Texas Rattlesnake Festival...family friendly "No Kill" event

2016 Texas Rattlesnake Festival...website

Texas Rattlesnake Festival. Conroe Texas March 12 & 13. Presented by Rattlesnake Conservation League

"We are dedicated to the conservation of Rattlesnakes and their environment. Our goal is to develop an understanding of the benefits these magnificent animals provide!"

A family friendly "No Kill" event
* Guest Speakers
* Children's activities
* Live Rattlesnake Displays

Lone Star Convention & Expo Center
9055 Airport Road, Conroe, TX 77303

Sat 9am - 5pm
Sun 10am - 4pm

I wasn't aware we were running short of rattlesnakes.

They also vote.

How is one going to sample fried rattlesnake?

It tastes like chicken....just eat chicken...

Go look at the gallery on that website. You can tell very fast the type of folks that are a part of that

Don't tell me you are one of those hippies

No it doesn't

Nope...definitely not Patagonia wearing, a dope smokin, tree huggin, Vegan, toad kissing, liberal voting hippy.....

....just fascinated with snakes since I was a very young child....only really interested in native Texas snakes....

I picked up their postcard at the Arlington reptile show (where I buy frozen rats and mice for my snakes) and knowing some of the folks on here thought I'd have a little fun with it....

I don't want to be within a 100 miles of a live snake. Don't want to eat none neither.

I used to love snake hunting in my younger days. If they were poisonous, I would kill them. If they were non-poisonous, I would catch the and play with them before I let them go. I don't hunt them anymore but still do the same thing if I happen to find a snake. Non-poisonous snakes are our best friends concerning rodents. Also, fried rattlesnake is delicious!

Nice scenic view of Conroe on the opening page of the website.

Should be a fun event! easy to see why species get wiped out by human progression

found this one on the site for ya, that is one tough lookin' hombre:

Gosh dang...I almost forgot how tough adolescence was.

I've attended this festival in the past (the last couple of years it was in Round Rock). I have to say that although the picture submitted here might be good for a laugh among those who haven't seen how today's youth dress and style their hair, it is not necessarily representative of the event's clientele. Attendees range from toddlers to retirees, from all walks of life--the only common denominator is curiosity about these animals.

It's a healthy alternative to just killing rattlesnakes out of fear or lack of understanding (and I've been to the Sweetwater and Brownwood roundups). Current rattlesnake research is finding their venom contains many useful components including some which may cure various cancers. Chances are, either you or a family member has had their lives bettered by taking medication derived from snake venom.

Economically, other communities in other states are finding switching from a "roundup" (wherein the snakes are killed), to a "festival" (where instead they educate the public on the value of keeping these snakes alive, both in the environment and in medical research), they suffer no downturn in revenue generated for the local community.

Places like Sweetwater will be one of the last holdouts--the Jaycees have significant political clout and are welcomed in the State Capitol building each year to promote their roundup. But most folks are starting to come around and realize that their primary collection method ("gassing" burrows, which also kills other wildlife) isn't exactly the best thing to do to one's land.

I'm a hunter and a fisherman (more fishing than hunting) but I respect ALL the critters. I'd suggest attending the Texas Rattlesnake Festival (if you're in the greater Houston area) and/or the Lone Star Rattlesnake Days (if you're in the Austin area) this spring. You'll learn a lot more about these fellas than relying on folks that simply kill every snake they see.

I been to the Rattlesnake Roundup in Sweetwater Texas many years ago when it was decent , crowd not so big that you couldn't get around and I have eat RS . There is a correction tho , don't pass up a good fried chicken to eat RS . There isn't enough meat on the bones to make a difference and if it's over cooked it's all fried batter and grease . I can get more meat on one quail than in 5 lbs of RS meat . But last time I did go was about 3 yrs ago and i'll never go again . They had about half a million people there in one day , couldn't even get close to the door at the main exhibit building and you had to walk half a mile just to get to the front gate of the grounds . I think half of Mexico was there . Use to be fun years ago , but never again !

I want to try rattlesnake!