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Abby Normal
Location: Las Vegas Gender: Female Total Likes: 846 likes
| | | | Dealing with rattlesnakes < on 11/8/2019 9:32 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Hi all, I've had a number of run-ins with rattlesnakes throughout my years wandering around in the desert. I had a couple of instances underground, one while hanging from a rope 100' below the surface. My closest call was just a couple of weeks ago when I stepped right next to a rattler that was sunning itself. Thankfully it was stretched out and couldn't strike. I jumped one way and he headed the other. Had he been coiled when I stepped next to him, I would have certainly gotten bitten. Here is an interesting article by a guy who did get bit. I now realize just how lucky I was. At the time we were over three hours from the closest medical facility. A Rattle with Death in Yosemite That got my exploring partner and I discussing an emergency protocol we wanted to follow in case of an emergency. I carry a SPOT tracker (satellite beacon) that can summon an emergency team when activated. The problem is that my partner didn't know where I had put it, or even how to use it. All of that is on me! My plan going forward is to always have a safety briefing to make sure everyone knows what to do if we have an emergency. I want to discuss what constitutes an emergency (when to call for help and when to activate the SPOT system), where to find it so it can be utilized by anyone in our party, personal emergency phone numbers in case we need to contact family, closest medical facility, etc. I know it sounds a bit "over the top" but we tend to be in very remote areas doing dangerous things. Two thoughts: - Have you had a serious run-in with a rattlesnake? - Do you have any kind of emergency protocol? Care to share what it is? Abby Normal
[last edit 11/8/2019 9:33 PM by Abby Normal - edited 1 times]
| "Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." Ronald Reagan |
| blackhawk This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: Mission Control Total Likes: 3996 likes
UER newbie
| | | | Re: Dealing with rattlesnakes < Reply # 6 on 11/9/2019 12:05 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by 2Xplorations Heres one I nearly stepped right on while UERing up close and personal he was coming sliding right to me flicking his tongue trying to smell my awesome manly human aroma I reckon
1.
| Yeah, accidentally stepping accidentally on one is my worst worry with them. Generally if you step near one they will warn you by rattling. Even then a dry bite maybe the only damage inflicted as they don't needlessly waste venom. An unexpected warning rattle is unnerving; had it happen twice to me. Both times the snake was under my van. Once at night and once near high noon in a parking lot in the desert. They can be active during the day! Again avoid provoking them; slowly move away. That can be harder when you can't see exactly where it is, lol. Both of the ones under my van I relocated about a hundred feet away; no harm, no foul. One of the worst places to have envenomated is the hand or worse finger. Expect to loose use of or maybe the finger... even with prompt treatment. A calf bite not as bad unless it's low into the Achilles tendon; that would have a very bad outcome. Always wear high top boots... I'm far more afraid of kissing bugs (specifically the parasites they carry) and the pack rat nests that help to house them. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Larger rattlers prey on pack rats*... I respect these highly evolved predators and leave them to do what they evolved to do; kill rodents. *Having been a repeated victim of pack rat wire nibbling and even a hasty nest building on my 302, I welcome all the rodent control I can find. 3 pack rats have cost me far more time and trouble then all the rattlers combined. Truth be told I have enjoyed my limited interactions with the rattlers immensely. They be cool.
[last edit 11/9/2019 12:09 AM by blackhawk - edited 1 times]
| Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in. |
| blackhawk This member has been banned. See the banlist for more information.
Location: Mission Control Total Likes: 3996 likes
UER newbie
| | | | Re: Dealing with rattlesnakes < Reply # 10 on 11/13/2019 3:10 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by Aran
I feel like a bite that will make you wish it killed you makes fearing them less of a phobia and more of an exercise in common sense
| Widows are harmless unless you inadvertently crush one. Pin or crush one, they will bite... self defense. Their distinct webbing warns of their presence. Shake out shoes before putting on if they are around They are very shy and meek in manner. If you touch or try to touch one, she will either run away or ball up and play dead. They never attack*. I "kept" one as a pet in the garage door this summer, careful not to damage her web. She was fun to watch. You realize they are quit the engineer if you watch how they use their web. No other spider does what they do with their webbing prey manipulation. Their bite while extremely painful is not fatal for a healthy adult. Very few people are bitten by these spiders because of their passive nature. *This applies to the classic North American Widow. They also have colorful desert camo variant out in the deserts of West Texas but their habits are the same. Brown Widows are a different species. These are said to be more aggressive and originated from Africa if I recall correctly. Never played with these; they aren't found in this part of the US.
| Just when I thought I was out... they pulled me back in. |
| Explorer Zero
Total Likes: 2027 likes
| | | | Re: Dealing with rattlesnakes < Reply # 12 on 11/17/2019 10:33 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by Dee Ashley
Wow, he's a big one! Is that the same one as the dead one you posted?
| No this one was allowed to go on its way (after I got out of its way) it was up on the old Keith Ranch and I had no reason to whack it. The one I killed was hangin out in my yard. I have to draw the line there. I was kinda keeping score. First year here killed one rattler and 15 copperheads in my yard. Second year no rattlers 13 copperheads. Third year I lost count around 12 copperheads and one stupid baby rattler on my friggin porch! Fourth year I had stopped counting but something like 5 copperheads and no rattlers. Fifth year 2 or 4 copperheads no rattlers Sixth year 3 rattlesnakes one copperhead Seventh year no count recorded but I think we had one copperhead and one rattler Eighth year 2 small rattlers and the big 39"+ rattler I thought that was big my neighbor a couple miles away just killed a 54" rattler in his yard.
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| Dee Ashley
Location: DFW, Texas Gender: Female Total Likes: 1378 likes
Write something and wait expectantly.
| | | | Re: Dealing with rattlesnakes < Reply # 14 on 11/18/2019 8:06 AM > | Reply with Quote
| | | Posted by 2Xplorations
No this one was allowed to go on its way (after I got out of its way) it was up on the old Keith Ranch and I had no reason to whack it. The one I killed was hangin out in my yard. I have to draw the line there. I was kinda keeping score. First year here killed one rattler and 15 copperheads in my yard. Second year no rattlers 13 copperheads. Third year I lost count around 12 copperheads and one stupid baby rattler on my friggin porch! Fourth year I had stopped counting but something like 5 copperheads and no rattlers. Fifth year 2 or 4 copperheads no rattlers Sixth year 3 rattlesnakes one copperhead Seventh year no count recorded but I think we had one copperhead and one rattler Eighth year 2 small rattlers and the big 39"+ rattler I thought that was big my neighbor a couple miles away just killed a 54" rattler in his yard.
| God, 54" is almost an Anaconda, lol. Okay, maybe not, but that's really big for a rattlesnake! I see more water moccasins than copperheads. Snakes are common around here despite the fact I'm in the suburbs. A copperhead put my neighbor in the hospital for three days and killed her dog in her own garage. I haven't seen a live copperhead (I've seen a couple of dead ones) on my property, but the moccasins love the still water that sits nearby on the golf course behind me. I live near our city lake's floodgates, so if the floodgates aren't open, that water just sits there and makes a home for mosquitos, weird looking amphibious creatures and ... snakes. By the way, that seems like an astounding number of copperheads you find on your property each season! Just out of curiosity, why do you think their numbers have dropped so much in the last couple years? (edit)
I have not seen a rattlesnake since I left California back in 2010.
[last edit 11/18/2019 8:09 AM by Dee Ashley - edited 1 times]
| I wandered till the stars went dim. |
| Xiketic
Location: Bay Area, CA/ATL, GA Total Likes: 82 likes
| | | Re: Dealing with rattlesnakes < Reply # 19 on 11/18/2019 9:56 PM > | Reply with Quote
| | | As Abby alluded to, snakes are most dangerous when coiled up. They can spring up to 1/2 of their body length. Obviously, your first line of defense is not to get bitten at all. Don't ever stick your hands where you can't see them! Snakes are generally shy and won't attack unless provoked. Rattlesnakes can be identified by their signature triangular head. This comes from their poison glands and heat pits on the sides of their head. Just keep your distance. I hate to see people kill snakes for sport—they are a critical part of the ecosystem. If you get bitten, you'll want to keep calm and as stationary as possible to keep the venom from circulating. Obviously, getting yourself to the hospital is top priority. The only real cure is the antivenom, but your body can start to break some venoms on its own and mitigate the damage. There's some evidence adding heat (hot pad) to the wound may help the degradation of the venom. Here's the famous mojave green! This one is all stretched out and cold from the night so my friend managed to maneuver it off the road and save it from becoming roadkill. If you see one of these admire but don't touch—its has one of the most dangerous (and unique!) venoms in the world.
| More of my photos: https://www.instagram.com/xiketic_urbex/ |
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