Pulled up to our place in Mason and noticed this guy hanging around the front porch. No plans on torching the place ... yet

<a href="https://ibb.co/b8VUTk"><img src="" alt="IMG_3335" border="0"></a>

Had one of my front porch a week ago (Boerne area). Unfortunately, it died later that day. Think it had poison from pest control.

They are in our area, but I have never seen them around my house in 10 years until last year. For whatever reason, we started seeing them a year ago. 3 juveniles in the garage (all died), then one burrow/hole in the back yard (juvenile) then a big one on the front porch. Kids want to keep one aa a pet.

Wife found one on the back porch this week. She was not a fan.

I kept one as a pet in High school. Caught it at my sisters place near Bulverde. Would have been around 2000, they still see them regularly enough that it isn't a novelty.

We've started seeing a lot more of them at my parent's place in the past few years near Gonzales.

My mom tells me about how they played with them all the time while they were growing up in Point Comfort. Used to flush them out of burrows in the field there and there were always lots around.

I used to catch them all the time as a kid. I'd find holes in the ground with webs over them. Pour water down the hole and they'd come out. Sometimes I'd have to get a stick and pry them out. I kept several as pets in an old fish aquarium. A lot them that I caught I would pick up and handle, them turn them loose. A few of them I used as target practice with my Benjamin .22 cal pellet gun.

Don't see many around any more.

There was a couple of years back in high school where these guys would just invade our yard. Me and the little brother took the opportunity to practice our golf swings. Mom appreciated the good riddance of the spiders, but it pissed dad off with all the chunks taken out of the yard. Good times.

When I was a kid, I used to see a bunch of them. I lived in Sherman (Grayson County). I haven't seen one since I was like 9. My older sisters and I were home alone once and we cornered one in our living room. We unloaded our entire shoe collection (collectively) on it but I don't think we killed it. It just sort of hung around, possibly entertained by it all.

nm

I would get about 1 a year at the house in Brenham

I haven't seen one in years. You're very lucky.

https://instagr.am/p/BaFDVEShbFZ

Made me think of this thread.

Last time I was at balmorhea, I saw at least a dozen.

Once I was as Mother Neff state park when I was a kid, and I think we saw about 50 or so at which point my mom decided we were going to go elsewhere.

In my head I know they're harmless... but that picture still makes me shiver. It stems from a camping trip when I was a kid. I woke up and there were probably 20 or so spiders on my mosquito netting. That's a terrifying first image of the day to a 10 year old who's spider education came from watching Arachnophobia with his buddies.

There are some sad "outdoorsmen" on this board.

I remembered as a kid driving out to box canyon on the Comstock side of Lake Amistad at night and seeing thousands of them creep across the dirt road. Was one of the coolest things I ever have seen.

Years later I took my sons along that road spotlighting for wildlife only to be ran off by border patrol. Sucked.

Had on crawling around the driveway this weekend in Mountain Home. Convinced the wife to let it live until it can up on the porch by the back door after I flung it back into the weeds. Then unfortunately there was no more convincing her.

I'm a live and let live kinda guy regarding tarantulas...used to see them growing up pretty regularly

My Ag teacher in high school thought it'd be funny to sneak up behind me in class and put one of these on my head while I was talking to someone after class.

Was not a fan.

If you are in the DFW area and want to show your kids tarantulas, head out to Cedar Hill SP and head down the road to the "perch pond". Head out there about sundown in late Oct. and again in early April. You might see 20+ in a couple miles stretch.

Also a great time and location to look for rattlers.

I always see them when I visit Big Bend. I see them sometimes at a friend's ranch near Hondo too. Don't have them at our place near Lampasas though. They're neat to look at up close but I don't think I have the stones to pick one up.

Saw this and thought of my post too! Next time I see one I'm going to struggle with the decision to pick it up or not ... depends on how much whiskey I've had by then.

I live in Prosper, north of Dallas, and I see them regularly. My exterminator grew up in Celina just north of us and they called my neighborhood "Tarantula Hill" when he was growing up. I leave them alone and my kids are not scared of them either, wife is a different story.

OlSarge92 said:

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Had one of my front porch a week ago (Boerne area). Unfortunately, it died later that day. Think it had poison from pest control.

They are in our area, but I have never seen them around my house in 10 years until last year. For whatever reason, we started seeing them a year ago. 3 juveniles in the garage (all died), then one burrow/hole in the back yard (juvenile) then a big one on the front porch. Kids want to keep one aa a pet.

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Did you let them? They're pretty harmless. Way more likely to kick off hairs than bite, which is just irritating like fiberglass or fine cactus needles. If it does bite it's not too painful. Only let them handle it close to the ground in case it jumps or they drop it so the abdomen doesn't rupture.

ursusguy said:

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If you are in the DFW area and want to show your kids tarantulas, head out to Cedar Hill SP and head down the road to the "perch pond". Head out there about sundown in late Oct. and again in early April. You might see 20+ in a couple miles stretch.

Also a great time and location to look for rattlers.

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Used to always see them at Marion Sampson park if I rode after a rain.

The instagram chic's hands are shaking a bit. No sir...

You've been trying to head to Mason. I'm coming prepared...

https://instagr.am/p/BaJnufQFEBz

Sumbich can shoot hairs at you...