Labor Day Lizards

I have seen, touched, photographed, or hunted nearly every animal, reptile, insect, and critter that lives in Arizona. But there is one creature that I have never seen before in the wild and have always wanted to see, and that is a gila monster. When I was about 9 years old I saw a dead one by the highway near Roosevelt Lake, and other than seeing them in zoos and sanctuaries, I have never had the chance to see one alive in the wild.

This last weekend my wife and I were hiking just outside of Safford, AZ when I almost tripped over this guy chilling in the shade of a bush - he startled me so badly that I actually instinctively brought my rifle up to engage! Walking along and then nearly tripping over a desert dragon was not something I had experienced before.

 

He didn't care much about us, so I took several pictures of him, and got as close as I though prudent, given the gila monster's reputation for being cranky and that whole poisonous / locking jaw thing. Once we started moving around more, he decided to leave, but his attitude was like "I am moving because I want to, not because you are here, and if you come a little closer I will give you something to remember me by." He was the badass of the desert, that's for sure. It was a very cool experience, made even more so because my wife was there to see it with me.

Once we got back to the cabin where our kids were hanging out with some other family, we had another lizard experience for this year's Labor Day. My son was hunting with his trusty Red Ryder BB gun, and he decided that he wanted to hunt for lizards, so I told him he could hunt them only if he ate what he killed. A few minutes later he brings me a big ol' lizard, so we dig a fire pit, he starts a fire with his flint and steel, and we're ready for a mid-day snack.

Lizards are a great source of protein, and if you can catch them or kill them without totally destroying them, they make for a decent meal. Lizards are generally plentiful around Arizona, so it's a good thing to consider when you are thinking about 'survival' food sources. Here are my son's preps and a picture of him roasting the lizard over the flame:

We cooked the lizard for a good 10 minutes - a nice, slow roast - and then it's good to go. You want to cook lizards really well to avoid any parasites or other nasty things that may be living inside or on the skin. My son got a little excited and got him a bit close to the fire for a bit, so he charred him a little. The video of him eating it didn't really work out the way I wanted it to, but here's a picture of his first bite. I told him to get right in on the belly, and he went for it. Lizard on a stick, anyone?

In the end, I had to show him how it was done, and I ended up eating most of it (not a new thing for me) but he definitely got his share of lizard. What a tasty treat! I especially enjoyed the legs. If you've never tried it, I highly recommend it. A bit chewy, but tastes quite a bit like canned fish - think kippered snacks. You eat them bones and all, and while some people eat the whole thing, I toss the head and tail - those are mostly bone anyway.
        

Happy Hunting!