Field Collecting Tips
Read these 3 Field Collecting Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Reptile tips and hundreds of other topics.
Bagging sticks
In the field, there is nothing more frustrating than the one that got away, especially if it got away because you were fumbling with a pillowcase. You can purchase an excellent bagstick from Midwest (tongs.com), or make your own out of a broom handle, a stiff metal bar welded in a triangular or hoop shape, and some heavy clamps. The bagstick holds the sack open so that you can quickly hook the snake into it, and then you remove the sack full of snake from the stick to tie it off.
A Gold Mine In Garbage: how to catch more snakes in the field
There's a gold mine in garbage, if you're looking for snakes that is. Not just in any garbage, but in junk heaps and piles of old trash that include things that offer a lot of cover, like metal siding or tin sheeting laying on the ground. Hunt out these kinds of sites, turn these pieces over (carefully) with a strong snake hook, and you'll soon find some scaly friends to brighten your day.
Don't tie the snake in knots!
When you are securing a snake in a pillowcase, be sure its head is not inside the neck of the case when you twist and tie it off. Several collectors have admitted to inadvertently killing specimens in this way before learning to be more careful.
| Guru Spotlight |
| Jennifer Mathes, Ph.D. |
