Survival is about water first, then shelter, and finally food. Humans are Hunters and Gatherers. Sometimes we may need to gather up some snakes.
SSSSSnakes offer a tasty food source. They may not be a person’s first choice, but they can offer a food source.
Back in the day we were fishing in Western Maryland. The North Branch of the Potomac River is home to the Rattlesnake. Most of the ones that I have seen are smaller but once in awhile they can be bigger than 2 feet long. They also seem thicker than western rattlers.
We were driving back to the campsite along Lost Land Run when we saw a huge rattler at the entrance to our campsite. I grabbed a stick to catch and move the snake but once I had ahold of the snake, I was having trouble handling it. After nearly getting bit, I finally dispatched the huge rattler.
My Grandmother taught me that if you kill it, you eat it. So… I turned the event into dinner. The kids and my buddies had never eaten snake, so it was time to cross that off the Bucket List.
“Cookie”, decided to get a gut and skin it. There were no Googles or cell phone apps back then. He just put together what we had and made a ketchup based dipping sauce. The fried snake smelled fine and looked ok.
We ate the portioned snake like a cob of corn. The thin snake rib bones stayed attached to the backbone as well pulled off the meat. It tasted like chicken!
Life is more fun when you add some adventure and new flavors. I would not order Rattlesnake at the restaurant, but I would have some more around a campfire, with friends.
SSSSSIZZLE!
Montana Grant
