HikeArizona.COM

please post where you've seen a gila monster this year
i want to see one this spring (and so does hansenaz)
consider it a public service posting
thanks, y'all

Arizona, a poacher's destination:
http://chronicle12.weebly.com/3/post/20 ... tiles.html

Arizona revised statutes regarding taking of reptiles and amphibians:
http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/regulatio ... hibian.pdf

I had a wisdom tooth yanked yesterday and while vegetating on the couch in a drug induced stupor watching Godzilla VS Spacegodzilla my wife puts her phone in front of my face. Yep it was a gila monster photo on her FB from someone we don't even know. Now complete strangers are rubbing our noses in it......

Alston Neal wrote:I had a wisdom tooth yanked yesterday

I would rather face a dozen Gila Monsters then have a wisdom tooth pulled!!!!

@SuperstitionGuy
I learned a major lesson yesterday.....get knocked out. Nitrous oxide and a local don't cut it. They told my wife I'd be in there 45 minutes 1.5 I came out. :stretch:
I'd rather French kiss a gila monster.

Alston Neal wrote:I had a wisdom tooth yanked yesterday

I guess that means I'm not too old for that. My dentist keeps recommending it, but I lived this long without them killing me, I'd rather not mess with them. I hope your recovery is quick.

azbackpackr wrote:Arizona revised statutes regarding taking of reptiles and amphibians:
http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/regulatio ... hibian.pdf

Those regulations appear to confirm that collecting gila monsters is not allowed in AZ. That's what I would have hoped.

Chumley and I saw a Gila monster near Rough Canyon, I had Chumley tie it to a tree, so it would not go anywhere...PM me if you want the long and lat trekinggecko...I am sure its still there...

i just really need to get out into the supes or goldfields this weekend and take the time to look around
i've seen one on south mountain of all places last year but no photo
so many sightings this year!
thanks to all who have commented
i don't want to see any of them poached, either
a vague trail reference is fine

@trekkin gecko
And it is funny cause I do feel a lot more are out this year...I seem to see them 4-7 pm range on warmer days so far

friendofThundergod wrote:And it is funny cause I do feel a lot more are out this year...I seem to see them 4-7 pm range on warmer days so far

I've seen all three in the morning...
#1 - 10:30 am, overcast and 75 degrees
#2 - 11 am, sunny but a cool and windy 65-degrees
#3 - 10 am, sunny and 85 or so

I think this mild winter had a lot to do with it. I have more of everything early this year. Gila Monsters, Rattlesnakes and Cardinals.

friendofThundergod wrote: I seem to see them 4-7 pm range on warmer days so far

Those are the conditions of my only sighting. I'm usually in AZ in the shoulder seasons, which is why it took so long for me to find one.

big_load wrote: I'm usually in AZ in the shoulder seasons

Help us out with this. Do you mean as in the "cold" shoulder seasons?

SuperstitionGuy wrote:

big_load wrote: I'm usually in AZ in the shoulder seasons

Help us out with this. Do you mean as in the "cold" shoulder seasons?

Unfortunately, Mrs. big_load would attest that I have a propensity to get snowed on, so I'll have to say "yes". I'm glad AZ has such wide shoulders. It's always possible to get to an entirely different temperature regime within a few hours. When I was in Yuma for a couple weeks a few summers back, with temps over 110F, I enjoyed a weekend of sweater weather in Prescott.

"Shoulder Seasons" is a term I first heard when putting in for Grand Canyon river running permits. Of course, shoulder seasons are spring and fall, when desert temps are considered comfortable by normal people. But also, in Grand Canyon, after Sept. 15 and also in the spring, the number of days the Park allows a private boating party to be on the river are increased from 16 days to 21 days.

SuperstitionGuy wrote: I would rather face a dozen Gila Monsters then have a wisdom tooth pulled!!!!

Your exploits in the west were legendary...
https://www.youtube.com/embed/X44Gfl9Lv5g

I've only seen one gila monster out in the wild and it was walking across the sidewalk at the visitors center at Saguaro National Park East.

@SpiderLegs
Aren't they venomous as well as protected by law? Just curious. My wife and I have heard or read that somewhere. The few sightings I've witnessed have been absolutely amazing. The only thing I'd recommend to anyone upon seeing one is to enjoy the experience but don't mess with them. A photo can be priceless.

Rockadoodledude wrote:Aren't they venomous

Yes, the only venomous lizard native to the U.S. The venom is in its saliva so when it grabs onto its prey (or a human hand) it slowly grinds its jaw to work the saliva into the wound.

Rockadoodledude wrote:@SpiderLegs
Aren't they venomous as well as protected by law? Just curious. My wife and I have heard or read that somewhere. The few sightings I've witnessed have been absolutely amazing. The only thing I'd recommend to anyone upon seeing one is to enjoy the experience but don't mess with them. A photo can be priceless.

They are venomous but I was told that about the only way to get bit would be to walk over the critter, pin them down, get them angry and try to put your hand in their mouth. Not known as being aggressive, I wouldn't worry about one if I ran into them. I'm much more worried about bees and snakes.

Cavalry trail in the Superstitions just after noon today.