rattlesnakes

Rattlesnakes = yummy protein.

The optimal solution to a situation like this involves a cast iron skillet, butter, flour, salt, pepper, lemon juice.

And remember to stay away from the sharp end until you have dispatched them.

So if your like me and a novice at cooking how would you go about turning a live toxic snake into your next meal?

bakerjoe wrote:
So if your like me and a novice at cooking how would you go about turning a live toxic snake into your next meal?

First, take care of the "live" part, and cut off the head. Be careful, the mouth will likely keep working by reflex; these suckers can bite you even after they're dead.

Cut off the head and bury it or otherwise insure it is no longer a risk.

Cut off the rattle. Take a pair of scissors and cut the snakeskin along the belly from one end to the other. Peel off the skin like a glove. Gut it. Cut the snake into chunks about two inches long. Dip them in seasoned flour, saute in a mixture of butter and oil until they are tender, squeeze lemon juice over them, scatter some chopped fresh herbs over them if you like, and serve.

The flavor is not all that exotic. It's a lot like eating the world's longest chicken back. The meat is sweet, white, and very lean.

only toxic bits are in the head

my pa had some friends who were airborn rangers when I was a kid.
Imagine my ma's distress when they showed me how to catch a rattlesnake and bite its head off.
turns out your reflexes are a lot better than theirs and they can only strike one they are lined up so if you circle around you can grab one by the "neck" and if you keep it mouth shut it can't hurt you.

seriously though if you're not in a pinch or trying to prove you're special forces material use a machette to remove the head when they rear up. then the recipie above sounds very nice.

and Lee is dead to rights about them stll being able to bite hours after death desert wisdom is you can cut a rattle in half and both hafls will live till the next sunrise

Brice Moss wrote:

and Lee is dead to rights about them stll being able to bite hours after death desert wisdom is you can cut a rattle in half and both hafls will live till the next sunrise

I've seen it.

First rattler I dispatched to the great beyond, I crushed its skull with a rock after it nearly dispatched me. I was on a dirt bike and couldn't bungee cord it down because it kept snapping and writhing. So I grabbed it behind the neck and rode home one handed, dry clutching.

The rattler (not a small one) curled around my arm up to the shoulder. The rattler was going and the mouth snapping all the way home. The heart was still beating 45 minutes after I gutted it.

This video is exactly why I would not dig a root cellar in my region - even if I had the means. I love my rat snakes but the rattlers, cottonmouths and copperheads are a little too risky for me.

I found a 7ft rattler at work and I did feel bad for killing it - but I have to walk around out there in the dark and I don't want us surprising each other.

In areas where rattlesnakes are regularly hunted for food they are being naturally selected for silence. The snake hunters who wear protective gear trudge around snake territory and listen for the telltale sound. Since noisy rattlesnakes are the first ones caught, the ones who simply lie still are more likely to live on and reproduce. This will eventually create a public hazard since the snakes rattle generally stops people in their tracks thus preventing dangerous encounters.

While climbing a steep face I once encountered three rattlesnakes as I poked my head above a flat sunny rock. They did me the courtesy of rattling loudly and I immediately stopped and descended.