Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys,

I am a rather beginning field herper this year. I started this summer and haven't been the most successful but have found some cool stuff though! I was wondering what type of equipment other than handling tools that you guys might take with you for recording what you find?

I appreciate your responses!

Chris
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Chris Law
U.A.P.P.E.A.L. (Uniting a Proactive Primate and Exotic Animal League)
Herpetoculture Element Representative

Although I don't carry all this stuff in the field with me all the time,

when I go on a long herping trip, I take my
- GPS
- cell phone
- camera
- tripod
- snake bags, deli cups, plastic jars
- hemostats
- rubber bands (for catching lizards)
- lizard noose
- small notebook for fieldnotes
- stump ripper, road hunting hook, and tongs
- plastic bucket
- plastic sweaterbox lid to use as a photo setup
- flashlights
- binoculars (if the herping is slow, I can always birdwatch!)

On shorter trips, say just roadhunting nearby I generally am not looking for anything in particular but I take
- small notebook for fieldnotes
- my camera
- tripod
- flashlights
- bag/deli cup/jar (in case I want to bring something back for a better photo opportunity.)

Out hiking on foot, I usually carry
- small notebook for fieldnotes
- bag
- cup
- small flashlight
- stump ripper
- cell phone
- gps
- camera and field tripod
- water
- small tweezers (cactus spine removal!)

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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

Or are you still working on the ones we had in the early 90's?

>>Or are you still working on the ones we had in the early 90's?
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

Ok what exactly is a stump ripper? and how do you catch lizards with rubberbands ?

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Am I the only one here that thinks pink designer snakes are ugly ?

The Stump Ripper is a high quality heavy duty titanium snake hook made by Furmont Reptile Equipment.
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Steve W.

sounds like a tool that is probably used way more than necessary,the stump ripper....sometimes you just gotta move on to the next one,or just try again tommorow,huh?by the way,no you're not the only one that finds all the pink 'designer' morphs less attractive then the 'originals'....just watch out who you tell that to,i stepped on a toe or two last time i said that......lol

Rubber bands for catching lizards? How does that work?

A number of years ago I knew some people who would shoot fast moving lizards in the head with rubber bands to knock them out. They were using them on whiptails and had some take quite awhile to come around afterward and those that they took home didn't last long...

-Alice

Using herp bands is an acquired skill.

Unfortunately, I used to kill lizards with them with some frequency. One summer (1986) as an undergraduate student I had a job working for Jack Sites catching Sceloporus grammicus (and related lizards) in areas around Mexico city. Over 6 weeks we caught over 1500 lizards and I would say 95% of those lizards survived the experience of capture. Since that time, I am sure I have banded many hundreds of lizards. Have I killed a few by mistake....sure. But I have also managed to catch lizards that I couldn't have captured otherwise. There is a risk involved and I only use the technique when I have to capture a particular lizard for a good reason.

You have to be careful with really small lizards as it is easy to hit them too hard but with a little practice, you can stun a lizard for just a few seconds - long enough to grab it.
Noosing is better and a heck of a lot more fun!

For reference, I prefer 2 number 105 rubber bands tied together.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

Let me see if i got this straight.You shoot rubberbands off your thumb like i did to kill flys on the wall as a kid and then grab the lil guy before his hangover goes away ?
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Am I the only one here that thinks pink designer snakes are ugly ?

Let me see if i got this straight.You shoot rubberbands off your thumb like i did to kill flys on the wall as a kid and then grab the lil guy before his hangover goes away?

Yes, except you use larger rubber bands and you shoot them off your index finger (more accurate).

Am I the only one here that thinks pink designer snakes are ugly ?

No. Most designer snakes are ugly.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

I want you to know i can shoot the wings off a fly at ten feet with my thumb technique. Care for a show down partner?

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Am I the only one here that thinks pink designer snakes are ugly ?

I guess I should share my master list...for 20 years the govt (you folks) has seen fit to cast me about the hinterlands for a variety of reasons...so w/ my fun trips...it looks alot like this...

HUNT / FIELD SUPPLIES

¥ CORRECT MAPS, GUNS/AMMO, TOOLS, RADIOS/CELLULAR, OPTICS, CAMERAS/FILM.

¥ RADIOS, BATTERIES, FLASHLITES, LANTERN, GLOVES, BANDANNA, CRATES.

¥ PACKFRAME/DAYPACK, SAWS, AXE, BAGS, COMPASS, ALARMCLOCK, WIND DUST.

¥ LICENSES, TAGS, VEHICLE PAPERS, MAPS, THERMOMETER, SMALL CUSHION.

¥ KNIVES/SHARPENERS, CRITTER CALLS, CAMO.CLOTHES, JACKET, HATS;RED?

¥ MONEY/CREDITCARDS, TOILET PAPER, CHAIR, COT, SLEEPING BAG, TENT/TARP.

¥ SLEEPING FOAM, ICE CHEST/ICE/BREWS, WATER, BATHINGTUB, SUNSCREEN.

¥ BOOKS, GRILL, STOVE, PROPANE, COFFEE/EQUIP., LOTION, H20 BOTTLE.

CLOTHES

¥ LONG SLEEVE SHIRTS (COLOR), SWEAT SHIRT/PANTS, BRIEFS/SOCKS, LAYERS.

¥ LEVIS, BELT, TOWEL, RAIN GEAR, BOOTS/SANDALS/TENNIS SHOES, SHORTS.

CRATES

¥ FOIL/P.PLATES, CANNED:BEANS/FRUIT/TUNA, SKEWERS, CUPS, BOWLS, PAN.

¥ P. TOWELS, RICE, LOTION, 1ST AID KIT, COOKING OIL, FLOUR, SUGAR.

¥ SALT/PEPPER, SUNSCREEN, BOTTLE OPENER/CORKSCREW, CAN-COZIES.

¥ CUTLERY, COFFEE POT/COFFEE-TEA, T. PAPER, GRANOLA, TONGS.

FOOD

¥ SEEDS, BEANS, MEATS, CHEESE, TORTILLAS, ENG.MUFFINS, CEREAL, TUBERS.

¥ FRUIT (CANNED TOO), TUNA, CHIPS/SALSA, CREAM, MILK, BUTTER, CANDY.

¥ DOG FOOD, POP, WATER, WINE, PASTRIES, VEGETABLES, SALAD.

¥ PRECOOKED CHICKEN, BAGS OF CHILI/STEW.

MEXICO

¥ GUNS/AMMO/RADIOS... OUT OF VEHICLES/PACKS.

¥ LEGAL PAPERS: PEOPLE/DOGS/VEHICLES/TRAILERS.

¥ CASH CACHED, BEACH TOYS, NETS, FISHING POLES, BEACH CLOTHES.

¥ LOUNGES, UMBRELLAS, BOOKS, SPANISH DICT., CALCULATOR, BEER CHEST.

¥ MOTEL PAPERS, DOG WHISTLES/LEASHES/VAC. PAPERS.

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Am I the only one here that thinks pink designer snakes are ugly ?

who was that shady lady(?) riding up front with you?...the look on your face made me feel a little weird,so i did'nt bother asking how you made out(herping)......LOL,LMAO,LOL....AAAHH.

A mirror for reflecting light into crevices,etc. & a 3" wide Ace elastic bandage for emergency sling,splint or torniquet.

It would be a lot easier, especially if you are on the shady side of some big rock to just turn on a light instead of bouncing it around.

Actually, I was out herping in SoCal with your former roommate (Tim E) this spring and I had a super bright Lithium-Xenon flashlight and he had a piece of mirror and his mirror was hundreds of times brighter and more useful for spotting critters in rock crevices! I eventually gave up on my stupid light.

Once in a blue moon it was more useful to have a flashlight. You can set a flashlight down to dig something out of a crevice and still see (you can't with a mirror) but generally in the desert, the mirror is far superior. I will carry both next time I am looking in cracks (don't even think it, Lance!).

Now when it comes to peering into hollow trees in the rainforest, a mirror isn't going to help.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

The rest is up to you. Might be different for other guys, but for me, too much gear = too much time fussing with it rather than actually keeping my eyes open for things. Seriously, a couple of snake bags, one of those little, collapsible pocket hooks, and a Sawyer Extractor in my waist pack. Other than that, just be there and and you'll see things. Good luck.

I noticed the most important "tool" was missing, a partner, other than that you need very little. A hook, a gps (for important stuff)a camera and a basic first aid kit. A notebook to help remember details helps too. Try lugging much more than that around in the field and your days will be short.
Cheers
Brett

There is nothing more frustrating than finding something really incredible and not having a good herping buddy there to share it with.

They are also useful when you do something incredibly stupid in the field and need someone to mock you for it incessantly for three of four years. Not that I have ever done that, of course.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, TX

how true, especially if you need to be assisted out.
Ciao
Brett

Did anyone mention a good knife? I perused the posts a couple of times and failed to see one listed. Other than a cell phone, there is no more important tool in the field than a quality knife when it gets down to life and death. I'm not talking about a survival-type tactical for self defense (a pistol will aid you more in that situation). Just a good quality blade that will serve you when you need it most.

I am a bladesmith but I carry a commercial Victorinox Swiss Army knife as well as one of my own hand-mades. The latter will be one of several damascus fixed blades, the size depending upon where I'm working. In the Amazon I wear a 7 1/2" camp knive. Stateside a 4 3/4" blade utility hunter. State laws dictate size & style as well.

As for a mirror vs. a light. In the daytime, no light made by Man can compare to a mirror firing the energy of the sun down a goper tortoise burrow or into a rocky fissure. The difference has to do with ambient light. A flashlight, no matter how bright, always appears dim to the eye when used in bright ambient light.

Y'all watch out for Rita.

Terry Vandeventer (Mississippi)

One for the right front pocket and one for the left.

I don't believe in reloads

Beer, food, snake hook, digital camera.

A gas card with no limit.....

My herping kit is as follows.
All the usual. Collapsible tongs, hemostats, pressure bandage, epinephrine ( 1 vial 1/1000), 5 x 1 cc syringe, 5 x 3 cc syringe, injectable diphenhydramine (benadryl), snake bags, zip ties...to fasten snake bags,probes,geck box ( also good for hots, don't know who made this, but it is a hard plastic frame with a mesh cover), binocs with digicam build in, headlamp. Cell phone and GPS(Delorme earthmate with laptop, topo and street map).

That can all be stacked into a back pack for hike. When I went to Costa Rica and for my upcoming SA trip, all that as well as Aumentin broad spectrum antibiotics, 2 week course, metronidazol- Montezuma's revenge (250mg tabs), skin stapler and chlorhex scrub. cheers, donald