Is there any help i can get in hunting tarantulas and places to go?

[andersonsteven]

HI, i am new here. I love the t's hobbie. I am new to having and taking care of t's. I really want to find tarantulas as a hobbie not just buy them from stores. i live close to california so i thought maybe going to southern california to find
some. i have been really studying and reading a lot. I know my first trip might be a waste as in not finding any but im ok with that because maybe next time i will. But it seems a lot of you on here know a lot more than i do and any help and advice in how to look for tarantulas would help me so much. and i would appreciate it.

 

[jayefbe]

The best areas for tarantula hunting in the US seem to be down in Arizona, Texas, New Mexico area. However, I've seen Aphonopelma in the SF bay area, so they can be found farther north than that. Hobbyists do collect from natural populations, but most will not disclose the exact location of them, especially on a public forum like this. The reason for this is that they don't want any populations being over collected by people hoping to make a quick buck. Given how long it takes for Aphonopelma species to reach sexual maturity, it could take decades for a population to re-establish itself. That's a best case scenario.

There are many hobbyists in the Southern CA, Arizona area that regularly hunt for inverts in native habitats, and I'm sure they know the best spots. If you're really serious about appreciating tarantulas in their native habitats, your best bet is to get in touch with tarantula societies and members in those areas. If you make a trip down I'm sure other hobbyists would be happy to do some invert-hunting with you.

This thread has a list of tarantula societies, SCABIES seems like a great group to check out.
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?108767-Local-Group-Master-List

 

[andersonsteven]

thanks

thanks so much, and yeah i figured no one would want to tel there locations, especially someone they dont know. and yeah i just love them. at first i was thinking about money to. but i got my first one and i love it so much. you actually
get to know them. when there irretated , and how they are. its amazing. lol. well thank you so much

 

[grayzone]

selling WC (wild caught) ts is generally frowned upon in the hobby... i like the fact that you want to reach out and get in touch with other hobbiests and go exploring for new ts, but after people read that they may not be inclined to help.. chances are... traveling from yakima to so cal would cost more than you make anyways.. you'd have to catch alot of ts and scorps indigenous to that area to pay for that trip

 

[andersonsteven]

yeah, im not doing it for the money. i do want to breed them. my uncle knows a lot about tarantulas and was a big supplier for the us. he is helping me. i have avicularia avicularia, and he is helping me tell the sex and breeding and all that. but i know that the trip will not make me any money and i dont plan that it will. i would like to just get different species and breed them. i know i can just buy them but to catch them myself seems so much rewarding

 

[SamuraiSid]

Not sure if this is helpful, but I purchased a copy of the British Columbia Field Guide to Insects and Arachnids. It tells me whats native to the province, which regions they are located in, and specifically where to look. We ont have Tarantulas or scorpions up here, but I did find out that whip scorpions are native, and a few hours drive away. Thats what Im doing this summer

 

[andersonsteven]

thanks for telling me. do you have people you are going with. if so and you want i would love to look for those too. i really want tarantulas but i would like all interesting insects and ect....