Posted on 05/02/2013 2:47:58 PM PDT by Kartographer
Northwest Texas, halfway between Dallas and the panhandle. I usually bag only 5 or 6 every summer, so this year has been exceptional so far.
Two other things I’ve learned - from experience - is that rattlesnakes don’t always (or often) try to avoid humans. Nor do they always (or often) rattle to warn of their presence. Most that I’ve killed have lain perfectly still as I walked up to them, and they didn’t rattle until disturbed.
I keep the grass cut short near the house so they’re easier to spot, and I never go wandering outside without my trusty little S&W 5-shooter loaded with rat-shot. :-)
“...stabbed by a hornet or bee.”
Everyone should have bentonite clay available for stings...make a paste, put it on thick over the sting. Sucks the poison out.
We know it works. My wife’s father was seriously allergic to bee stings. He was here with us, got stung by bees, and we lathered on the bentonite clay paste. He survived w/o a reaction.
Bentonite clay is one of those ‘must things to have’ in your medicine cabinet or in your first aid kit...paste pre made in a small jar if in your first aid kit.
I am not suggesting this for snake bite...no experience.
When I lived in Tennessee (West Tennessee, near Dyersburg) we were on a lake, and we had Cottonmouths and Copperheads in greater abundance than I normally would have cared to have anywhere near me. One day a BIG cottonmouth was sunning itself in our drive...at least six feet long, and bigger around than I would care to have to measure with an OD tape...came up out of the lake. Have seen many copperheads around the place, even up close and personal, but never bit.
In the lake, when it is rooting season, the cottonmouths could be seen churning the water, and it was best not to go anywhere near.
Snakes are out there...most are not poisonous, but for those that are, best to be prepared and to be careful.
A buddy of mine down the street had a pond in hi back yard. We saw this phenomena one day and decided it would be a good idea to tie treble hooks on to our fishing poles and snag hook the cottonmouths and then kill them with a bat.
By the time you get them to shore, they are plenty mad...
Exactly ... Time is key... Our own blow out kits we keep at home and in each vehicle include sawyer extractors and the crushable ice packs.
Our dove and varmit hunts and excursions afoot here in the panhandle of Texas include snake proof chaps and boots. Been struck many a time yet never bit .
The sawyer extractor is a very good tool as first aid when used with cold packs as your headed for anti venom at the hospital.
Agree with dusty on never cut the bite site open. Seen many a wives tale that even included using the taser devices to counter the bites effects to tissue....:o)
Hmmmm....
I’ll have a look at it.
thnx
“Someone from my hometown posted a picture on Facebook of a snake they killed. The rattlesnake was nearly 10’ long, had 20 rattles. It was huge.”
I was similarly impressed by Monster Snake, until the same snake started showing up with different people holding it, complete with changing backgrounds in the photo, different utensils holding the snake, and different claims of what state the snake resided in before being killed by the hero holding it up with his shovel/hoe/golf club/cane.
It’s either Photoshopped or someone is mailing a fake rubber snake to all their friends. ;-)
**It’s either Photoshopped**
check out this link
http://www.youtube.com/embed/AJ2l4owxC7s
It sounds like you live a rather dangerous existence. Your property is covered with rattlesnakes? We have a lot where I live but not here in the housing development where we live. Our area is virtually the home of the Mojave Green. A little two year old was bitten a couple of years ago about a mile from my house and had to be coptered to the hospital. She survived.
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