Field Herping in the South

What are the best techniques for successfully field herping? When we get heavy rains where are the snakes most likely moving? Under Tin and structure that's been placed, wood piles? When there is light rain is it better road cruising. Is cruising better at what months? What is prime king, corn, milks, scarlet's, hog nose, indigo's habitat? When are they best found and what were the conditions? I'm not seeking to collect indigo's. Just wanna see a wild one. I would like to get some WC gravid females for hatching land race stock. As well as releasing the mother and babies.

Can you share your best practices and times of day and year, habitat? When do the different species start to come to surface from their subterranean habitat?

I have found gray rat snakes every year in my chicken pens, geese nests, duck houses. Water snakes are every where here. As is the black racer.

We found a nice clutch of grey rat snakes a few years ago in the side of one of our white oaks with a dead spot in it. We hatched and released them all into woods on our property where the eggs where found.

I appreciate any info anybody will take the time to share with me.

If you can locate spots with ROCKS you will probably find something. Like a rock pile at the bottom of a rocky cliff. Or a stream with rocky banks. They will usually be hiding under the rocks. Also look adjacent to these rocky areas. I read that around mothers day is when they come out and breed.

Originally Posted by nmoore601

What are the best techniques for successfully field herping? When we get heavy rains where are the snakes most likely moving? Under Tin and structure that's been placed, wood piles? When there is light rain is it better road cruising. Is cruising better at what months? What is prime king, corn, milks, scarlet's, hog nose, indigo's habitat? When are they best found and what were the conditions? I'm not seeking to collect indigo's. Just wanna see a wild one. I would like to get some WC gravid females for hatching land race stock. As well as releasing the mother and babies.

Can you share your best practices and times of day and year, habitat? When do the different species start to come to surface from their subterranean habitat?

I have found gray rat snakes every year in my chicken pens, geese nests, duck houses. Water snakes are every where here. As is the black racer.

We found a nice clutch of grey rat snakes a few years ago in the side of one of our white oaks with a dead spot in it. We hatched and released them all into woods on our property where the eggs where found.

I appreciate any info anybody will take the time to share with me.

Nick, like Kaulfield said "snakes are where they are". At least I think that was Kaulfield.

I have no clue regarding Indigos as I have only seen one and it just happened to be cruising through the grass into a wetlands area at a condo I rented in Florida years ago. I would imagine they will be close to water/marshy areas since a lot of their food sources are there.

For corns, most of the ones I have found have been road cruising, but the ones found when I wasn't cruising were found near barns and abandoned houses. In Georgia, I found two yearling sized corns near restraunts. So I guess the food source of mice was important. A good number (probably well over 3/4) of the corns I have found road cruising were near Pine forests that were really dry areas away from marshes. Road cruising is best here in my area in may through early June during the early evening hours. Once the real heat sets in, road cruising from around 8-10 at night is best. Anytime in the evenings after a rain is good, especially if the rain stops around 7 at night. Problem with road cruising after a rain is trying to avoid the toads and other frogs on the road. The popping is too much for me so I rarely venture out anymore after a rain.

Flipping cover for any snakes has been most sucessful for me during March through early May. Mid to end of April is typically the best. I have found greenish rats pretty much any time of day and in any temps. Eastern Kings are usually out and moving about in the middle of the day from my limited experience. They are usually near wetter areas because they like to feed on frogs, turtles and the abundance of water snakes.

You may try the snake room for hunting too, lol. I found a wild male approximately 22" long this year in my building. He forced his way into a mouse container and had wiped out 3 mice before I noticed him. I guess he came in when I left the building open to do some cleaning. I also found 3 greenish rats the same way before.

Good luck

dc

best way is to set artificial cover looking rarely leads to results. i walk roads to look but i also set up cover to draw them in. last fall i took several sheets of tin and scattered them across a field. I just go back and check over and over this summer.

Originally Posted by Camby

Nick, like Kaulfield said "snakes are where they are". At least I think that was Kaulfield.

I have no clue regarding Indigos as I have only seen one and it just happened to be cruising through the grass into a wetlands area at a condo I rented in Florida years ago. I would imagine they will be close to water/marshy areas since a lot of their food sources are there.

For corns, most of the ones I have found have been road cruising, but the ones found when I wasn't cruising were found near barns and abandoned houses. In Georgia, I found two yearling sized corns near restraunts. So I guess the food source of mice was important. A good number (probably well over 3/4) of the corns I have found road cruising were near Pine forests that were really dry areas away from marshes. Road cruising is best here in my area in may through early June during the early evening hours. Once the real heat sets in, road cruising from around 8-10 at night is best. Anytime in the evenings after a rain is good, especially if the rain stops around 7 at night. Problem with road cruising after a rain is trying to avoid the toads and other frogs on the road. The popping is too much for me so I rarely venture out anymore after a rain.

Flipping cover for any snakes has been most sucessful for me during March through early May. Mid to end of April is typically the best. I have found greenish rats pretty much any time of day and in any temps. Eastern Kings are usually out and moving about in the middle of the day from my limited experience. They are usually near wetter areas because they like to feed on frogs, turtles and the abundance of water snakes.

You may try the snake room for hunting too, lol. I found a wild male approximately 22" long this year in my building. He forced his way into a mouse container and had wiped out 3 mice before I noticed him. I guess he came in when I left the building open to do some cleaning. I also found 3 greenish rats the same way before.

Good luck

dc

road cruising is also great

if your lucky enough to be me they come to you ... last year i found two and the year b4 that i found 3 in my kitchen and one on the fence

I have tin out in some pine plantations. I may set up more cover in different locations and terrain.