If snakes weren’t scary enough already

[aclawrence]

This is why I wear snake gaiters. I was reading this post the other day in a National snake bite support group on Facebook.  Wow these two stories are scary. I have heard of other people having a fast reaction like this. I I know it's pretty rare but be careful out there.

From Chris Harper, a paramedic with austere medicine training:
"In actuality I think species is going to be the most important aspect of the snakebite situation in the north Georgia mountains. With a copperhead, you're probably going to be able to make it out on your own. Probably. Maybe. With the timber rattlesnake, location being hand-foot-leg-arm, you can certainly be incapacitated within 15 to 30 minutes. But yes, size of the snake, location of the bite, and amount of venom injected are all paramount variables. A memorable case that I consulted on was a 30-year-old male bitten on the calf by a snake that he did not see. He arrived at the emergency room by car within 20 minutes of the bite, eyes rolled back in his head, foaming at the mouth with no palpable radial pulses. In that area that could only be a timber rattlesnake, and I suspected he was transported in a sitting position, which is not conducive to perfusion of the brain when you are in profound shock. Initially, the drop in blood pressure seems to be the biggest issue with timber rattlesnakes in Georgia, and that's what was going on with him. They were able to get 10 vials of anti-venom in him and get him shipped to a larger hospital. In a personal conversation with venom toxinologist Dr. Bryan Fry many years ago, he advised me that the most likely culprit causing this massive blood pressure drop was a very tiny molecule, about 10 amino acids long, that perfused readily throughout the body. Another bite that I consulted on was to a healthy 25-year-old male patient, bitten on the hand, and he was incapacitated within 10 minutes or so. His buddy could not get him out. EMS had to extricate him and fly him out. So personally, if I were out in the mountains alone and I was bitten by timber rattlesnake, I would just make sure that I had a way to call for help, using one of the Spot GPS satellite devices maybe. Then I would lie down in the "recovery position" [Google it] and hope someone got to me. Preferably, put yourself in a location where you can be found easily. If you have a cell phone signal, call 911 and give a description of your location. If you have barely a signal, try texting to someone you trust. It takes a lot less power to text via radio signal than it does to carry a voice signal.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aclawrence]

A couple snakes from the last few turkey seasons


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Howieg]

I sat down next to a timber rattler last week .  I was lucky it was a cool morning and he never moved nothing but his tongue.
I scooted over a bit to give him room , I got the gobbler , then got him to . I run into snakes here in the dirty south regularly, but this one was a little to close .

[aclawrence]

I sat down next to a timber rattler last week .  I was lucky it was a cool morning and he never moved nothing but his tongue.
I scooted over a bit to give him room , I got the gobbler , then got him to . I run into snakes here in the dirty south regularly, but this one was a little to close .

I've almost stepped over two in cooler weather. As long as they are frozen up we're ok. If it's hot I'd appreciate a courtesy rattle.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sir-diealot]

Recovery Position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmqXqwSV3bo&t=1s

[worth612000]

Yes the timber rattler scares me being if they are laying straight out they blend in so well with leaves and are prone to not rattle until you are inches away. If they are already in a coiled position you get a lot more warning.

[PalmettoRon]

I've been in the woods and swamps all over this nation for most of my 67 years along with several foreign countries.

Surprisingly, I have had only a few scary snake encounters, but had a close call last week in the Gila NF in NM. My wife and I  had hiked about 2 miles from our vehicle and climbed a fairly steep mountain to better hear and prospect.

We were coming out along a narrow game trail with my wife maybe a couple feet in front. As my wife stepped forward, I heard a rattle very close and instantly jumped forward and to my left. My wife's boot track was within a foot of a coiled and angry rattlesnake that was partially under a rock with about 6" of space underneath it. Fortunately it was 55 degrees that midmorning rather than 75-77 that afternoon.

It all happened so fast, but we both realized it would have been a bad predicament for either of us had we been bitten. There was no cell service and it would have taken quite a while for one of us to make it out, drive for a place with cell service and hopefully get a helicopter in.

It would have been about 90 minutes just to get to cell coverage.

We were wearing low cut hikers. I'll probably continue that but it does make me consider reevaluating things.

I was made fun of when hunting Ocellated turkeys with Lovett Williams in Guatemala 20 or so years ago. It was incredibly hot, but there was a very lethal snake there called a fer-de-lance. In less than an hour you would most likely be dead if bitten. Most guys were wearing low top shoes, even canvas shoes. I wore snake boots for insurance. We actually killed a fer-de-lance in camp and the other camp had 6 play a visit.

When hunting a remote area where help is going to be difficult, one has to make a decision on risks vs comfort. Perhaps in my old age, I'm not afraid of dying, but in reality probably should wear protection.

[davisd9]

Never understood how an outdoorsman can be afraid of a snake.

[Notsoyoungturk]

They can make fun of me all they want for wearing snake boots; I'll even wear the T shirt.  I realize that I have hunted for 50+ years and never been bitten but it only takes one misstep.  I want to be able to move quickly without having to guard every step I take.  I have taken care of many snake bites over the years and they are not pretty.  In Tennessee, they are mostly copperheads and water moccasins.  These snakes have the blood and tissue toxins.  They are extremely painful and there can be a lot of a local tissue swelling and death.  The timber rattler also has a neurotoxin which can be markedly more dangerous, even deadly.  Most of us spray our clothes with permethrin to avoid tick borne diseases and they are a lot less dangerous and easier to treat than snake bites.  For me, snake boots are just as comfortable and provide incredible piece of mind.

[Howieg]

Never understood how an outdoorsman can be afraid of a snake.

Lol ,, huge difference in sceard and respect ...

[mountainhunter1]

I read a book about ten different fellows who had been snake bit (about half of them were game wardens), and reading what happened to them and how fast it happened made me get some snake boots (About half of them died). But Never wore snake boots until about four years ago, but now would not wear anything else. Not just for the protection, but you get used to wearing them and the extra support through your ankles, and as a result, regular 8-9 inch hiking boots just do not feel right to me anymore.

Do your research and make sure the boots you choose have been truly tested to stand up to a snake's fangs. From what I found; some are more resistant than actually snake proof. I hunt mtns, and if a timber rattler bites me, I know I am not going to make it out alive. Just too far off the beaten path and I am bad to hunt alone.

Hunted for right at 30 years without them and had a few close calls, even stepping on one one day and somehow, he did not bite me, but decided about four years ago to just wear them all the time, even in deer season when it is pretty cold.

On very steep hills and such or crossing creeks with a higher bank, make a conscious effort about where you place your hands as well.

[SteelerFan]

Fortunate to receive the courtesy rattle last year in Pennsylvania....

https://youtube.com/shorts/40bzC5PkRls?feature=share

**camera phone on ZOOM - I was NOT that close!

[mountainhunter1]

Never understood how an outdoorsman can be afraid of a snake.

Lol ,, huge difference in sceard and respect ...

I'm not afraid of guns, but I also do not play Russian Roulet either. Had a good buddy bitten by a timber rattler on the foot. He was to the hospital within 15-20 minutes, and he died. Rattle snakes are a killer unless you get medical attention real fast. If a person is hunting several thousand feet up in elevation on the mtn and they get bit by a rattler, they are very likely not going to make it.

And whether they scare someone or not, I just can think of a multitude of ways to die that sound better than dying in extreme pain by myself on the side of a mtn from a rattle snake bite. Snake boots have came along way in recent years. The ones I wear are as comfortable as a pair of tennis shoes.

[worth612000]

Don't forget timber rattlers can climb trees just like any other snake. GON reported sometime ago one being found in deer stand.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aclawrence]

I've been in the woods and swamps all over this nation for most of my 67 years along with several foreign countries.

Surprisingly, I have had only a few scary snake encounters, but had a close call last week in the Gila NF in NM. My wife and I  had hiked about 2 miles from our vehicle and climbed a fairly steep mountain to better hear and prospect.

We were coming out along a narrow game trail with my wife maybe a couple feet in front. As my wife stepped forward, I heard a rattle very close and instantly jumped forward and to my left. My wife's boot track was within a foot of a coiled and angry rattlesnake that was partially under a rock with about 6" of space underneath it. Fortunately it was 55 degrees that midmorning rather than 75-77 that afternoon.

It all happened so fast, but we both realized it would have been a bad predicament for either of us had we been bitten. There was no cell service and it would have taken quite a while for one of us to make it out, drive for a place with cell service and hopefully get a helicopter in.

It would have been about 90 minutes just to get to cell coverage.

We were wearing low cut hikers. I'll probably continue that but it does make me consider reevaluating things.

I was made fun of when hunting Ocellated turkeys with Lovett Williams in Guatemala 20 or so years ago. It was incredibly hot, but there was a very lethal snake there called a fer-de-lance. In less than an hour you would most likely be dead if bitten. Most guys were wearing low top shoes, even canvas shoes. I wore snake boots for insurance. We actually killed a fer-de-lance in camp and the other camp had 6 play a visit.

When hunting a remote area where help is going to be difficult, one has to make a decision on risks vs comfort. Perhaps in my old age, I'm not afraid of dying, but in reality probably should wear protection.

They have a handful of different rattle snakes out that way. They have the Mojave whose venom is a blend of hemotoxin and neurotoxin which makes them really dangerous. Glad y'all got by without an incident.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk