Anyone been bit by a rattlesnake in back country?

[vectordawg]

This guy was super pissed I was in his area at the end of Sept. This was just 2 days after about 4 inches of snow at 7500-8000ft in SW Montana. Tall dry grass fields right next to forests where snow was still on the ground.

Since I'm almost always off trail, if in very likely rattler country, for a little peace of mind I wear full leather boots with option of the turtle skins.

I like trekking poles also, as I can place them over a log, rock or unseen stepping spot first to try to prevent surprising one. So far I've been lucky to just have them rattle from 6-10' away.

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2 days earlier in same general area. Made me think twice in the future about walking through the 2 1/2 ft tall dry grass fields.
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My buddy has been hunting an island in nw MS for the past few years. I got to hunt it this year so I asked him “how cold does it have to be that I don’t have to worry about the cottonmouths?” He said “I don’t know, last year I saw one the first week of December, it was 22 degrees and he was warming in the sun”. I was on high alert all season. I don’t like snakes.

 

[rayporter]

we have a lot of buzz worms here. the only ones i have really worried about were when shooting prairie dogs and one would crawl out of a near by hole or a hole you had set your bench over.
i am always packing and the first one up is a shot capsule.

i had one pup die and one just got sleepy on Benadryl.
when she came in limping i found 2 holes in here leg and was sure she had been shot.

 

[Moserkr]

My buddy has been hunting an island in nw MS for the past few years. I got to hunt it this year so I asked him “how cold does it have to be that I don’t have to worry about the cottonmouths?” He said “I don’t know, last year I saw one the first week of December, it was 22 degrees and he was warming in the sun”. I was on high alert all season. I don’t like snakes.

Ill echo that with a rattler in sodak I killed. He was on a south facing slope just outside his hole on a 30* day, bright and sunny out, but cold. Gave me a little rattle from 2’ away, they dont move very quick when its cold out.

 

[EastHumboldt]

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/

My take away was you’re more likely to get killed driving to Jack in the box. You will certainly die of a heart attack (sooner or later) if you eat that shit. Jack is my favorite joint when I go off the wagon.

 

[Finch]

When I was a teenager, I was riding my 4 wheeler on a trail in our woods with my golden retriever in tow. Wasnt going fast so she could keep up with me. I suddenly came upon a rattler on the trail all stretched out and ran over it and locked my 4 wheeler brakes down on the snake. My dog was right behind me at this point. Ran to my dad's garden and got the hoe and took care of business.

I'll say this. I hardly ever see snakes as much time as I spend in the woods but it's usually on my mind. I've also wondered in my kenetrek gaiters would be sufficient at stopping fangs from penetrating my skin.

 

[Cedarsavage]

My take away was you’re more likely to get killed driving to Jack in the box. You will certainly die of a heart attack (sooner or later) if you eat that shit. Jack is my favorite joint when I go off the wagon.

Seems like as long as you keep your hands to yourself your chances of getting hit are pretty slim. I've never seen one in the wild but I'll probably jump and run away screaming like a little girl. Kinda glad we have snow on the ground 6 months at a time here

 

[JGross1]

Seems like as long as you keep your hands to yourself your chances of getting hit are pretty slim. I've never seen one in the wild but I'll probably jump and run away screaming like a little girl. Kinda glad we have snow on the ground 6 months at a time here

Exactly why I live where the air hurts my face in the winter time.

 

[Btaylor]

Seems like as long as you keep your hands to yourself your chances of getting hit are pretty slim. I've never seen one in the wild but I'll probably jump and run away screaming like a little girl. Kinda glad we have snow on the ground 6 months at a time here

I have been struck at 4 times by cottonmouths. One I saw at the last moment and jumped as it struck. The other times were all in heavy cover and vines/stems blocked the attempts. A buddy got hit during duck season one year right after changing out of tennis shoes into his waders. Another friend decided he would get a pair of snake chaps and literally the first morning he wore them he got hit by a big freakin cottonmouth. None of those were messing with the snakes but all were cottonmouths and they are a little different. Otherwise I agree, leave them alone and they will leave you alone, at least the ones we have around here.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

Not yet but I keep my head on swivel...i usually just leave them b but this TR was under one of the hunt club stands...dispatched him to keep him from surprising other members in the dark. Closest ER is a little over an hour once you get to the hardtop.

 

[brimow]

I have seen and heard a bunch in the foothills up by Ft. Collins but never had a strike or hit. Came eye to eye with this one hunting mule deer in late October/early Nov. Climbing around a rock outcropping and literally looked up at its head. I was at around 9k in elevation. Luckily it was trying to get warm and didn't even coil up just gave me a constant rattle as I took pictures. This was also the largest rattler I have ever seen at around 6' in length. Rattlers are the only snake I will kill but only if they are in my space or near my kids. I just had to re-route to get around this one.

 

[MuleDeerMike]

I've almost stepped on rattlers before while bow hunting Mule Deer early season in the sage brush, but haven't been bit. I hate snakes.......

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

 

[TreeWalking]

Encountered copperheads and timber rattlers along the woods and limestone outcropping on the bluffs of the Missouri River in the Midwest as a kid. Never bit. I do prefer to see them before I get within 10 feet. Snakes on level ground can strike about 1/2 their length and if they do connect with you then the first bite is often intentionally a dry bite since venom requires lots of calories to replace. Half the time the strike misses completely by falling short or the bite action is not synced. So, odds are in your favor on level land if are walking 6' from a rattler even if wearing shorts and flip flops.

We had a copper mouth appear a few feet from our parked station wagon while camping along a stream in southern Missouri. We moved camp immediately as my mother had grown up in rural Missouri where a poisonous snake bite was a wait and see moment as no doctors lived nearby and most families only had horses for transportation.

I was canoeing as a teenager with my brother on a stream in the Midwest when the high water and current pushed us under some drooping branches. We ducked and leaves and twigs fell into the canoe. That was annoying and left a mess. And a cottonmouth was also now there which I presume was sunning when we rudely interrupted the nap. Oh boy, I have dealt with a lot of watersnakes and presumed was just one of those. Everyone I knew claimed they saw cottonmouths but I have been up close to 100s of brown, black and dark green watersnakes and none were confirmed to be cottonmouths. The cottonmouth was writhing and trying to get over the side and then would fall and head towards the ends as we pushed and swatted and lifted with our paddles until the snake dropped over the side. A pucker moment and not sure how we did not turn that canoe over.

I have been within 2 feet of a rattler twice and they were silent as blissfully approached clueless to any pending issue then a rattle sound I jumped to the side. Olympic-class jumping. Once in eastern WY and once in western NM.

I have one more rattler encounter but not sure of the distance. I was cutting though some waist-high sage in northern NM while pronghorn hunting. Was windy and warm. I was about 5 strides into the sage when heard rapid buzzing very near me. I froze. Buzzing stopped. Then restarted, I could not really see much in the thick sage that was moving in the wind so I decided to do a 180 then hop and skip and jump until out of the sage. I banged through the sage so had places along my legs that got whipped. Checked for bites. None. There were flat rocks laying around and I tossed a few at where I had been and each time the buzzing would renew. I never saw that snake. I had nightmares off and on for weeks because could have been 18" or might have been the largest rattler ever to crawl the Earth. Loudest buzzing I have ever heard from a rattler.

I like snakes. I have rarely killed a snake and never felt he need to kill a snake in the wild. They have a purpose. I do sometimes pause when summer camping on the ground with a sleeping bag and tarp.

 

[cjdewese]

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Not yet but I keep my head on swivel...i usually just leave them b but this TR was under one of the hunt club stands...dispatched him to keep him from surprising other members in the dark. Closest ER is a little over an hour once you get to the hardtop.

This is pretty much us as well. Closest hospital is about an hour away, we live in Southern California and I've seen/interacted with well over 100 in my life.

We hiked EVERYWHERE as kids and ran down from the tops of our mountains as fast as we could and none of us ever got bit. We used to flip over every rock or board we found within a mile from our house looking for anything we could catch and still never got bit.

Dumbest thing we ever did was catch them when I was a teenager, not worth it.

Accidents definitely happen and we usually have 1-2 bites every 5 years on our mountain.

Like has been said before in this post, just keep your hands to yourself and make your presence known in likely locations and you should be fine.

 

[ptmn]

BI704 has some great advice. I never would have thought about calling down to the hospital first or carrying Benadryl for my dog until reading his post.

Info like that can make the difference between life and death.

 

[coiloil37]

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.

Yes the snakes over here will kill you if you don’t know what your doing or get unlucky. A few posts back someone mentioned staying calm and keeping your heart rate down. You know the venom doesn’t travel through your blood right?
Staying calm is always a good idea for a number of reasons but the venom moves through your lymphatic system. So it’s physically moving around pushed the venom through your body.
I‘ve worked and talked to a few guys who have been bit. Only one who got bit while I was there and she got bit by an eastern brown mid calf. We wrapped her leg from her toes to mid thigh, called 000 and had her on her way to hospital within a few minutes. She survived but had cardiac arrest in hospital and was admitted for a few days.
Once the wound is wrapped you’ve got hours to get medical attention so long as the victim stays calm and isn’t moving. If she had gone running around like an idiot when she got bit she probably would of been dead within a few minutes.
If a guy was off the grid his only chance would be if he was carrying something like a PLB. Get it wrapped, call in the cavalry, stay still and hope they show up in time. You certainly won’t be walking out.

This thread was the first I heard of Benadryl. Maybe it works for your rattle snakes over there but the internet says it’s a myth and it doesn’t help. Ymmv.

 

[Olsolitaire1]

Since the OP asked about rattlesnakes here in in Colorado (western) here is some information on them.

Colorado Rattlesnakes: What Sportsmen Should Know - Colorado Outdoors Online

Colorado is home to about 30 species of snakes. Only 3 snakes are a risk to humans: prairie rattlesnake, Western rattlesnake and the massasauga rattlesnake.

coloradooutdoorsmag.com

 

[Olsolitaire1]

This from Denver Health on Rattle Snake bites what to do, it says NO medication should be given to the victim. Seen this from other health care websites as well.

https://www.denverhealth.org/blog/2017/01/rattlesnake-bite-prevention Wanted to stick with facts and to Colorado

 

[crossfox21]

More times than not I hear of people receiving dry bites

 

[Broadhead]

I was hiking down a fence line before daybreak to get to my pronghorn glassing spot outside of Pueblo, CO and was running a bit late, so was hustling down the trail. It was just bright enough that I did not have my headlamp on. I recall taking a step and my foot slipping a little but didn't think much of it since we were racing against the sun. Later that day we're on the same trail headed back to the truck and as I'm going to take a step I glance down and quickly jump off to the side. A 15" diamondback was in the middle of the trail. After further examination, you could see my boot print in the dirt where I had stepped on it in the dark that morning and broken it's back. It was dead when we found it.

Do your best to leave them alone and they'll do the same to you.

 

[huck]

Lots of good stuff here. Been bitten twice by tmbr . rattlers and 1 dog bitten. Dog got a full wet bite and died about 14 hrs. later. My first bite was in the forearm ,it was a wet bite, my arm swelled to the size of my upper leg. My breathing was a little off and my body would not listen to my mind. Like being falling down drunk in your body and sober in your mind. Second bite was pretty much dry . Best advice I can give is stay current on your tetnus shots, you get in way more trouble there most of the time.