these were taken at our lease in Cisco this past weekend. Have just started seeing Horny Toads(Lizards) in the past couple of years. Most of the ones I saw last year were small. But Saturday I ran across these 2 full grown ones in less than a hour in different parts of the lease. The diamond back & pig was shot by my wife (Phyllis). She brought it back and skinned it on her own & saved the meat to cook up and see if it really taste like chicken(LOL). Poor snake had a few holes in him from a .45acp. She don't do snakes very well , especially one laying in the trail in her hunting area. She even stretched and tacked the skin out to dry have to see how it turns out. She made us clean the pig, it was a perfect size for munching on approx. 100lb .

Sounds like Phyllis has y'all trained well Neat pictures, like the Horny Toads, nice piggy and that's big old rattle bug she popped

Nice pics. I hope to see Horned Toads again one day in Central TX, that would be a great day indeed. Nice job on the piggy.

tan that snake skin

Great pics!

Great pics! Turn that snake skin around so the scales are down and the wet side is up. There are different products to use to dry it out and I am sure folks here will provide great options. I always used a granular diazinon which dried out the skin and kept the bugs off.

Great pics

Are Horney Toads protected? If not, I'd like to try to reestablish them on my place.

"two species of horned lizards in Texas, the Texas horned lizard and the short-horned lizard, are listed as threatened by the state and require scientific permits for handling.Texas designated the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), the official state reptile in 1993"

I know we have tons of the big red ant beds that they eat from on the lease. Reading about the Lizards " they can eat up to 200 ants a day"

exotic species of ants including the fire ant are completely indigestible by the lizard and with the continuing increase they may replace the native ants, leaving these lizards to starve.

the Texas Horned Lizard has virtually disappeared from Texas east of a line from Fort Worth through Austin and San Antonio to Corpus Cristi (formerly widespread and abundant in that area); it has also declined in range and/or abundance in areas where it was formerly common in parts of north-central Texas, the Texas Panhandle, and parts of Oklahoma. Price's conclusions are supported by more recent surveys in Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. A 1992 Texas survey found the greatest declines in east Texas (where no individuals were found) and apparent declines also in central Texas; the species appeared to be doing well in northern and western Texas (Donaldson et al. 1994). Bartlett and Bartlett (1999) stated that the decline may have halted in at least some parts of Texas; they found numerous individuals in areas where searches in several previous years yielded few. A 1999 survey in Texas was unable to determine if the decline has halted or if it continues today (Henke 2003). A 1992 Oklahoma survey found the species to be rapidly disappearing in eastern areas of Oklahoma where it was once known to be abundant (Carpenter et al. 1993). A 1993 survey of the northern Flint Hills of Kansas suggested that populations were possibly declining (Busby and Parmalee 1996), and local collectors reported declines in the southeastern portions of Kansas (Bill Busby pers. comm. 1998). In Colorado no trend information is available, but recent surveys indicate that the species appears to be locally common and stable (Siemers pers. comm. 1998, Hammerson 1999). According to Rosen (Herp Diversity Review 1996), populations are thriving and plentiful in extreme southeastern Arizona. New Mexico densities have not changed historically, and populations are considered stable

[quote=hetman
exotic species of ants including the fire ant are completely indigestible by the lizard and with the continuing increase they may replace the native ants, leaving these lizards to starve. [/quote]
Just one more reason why I despise these turrible creatures!