I knew before making the move to the South several years ago that I would get to see a lot of snakes, especially since that area is hot, humid, and rocky. The climate in combination with the rocky terrain makes the area perfect for snakes. I’ve encountered beautiful queen snakes, king snakes, garter snakes, and many other breeds including my recent encounter with a small copperhead clan!
As I was taking my evening walk around my property and contemplating my day, I happened to stumble across a snake by way of almost stepping on it. Naturally, this startled me so I froze and then slowly backed away, unsure as to what type of snake I was sharing space with.
The snake kept its eyes on me and vice versa. I backed away and finally reached the porch where I felt safe enough to turn away. Although, I continued watching until it became too dark to see.
This meeting took place regularly for three days before I could positively identify the snake as none other than a copperhead. Copperheads are typicallyknownby most as having a nasty disposition, while in some cases they are pretty docile.
However, when they feel threatened they are quick to attack. I try to live as close as possible “with” nature; leaving the wildlife to do whatever it is they do. So, I left the snake alone.
⚠️ Content warning: This article contains frank and graphic discussion and images of killing and gutting snakes. Read responsibly.
Time To Decide
Upon furtherresearchof these beautiful yet dangerous and poisonous creatures, I discovered that it was prime breeding season. My partner and I discussed whether to bother the snake and decided that if we started seeing more then it was time to make a move.
Copperheads are eco-toned, meaning they bounce back and forth from one home to another. It is normal for copperheads to be seen together during denning, mating, sunning, courting, eating, and at the local water hole.
It was day five of our meeting out in the yard under the cedar tree when I was forced to make the final decision that I didn’t want to make. I noticed the beautiful snake (whose name is now Lilith, although I’m still unsure of its sex), and was admiring its beauty when suddenly there were two.
The den, unfortunately, was too close to home! We have too many animals on the homestead to let them continue to breed. The decision was made to cull the copperheads and eliminate the possibility of a massive den.
The Stalk
I called for my partner as I backed my way onto the porch and told of the discovery. One of us wielded an S.O.G machete, the other an axe. I was barefoot, as usual, so I was the eyes of the operation while my partner slowly walked over to the first two snakes.
Lilith, the original of the bunch, found her/his way back into the safety of the ivy. My partner stalked the first snake for a foot or so before taking a swing. While I was scanning the ground around us, I almost took a step right onto another copperhead.
I alerted my partner of this third snake I’d discovered. While heading back over to my location, we both spotted two more snakes. It was then that we realized we were surrounded by four excited copperheads, none of which were dead. Darkness was upon us and all I had was the flashlight from my cell phone, which went off every 30 seconds or so.
情况变得真实了!就在这个时候,我的大黑猫决定加入狩猎队伍。我得说他很擅长指出它们,但他跳过一个时差点被咬到。看到他的危险让我觉得我做了正确的决定。
There was a total of six snakes, but Lilith kept her/his freedom and life. Between the two of us we took out five of the snakes, laying each one under the cedar tree until we were finished.
On a quick side-note, stay away from the heads of dead snakes as sometimes they will try to bite you even after decapitation, especially when they’re in the middle of striking.
As a quick safety note; if you’re planning on eating the meat be sure you cut far enough past the head as to keep the venom glands from staying connected or squirting you.
The Processing & Cleaning
It got too dark to continue the hunt so we gathered our five copperheads and began processing them for their meat, skin, heads, and tail tips. Out of all the animals I have ever processed, the snake was by far the easiest.
Skin & Gut
The heads were already off, so all that was left was the skinning and gutting. All you have to do is get your blade between the meat and the skin and make a clean cut down the center of the belly, proceeding to then peel the skin off.
I have also seen somevideoswhere they simply hang the snake by the tail, cut down the middle, skin, and then gut it.
那天晚上我才知道,把蛇皮平放在桌子上是很棘手的,因为它们会继续移动和滑动。相信我!这和你在鸡和其他动物身上看到的正常抽搐完全不同。
Meat
Once the snakes were skinned, the meat was rinsed off and placed in cool salt water.
We allowed the snake meat to soak in the brine overnight before we cooked it up.
Heads & Tails
I cleaned all of the dirt and debris off of the heads and tails and placed them in a jar full of Isopropyl rubbing alcohol 50%. They are still in the jars. I’m not sure if I want to dry them out for the skull, or keep them jarred. If you don’t want to keep the heads, it’s best to bury them at least a foot deep to avoid possible puncture and poisoning.
The Curing
我们把新鲜的鱼皮放在盐水中浸泡10-15分钟,同时清理这个区域。一旦清理干净,就该把皮肉切开了。这需要刮掉皮肤上的膜和组织。This is necessary so the skin doesn’t become rancid and rot.
We stretched the skins out onto thick cardboard, pinned them down with tacks, rubbed them down thoroughly with a nice layer of salt on both sides, and placed themout to dry. After a full day in the sun, we brought them in for the night.
那是90年代的高温,如果让它们在外面待上整整24-48小时,它们基本上会被烧毁。人们使用不同的溶液,比如甘油溶液,我也听说有人使用防冻剂。我只是用了传统的盐和阳光。
Final Step
Once the skins were dried out, I used my hands and an old toothbrush to rub off all of the salt and scales. After that, I rubbed the skin back and forth on the wooden porch rail until it was flexible and free of salt. Next, I rubbed them down with a tiny bit of oil, just enough to barely coat them. I am still debating on what to do with the skins, I was thinking of making a snake skin book cover! Thoughts?
Cooking The Meat
After soaking the meat overnight we fried it in a cast iron. My partner melted some butter, added some salt and pepper, threw in some onion and garlic, and we ate our first copperheads. My best description of the texture is similar to that of squirrel meat. As for the taste, it is like a combination of chicken/turkey and fish, but most similar to fish.
Final Thoughts
This was my very first experience killing and processing snake. As I mentioned earlier, I try to live as close “with” nature as possible without doing any harm to the life that exists around me.
That being said, if I had to do it all over again I would for the simple fact of safety reasons. Something I would do differently is I would definitely go put on my boots before the hunt, and maybe grab a better flashlight!
今天由伊莱娜·加西亚为您带来的关于一个小铜头蛇巢穴的个人经历的庄园故事。伊莱娜是一个天生的治疗师谁住在一个小小的家园,一个热爱自然和所有随之而来的!
Williamsays
Get a Cold Steel Sjambok. Can be had under twenty bucks. Makes short work of a snake.
Joannesays
Fascinating story, though the thought of you being out there, barefoot, made me nervous!
作为一名生物学家,我想对这篇文章做一点修正。你说"铜头蛇是生态色调的,这意味着它们会从一个家跳到另一个家"这个术语是“生态交错带”,它不是一个用来描述生物的形容词,而是一个名词,用来描述两个不同栖息地之间的过渡区域——比如田野和森林的交汇处,或者水栖息地变成固体陆地的地方。这些特殊的区域比周围的栖息地有更多的生物多样性。铜头蛇是许多动物之一,可能会发现狩猎通过一个丰富的交错带地区。2022欧洲杯葡萄牙vs德国
Copperheads are believed to migrate to reach seasonal feeding territories in the spring and early fall, and they overwinter in south-facing or west-facing rock piles.
Sean P BARTONsays
我很欣赏她意识到不是所有的铜头蛇都有攻击性。在南卡罗莱纳的夜间开车时,我在路中间碰到了一个。当我走近她时,我知道她能看到我,闻到我的气味,但她从来没有防备。我把我的蛇钩放在一边问,轻轻地把她抱在我的手中。她是那么平静。铜头蛇是如此神奇的蛇!