Snake Hunt

[WyoDoug]

How come no snake hunters here on HT???

Definitely edible and tasty. I would like to see more videos and recipes myself.

 

[D4570]

Maybe a case of SSS...

 

[RidgeRoamingRichard]

Touchy subject. Everyone has opinions about which snakes are ok to kill and which are not.

 

[mtmiller]

Because you can kill them with a small rock. Here is one from a couple hours ago. Sorry, crappy work camera.

 

[WyoDoug]

I will not hunt what I will not eat as a rule other than predators. Around Arizona and New Mexico they do regular snake fries like me some of us do fish fries.

 

[Stocker]

As Wilford Brimley said “I’d eat one if I was that hungry, but I try not to get that hungry”

 

[D4570]

" I will not hunt what I will not eat as a rule other than predators. "
You don't shoot P dogs????

 

[WyoDoug]

" I will not hunt what I will not eat as a rule other than predators. "
You don't shoot P dogs????

And rodents. I set out poison bait for those a lot on the farm when them damn animal rights jerks dropped them off by our pasture.

 

[WyoDoug]

Because you can kill them with a small rock. Here is one from a couple hours ago. Sorry, crappy work camera.

Most people I know that actively hunt them use snake thongs and a machete. I got a pair of thongs and a machete myself. Head has to go in a solid container or buried because it can still bite. Reminds me of when I butchered chickens. They ran around with no heads. Chopped snake heads can still strike. But most people can not kill a snake in one shot that I know of.

 

[mtmiller]

thanks for the tips....

 

[madtom]

I got a pair of thongs and a machete myself.

A mental image I didn’t ask for.

 

[Danson In The Desert]

I've hunted them a few times down in here in Az... I have used shovels, shotguns, and 22s with good success.
My recipes have been hit or miss with them though.
My best success was from putting the gutted and skinned snake on the grill in an aluminum tray with potatoes, onions, butter, olive oil, and spices.
Chopping it and frying it consistently ended up underwhelming, but I'm assuming I was doing something wrong.

 

[Pahoundsman]

Catch your snake and drown it in a 5 gallon bucket full of water,skin and cut your snake into pieces and parboil it. Then pull the meat off the ribs and prepare it anyway you please, I usually stir fry mine.

 

[Scott85]

I wouldn’t be opposed to killing one to eat but I despise people who kill a snake in the middle of nowhere just because they see one.

 

[Pahoundsman]

We actually have a season on them here and you have to buy a permit to possess or kill one and really they are delicious my boys used to look forward to rattler stir fry. But we haven’t hunted or killed one in years

 

[WyoDoug]

I've hunted them a few times down in here in Az... I have used shovels, shotguns, and 22s with good success.
My recipes have been hit or miss with them though.
My best success was from putting the gutted and skinned snake on the grill in an aluminum tray with potatoes, onions, butter, olive oil, and spices.
Chopping it and frying it consistently ended up underwhelming, but I'm assuming I was doing something wrong.

LOL so it don't taste like chicken like everyone says?

First the warning to newbies: Be sure to dispose of head immediately as they can bite for several hours. Place heads in covered container and dispose of the container and all. DO NOT HANDLE WITH BARE HANDS! Use tongs or something similar to handle them.

Soak the snake in a brine of 1/4 cup kosher salt, 4 cups water, 1/4 cup white vinegar.

Cut head off about 4 inches behind head. Hang by tail just below rattles so that snake may bleed well. Using a sharp knife, on belly side and beginning at head end, split skin entire length. Starting with head end, separate skin from meat and peel upward to place where snake is tied; strip entrails from body of snake and dispose of. Get rid of the entrails immediately after the kill if you can.

Clip body of snake where it is tied and drop in fresh cold brine water (either cover container or be sure to stand by it because the snake will crawl out of water with no head. It takes a while for them to actually die.).

If you are keeping the skin:

Take down skin, salt well and roll with scales on outside; place in container with lid and freeze until ready to tan.

When body of snake has stopped crawling, remove and wash in fresh cold water, chop in lengths 3 or 4 inch long. Soak in butter milk for 12 hours prior to cooking. You can use regular milk plus 1/4 cup of white vinegar to substitute for buttermilk. What makes snake sometimes underwhelming is when it is not bled out properly.

Now I deep fry mine:

Snake soaked in butter milk
Egg bath (4 eggs well beaten)
Flour for initial coat
Breading:
2 cups Plain Panko bread crumbs
1/2 T ceyenne pepper
1/2 T onion powder
1/2 T garlic powder
1/2 T paprika
1T T dried thyme
½ T dried basil
1 T dried oregano
1 tsp celery salt
½ T black pepper
1 T mustard powder
Enough shortening or oil to deep fry in skillet (about 1 inch deep)

Mix bread crumbs in a gallon ziplock plastic baggie.

Put 1 cup flour in another baggie.

Put meat soaking in the butter milk into the flour baggie and shake until well coated. Roll in egg bath and put in breading mix and shake until well coated. Drop carefully into the hot oil Fry until golden brown. If using a deep fryer, turn it to 400 degrees.

Do not let breaded snake sit before deep frying. Do the breading thing right before cooking stage. Let sit on a draining rack to drain excess oil.

 

[buckbull]

You'll need more than ladies panties to handle those snakes . I think you meant tongs, not thongs.

 

[WyoDoug]

You'll need more than ladies panties to handle those snakes . I think you meant tongs, not thongs.

Now now, not fair funning my grammar. I hate, hate spell check on my phone LOL

 

[Danson In The Desert]

LOL so it don't taste like chicken like everyone says?

I think it is similar to chicken, but definitely not exactly the same. I believe my issues came from it drying out too quickly.

 

[Elkoholic]

I had some guys here doing some work at my house yesterday, them came and got me and said "we just killed a snake".
I said was it a big black snake? ......"Yup!"
I said oh great, you killed my pet. Should've seen the look on their faces
Seriously though, I told them I see him quite frequently in my barn, and he's scared me a few unsuspecting times, but I just move him along.
I did tell them, I wish they would have asked me first, as I like to keep a good rodent eater around.
Of course the guy who killed it said he's scared to death of snakes!