CA t's

I am taking a trip to oakland CA.this will be my first trip to a place with tarantulas. Theres nothing that would make me happier than to catch a
tarantula in the wild.Im not going to keep any I catch.So I was hoping that some one that lives or has bin to that area could tell me some good
hunting areas.

I live in the Mojave Desert, and I've gone hunting a couple times. I wouldn't recommend it, not nearly as fun as it sounds. It's fairly easy to find them, but catching them is an entirely different story. You'd be looking for typical spider hiding spots - holes, large pieces of wood, holes in low-lying trees, etc. If you don't plan on keeping what you catch, just leave them alone. You'd have to pretty much destroy their hide to get a good look at them, which I'm sure you would agree is unfavorable.

If after that you still want to go, here are some tips. Go hunting at around twilight; mornings are too cold, and the days are blistering. You won't see so much as a foot during those times. On a personal note, bring water! I don't know your experience with deserts, but you'll get dehydrated far faster than you'd expect. Also wear thick socks and rugged boots. Almost all of our foliage is trying to keep you away with barbed thorns, and I promise you'll end up walking through at least one of them. As for the tarantulas themselves, they are extremely skittish. Walk slowly with a red light, and you may catch sight of a few.

Now, if scorpions are your thing, you'll go wild. Buy a black light, go out at night, and have a blast. Just be careful, though I don't have to tell you of the risks.

I was born and raised in Oakland and I've never seen a tarantula in the Bay Area. But I've heard of "Bay Area blondes" aka aphonopelma smithi. Let me know if you find any!!



--J.Haas

A smithi is found in that general area. Gotta find undisturbed habitat. The prefer loamy soil in open scrub/chaparral.

Use a stick to lure them out, dont dig them up. And be careful, smithi and eutylenum are actually pretty defensive compared to desert species which are slow to react.