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ever been bit by a rattle snake?

17K views 78 replies 51 participants last post by  Salmon N Steel 
#1 ·
was out scouting yesterday by a river known for white water rafting and fancy fly fisherman, was hiking on a bluff with a buddy about 2 miles behind a locked gate with no bikes and 8 miles from the nearest town took a step and noticed the ground moving next to my foot looked down quick to see a full grown rattle snake slithering away from me, no rattle must have shed its skin recently definatley made me wake up and pay attention to the ground under foot, been looking around on the net and theres not really much you can do if you are bit other than hauling butt to a hospital, think ill be purchasing some snake boots this year
 
#2 ·
The only time I have been bit I was lucky enough that he got the bottom of my boot and not me. I hope you killed that snake!! The ones that do not rattle need to be shot on site. If they do rattle then your choice, although I would still kill them. I have killed about 26 rattle snakes over the years.
 
#17 ·
The only time I have been bit I was lucky enough that he got the bottom of my boot and not me. I hope you killed that snake!! The ones that do not rattle need to be shot on site. If they do rattle then your choice, although I would still kill them. I have killed about 26 rattle snakes over the years.
That's a completely ridiculous statement. No reason to kill them if they don't rattle or even if they do. If they don't attack you why would you? The snake did exactly what you would hope for, it avoided contact. It wanted no part of the human that was tredding in it's territory and left.

As to the original question, yes I have and it hurt alot. As a kid I liked to play with snakes and caught a rattler and got bit behind the nail on my right index finger. Spent 3 days in the hospital and my arm turned a icky shade of blackish green and swelled up to just below the elbow. I don't recommend it.
 
#5 ·
I knew it was one of the two. And to top it off, they have a very stiff tip of the tail and they shake it violently in the leaves and rocks they are in making a sound that can, in the heat of the moment, be easily mistaken for a "rattle" sound. I caught one once while I was fishing and it took me a minute to finally believe that this was not a rattlesnake. Pretty cool defense, though.
 
#6 ·
Came awfully close this last bow season. I was putting the sneak on a forkey and was walking really slow. Glad I was cause I looked down and a rattler was passing right in front of my next step! Needless to say, I will be getting some rattler boots for nxt year, it's not worth taking that risk again
 
#7 ·
Most folks get hit on the hands and arms when they put them where they can't see. I don't think there's any worry about fangs going through regular Levis, waders and such. The larger the snake, the less apt to get bit and half of those bites are dry, just a warning. If you put your hand on one, more than likely you'll get a dose of venom because your hand gives off body heat and the snake will see that as an actual threat. A hospital visit is an option, not always necessary. I know a couple of fellow who've gotten venomized and skipped medical treatment with no lasting ill effects.
 
#15 · (Edited)
Want snakes? Come on down to Costa Rica, we gots some snakes! Virtually every farm laborer wears rubber boots and carries a large machete. The Fer de Lance is larger than a rattlesnake (except Eastern Diamondback) and are aggressive. They are great ratters but a foot is just the right size and heat signature to get a bite.

Then there are the little vipers that live in the bamboo...and all the rest of the bushes and the ants. They have an ant that is the size of a carpenter ant that bites. They say the bite hurts worse than a gunshot wound and you usually get a bunch since the ants are rarely alone.

I have a large machete in the car at all times but I stay out of the bushes.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Want snakes? Come on down to Costa Rica, we gots some snakes! Virtually every farm laborer wears rubber boots and carries a large machete. The Fer de Lance is larger than a rattlesnake (except Eastern Diamondback) and are aggressive. They are great ratters but a foot is just the right size and heat signature to get a bite.

Then there are the little vipers that live in the bamboo...and all the rest of the bushes and the ants. They have an ant that is the size of a carpenter ant that bites. They say the bite hurts worse than a gunshot wound and you usually get a bunch since the ants are rarely alone.

I have a large machete in the car at all times but I stay out of the bushes.
I read an article on snake bite's years ago by some guy in Florida that has been bit by Rattle snakes so many time's he grown an immunity to them. He was/is one of those people that works with venomious snakes for a living. He'd never been bit by a Cobra so got a bite on purpose to see what it was like. He left instructions not to save him till the very end. He lived thru it without medical help as I recall. He also talked about other snakes and their venom. The Ferde Lance has the most toxic venom in the world according to this guy. But less people die from them because they don't have the fangs of other venimous snakes. As a result, they don't get a whole lot of venom in you. The Cobra on the other hand has venom nowhere near as bad but it injects such a large dose, it get's you. The Rattle snake's venom was somewhere between the Cobra and the Fer de Lance. But it also has the same fangs to inject venom as a Cobra. But most Rattle snake bite's are dry, no venom. What happens then is you still have a reaction, but it's to a dirty bite, not venom. If I recall, the rattle snake takes a day after killing something to eat to regain venom.
 
#23 ·
No thanks on that fer de lance!
I was struck in the foot by a rattlesnake at Philmont Ranch in New Mexico when I was a Boy Scout. I was fly fishing a creek , and jumped down beside a big rock. Seenyore Buzz was under said rock and lashed out like a bullet, putting a mark in the right side of my Redwing boot leather. Scared me to death, but I was OK. Just glad I hadn't switched into my Chuck Taylors.
As to killing rattlesnakes, I would be in favor of it around homes, farms, playground, campsites, swimming beaches and other areas that see a lot of human traffic, but out in the open in the wild, I would let them be unless I was specifically hunting for skins (e.g., for a longbow) or for the meat, which I have never eaten.
 
#24 ·
Last year I met a darned big rattlesnake in the middle of the road in the Coburg foothills just north of Coburg. I took a bunch of pics with my cellphone camera.
I shoo'ed him off the road so no one would run over him. Boy was he mad, I guess he didn't realize I was saving his life.

P
 
#25 ·
I bought myself a pair of snake chaps through Cabelas about 5 years ago for our Deschutes River trips. I rarely wear them although we see rattlers fairly often over there. They are cheaper than new boots.

Walking through dense tall grass is when I really want to be wearing them.
 
#26 ·
My dad got an owyhee antelope tag in 82..I was 10..we prepped for a month or so on that hunt...he built us homemade chaps...basically a lenght of industrial belting from his work rolled into a tube an stapled into the inside of our pant legs...no idea if they would have worked but they gave me a great piece of mind as he had gone into great detail bout the dangers of these snakes....so u can understand the sudden concern on my part when the night befoore hunt he says nope let's not use them....WHAT......lol...

Ended up seeing a few snakes an got one hell of a antelope..but no bites.
 
#27 ·
I encountered a Fer de Lance one night while loading the F15 secure voice communication system in Panama.
It was half grown, we called security, they seemed excited, it was dispatched with a 22 loaded with bird shot.
When I was on beach detachment in the Philippines they caught a 14ft King Cobra two blocks from our barracks, that was exciting.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Most rattlesnakes I have met usually warn you. Even the ones on the popular river with a locked gate.

But not all rattle snakes will rattle
I think when they are warming themselves or mating they do not use it as much.

In 20 years of living in rattlesnake country - Seen lots of them.

Only seen one person bitten that did not do somehting stupid like try to pick it up or **** it off. That one person was the last person is a line of 20 that walked over fallen tree. No rattle - just ****** off with people walkingh over him.

Rattlesnakes are your friend - just respect them.

surpised that xissed off gets flagged
 
#29 ·
I have never been bitten by a rattlesnake, been too close more times than I care to remember. Once while swimming in a lake, a rattler swims by.

I was bitten by a water snake. It caused my hand to swell up to double the size. By the time I made it to a hospital, the swelling was gone. I never had any serious pain, just swelling. I am not sure what kind of snake it was, but it was only about 18” long.

Rattlers without rattles are completely believable. I have watched eastern OR cowboys pick the rattlers off the tail, and then let the snake go. Not sure why they do it, other than they can for fun. Also, there are several Islands in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico that have rattlesnakes that never grow the rattles.
 
#31 ·
I have been hunting rattle snakes, down here, for 20+ years. I couldn't even count the hundreds of snakes we have killed. At one time, I had a dozen or so Mayonnaise jars filled with rattles. The majority have come from VERY popular areas, just after dark, when the people have gone home. If they only knew.....

My experience here, in Southern Oregon, has been that the snakes SELDOM rattle. I have actually pinned their head and grabbed them, and picked them up before they ever even began to rattle. And, even then, it is a sporadic rattle. They just don't rattle much down here. I have been bit twice, and neither snake rattled. Of course, snake hunting (20 years ago) used to be done bare foot, after drinking. Luckily I survived my youth, and ONLY hunt snakes with shoes on now; never barefoot or in flip-flops.

RF
 
#67 ·
I have been hunting rattle snakes, down here, for 20+ years. I couldn't even count the hundreds of snakes we have killed. At one time, I had a dozen or so Mayonnaise jars filled with rattles. The majority have come from VERY popular areas, just after dark, when the people have gone home. If they only knew.....

My experience here, in Southern Oregon, has been that the snakes SELDOM rattle. I have actually pinned their head and grabbed them, and picked them up before they ever even began to rattle. And, even then, it is a sporadic rattle. They just don't rattle much down here. I have been bit twice, and neither snake rattled. Of course, snake hunting (20 years ago) used to be done bare foot, after drinking. Luckily I survived my youth, and ONLY hunt snakes with shoes on now; never barefoot or in flip-flops.

RF
Do you eat them, sell them, or donate them for antivenom? I would like a large skin with the rattles attached. PM me if your interested in working something out.
 
#33 ·
Back when I was 16 on a raft trip down the Mckenzie River we stopped to water some bushes and I spotted a nice rattler........Well being a kid couldnt help but take a poke at it with the boat oar...........Few pokes later river guide yells for me to hurry up and as I turn towards the river to leave I get struck in the back of the calf...........2 weeks in the hospital a hole about the size of an orange on my calf and 1 hard lesson Learned.....................................LONGER OARS :doh:
 
#34 ·
I hate snakes, I'd rather just turn the other way than attempt to kill one.

I was deer hunting 2 years ago (3 come this season) and almost stepped on a small rattler. It was only about 12 inches long and didn't rattle (if it even had one at that point). I only saw it when it moved right before I stepped. I just let it walk.

The less time we spend getting to know each other the better IMO.
 
#47 ·
Which was exactly what I did when I lived in Northern California. It was one of my favorite hobbies. I might kill one or two a year, if someone asked for a skin, but I never thought I needed to kill them when everyone else goes out of their way to run over them. I would catch them and take them to a good spot in the middle of a large ranch and let them go where they could be happy...

Ferral cat... Now there's a different topic altogether!
 
#38 ·
I ran into one a few years ago hunting the Ochoco's but I left it be. But now I want to shoot one to skin it and for the meat the boy has never tried one lol. I have not been able to find them three trips to the big river with a locked gate, four trips to the John day, and several trips to the crooked still nada ohh well rp
 
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