BURLEY — A Malta man found himself in a bit of trouble after he wrangled 27 rattlesnakes into a five-gallon bucket in hopes of finding someone who would buy the reptiles.
Terry Brian Teeter, 38, was issued two Idaho Fish and Game misdemeanor citations for possession, transport or shipment of wildlife on May 25, after Fish and Game officials found him and the Western rattlesnakes in his apartment at the Sunset Motel in Malta.
Teeter said he originally had 32 snakes but gave a couple away. He also skinned a couple, put them on hot dog sticks, cooked and ate them.
“They taste like chicken,” Teeter said.
Teeter has hunted rattlesnakes for 15 years but said he was unaware that a license was required to hunt rattlers in Idaho, or that a hunter may only take four rattlesnakes each year.
Teeter’s attorney, Don Chisholm, said most people seem to be unaware such regulations exist.
Idaho Fish and Game Regional Conservation Officer Gary Hompland said agency rules require anyone hunting rattlesnakes to possess a general hunting license. Currently, a hunter may kill or hold captive only four snakes per year, although Hompland said a new, slightly relaxed Fish and Game regulation awaits approval when the Idaho Legislature reconvenes in January. If it passes, the new law will allow a licensed person to possess four live rattlesnakes and kill two more, which could be sold.
“There is an increasing trend in the pet trade for selling wildlife, especially reptiles,” said Hompland.
Teeter said he was trying to find a buyer for the reptiles and had even contacted a Utah research center which milks snakes for venom.
Hompland said in order to sell reptiles a person has to obtain a commercial permit, which can be obtained through the Boise Fish and Game office. There are also regulations in place regarding keeping rattlesnakes, which include having sufficient cages and humane treatment.
Hompland said many reptile population figures aren’t known in Idaho, so the Idaho Fish and Game Commission established rules to allow people to harvest some snakes without allowing indiscriminate slaughter of the reptiles.
Teeter said Fish and Game officials confiscated the snakes and released them near Elba.
“They dumped them out in a big pile,” Teeter said. “Me and a buddy went there the next day and got them all.”
Teeter said they killed the snakes.
Teeter said he has never been bitten by a rattler, but has had a few close calls.
“Everybody out here fears for their cows, their horses and their kids,” Teeter said. “I hate the things. I have nightmares over them all the time.”
Teeter is scheduled to change his plea to guilty on a charge of possession of more than the allowed number of snakes, while a second charge of possessing snakes in insufficient cages will be dismissed, according to a plea agreement. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 10:30 a.m. Friday in Cassia County 5th District Magistrate Court.
According to the plea agreement, Teeter would be issued a $245 fine. Teeter said he also spent seven days in jail after the incident because he was on probation at the time for eluding a police officer in 2008. According to the Idaho courts database, Teeter has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions in 1990 for unlawful possession of wildlife and in 1991 for hunting during a closed season.
Teeter said after learning about the rattlesnake law that he doesn’t intent to hunt the snakes anymore.
“I don’t want to get in any more trouble,” Teeter said.