Feild Herping!

[JuliusSqueezer]

Snakes have to have these 3 things in this order to survive.

1-Shelter
2-water
3-a food source

There is of course oxygen too but that's pretty easy to find anywhere.

Look for ground cover near a water source. Water and cover also attracts prey so the food source is often covered by default. Old fallen barns are often not far from a stream or farm pond. Any old stash of grain or corn left behind will of course attract mice and rats and be a perfect herping spot.

Baiting the field is a pretty common method. Find old sheets of tin and plywood or places that look like should be a good spot and dump soiled, smelly shavings from rat and mouse cages underneith. Check back regularly.

Road cruising down quite roads through rural areas just before and right after dark is probably the most effective and lucrative herping...and you have A/C and music. Just cruise around at 5-10 mph and use that eagle eye. Snakes are attracted to the roads to catch the last of the sun's rays and to the retained warmth of asphalt once the sun is gone for the day.

I get yelled at a lot for herping in flipflops and shorts so someone else probably better tell you what's best to wear

[JuliusSqueezer]

Oh//Very important. When you flip something, you are disturbing somethings habitat whether you find what you are exactly looking for or not. Sometimes it's animals you don't care about. Sometimes just noone is home right now. PUT IT BACK just the way you found it! I can't stress this enough.

[FLVenom]

Originally Posted by JuliusSqueezer

Oh//Very important. When you flip something, you are disturbing somethings habitat whether you find what you are exactly looking for or not. Sometimes it's animals you don't care about. Sometimes just noone is home right now. PUT IT BACK just the way you found it! I can't stress this enough.

I have the same bad habit of herping in flip flops as well. The only time I don't wear flip flops is while we're herping in South Georgia...the briar patches will tear you a new one!

[Yungair23]

I go to a local pond in the summer (its a blizzard right now). And i see what i beleive to be Water Moccosins. I never usually try to handle them at all but i will watch them hunt frogs and eat sometimes. I have also once held on that i caught in the middle of eating a dead shiner (bait fish used for fishing). I grabbed him by his head and he requrged his meal and i checked him over he looked nice and healthy and wasnt happy and then i let him go into the pond. Anyways its great fun just make sure you know what your handeling or trying to handle. Turtles are also fun to try to catch i have caught many turtles just by using my fishing lure and being out on my kyak in this smae pond. They follow the lure and i scoop them up from the water when they get close enough. I always release everything. And return any logs/rocks back to normal.

[luker3232]

Originally Posted by JuliusSqueezer

Snakes have to have these 3 things in this order to survive.

1-Shelter
2-water
3-a food source

There is of course oxygen too but that's pretty easy to find anywhere.

Look for ground cover near a water source. Water and cover also attracts prey so the food source is often covered by default. Old fallen barns are often not far from a stream or farm pond. Any old stash of grain or corn left behind will of course attract mice and rats and be a perfect herping spot.

Baiting the field is a pretty common method. Find old sheets of tin and plywood or places that look like should be a good spot and dump soiled, smelly shavings from rat and mouse cages underneith. Check back regularly.

Road cruising down quite roads through rural areas just before and right after dark is probably the most effective and lucrative herping...and you have A/C and music. Just cruise around at 5-10 mph and use that eagle eye. Snakes are attracted to the roads to catch the last of the sun's rays and to the retained warmth of asphalt once the sun is gone for the day.

I get yelled at a lot for herping in flipflops and shorts so someone else probably better tell you what's best to wear

THANKS!

[John_E_Dove]

My nephew Robert wore shorts and flip flops the first time he went out with me and thought I was nuts carrying all my junk wearing long pants, boots and gators.
Well he did until he almost stepped on this poor fella.

[luker3232]

Thanks everyone its starting to warm upi this week (supposedly) and I cant wait!