(quoting from my friend: "Yeah, It's called Miami-Dade Venom One, they set the wold standard in venom response. http://www.firefighting.co
m/articles/namFullView.asp
?namID=3661 This article tells about it. My knowledge about anti-venoms is limited, I have done some research but would be far from an expert, may be able to answer a few questions."
http://www.firefighting.com/articles...asp?namID=3661
sorry that link got split up,
We saw a program on Discovery Channel that explained the process of getting antivenin. And, yes, they use horses. In fact, from what they were saying, they have specific horses that are used for each type of snake, so as not to mix the antivenins. And, generally those horses are better cared for than most horses.
REading this thread reminds me how happy I am that it's still winter and I can tromp through the woods with my dogs without worrying about snakes! In the summer, I have to be so mindful of snakes, bears, rabid racoons and the like that this time of year is pure pleasure in the snow! Only varmit I've seen lately is a mountain lion on the highway and a flying squirrel that got into the house last week!
I don't worry much about snakes, I've seen many rattlers over the years, they can only strike half their body length, so unless I've basically stepped on the critter I am safe, I just walk around them.
I am careful of how I cross logs and rocks, and where I stick my face or hands.
Dogs are a problem, they often get bit, and while a rattler bite is rarely fatal to a human, the same can't be said of dogs.
There is a fella in Ca who does snake aversion training for dogs, it involves zapping the hound with a shock collar when a 'safed' rattler (mouth taped shut) strikes at the dog.
The dog quickly learns that snakes mean pain, and they learn to avoid all snakes, reportedly, he has great success with his training, he is based in the Mojave Desert, home of the Mojave Green, Americas most potent rattler.
Yeah, I've encountered dogs that have gotten bit and even died from snakes. They are just too curious for their own good. They will sniff damn near anything which usually gets them bit, sprayed by a skunk or attacked. I always try to keep a short leash on my dog in the woods when there are a lot of rattlers out.
I can see where it would be a problem with dogs in areas like the Mojave. Here, I worry but not quite as much since we tend to stay out of the woods during the summer months ...more because of the tick/lyme disease problem than anything else.
Amen, vicki2. I stay out of the summer woods here in Mississippi for the same reasons. That and the meth cookers are out in the woods in the warm weather cooking up dope near to where I walk the woods in Mississippi. With the latest drug bust, I hope the woods will be quieter this year. You will rarely find me in the deepest part of the woods near gullies, streams, or dead falls after July all the way up to a heavy frost. I mean those water moccasins, rattlers, and copperheads are freaking everywhere. I've got snake boots and such, but I've had enough close calls that I now stay on the Pearl River in my boat during hot weather for fishing and recreation and hit the woods in cold weather. I love cold weather anyway. Mississippi is Africa hot in summer.
With Christ, all things are possible.
Snakes are defencesive and are pretty easy going unless nested up or cornered. You proably don't need to know if they're poisonious or not if you keep your distance. Bees and spiders can be a bigger concern they tend to venture into the campsite. Multiple stings or a bad reaction can be life threatning and happens alot more often than snake bites.
The good news is that snakes are just as scared of you!
While the risk of getting bit just walking around anywhere "wild" is always a possibility, a walking stick or hiking poles will help you avoid that.
I was saved from a Mojave strike one hot summer in Yuma...when he was cooling off 100 feet down in a mine, and I walked by looking for minerals...simply because he struck my walking stick!
(And OBTW: Don't believe Hollywood when they make every rattler sound like a loud, hard-plastic baby rattle...this one sounded like soft rustling leaves or a few dollar bills waved together in the air...probably because he was a little colder.)
Use the stick/poles to clear any brush ahead of you or near the trail...like you are blind if using a walking stick, or pole-planting continuously in front of you like downhill skiing...let the stick hit the ground ahead of you when going over a log, or rockpile, or stump, etc.
If the snake is startled, it will stike at the vibration of the pole hitting the ground close to it...or you will hear the buzz warning...or the snake will head the other way.
Plus, snakes are good eating when baked, bar-b-qued or fried...though the wild meat might seem a little greasy or give you some gas...but they are a good source of protein in a survival situation, and pretty easy to catch with a stick or pole.
Just pin them down, rolling your stick up its body...or using both poles, towards their head to keep it down and away from you...then smash their head with a rock or stick. That way you don't get bit.
And yeah...if you have a dog, do it a favor...and bury or dispose of the venomous head immediately.
I've tried rattlesnake meat, but I think I just hate snakes so much that I found it completely unappetizing lol.
People have different reasons for fearing snakes and mine stems back to childhood when there was a freak incident. My mother and I were driving somewhere (we lived very rurally in Oklahoma) and she ran over a snake that was crossing the road. Well, she hit its tail and the snake flipped up and through one of the back seat windows which were open. We were both in the front, but she screeched to a stop and we jumped out. She killed the rattler with a tire tool. Yes, it was a very isolated incident, but it didn't do anything for my feeling for snakes!
before i go camping i would buy a guide of all the animals etc in the wild becasue when im starving i gonna grab the nearest plant and stuff it in my face or im walking at midnite not paying attetion and i see a snake etc
In China, they sell live snakes in the markets to be bought, brought home, and cooked. In fact, my father once visited China on business, and his guide told him how his mother used to get a large black snake every week, until she got bit, and nearly died from the resulting infection. She hasn't eaten snake since. Not really pertinent, I know, but interesting I thought.
BSM
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