Snake Hunting Gear Guide

When you’re looking for snake hunting gear and equipment, it is important to make sure that you’re getting high-quality products. Although not often deadly, snakes have the potential to deliver a painful bite. If venomous, the effect of a bite can reach far beyond just painful.

Not only is it important that your snake hunting equipment protects you, but it should also do good for the snake. That’s to say, the gear you have should be designed to allow you to handle snakes with care, putting them at ease, and carry the least amount of risk of injury to the snake.

Whether you’re looking for a rattlesnake or tiny harmless ones, this guide will have you covered. After we take a look at some of the best snake hunting gear, we’ll then dive a bit deeper into what you need to know before making a purchase.

TurtleSkin is one of the most well-known snake protective gear brand out there. They produce extremely high-quality equipment and invest in ensuring your safety.

The SnakeArmor gaiters are one of the best in the market but they do sit at a fairly high price tag of around $150 at the time of writing this. We’d argue that these aren’t overpriced because if it comes to a bite actually occurring, then you want the peace of mind that the snake fangs aren’t going to reach your skin.

The gaiters are highly durable yet also manage to maintain a good level of flexibility. This means that they should be comfortable for extended periods of time walking around. Unfortunately, there is no fastener for your boots but it’s easy enough to put your own tie through them.

Another credible product from TurtleSkin, this time it’s their full-length chaps. Unlike a lot of other snake chaps, these provide protection the whole way up the leg. Although most bites occur in the lower portion of the leg, it is still nice to have the peace of mind that you’re protected higher up, especially if you’re going to be handling snakes.

The material used in these chaps has been tested on live rattlesnakes which is a step beyond what most other brands have officially done. As well as being tough, they’re also breathable which makes them more pleasant in warm conditions.

From the arch of the boot, these cover 18 inches in height, providing a good amount of protection. They’ve been built incredibly well and offer excellent waterproof protection and, more importantly, protection from bites.

They are fairly bulky which has the potential for them to get uncomfortable on a particularly warm day. However, one could argue that it is preferential to suffer a bulky boot over suffering a snake bite.

Fortunately, though, the boots do remain comfortable over a long period of time. According to verified purchase reviews, they are particularly comfortable at the ankle. This is often a pain point for other, lower-end snake proof boots.

These protective gloves have been specifically designed to be able to resist punctures and cuts. HexArmor is a well-recognized and well-regarded brand when it comes to protective gloves and this pair holds up their reputation.

Interestingly, while being so durable and strong in terms of protection, they still provide a decent amount of dexterity. When you’re handling snakes, you need to be able to have control over your fingers so that you know exactly how much pressure you’re putting on it and so that it doesn’t wriggle free.

The price tag is relatively high but you are paying for a level of protection and flexibility that you might not otherwise get in other gloves. You’ve got the choice of a variety of sizes which should suit most people.

This is one of the highest-rated snake tongs on Amazon at the moment, indicating that they’re a trusted pair. At 47 inches, it’s the ideal length for handling a snake safely while keeping good control over its movement.

They’re durable and you know that they’ll stand the test of time when you’re turning over rocks and logs. They’re not collapsible/extendible but this is generally a good thing because it means that they’ll last longer.

The pistol grip and jaws have been designed so that you can handle the snake without causing it any harm or injuries. Not only is this just good practice and fair on the snake, but it also helps to keep it happy and less likely to bite you.

This is one of the highest-rated snake hooks you can currently buy. This, in part, is due to the stainless steel build, making it more durable than others on the market. The hook has been built to be sturdy and is capable of picking up heavy snakes and turning over rocks and logs.

The ferrule, which attaches the shaft to the hook, has been made from copper. In turn, this makes the hook more balanced and also strengthens what is typically a weak point in many other hooks.

The handle has been designed for maximum comfort, allowing you greater control over the product and a good grip, even if your hands get a little bit sweaty. All in all, this is one of the best snake hooks out there.

Protective clothing and snake handling equipment are absolutely necessary when you’re planning on hunting snakes. Whether you’re doing it professionally or just for fun, you don’t want to risk being bitten, especially by a venomous one.

There’s a lot you can buy in terms of hunting equipment. In this section, we’re going to go over the different types of snake hunting gear you could possibly buy so that you can decide whether it is necessary or not.

This one probably needs little explaining as to what it does. Just like your average walking gaiters, they normally cover from the top of your boots to your knee. You can buy a variety of lengths of gaiters but it is generally better to opt for longer ones which cover more area.

It is important to look for a quality pair of snake gaiters that can actually stop a bite from penetrating. You also need to make sure that they’re comfortable for wearing over an extended period of time, they might need to be waterproof, and they might need to be breathable for warm conditions.

You should particularly buy snake gaiters if you’re planning on walking through long grass or stepping over a lot of logs and rocks without being able to spot a snake easily.

Similar to snake gaiters, chaps are taller and cover most, if not all, of the leg. They mostly only protect from a snake bite from ankle to knee, but the extra height is useful for keeping you dry or protecting clothes from the brush.

The chaps will either be zip up or loose at the bottom and will attach to your belt or waistband at the top. In the same way as gaiters, you should make sure that the protective part of the chaps is completely impenetrable from a bite.

Snake chaps will be worn by those looking to walk through long grass as well as those who want to protect their clothing from the environment around them.

Most bites occur when people don’t even know the snake was there in the first place. That’s because snakes tend to hide under objects like rocks, logs, and leaf piles. This makes it very easy for you to step on or over a snake, resulting in a bite.

Since snakes tend to strike low, snake-proof boots help to protect your feet from bites. Boots, combined with gaiters or chaps, offer a really good amount of coverage over the lower part of your body. This is the most likely to be bitten when out in the field until you begin handling.

There’s little explanation need for this product, too. Snake proof gloves are for those who know they’ll be handling and picking up snakes. Although you may think you’re being very careful, wearing protective gloves is useful for slip-ups.

You’re not always going to hold the snake in the right place because they’ll do their best to escape your grasp. It is far better to wear a pair of gloves and not get bitten than it would be to run the risk of not wearing them.

These are to allow you to pin down or hold a snake behind its head. Snake tongs are designed to give you maximum control over the movement of a snake, yet keeping you at a safe distance and not injuring it.

Some tongs are poorly designed and can actually be harmful to the snake if you clamp too hard. This can result in broken bones and a much angrier creature which is, of course, a bigger risk to you.

A snake hook compliments a set of tongs well, allowing you to support the middle or lower section of the body while using the tongs for the head. You should choose a hook that is sturdy and hold the weight of a snake easily.

Some hooks are collapsible, however, this makes them more prone to breaking. This is especially true if you are using them to turn over logs and rocks, which is often the case among snake hunters.