Tennessee Rattlesnake

[Tom Flanigan]

As far as I know, there are no more rattlesnake roundups in NY. I think that's mostly a Texas thing now. Those boys do it up big, lots of barbeque, beer and lots of rattlers brought in.

I used to get around $40 for each snake. But it had to be pinned and caught with an S hook. No tongs were allowed. The sepentarium would carefully look over each snake and if it had marks from a tong, the wouldn't buy it. Tongs can cause internal injuries.

[Bob K]

I used tongs but had to be gentle putting them in the burlap bag. Your price was a lot better. It was in the 1960's when I caught them.

[Reggie B]

[QUOTE=Tom Flanigan;244234]As far as I know, there are no more rattlesnake roundups in NY. I think that's mostly a Texas thing now. Those boys do it up big, lots of barbeque, beer and lots of rattlers brought in.


There used to be, and I would imagine still is, a rattlesnake roundup in Opp, Alabama. It was a pretty big event at one time.

[stumpstalker]

This one was a six-foot Diamondback Rattler. It was swimming down-stream, right in the middle of the Wekiva River, Central Florida, like it owned the place. We met it as we paddled up-stream. The snake looked as blown up as an inflated inner-tube, so high it swam on the surface.

We drove it to the bank, and on solid ground cornered it and “captured” it. Yes, blunt instruments were used.

I took it to a local taxidermist to have it stuffed. He said he would not do the job because such a mount could be too terrifying for someone surprised by it -- a cleaning lady coming into a room, for example. It could turn into a medical event, and he did not want to be a part of a lawsuit that might result. Rather, he said, he would skin and tan it, which was done.

It has been 40 years now, and no repercussions. Just a two-dimensional representation and an indelible memory.