Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I got my new digital camcorder for christmas and I am looking to start field collecting this year.My question is if anyone is familiar with central CA herps and when to start looking.I am looking to collect gophers,kings, and rubber boas. I am also interested in filming rattlesnakes.Also does any one have any ideas to make a nice strong snake hook/tongs? Thanks for your time,
Ryan in Auberry, CA

First of all, you aren't likely to get much positive response here to the idea of collecting all these types of snakes. Many (most) people here are against large scale collection of wild-snakes.

Secondly, snake tongs are not tools that most people use. I have a pair of professional tongs and I doubt I use them once a year on average. You simply don't need them to manipulate snakes unless you are collecting them to keep. A good snake hook is all I ever carry/need. Try www.tongs.com and check out their field hooks. They are the second best hook on the market, IMHO. The best is the Furmont Stump Ripper, which you can get at www.herpsupplies.com. I have one that has been used in the field every year since 1981 and it is still going strong.

Also, CA has strict bag limits on possession of native wildlife and even stricter restrictions on what you can do with native wildlife in your possession (selling, trading, bartering, etc). Make sure you are aware of the laws and be a responsible herper and make sure you are in compliance. People really do get prosecuted, and quite rightly IMHO.

I always like to give people the benefit of the doubt so I hope this isn't some lame F&G fishing expedition.
-----
Chris Harrison

I am not going to collect alot of snakes(mainly to film them), sorry it sounded like I was going to catch alot of them.-Ryan

Hi Ryan -
I live in Bakersfield and can give you some herping info. The first thing if you don't have one is to pick up a copy of a Western Field Guide for Reptiles and Amphibians. There's one by Stebbins and another by Bartlett to name two. There's tons of information along with species and ranges. You'll see in the guides there's gopher snakes, kingsnakes, etc all around you. You may have to head out a little for rubber boas I'm afraid. I'm going herping later today and see what has possibly come out recently. After a rain is a good time to try. We had rain down here a few days ago.
A snake hook should fit your needs right now it sounds to me. You can buy one or make one. Some people use an old golf club. Tongs are a little expensive. Especially if you are just starting out and that means get a long one. My partner, Del Alspaw, kept venomous snakes for over twenty years and he cut his tongs down. I really don't like to see most people use tongs out herping. The snake might seem nice and calm sitting out in the sun late in the afternoon. Grab him with tongs and you have 3 - 6 feet of a whipping snake at the end. Then what do you do? You start to look for somewhere to put this angry snake. I see too many snakes injured by people using tongs. Might as well run him over with the car. Even if you keep him, he's injured and may not survive. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of herpers who use tongs and do a great job with them. I don't think they need to use them with every snake. I see hot keepers who only use snake hooks out herping and they don't seem to not be able to pick up a rattlesnake and put him where ever they want. When you see a snake in the wild and you decide to pick him up, think what and where you are going to put him before you do. Decide if you are just going to move him off the road or to a safer place or if you are going to put him in a snake bag, etc. You don't know what the snake will want to do when you pick him up and it's too late to ask if he doesn't like it.
You are more than welcome to join me and my friends anytime when we go out. You can contact me through my website.

Terry Parks
www.kernreptile.com

>>Hello,
>>I got my new digital camcorder for christmas and I am looking to start field collecting this year.My question is if anyone is familiar with central CA herps and when to start looking.I am looking to collect gophers,kings, and rubber boas. I am also interested in filming rattlesnakes.Also does any one have any ideas to make a nice strong snake hook/tongs? Thanks for your time,
>> Ryan in Auberry, CA