Rattlesnake Skins

[NTD]

I have a friend that lives on the outskirts of Tucson whereas I'm intown Tucson.  Anywho he is always seeing road killed rattlesnakes.  I told him today that if he saw any fresh ones without much damage, to save them for me.  I told him this, this morning and he called me tonight because he already had a 3ft Mojave and a 4 foot diamondback.  I don't expect him to skin them for me so I told him to throw them in the freezer and I'd skin them later.  Is being in the freezer for up to a week going to affect the use of these skins for backing bows?  Thanks for any help.

[FlintWalker]

Nope. It won't hurt them at all.

[Hillbilly]

That's where I usually keep mine.

[Aries]

i still have bull snake in my freezer from earlier this spring and they have been skinnin up just fine.

[NTD]

Thanks for the quick replies everyone.  I figured they'd be alright but just wanted to make sure.  Do you find they skin easier, harder, or about the same after freezing?

Also any prep tips for using them for bow backs?

Nate

[Hillbilly]

Not really much difference in skinning. To put them on a bow, just make sure that all the flesh and fat is off. You can dry them or use them fresh. If dried, soak them in warm water for a while until they're soft, then towel off the excess water and glue them down. Try to not leave air bubbles under the skin, and take care to keep the pattern straight as you go down the limb. After they dry, you can trim the excess off the sides and sand the edges a bit to blend them in with the wood. Ryano had a good video about applying snake skins somewhere on here.

[NTD]

Thanks Hilllbilly!