Anyone tried black rat snake skins?

[Michael Arnette]

Has anyone put black rat snake skins on their bow? I have harvested a nice set and am wondering if I should try them on my talltines. I was wondering if you would mount them over black glass or would try painting the back of the limbs white to accent the red orange pattern?I would love to know how they turn out and see some pictures.

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I just sent a pair to a fellow tradganger Steadman for his Mohawk bow.

These were Pilot rat snakes and they have a little red to them but mostly black. The only picks I have are on my cell phone but maybe Ryan can post picks of them.

Easy skins to work with and plenty of length thats for sure. I did a bow many years ago with a set and they came out great but the skins are pretty ruffed up now. I will see if I can get some picks of it tomorrow.

Tracy

[Michael Arnette]

Thanks Tracy! Anyone else?

[steadman]

I will get some picks up when I get back from CO. Next week some time. Gona try to get them on the bow in a week or so. Neat skins! Thanks Tracy!  

[Ragnarok Forge]

Anyone know where a guy could pick some of these skins up? I have a black glass bow I want to skin and the colors sound perfect for it.

[Keith Zimmerman]

I have used Tex Rat Snake skins.  Love the pattern and color in them.

[kbetts]

If you have chickens laying eggs, you have black snakes.  My buddy disposed of five last week that were so involved with the nests, they never payed him any attention....very odd for a black snake in this heat.

[Michael Arnette]

ttt

[K.S.TRAPPER]

I found the old long bow and it's in pretty ruff shape skin wise. It's really pealing and has faded quite bad but you can still see the pattern that is there.



Oddly enough, thats about the same color and pattern a eastern water snake skin looks like.

Here's a pick I downloaded from my phone that I sent to Ryan. It's the inside part of the skin from a Pilot Rat snake that you don't see, All you can see on the outside is a little bit of the orange color.



They are nice and black but the old bow is probably 15 years old and I used it for youth shoots so it took a lot of abuse. I haven't seen a single black snake since I sent the skins to Ryan, May/June is the best time to find them too when there out looking for breeding partners.    

Tracy

[Michael Arnette]

Thanks Tracy.

[MYSTIKBOW]

I've seen skins from this place before.
http://www.americanheadhunters.com/reptiles.html#snake-sk
They are of very good quality. Hope this is ok?

[Walt Francis]

I put a set on an osage selfbow I donated to the St. judes auction a couple of years back.  They looked really nice over the osage and I would use them again.  I got mine from Mike at Pine Hollow.  Run a search on the St. judes Auction  two years ago if you want to see what it looked like.  Excuse the spelling, I am sencing rhis from my phone.

[KentuckyTJ]

I've got Texas Rat Snake on my Centaur and they are beautiful (to me anyway).