Send us a text

Episode 4: Kyle Elmore – Tin Stacks, Popping Milks, and Houston Eats

Kyle Elmore, better known as PopMilk Herping, has become one of the most recognizable names in Texas field herping — equal parts meticulous, ethical, and deeply passionate about the craft. In this episode, we dig into what it means to truly know your landscape, and how stacking tin becomes both an art and a responsibility.

We talk about Kyle’s background in Texas and what drew him so deeply into the herping scene here, his philosophy on being an ethical field herper, and how South Texas continues to excite even seasoned locals. We also get into the herps that still elude him, the thrill of tricolor snakes, and Houston’s world-class food scene.

It’s a grounded, funny, and thoughtful conversation that captures the spirit of Wood Fired Herping — where dirt roads, cold drinks, and good company come together in the name of snakes, stories, and shared passion.

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts — and then let us know: what’s your herping ritual?

Follow the show:
Instagram — @woodfiredherping

Photography IG — @z_e_herping

Facebook — Wood Fired Herping Podcast group

Website — woodfiredherping.com

Youtube — @woodfiredherping

Share the show, leave a review, and keep the fire burning.

Send us a text

Robert Hansen has worn a lot of hats in the herp world — editor, author, educator, field naturalist, and lifelong advocate for science communication. For years he served as Editor-in-Chief of Herpetological Review, shaping the way our community shares its discoveries, and is now one of the creators of the recent, amazing, field guide, California Amphibians and Reptiles, co-authored with Jackson Shedd - and there's a new, bigger, even more ambitious field guide on the way!

In this episode, we talk about the art and science of making field guides truly usable; from design and detail to accessibility, even down to color choices for range maps and why they're more important than you realize. We dive into the changing face of herpetology, the importance of clear communication, and how decades in education shaped Bob’s approach to both writing and educating.

We also explore his long-running study of elevation transects in the Eastern Sierra and what long-term data can teach us that short studies can't, his philosophy on photographing herps, and his work on a near-future book that goes beyond California, and captures the Western US and Canada. And of course, it wouldn’t be Wood Fired Herping without a little food, this time, in between gas station hot dogs and Mexican street food, it’s brook trout, cooked on the banks of a creek in the mountains of Eastern California, with rice-a-roni and a surprise bottle of wine.

Whether you’re an old-school field herper, a new enthusiast, or someone who just loves the intersection of science and storytelling, this one’s a warm and grounded conversation about legacy, curiosity, and what keeps us going back into the field.

🎧 Listen, share, and pass it along to a friend who’s ever lost a night to maps, headlights, and mountain roads.

Follow the show:
Instagram — @woodfiredherping

Photography IG — @z_e_herping

Facebook — Wood Fired Herping Podcast group

Website — woodfiredherping.com

Follow the show:
Instagram — @woodfiredherping

Photography IG — @z_e_herping

Facebook — Wood Fired Herping Podcast group

Website — woodfiredherping.com

Share the show, leave a review, and keep the fire burning.

Send us a text

Marisa Ishimatsu is a photographer, herper, and educator whose images define how many of us see California’s reptiles and amphibians. Her work has shaped field guides, articles, and conservation efforts — and in this episode, we dig into what it means to capture herps honestly, ethically, and beautifully.

In no particular order, we cover, amongst much else:

• Federally endangered San Francisco Gartersnakes
• The role of photography in science and education (and Emily Taylor’s field guides)
• Traveling and herping across the globe
• Inclusivity in the herp community and why it matters
• Ethics of herp photography, and letting photos tell deeper stories
• Food, culture, and yes… how melted M&M’s fit into all of this

This conversation goes wide and deep, and it’s exactly what I hoped for when I brought Wood Fired Herping back: stories, ideas, laughs, and depth.

🎧 Listen in, share it with a friend, and keep the fire burning.

Follow the show:
Instagram — @woodfiredherping

Photography IG — @z_e_herping

Facebook — Wood Fired Herping Podcast group

Website — woodfiredherping.com

Youtube — @woodfiredherping

Share the show, leave a review, and keep the fire burning.