Damn...we just missed it

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Okla. rattlesnake roundup pitches 'family-friendly' fun...
44th annual Mangum Rattlesnake Derby


By Megan H. Chan, USA TODAY
5 days ago


"I'm an animal lover. I can't do this," the Rattlesnake Derby Princess insisted
as she winced and chopped off the serpent's head.

Despite misgivings, Courtney Lewis, 17, says the three-day rattlesnake roundup, which ended Sunday,
"really represents the tradition and pride" of this Oklahoma city of fewer than 3,000 people.
Hunters from across the prairie flocked to the 44th annual Mangum Rattlesnake Derby to reel
in Western diamondback rattlesnakes.

Snakes headline the festival that brings an estimated 35,000 visitors each year to jolt the economy.
The festival isn't the largest of its kind but still boasts 1,500 pounds of snakes from area fields.


Visitors can watch rattlers get beheaded, gutted and skinned at the derby's Butcher Shop,
but organizers are adamant that it is educational and family-friendly.
Every event is "something you can bring your 4-year-old to," co-director Kerry Kendall says.
The Shortgrass Rattlesnake Association, which runs the event, has even turned down beer sponsorships.


Robert Ray, 57, the lead hatchet man for 33 years, and his partner Corry Kendall, 24,
make a point during the butcher show to demonstrate how dangerous even the
post-mortem reflex of a dead rattlesnake can be.
They tickle the decapitated head with a hat and the fangs bite down.
For shock value, Ray takes a freshly killed snake's still-beating heart and gulps it down.




full story, video & pics

I have a friend who makes part of his income by collecting rattlesnake venom for serums in NY

>For shock value, Ray takes a freshly killed snake's still-beating heart and gulps it down.


Its idiots like this that fuel the stereotype that country people are all ignorant rednecks.