# Timber Rattler today!



## Old Dead River (Aug 3, 2009)

Found this nice Timber Rattler today while out galavanting. Unfortunately whomever killed it did a number on the hide and either they or another scavenger took the rattles as a souvenier. Great snake nonetheless!


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## Perkins (Aug 3, 2009)

ODR..That was a man right there!!


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## Hoss (Aug 3, 2009)

Big ol snake.

Hoss


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## Old Dead River (Aug 3, 2009)

Hoss said:


> Big ol snake.
> 
> Hoss



i think so too. To my mind, that's about as impressive a specimen of Canebrake Rattler as a man could hope for. I'm 6' 1". I'd call the snake 5 ft easy. It's the biggest one I've personally witnessed. Such a pity it was so mauled; it would've been such a nice skin if not a nice mount. Might have a go @ rounding up a live one some time soon.

YEE HAW!


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## bnew17 (Aug 3, 2009)

thats a good dead rattler,,,just wish somebody coulda gotton to eat him or save his skin!


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## hogtrap44 (Aug 3, 2009)

That been some fine eating!


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## Old Dead River (Aug 4, 2009)

I know guys. It was pretty fresh when we first came across it but the flies had already begun to sew it. I would've considered trying to piece it back together for a mount had the rattles not been taken. Without the rattles it sort of lost its identity in my book.

Never eaten them; heard it's very good. Also heard that if they strike themselves prior to being killed you can't eat them. Any truth to that?

p.s. once you've got it skinned out do you just filet it like a fish?


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## hog trappa (Aug 4, 2009)

where n milledgeville did u get him thank god when i ran dogs this mor. we didnt run across him


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## donald-f (Aug 4, 2009)

A snakes bloodstream is located under the skin so if he bites himself it does not ruin all the meat. You just discard the area of the bite, but I have seen a time when a snake bites himself. After skinning the snake cut filets to desired thickness , usually about 1-1/2 inches thick and enjoy.


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## cburke (Aug 9, 2009)

thats a big snake


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## Black_Ops (Sep 3, 2009)

*snake expert*

Well Im sure that no one would expect someone that keeps snakes as pets to reply in such a manner, but here ya go:

Actually, even if a snake, venomous or not bites itself, it wont do any damage to the meat. some venomous species, especially the pit vipers (rattlers, copperheads, cottonmouths...etc) can/do bite through their own bottom jaw, but it does no damage to the snake itself. The venom is just a mixture of secretions from different oragns in the body and is not harmful if ingested. Being sprayed by spiiting cobras(...lol yeah, im nuts..i know...) you get some in the mouth, it doesnt taste very good, but it doesn't make you sick either. venomy has to be directly injected into the blood stream in order to be effective. Poison however, like what frogs and toads secrete, must be eaten to effect the consumer


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## mathewsman (Sep 3, 2009)

*rattler*

I have a pick on my phone of a guy that killed one up in the nc mountains and that thing was at least 6 1/2 feet and his head was as big as my hand


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## timberghost1 (Sep 9, 2009)

thats a sure hospital trip right there,,,glad its off the land,,would have been a nice hide though


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## widowmaker1 (Sep 14, 2009)

old dead snake


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## pfharris1965 (Sep 14, 2009)

*...*

Man...that is a big snake!


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## shaggybill (Sep 26, 2009)

mathewsman said:


> I have a pick on my phone of a guy that killed one up in the nc mountains and that thing was at least 6 1/2 feet and his head was as big as my hand



It's very illegal to kill rattlesnakes in NC. Tell your buddy to leave our snakes alone. 

As far as ingesting venom, Black Ops was spot on. Venom is basically just a mixture of proteins. If you are still worried, then you can rest easy knowing that heat denatures proteins, so if you cook the meat, it's definitely harmless. 

With that said, I'm not a big fan of snake-killing either.


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## Funnyrunner (Oct 5, 2009)

Looks like some nice meat gone to waste....pity.


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