Anyone been bit by a rattlesnake in back country?

[frank church guy]

I kill every one of those devil's spawn . One less that can bite me.

where i live on the salmon they are not aggressive. I am sure they have reason they are here. I only kill the ones on the ranch. Head up into the frank church, it is their home. They are there doing what they do. I just pay attention. And I hate snakes!

 

[shedfinder7]

Thanks everyone for the laughs and knowledge . Not sure if I’m more concerned or less now. In New Mexico I personally used to see them very often after light rain storms for whatever reason. They were always the 2-4 foot size and rarely a great big one. Did have one chase me down the road once after I stopped to look at it. Scared the heck out of me. I haven’t seen many in western Colorado but one reservoir in particular here I’ve seen several and have a close buddy that ran into a midget faded rattler in an area I frequent so really got me concerned. I love shed hunting too much to stop but I know there’s rattlers and I never look at my feet. The price you pay I guess, would really like to know if say the solid 2.8 mm good boots like kenetreks and Crispi guides would possibly stop a bite or not

 

[MuleyFever]

I run into 1 about every year here in S. Utah. Usually I have my head down hiking in auto pilot and the rattle stops me from stepping on them.

 

[CorbLand]

Danger noodles get turned into limp noodles.

I would hate to know the number I have walked past. I cant hear them most of the time.

 

[Sierra Hunter]

I grew up on Steve Irwin and around reptiles, I now try stop from messing with rattlesnakes as the risk reward doesn’t make sense.

 

[BFR]

Been close and been chased, me and the family did the biting, mmmmmm, snake and eggs, yummy. Did have my Appy gelding get bit on the shoulder. We got into camp after dark and turned the horses out and he decided he needed a good roll before settling down. Next morning he wouldn’t eat or drink so I knew something was off because he was a major chow hound. Found the fang marks on his shoulder, about an inch and a half. He found a big ole Timber Rattler. Called a vet but was told nothing he could do, just watch him and keep the wound clean. He did start drinking and eating the second day. He ended up losing all his hair in about a 12” circle. When it grew back it was a lot darker, took a couple months.

 

[manitou1]

Have had five rattlesnake encounters in three years now here in WY. Three were last summer. No bites though, even though I walked by one several times working out of my shop.

 

[TxxAgg]

I used to work in the desert of AZ for many years. Sometimes rattlesnakes would find their way up into the skid plates of our work quads. I’ve seen hundreds out there, messed with more than I should have and never have been bit. Neither has anyone I’d worked with. I will say if you come across a green Mohave diamond back, looks like a diamond back with a hue of green, best to not mess with them. They are aggressive and have chased me on my quad

If your worried wear chaps, carry a inreach and look before you sit down ha.


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I saw a Mojave in Big Bend National Park a few years ago. It really is amazing how they have such a distinct green hue.

 

[wymtnpounder]

I had an ER doctor in northern Wy tell me that most of the rattle snake bites he's seen could be treated with Benadryl

 

[Rokwiia]

The price you pay I guess, would really like to know if say the solid 2.8 mm good boots like kenetreks and Crispi guides would possibly stop a bite or not

After I had my two encounters, I reached out to a half dozen herpetologists for advice. Almost all said that a solid or sturdy leather boot should be sufficient. None were aware of a study that determined an appropriate leather thickness and none would commit to a safe mm of leather.

They also mentioned the angle of the strike and that rattlesnakes do not regulate venom deposition. It is mainly a factor of pressure, fang engagement, and hydraulics. An upward strike vs a lateral or downward one would be less likely to administer venom.

One mentioned being struck by a Timber Rattler and the Turtleskin gaiters stopped the bite. It put my mind at ease knowing that I'm wearing a "sturdy" boot and good gaiters.

One herpetologist sent along this article about statistics:

https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/exploration-survival/lets-talk-about-snakebites/

 

[Roger17]

... the first rule is Cardio!).

.

Hopefully ya'll don't have any zombie snakes down there. The regular ones are bad enough!

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[InkedElkSlayer]

I know a couple Aussies are on here. I didn’t see any responses from them. They laugh at us “Yanks” about our snakes.
I live and hunt in some canyon country where you have to be aware of snakes, but nothing too serious.
I spent over 5 weeks in the bush a few years ago. WAY different story. Aussies will tell you that you have to worry more about their spider bites than the snakes. “Spiders hurt, our snakes just kill you”. Advice there for if you get bit… stay calm, sit down, hope you’re in cell coverage. Then call your wife and kids. You’ll be dead soon.
Only thing scarier are their drop bears.

 

[grfox92]

I've been stomping all over Wyoming for 2 years now and have still not seen a rattle snake.

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[cnelk]

I was doing some fencing about 25 years ago here in Colorado - this little guy thought he was tough until he met my shovel.

I’ve had him in the freezer ever since - I’ve killed a pile of big ones, but nothing this small

 

[Like2hunt]

Killed a big blow snake last night. Was driving out west with my buddy and seen it in the middle of the road and so we messed around with for a while and then killed it

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Seen a handful of rattlesnakes out in the 30s.

Many years ago in TX I was bit but didn’t know it at the time nor do I know what but me. Ankle was sore and slightly swollen; thought I’d twisted my ankle. Took a look at saw two puncture marks just above the boot line (ankle high boots). Got lucky. Where I was at had copperheads, water moccasins, and rattlesnakes.

Wasn’t paying attention and was inches away from stepping in the snake in the attached photo. Foot was coming down. He was cool about it at first. But once my phone came out for a photo and video, he struck his pose and gave me a show.

 

[FlyGuy]

I grew up in Louisiana and now live outside of Houston, tX. Lots of snake encounters growing up, mostly water moccasins and copperheads, but the occasional rattler encounter as well at our deer lease. We killed every one of them that we saw back then.

Then I read an article a couple years ago about snake bites in TX and I was shocked at how few bites there really are. I don’t recall the numbers exactly, but it was only a handful of bites per year. And, almost all (80%) of those bites were people who were messing around with them and got bit. The other 20% were folks doing yard work who mistakenly grabbed a snake that they didn’t see and got bit on the hand. The number of bites outside of those two scenarios was almost zero going back like 20 years. It was eye opening to see just how far snakes will go to avoid biting a person. Anyway, after I read that article I quit killing snakes. Just doesn’t feel right anymore. Typically it’s a copperhead that I’ll see these days, usually on a biking/hiking trail while doing some trail running. They always scare the shit out of me when I see them, but now I just move them off the trail with a big stick and carry on.


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[def90]

This was on the road in to the Boulder Rifle Club down in the Front Range flat lands a few years back btw.. Have never seen evidence of them up in any area I've ever hunted Elk.

 

[SWFLhntr]

This thread gives me the heebie jeebies.

 

[Norm555]

I've had quite a few encounters with rattlesnakes over the years. Seeing one definitely gets your heart rate up but I've never had one strike at me. I've even ran and jumped over some while trail running. As long as you're aware they're out there and stay vigilant you should be fine.