creature fom the wild, taking it from all its ever known and caging it. Atleast with captive bred animals captivity is all they've ever known.
> 
> Just think how stressful it must be for them


Sigh. I wonder how you "know" that they Know anything? I have plenty of inverts that have come from the wild and they seem "happy" to me. In fact if I were to Assume (like you do) they can attain "happiness" or any other human-like feeling  I would most definitely think that they were "happy" being housed,protected and fed away from the perils of so-called natural life. Also (since we are anthropomorphising here) I think they are "gratefull" and "love" me for it!!!!    

  So are you saying a CB animal has none of the "feelings" or instincts of it's WC forebears <sp>? Hmmm, my WC H gigas seemed to do so well that she (in her " stressed " state) produced a viable eggsac for me. I imagine though, if she were "happy" in the wild she would have produced two or maye even three???

  Along the lines of GSC's post, and with your thinking, I imagine leaving inverts "Stress-free" in the wild is preferrable to you, over saving them from homeowners, pesticides and urban sprawl...Almost a PETA like mentality, no?

  Please point out to me any species we have that didn't come from the wild? What say you to a species facing decimation from any number of threats? Leave em? or bring em in for their (and our) benefit?

  Also point to me any scientifically documented long term impact invert harvesting has had on a population? You can't just say "10's of thousands of emperors _must_  have some sort of impact. I want to know just what that impact is....depleting an area of a predator makes room for some imbalance in prey items, but doesn't the next generation of the remaining population face an over-abundance of prey??

T


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## Bayushi (May 11, 2005)

Not that i am disagreeing with your post, tony.... But P. Imps are on the CITES list so the harvesting of them from the wild must have had a drastic impact. I mean, to my knowledge.... they are the only Scorpion species on said list.


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## Nazgul (May 11, 2005)

Hi,

two other Pandinus spp are Cites protected as well: P. gambiensis and P. dictator.

Regards
Alex


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## Bayushi (May 11, 2005)

thanks for the info... last time i looked it only showed P. Imp on the list...


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## Tony (May 11, 2005)

Bayushi said:
			
		

> Not that i am disagreeing with your post, tony.... But P. Imps are on the CITES list so the harvesting of them from the wild must have had a drastic impact. I mean, to my knowledge.... they are the only Scorpion species on said list.


None the less, As far as T's go there isnt any real population impact studies. And knowing goverMental bodies I doubt that is true for other inverts as well. I would expect the mentality for listing an invert goes like this : "Gawlly look at all that there 1000's of bugs going to the pet trade, it must be bad ". They wanted pokies put on the list, but when are rose hairs getting CITES'd ? 50,000 a year by some estimates.......Oh well, when a species is threatened (usually by habitat loss , not pet trade collecting) confining them to Just that dwindling range is pure brilliance  
   And I know theres going to be the usual "well really, how long Can we propagate a species in captivity?" poster soon. All I can say is, if they face exctinction in the wild, isn't worth it to try? Self serving or not.....
T


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## Robson (May 11, 2005)

hey guys i just want to know if u guys know where i can find some t's or scorps in illinois, but not far away from chicago, thx


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## Tony (May 11, 2005)

Robson said:
			
		

> hey guys i just want to know if u guys know where i can find some t's or scorps in illinois, but not far away from chicago, thx


Nowhere
The only thing I could think of would be in extreme SW Illinois right near Missouri as both do occur in that state. I confess I dont know even where in that state they DO occur. T's don't naturally occur East of the mississippi AFAIK
T

AFAIK = as far as I know


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## Robson (May 11, 2005)

tony said:
			
		

> Nowhere
> The only thing I could think of would be in extreme SW Illinois right near Missouri as both do occur in that state. I confess I dont know even where in that state they DO occur. T's don't naturally occur East of the mississippi AFAIK
> T
> 
> AFAIK = as far as I know


 thank you Tony


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## haroldo359 (May 11, 2005)

Gsc said:
			
		

> I wish y'all were down here in Texas....I could take you to spots where you could find all sorts of inverts... It sure is fun spending a day in the field!!!
> 
> Good luck on your hunting!


no reptiles?


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## redhourglass (May 11, 2005)

Hello Gsc and all.

You noted a radius stat which is pretty good but keep in mind about colonies of tarantulas (A. hentzi?) so not to knock out a _population_ even if the species is common across states.  It has been years since I've seen male Ts crossing roads through the lone star state (west).

With C. vittatus populations in Texas near homesteads/houses...collect them when you find them because if you don't they'll be stomped on and if they aren't the home owner will consult a certified pest control operator (service) to nozzle the home/acre even for the 'imported' fire ants which results in money.  This scenario with homeowners is subjective (city or county folk)  but is a true reality.

A few comments,

Sinc. Chad


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## SergioCR (May 12, 2005)

Bayushi said:
			
		

> Not that i am disagreeing with your post, tony.... But P. Imps are on the CITES list so the harvesting of them from the wild must have had a drastic impact. I mean, to my knowledge.... they are the only Scorpion species on said list.


Hi!
Now that we go into the CITES list... i was thinking, how many "common people" knows about that list? what do they do when they found *any* scorp, tarantula, bird, frog, etc ? do they actually know that certain species have some levels of biodiversity protection? what if they're found at populated areas? are they all pre-condemned to dead?


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## Tony (May 12, 2005)

SergioCR said:
			
		

> Hi!
> Now that we go into the CITES list... i was thinking, how many "common people" knows about that list? what do they do when they found *any* scorp, tarantula, bird, frog, etc ? do they actually know that certain species have some levels of biodiversity protection? what if they're found at populated areas? are they all pre-condemned to dead?


I imagine 99.9% of common people havent a clue. And yea, an offensive invert in a populated area is probably doomed no matter what some politician has said.
Having said that, there was a post somewhere on AB about someone trying to figure out how to get a CITES permit for her animal...Why on Earth anyone would want to tell the goverment they had something like that is beyond me...They look at the rules next year and decide anything over 4" is WC and they have your address????  At the local swap it was mentioned in a raid that anything over 3" or so would be considered WC cause they 'take so long to get big and arent captive bred much'. I'm paraphrasing of course, but that was the jist of it... Nice eh? 
T


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## SergioCR (May 12, 2005)

tony said:
			
		

> I imagine 99.9% of common people havent a clue. And yea, an offensive invert in a populated area is probably doomed no matter what some politician has said.
> Having said that, there was a post somewhere on AB about someone trying to figure out how to get a CITES permit for her animal...Why on Earth anyone would want to tell the goverment they had something like that is beyond me...They look at the rules next year and decide anything over 4" is WC and they have your address????  At the local swap it was mentioned in a raid that anything over 3" or so would be considered WC cause they 'take so long to get big and arent captive bred much'. I'm paraphrasing of course, but that was the jist of it... Nice eh?
> T


In fact, here in Costa Rica i know about the Cites list because of you guys... never EVER heared of it before... also found that one of the common trantulas here is on that list (and probably under a lot of people foot crushed also) some people instead of thinking about anything that has colours on it as a beauty of nature thinks that "the much colours they have the more venomous it is" 

Permits? for what? the government will just come, confiscate the animal and probably let it die in some zoo or display because they know crap about animals anyway... they don't care for the planet or biodiversity, they just want their money growing business, here we need an "ambiental impact study and permit" to build anything at determinated places like beaches and mountains (hotels for example) do you really think that anything build over a forest wont have an impact on the local ecosystems and species? however everything it's allowed. 

What about beach hotels at wild places for the tourist to see "nature" ? what nature? the little spot left after all the cement on top of it? 

...a little off-topic here but i just needed to say that... sometimes it just stretch my heart and soul to see all that we call progress.


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## Kugellager (May 12, 2005)

Note: CB usually means captive born...rarely does it mean captive bred. Most likely the babies you are getting are from a WC female that gave birth in captivity.

Very very few scorpions that are offered for sale are captive bred.

Most pet stores will say anything to make a sale.

John
];')

Reactions: Like 1


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## Nomadinexile (Apr 30, 2009)

*Our responsibility, another thread*

Hey, I wanted to chime in on this.  First, I have done a lot of activism to protect undisturbed habitats.  I have put myself on the line in defense of nature.  I don't think that makes me an awesome person or anything, but it should give you an idea of my respect for our environment.  I also collect scorpions sometimes.  So far, all of my specimens collected have gone into homes for breeding attempts.  Which brings me to my main point, which is that we, as people especially dedicated to the arachnids, should take the responsibility for starting breeding programs so that captive breed specimens become available.  That is the only way wild-collecting can be slowed.  I would also like to say that I think that you could wipe out scorpion species in local areas without being thoughtful.  Are you leaving more than you find?  Are you sure that there are lots and lots of individuals close by?  Or did you just happen to find a micro habitat with only a few specimens?  I know a local vittatus colony for example, that doesn't have more that 50 individuals.  It is a strip of land in between land inhabitable to them.  When I collect,  I make sure I can't be taking too many by finding a whole bunch, then getting a couple.  IMO, collecting can be done in a thoughtful, sustainable way, but it takes effort and thought, to do it right.  Peace.
Btw, I started tread last night on T's with very same subject. http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=152278


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## Kugellager (Apr 30, 2009)

TheNothing said:


> here's where it gets tricky
> National Parks - not legal to remove anything from the park... they're protected federally, thats why they're national parks
> BLM - these properties are private (Bureau of Land Management) and you need permission to use them.  This permission sometimes is easy, sometimes it isn't. www.blm.gov


BLM land is federally-owned public land and is usually open to anyone who wishes to be on it.

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html

None of it is privately owned...some of it is leased for grazing, oil, mining etc. but legally the public must have access to most of it.

John
];')


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## Nomadinexile (Apr 30, 2009)

*blm land*

Bureau of Land Management is a federal agency.  They give oil and gas leases, grazing right's ect.,  But as the last poster said, most should be able to go on.  You are allowed to camp for at least 2 weeks as long as you follow federal camping guidelines, like not camping near water source or trail.  You should still be able to go onto them without fee's.  I haven't ever seen a way to pay them.  They don't have collection boxes ect.  
As to the legality of collecting on BLM land, I am unaware.  Due to the nature of blm land usage, you may be able to go in and save a bunch of them before oil drilling or wind turbines get put into and area.  Also, If you live in LA., check out the suburban residential building sites, early in development if possible.  You could collect within developments without too much to worry about I would guess.  Just be careful when creeping around with flashlights when the frames are up and they have left tools.  You could be mistaken for a thief.   
Your best bet when collecting is finding habitats that are on their way to being destroyed.  Not they will be in the future, but they have heavy machinery on the way.   I would go in front of any judge, and fight the whole way, if I got in trouble for collecting a specimen about to get paved over.  That way, you can get that really cool scorpion that you hunted down by yourself.  But you KNOW that YOU are not putting any populations in danger.   It's a win-win.


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