Quote Originally Posted by theGinsue View Post
Well, no, I've never eaten them. In my defense, I haven't hunted them yet either - just checked out some road kill here and there.

Thanks for the instructions on preparing them. What are the bones like in regarding to when you're eating them. Is it like eating fish with small bones, always getting a couple in each bite?

How do you prepare the skin for things like hat bands, etc.? I caught the peel them back/don't cut them up the middle thing, but do you have to tan them at all?

What about the venom sacks? Is this something that you need to be careful of when cutting the head off?

Sorry for all of the questions, this is something I've been interested in for years but never pursued and I don't want to screw any of it up!
Not a problem at all.
The bones usually stay attached to the spine. You can peel the meat off with your fork, or just kinda nibble it off. I suppose it would more depend on how much you cook it, but I've never had a problem. It only takes about 7-10 minutes in the oil. Less if it's a small snake.
To tan the skin is easy. Depending on what I want to make, I either stretch it (like a condom, lol), inside out, around a 2" pole or for a wallet I do cut up the middle, stretch like you would a normal hide. I use a common stapler and staple about every two to three inches. Either way, then you take an ulu or whatever knife you want and scrape it. Snake skins are easy like that and you get all the junk off pretty easy.
Then you mix half glycerin (about $10.00/gal) and half methyl alcohol (about $20.00/gal) and paint it on in light layers. The time interval between layers and how long you let it dry really depends on the weather, but you get a knack for it pretty quick. But I never let it dry in the sun, only the shade. It only takes about 4 hours before you can start painting it with the alcohol/glycerin mix if you scrape it good.
After that, I let it sit for about 3 days then trim the edges for whatever I am going to make, and sew it. It's all pretty easy, and once you do it a couple of times it's a breeze.
The head is a little worrisome, as it really will bite you. I cut it off and grab it with a pair of pliers and put it in a corn husk and bury it about 6" deep. It degrades quick. Just step on the head and cut it off. Wear boots and you'll be fine. Just don't try it barefoot, lol.
T.
p.s.-I mix the glycerin/methyl about a cup at a time. It is reusable, but only for a couple of days. You can do probably 40-50 snakes with the two gallons easy. But the hatbands go for $50 and the wallets for $200, so it's okay to be a little sloppy.
I wish I had a good camera. I have snakeskin grips on my DEagle, and man-o-man are they nice. But you have to tape the edge so they remain hard in that instance for gluing. There are tons of cool things you can do with the skins, and they are all cool.