field collecting
Its a blast. Really, no bigger thrill than grabbing onto a live wild snake.
There are tons of stories, articles, and ongoing trips being discussed.
Like the man said, try kingsnake.com's field collecting forums, get yourself a local snake guide with good descriptions, and LEARN IT, then get onto herpchat or a similar chatsite that allows only appropriate talk for some instant info.
Some of those guys know a lot.
There are certain times of day, seasons, weather patterns, etc. that are best. Get to know the places and habitats you'll be hunting. All of it is fairly important to find what you're after. One of the most crucial things, believe it or not, is to knoe what you're after, so you can go to the proper type of habitat.
Luck to you.