Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Backpack Hunting Snake bite - what to do?

Wife and did a good hike yesterday and I stepped on a snake about 6-7 miles from the truck. Turned out it was a garter snake but 2 years ago I stepped on a copperhead. Snakes dont bother me at all but I did get to wondering what I would do if bitten a long way from the truck. Yesterday I was a long way and about 3000 vertical feet below the truck. Normally I'd think just head to the truck but climbing that much over that distance gives the venom a pretty good running head start in your system. We run into half dozen copperheads and 2-3 rattlers every year.

What the heck is the best course of action when you are a long ways away or have a strenuous climb? Stay put and call someone or head to the truck?

I'm no snake venom expert but I'd hardly think hiking further and getting your heart rate any higher than it already is, would be best. It'll be expensive to call a helo or whatever is used to get you out, but it may be worth it.

That, or just bring along Monica. She'll suck all that venom right out.

Reminds me of a joke. Two cowboys are out on the prairie and stop to relieve themselves. A rattlesnake appears out of nowhere and strikes one of the boys on the end of the penis. He cries out, tells his partner to ride like hell to town and get the doctor. Cowboy rides like hell and finds the doctor who is getting ready to deliver a baby and can’t go just now. He instructs the cowboy carefully on how to suck the venom out of the wound. Cowboy rides like hell back to his partner and tells him the doctor can’t come. Partner asked “well what did he say?” Cowboy says “Doctor says you gonna die!”

😳

That's an oldie but goodie.

For years we carried those snake bit kits that you'd use to cut small holes across the bites and suck out the venom. Now they say that those caused more damage than the bites because of how they were misused. The tourniquets were usually used too tight and cut off the blood supply causing some serious damage. Now they just say to stay calm and get to a doctor. That's easy to say for someone in an office. Not so much 5 miles from the road and no cell service.

Exactly. Yeah some people misused those kits but if you had proper training they worked well. Everybody's scared of their own shadow and they tell people do nothing. Well if you do nothing for too long it ain't good!

You stay put and call somebody, what's that somebody gonna do? Just what they tell YOU not to do. This is dumb. If you live a mile from town and it's a 10 minute drive or the ambulance can get there quick yeah don't do anything. Stay calm. But if you're hunting on a warm fall day and step on Mr. Buzz Tail and he gives you a full load of venom you better do something or you're gonna be worm dirt.

Yeah and if Monica is the one bitten you'll be the one to save her. Oh the thrill of it!!! Just hope Bill didn't have a disease, LOL!

I was bow hunting elk a few years in an area on a mountain where I had run into rattlesnakes in the past. I was still hunting and saw a cow heading up a ridge in my direction I backed off into tall grass in an attempt for some concealment. I felt something tapping my right ankle and I looked down and there was a small 2 ft rattler striking at my ankle. I took my arrow and flicked it away. I was wearing pants, fairly heavy scrap hiking boots and kuiu gaiters. The snake apparently couldn't bite through my gaiters and boots helped too.

Thought that was interesting. I always wear heavy gaiters bird hunting in early season. No proof they'll protect me a hundred per cent

I’m no expert but I think much of the time not much venom is transferred, as above. Then the issue of how poison strength varies with species. Of course that may not be the most fool proof plan.

It’s a bit harder quietly stalking game. I was just in SD, saw one big snake, 4’+. It wasn’t a rattler, we left it be.

I try to watch where I walk, best I can anyway.

I've been seeing more rattlesnakes at my deer lease, plus a copperhead from time to time. I need to study up on snakebite first aid and make sure I have the proper supplies in my medical kit.

If you get bitten by a 4'+ snake he can inject you with a pretty healthy dose or is that unhealthy. Don't bank on it not being a lethal dose.

I never understood the reason to cut when there already is a puncture wound. Personally, I would only move as far as I had too to get a cell phone signal. Then rest and wait for an evac.

Pretty obvious none of us know what to do.........

stay away from snakes.

https://sawyer.com/products/extractor-pump-kit/

I carry one of these in each of my trucks and a pack.
Never had to use it but looks like it could be effective.

Many years back in a herp class we had a guest lecturer that had experienced a rattler bite. Had considerable distance to make it to a hospital and said he did fine until making the front steps whereupon he fell apart mentally and physically. His comment on remaining calm was "run if you want to, as your heart isn't going to beat any faster."

While all bites are serious, copperheads are not the worst. Stay as calm as possible and head for help.

# Compression bandage the limb/extremity
and elevate [for a start.].
Objective is to restrict lymphatic flow/dissemination
of venom.

# Next you want to splint or sling the limb to limit
the proximal movement of lymph fluid.

The lymphatic vessel system relies on muscle flex,
thus the less muscle activity/pump, the better the
restriction of lymph fluid/venom dissemination.

You going to need to carry enough wide elastic/stretch
bandage to do the whole limb.. and advisable to practice
-get reasonably proficient with the first-aid technique
before hand.... You still need to watchful that you don't
overly restrict blood circulation and do more harm than
good.

PBI First Aid is not always ideal when you take
in account certain factors...

(1) the kind of snake involved,
(2) ETA where proper medical care can be provided,
(3) whether lay individuals are able to distinguish between
scenarios with different management considerations,
(4) Likelihood PBI will be applied correctly or incorrectly
and that immobilization can be realistically maintained.


98% of North American venomous snakebites are by Crotalinae,
fewer than 0.2% of those victims die, thus incorrectly
deploying pressure immobilization on a large number
of envenomation victims can result in increased and/or
permanent limb injury while saving virtually no lives.

On such basis health professionals do not necessarily
recommend PBI as a blanket First Aid for All viper
envenomations.

What the hell is PBI???

Pressure Bandaging and Immobilization