How can I find a garden snail outside?

I would love to have a pet garden (land) snail, but they are very difficult to find in pet stores. I have resolved to catch one myself in the woods around my house, but am a little confused as to how to go about it. I would like to know where in the woods I should look and how. Also, we've just had a major ice storm... when will the snails be out and about again? Will I have to wait until Spring? Thanks for your help!|||go to europe theres alot there|||after the weather has warmed up, go looking for them. or you can set a "trap" for them. get an older piece of flat wood, place it somewhere it wont be disturbed, and check it mid to late afternoon. if they are in your area, you should find them on the underside of the wood.|||well i wouldnt try at this very moment its winter but when it gets just a tad bit warmer you should use a snail detecter. or lets use some common sense and look on the ground, like maybe AROUND SOME BUSHES|||Hi, I have kept garden snails before. they can make great pets! I think the best way to catch one is to get a plant pot, fill it with dirt (about an inch in the bottom) and then get a bigger pot and put the small pot in the larger one. There should be about 2 inches in a gap between them. Leave it in a damp spot, check everday, underneath, in between, in the pots, all around that pot. It might take up to a month but it should work. Snails love to hide in between things and in holes. You should water the dirt everyday to ensure the pot is wet, water on the pot aswell. Hope this helps.