A hunter that I know named Roger contacted me several weeks ago after killing a massive diamondback rattlesnake while out coyote hunting. He wanted to get the skull cleaned up, and would be in my neck of the woods, so I had him stop by and drop the head off.
When it came time to put the head in the beetles, I placed it in the palm of my hand to see just how big it was - and I have to say that this was a very creepy thing to do! I'm not scared of snakes or anything like that, but this snake's eyes were still open, and after seeing how long snakes can move around after they are dead, it just made me squirm a little. This is one big rattlesnake head!
After the beetles were done with the head, the real work began. The tough part about rattlesnakes is that their bones aren't really connected - they are mostly held together with muscles and such. So when the skull is cleaned, it completely falls apart! It's a pretty painstaking process to hold it all together just right and apply the appropriate amount of super glue where needed, especially when youa re trying to go for a certain position with the skull. Most of the time, this process can take over an hour. Here's the skull once it was completed:
Keep an eye out for those rattlesnakes when you are out hunting and hiking! Sneaky devils, I tell ya.
Happy Hunting!
That looks awesome. And I agree, that would be insanely creepy to place it in the palm of your hand even with it being dead so long. Gives me the heebies just thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteHey Glen, I just saw this. Thanks Again, you did a great job!
ReplyDeleteRoger