I finally decided I would try and cook the 3 foot long Water Moccasin I had skinned and killed just before sunset so with the Coyote looking on I tried to figure out what to do with the snake. I need to save my prepackaged food supplies because you never know by what means or when a new supply will become available.
I have eaten Rattle Snake prepared by some of the best West Texas Rattle Snake cookers in the world, however, for the most part the meat is stringy and greasy IMO. If you put enough spices and seasonings on something I suppose anything can be made eatable except for Nutria which seem to be plentiful in this area. Even my Cajun friends gave up on making Nutria anything more than a "for sure gag response" chewy !
Since I was going to heat water to clean my scalp and head I got to wondering if it might be better to boil the gutted snake and make snake soup instead of trying to cut up and cook the 3 foot long snake over open fire ? I have never had boiled snake before and maybe some of the soup can be kept for later....if I can stomach the first bit of soup at all.... OK big decision time ! I will cook some snake over the open flame and also make some snake stew.. Nice to have choices, no ?
I wish I had some salt and pepper along with a few other spices especially garlic as everything goes better with garlic except for ice cream; or so I have been told !
The first batch of heated water went for cleaning my head. I could feel several small open wounds where the blood had trickled and matted into my hair line. The lacerations were directly on the crown of my head and were not deep enough to cause me much concern. I retrieved my three and one antibiotic cream and applied several dabs to the open wounds as I darn sure did not need or want some kind of swamp infection setting in. I treated myself while a fresh batch of water heated for my snake stew....yumm yumm !
The snake was horrible but I could eat it and wash the snake meat down with the snake stew which was just about as bad as the fire grilled meat. My pardner for the night which I named Cally was not picky as she ate all the left over snake and lapped up all the soup and when finished looked at me for more..She better know how to hunt or this relationship will end shortly !
It was getting late an I knew that tonight would be both dangerous and miserable with the mosquitoes. In Asia they used to build their houses about ten to twenty feet off the ground as Mosquitoes are usually ground huggers. Generations later the Mosquitoes learned the food was up there and not down close to the ground.. I just hoped there were no Asia Mosquitoes in the particular swamp.
I started looking for a tree that would be easy enough for me to climb that would have a limb large enough for me to sleep upon and hopefully high enough off the ground to avoid the insects. It did not take me long to find my Tarzan tree and after securing my back pack I tied myself to the bole of the tree and less than comfortable tree limb with a strap from my back pack. I did not need to fall from my guesstimated 18 feet off the ground while asleep.
As I pondered the clue in my back pack the sun disappeared and the night critters started all their night calls; not long after the critters started I was fast asleep with my rifle's sling keeping the weapon laying across my chest.
Maybe I should market "Snake Sleeping Soup" if I get out of this alive and there is anyone else to market to ?
I have eaten Rattle Snake prepared by some of the best West Texas Rattle Snake cookers in the world, however, for the most part the meat is stringy and greasy IMO. If you put enough spices and seasonings on something I suppose anything can be made eatable except for Nutria which seem to be plentiful in this area. Even my Cajun friends gave up on making Nutria anything more than a "for sure gag response" chewy !
Since I was going to heat water to clean my scalp and head I got to wondering if it might be better to boil the gutted snake and make snake soup instead of trying to cut up and cook the 3 foot long snake over open fire ? I have never had boiled snake before and maybe some of the soup can be kept for later....if I can stomach the first bit of soup at all.... OK big decision time ! I will cook some snake over the open flame and also make some snake stew.. Nice to have choices, no ?
I wish I had some salt and pepper along with a few other spices especially garlic as everything goes better with garlic except for ice cream; or so I have been told !
The first batch of heated water went for cleaning my head. I could feel several small open wounds where the blood had trickled and matted into my hair line. The lacerations were directly on the crown of my head and were not deep enough to cause me much concern. I retrieved my three and one antibiotic cream and applied several dabs to the open wounds as I darn sure did not need or want some kind of swamp infection setting in. I treated myself while a fresh batch of water heated for my snake stew....yumm yumm !
The snake was horrible but I could eat it and wash the snake meat down with the snake stew which was just about as bad as the fire grilled meat. My pardner for the night which I named Cally was not picky as she ate all the left over snake and lapped up all the soup and when finished looked at me for more..She better know how to hunt or this relationship will end shortly !
It was getting late an I knew that tonight would be both dangerous and miserable with the mosquitoes. In Asia they used to build their houses about ten to twenty feet off the ground as Mosquitoes are usually ground huggers. Generations later the Mosquitoes learned the food was up there and not down close to the ground.. I just hoped there were no Asia Mosquitoes in the particular swamp.
I started looking for a tree that would be easy enough for me to climb that would have a limb large enough for me to sleep upon and hopefully high enough off the ground to avoid the insects. It did not take me long to find my Tarzan tree and after securing my back pack I tied myself to the bole of the tree and less than comfortable tree limb with a strap from my back pack. I did not need to fall from my guesstimated 18 feet off the ground while asleep.
As I pondered the clue in my back pack the sun disappeared and the night critters started all their night calls; not long after the critters started I was fast asleep with my rifle's sling keeping the weapon laying across my chest.
Maybe I should market "Snake Sleeping Soup" if I get out of this alive and there is anyone else to market to ?