Anyone been bit by a rattlesnake in back country?

[PMcGee]

Nope. But used to run a tarp instead of a tent and woke up one day with a snake curled up on my sleeping bag.

Scared the sh*t out of me. Possibly literally. But don't let my mates know about that bit.

I had one come within 2’ of my sleeping bag under my tarp last year. Luckily I wasn’t in it and my dog didn’t see it.

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[Felton]

I’ve had a ton of run ins with venomous snakes. No bites, most don’t try striking at me unless I’m trying to capture them. I have relocated several. Probably killed just as many. Here’s an eastern diamondback I ran into while kayaking.

 

[Tbonespop]

I've lived in Arizona for 25 years and spend a LOT of time outdoors between hunting, scouting, hiking, mountain biking, riding motocross, and riding ATVs. I've seen easily 250 rattlesnakes in the desert. Shoot, one quail season opener, we saw more rattle snakes in one day than we saw birds. Never been bit thankfully. What I learned pretty early on is, western diamondbacks are very docile. In fact, they are amazing docile, until you mess with them. They are not aggressive at all, until you piss them off. Most people that get bit either step on them or are messing with them. I tell people they aren't aggressive, they're defensive. I'll bet <90% of the rattlers I have come across didn't rattle unless I messed with them. A lot of snake bites from rattlers are dry bites, so if bitten try not to panic - just stay hydrated and get to a hospital. I also keep benadryl in my packs cause I have no idea if I'll have an allergic reaction - good for scorpions too. I've been inches away from dozens of D'backs. I always wear nice hiking/hunting boots (Asolo's) and when hunting I wear snake gators - mainly to help keep the cholla needles out of my legs. From my experience, if a cholla needle won't go through it, chances are a snake bit will have a pretty hard time penetrating it too. Cholla needles are freaking gnarly.

Have one buddy who got bit when hunting alone. One fang went through the hole in his cowboy boot and the other didn't penetrate the leather. The strike ended up being a dry bite. His dog got the snake fired up and he ended up stepping on the snake by accident.

 

[Tonopah]

https://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/thread.cfm?threadid=477900&forum=36

There was a guy on Bowsite that got bit and chronicled his entire ordeal with pictures, from strike to rescue to recovery. It was a heck of a thread showing what can happen. Maybe do a Google search to find it.

 

[Elk97]

When we lived in north central WA we had lots of rattlers, have no idea how many I killed around the place. I was a commercial beekeeper and had our hives spread out all over Okanogan county. The snakes liked to crawl under the hives but would usually leave on their own if we were working. Worst encounter was at night when I was loading up a truckload of hives in an old quarry at night. Picked one hive up and immediately heard a snake buzzing somewhere down around my feet but carrying the hive and being dark I had no idea exactly where it was. Kinda froze but it was a hot night and the bees were starting to boil out of the entrance and I only had little cotton gloves on. Moment of indecision, risk getting bit by the snake or have a mess of bees inside my coveralls. Decided the snake was the least of my worries and headed for the truck and threw the hive on the flatbed and went and got the flashlight. Never found the snake but not for lack of trying. Put all the hives on pallets the next year and used a forklift.

 

[Olsolitaire1]

I live here in Western CO,, hunt, hike and backpack camp these desert canyons for the past 15 years. Lots of time on the ground year round. Our home is out in the desert, we owned 200 acres in a remote canyon. Have only seen a couple of rattler's, never been bit. Big bull snakes plenty. Seen more buzz worms up over in Livermore CO. when we lived there.

Now my three years in Africa, seen a number of real deadly snakes there. Like downunder you don't mess with any of them cause you wont live to tell the tale.

So in here on the western slope don't be so afraid about getting bit. Pay attention Have a SOS device may need that for other things out there. I don't see a need for chaps. Also look 5 pages of replies and.....

 

[Dobermann]

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.

I posted my (well, one of them) Aussie snake story earlier.

My other favourite was when I was a kid: running down a hill with a mate to jump in a creek. Both of us screamed at the same time - we'd landed on the same snake, although we were a couple of metres apart from each other.

Anyway, for those wondering about Drop Bears (scientific name Thylarctos plummetus), here's the official page from the Australian Museum: https://australian.museum/learn/animals/mammals/drop-bear/

 

[Rokwiia]

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.

I'd have to respectfully disagree with your conclusion. Vigilant is definitely a must but that doesn't protect you if you step on one. The Timber Rattlers I've encountered were perfectly comouflaged and impossible to see. If you can't see them, you can step on them and if you step on one you can end up in deep trouble.

 

[jakewilliamsk]

Lucky for me I've never come across one. Pretty rare here in Louisiana

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[Anglo-American]

Feeking hell on Earth fellas!

I'm in England. I saw a grass snake, once...

 

[NoWiser]

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

I’m assuming you killed it to eat it. How’d it taste?

 

[NoWiser]

When I had Facebook I followed “National Snakebite Support.” I’d recommend anyone in snake country follow it. Don’t post unless you get bit, but there’s great information there from the nations best snakebite docs. It dispels a lot of myths, plenty of which are on this thread. Definitely worth following.

 

[Like2hunt]

I’m assuming you killed it to eat it. How’d it taste?

Nope we didn’t eat it. My friend wanted to try skinning it to try and make somethin out of it.

 

[Moserkr]

Been hunting the western mountains over 20 years, and out to the prairies my whole life. Grew up around rattlers without issue. They usually let me know if I am too close.

In the high country, saw one up close finally. He gave me a little rattle, and then settled down. After that I walked around him a few times (fishing) and he stayed put without a peep. Didnt bother each other, no problem. Glad I didnt bring my floorless tent for that trip though…. Still, not too worried.

I shoot em on sight in prairie country where we hunt pheasants, mainly E. river sodak. One year my dog got bit. It was the first time one of our dogs ever got bit, and the first time I had given my dog the rattlesnake vaccine, months before the trip. We noticed he had a bum rear leg but he kept trucking. Finally found the bite and took him to the vet. Vet prescribed antibiotics and pain killers, said dont hunt him. My dog didnt like that “dont hunt him” message, and insisted he hunt, despite being a bit slower than normal. Im a believer in the vaccine now after watching him push through the bite. Poor pups leg was about 1.5x bigger than it should have been. He was bit on top of his paw and the bite mark was wide.

 

[Norm555]

I'd have to respectfully disagree with your conclusion. Vigilant is definitely a must but that doesn't protect you if you step on one. The Timber Rattlers I've encountered were perfectly comouflaged and impossible to see. If you can't see them, you can step on them and if you step on one you can end up in deep trouble.

I have no experience with timber rattlers so you're probably right there. He was asking about Colorado so that's been my experience with Western Rattlesnakes in California, Arizona, and Montana.

 

[Turkeygetpwnd38]

Grew up hunting in the swamps/river bottoms of west TN. I’ve had more encounters with water moccasins than I can count. I’ve been bit by a two non venomous snakes, closest I came to a venomous bite was turkey hunting. I was walking the trail in gym shorts and tennis shoes with some leafy pants over them. I turn around and my little cousins face is white and he is pointing at my legs, he can’t get any words out. I feel a tug on my pants and look down, there is a copper head hanging from my leafy pants a little below the knee. He struck me, fangs got hung on the leafy pants and now he was along for the ride. I had to grab it by the tail and throw it off, was just kind of reflex. The baggy leafy pants definitely saved me.
Snakes never bothered my at all until I started bow hunting SW OK around the river. The amount and size of rattlers I would see still give me the chills. Had some close calls there.

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

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.


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.

 

[homebru.trout]

Wife was bit several years back while running in the foothills west of Fort Collins. 5 miles into a 10 mile loop, on a Tuesday, at 10:30 am, without her cell phone. May as well have been in the back country for all the traffic that day. 2 mountain bikers found her laying on the trail. She got a helicopter ride to MCR no pulse on arrival and received some ridiculous number of anti-venom doses (18 comes to mind?). The first bill from the hospital was...comical.

 

[vectordawg]

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.

You must carry your balls in a wheelbarrow.

 

[NDGuy]

Ya, I was gonna mention that. His hospital bill was just shy of $500K,

Shows how pathetic insurance is and how balloon'd hospital costs are