Need Help Finding Tarantulas in North Texas!

[James McDaniel]

I'm looking for a good specific location to find tarantulas in North Texas preferably no further than an hour or so from Lewisville TX where I live . Not only do I just plan to find them, but I would like to be able to find lots of burrows that I can dig them out of. Lots of large flat rocks as well. I've had pet tarantulas for awhile, but I am new to finding them. I read somewhere that April is when they start coming out more and more. I have no interest in killing these critters. I am just very fascinated by them. If anybody has any good suggestions, please let me know! I would appreciate it! Thank you!

 

[AntikInsomniak]

So, I'm going to be that guy...

If you want to go hunting for your own pet, by all means. I feel it offers a better understanding of how the animal lives in the wild compared to in captivity, how much work goes into finding large amounts of tarantulas by field scientists to use for studies, and also increases your affection for that particular tarantula.
However, you did say "lots of burrows that I can dig them out of." Please do not strip the area that you are at of the tarantula population. A decent rule of thumb that I use when collecting (for venom research) is for every 15 or 20 confirmed burrows, I will take one.

As for location, I am not from Texas so I can't help there. What you could look at, is research papers pertaining to the spider(s) that you are looking for. Most of them will list locations of collection, albeit a little on the broad side. This might help in your search.

Summer is when they do become more active at night, where you might get lucky and see them out. Once it starts getting warm at night where you are (65+F), it will be a good time to go looking. Here in California, August is when you'll find a good majority of males wandering about looking for females.

 

[tonypace2009]

They are opertanistic borrowers I have found them under old mattress in the woods or under old pieces of plywood,in water meters,at the edge of driveways,and under old pallets.Another man's trash pile is a aphonpelmas home. Honestly unless you see the tarantula out or at the entrance of its burrow you will walk right by them. A member on the forums has a repopulation program trying to get the aphonopelma hentzi numbers back up not that far from you. If you feel like making a trip to louisanna I have several of them.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

A member on the forums has a repopulation program trying to get the aphonopelma hentzi numbers back up not that far from you.

Every time this is brought up it makes me chuckle a bit because Aphonopelma hentzi is definitely not at all rare in the North Texas counties. They are just very good at hiding their burrows and from my own observations they plug them up several times during the year so even in the summer, one will not get a full picture of their numbers. Each observational period is more or less a snap shot in time and not the full picture of the numbers in a given area. There are usually more in a particular area than you would think. To me, it's like someone breeding the black widow (Lactrodectus mactans) or the brown recluse (Loxosceles reclusa) in captivity and releasing them in an area just because they can't find a large number of them. But I guess everyone has to have a hobby and feel like they are doing some good.

In response to the inquiry in this thread though. It's difficult to provide advice on how to find tarantulas in the wild to someone who will dig them up to keep them as pets. As a naturalist first and a tarantula keeper/ hobbyist second, the destruction of native ecosystems for the sake of keeping an animal in captivity just does not sit well. Even though the urban sprawl continues into the rural areas of North Texas which destroys their habitat, the tarantula populations seem to recover over time so there really isn't much justification in collecting from what I have seen other than just wanting a pet tarantula.

 

[viper69]

This species is easy to get from dealers as captive bred. It's smartest to save our environment and buy them if one is simply wanting a pet.

Though the OPs post indicating a want to dig up "lots" of them suggests otherwise to me.

 

[James McDaniel]

I find it so funny that people act like I'm some kind of a bad animal treater. You did not help me any. How the hell would 1 man strip the area? I haven't heard anything so stupid! I'm not into that.

So, I'm going to be that guy...

If you want to go hunting for your own pet, by all means. I feel it offers a better understanding of how the animal lives in the wild compared to in captivity, how much work goes into finding large amounts of tarantulas by field scientists to use for studies, and also increases your affection for that particular tarantula.
However, you did say "lots of burrows that I can dig them out of." Please do not strip the area that you are at of the tarantula population. A decent rule of thumb that I use when collecting (for venom research) is for every 15 or 20 confirmed burrows, I will take one.

As for location, I am not from Texas so I can't help there. What you could look at, is research papers pertaining to the spider(s) that you are looking for. Most of them will list locations of collection, albeit a little on the broad side. This might help in your search.

Summer is when they do become more active at night, where you might get lucky and see them out. Once it starts getting warm at night where you are (65+F), it will be a good time to go looking. Here in California, August is when you'll find a good majority of males wandering about looking for females.

I

So, I'm going to be that guy...

If you want to go hunting for your own pet, by all means. I feel it offers a better understanding of how the animal lives in the wild compared to in captivity, how much work goes into finding large amounts of tarantulas by field scientists to use for studies, and also increases your affection for that particular tarantula.
However, you did say "lots of burrows that I can dig them out of." Please do not strip the area that you are at of the tarantula population. A decent rule of thumb that I use when collecting (for venom research) is for every 15 or 20 confirmed burrows, I will take one.

As for location, I am not from Texas so I can't help there. What you could look at, is research papers pertaining to the spider(s) that you are looking for. Most of them will list locations of collection, albeit a little on the broad side. This might help in your search.

Summer is when they do become more active at night, where you might get lucky and see them out. Once it starts getting warm at night where you are (65+F), it will be a good time to go looking. Here in California, August is when you'll find a good majority of males wandering about looking for females.

So, I'm going to be that guy...

If you want to go hunting for your own pet, by all means. I feel it offers a better understanding of how the animal lives in the wild compared to in captivity, how much work goes into finding large amounts of tarantulas by field scientists to use for studies, and also increases your affection for that particular tarantula.
However, you did say "lots of burrows that I can dig them out of." Please do not strip the area that you are at of the tarantula population. A decent rule of thumb that I use when collecting (for venom research) is for every 15 or 20 confirmed burrows, I will take one.

As for location, I am not from Texas so I can't help there. What you could look at, is research papers pertaining to the spider(s) that you are looking for. Most of them will list locations of collection, albeit a little on the broad side. This might help in your search.

Summer is when they do become more active at night, where you might get lucky and see them out. Once it starts getting warm at night where you are (65+F), it will be a good time to go looking. Here in California, August is when you'll find a good majority of males wandering about looking for females.

 

[Andrea82]

Did you expect help to, and i quote: find them and dig them out of their burrows on a tarantula lovers forum? Why would anyone support that kind of meaningless destruction of the habitat to even one tarantula,let alone lots !?
I watched this thread,hoping no one would give you directions.
Also,you have posted this question before,just differently phrased,and are now trying again by adding the word 'help',since you got no replies to the previous thread. That should have told you that you will get no help here.

 

[AntikInsomniak]

I find it so funny that people act like I'm some kind of a bad animal treater. You did not help me any. How the hell would 1 man strip the area? I haven't heard anything so stupid! I'm not into that.

I

Boy am I glad that I didn't give you any actual locations... Which I found by doing a minimal amount of literature review.
Also, one man can help to completely destroy a local population. Especially if he is going to be digging for "lots."

As for being a "bad animal treater," I only have your quoted-above response to base character on. If you are that quick to attack me (when I was only attempting to help) on a forum, over being cautious of how much you intend to disturb your surrounding environment, then I am inclined to assume that you're probably not the most gentle with animals or the environment in which you plan to obtain tarantulas from.