Posted on 05/02/2013 2:47:58 PM PDT by Kartographer
WOW! That is a lot of poisonous snakes. What region of the country.
I can think of some circumstances where it may be appropriate:
Tony Romo....sorry, Jerra...but you gonna die, boy!
They guy says, “I don't feel lucky”.
A rattlesnake will not kill a full grown adult. There is more loss of life and limb from people doing crazy things to try to remove or stop the spread of venom. The only thing to do is stay calm and seek medical care. Period.
The only snake in the US that will kill a healthy adult is a coral snake. All the rest may make you sick and cause pain, but will not kill. More life and limb has been lost from people doing crazy things after being bitten than from the bites themselves. In addition, at least with rattlesnakes, only a third of bites involve any venom as all. I treat multiple rattlesnake bites every spring. If bitten stay calm and seek medical care.
“It is best that the treating doctor knows where you were bit.”
Absilutely; I read in one hiking manual that you should bring the dead snake (if able). Never read that anywhere else; I’ve left them alone when I see them (except for pictures), but I’d feel really bad if someone was bitten by one I’d passed earlier in the day.
Most of our snakes here in NJ are harmless; the copperheads and rattlers are found in the higher elevations to the north and northwest (which aren’t very populated - former mining areas turned to parkland and such).
I was at the house by myself when I found the rattlesnake. My husband was in the hospital with cancer. I had to deal with the snake. The backyard was property cut but then there was a slat fence at the back and woods behind that. It was dry summer and the woman said the snake came looking for water.
Cut, there it was and I had to kill it to know it was gone. It was hard for me to do that - I wanted away from that thing and I was going to have to get closer to it. My adrenalin was pouring out and I had to kill that damn thing. That back porch went the length of the house.
I don't remember what tool I got but I didn't want to leave that area to get something. Whatever I picked up was metal and long enough I wasn't right up on the snake and had enough heft to smash his head.
I so wanted out of there. After the first hit, I just kept hitting until the head was totally smashed flat. Then, I had to get it in a big bottle and would have to get my hand right there to get the lid on. I so wanted out of there.
That was the worst - putting on the lid. After I did that, I left the jar on the back porch and went in the house as weak as a kitten.
I so wanted off that back porch. I generally will charge into the fray of whatever is wrong and I'm the one who fixes it and makes everyone happy again. That snake was more powerful than I was at that time - but I had to kill it. Not killing it was not an option.
I can help you fix a problem, just don't ask me to kill a snake. OK? Ask Johnny to kill the snakes - he probably likes them. Oh, I forgot - he'll kill it, skin it, and cook it.
ping to 51, mentioned your name. What’s you recipe for rattlesnake?
Marcella—you did just fine. Well done.
We are instinctively wary of snakes and for good reason.
Starts way back in the book of Genesis.
/johnny
Well, if I had been Eve, I wouldn't have listened to that damn snake. I would have run away from it - and saved the entire world from committing sin.
Thanks for your encouragement, exit82. Too bad you weren't there that day - you could have killed it for me.
Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, right? Once you are backed into a corner, your adrenaline gets going, you can do all sorts of stuff you’d never imagine.
I defy the journalist who wrote this to name a non venomous pit viper; or a non-pit viper rattlesnake. Maybe he gets paid by the word.
“I defy the journalist who wrote this to name a non venomous pit viper; or a non-pit viper rattlesnake.”
I also thought that was over the top for words.
Mojave Greens are also territorial, i.e they will chase you out of their area.
Regarding venom extraction.
Don’t bother. As hemotoxins they rapidly break down the flesh.
Trying to suck out the poison, is like trying to suck a drop of India Ink out of a wet sponge. Once it’s in, you might pull some out, but no way are you going to either stop the damage or pull it all out.
The antitoxin is worthwhile to receive, as it does help dilute and reduce the effects of the toxin’s concentration, but you still will have flesh damage.
You don’t want to do anything that will pump your blood to distribute the toxin to other parts of your body,...such as your heart. Dissolving the heart is always a terrible waste. /s
I’ve been told the best way to control rattlesnakes is to buy a Cobra. Then you have to buy a mongoose to control the Cobra. Then you need a falcon to control the mongoose. Then you need an Eagle to control the falcon.
So I just take a shovel and chop off the rattlesnake’s head, then bury it elsewhere so the mate doesn’t sneak up at night.
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