On another site there's a thread going about snakes. Thought some here might want a gander at what potentially awaits the careless or hapless would-be snake charmers among us.

Kiddie warning: this stuff's graphic.

http://www.freewebs.com/rattlesnakebite/rattlesnakepics.htm

Cheers,

KG

People wounder why I don't like snakes.

Shit!
This is the first time I look inside an arm..
Glad we have good doctors..

Dam ouch is right.

For the love of God!

I have ripped open the back of my hand and seen my own bones, but I don't beleive I could handle anything like that.

I think of all the rattlesnakes I've nearly stepped on, and the ones I've killed with rocks and sticks. That gives you a whole new respect for snakes. Holy Crap!!

I'm going to save this link for my friends that say they aren't afraid of snakes...

Unbelievable...

Let me start by saying that I like snakes. I've been interested in them scientifically for well over a decade now. I've also kept a few as pets - that is, the little "grass" snakes you find wondering around the flower bed.

Never have I advocated anyone having any contact with any poisonous snakes, especially rattlers. Don't touch 'em, don't toy with 'em, don't fuck with 'em. Stay away, especially if you're unarmed. They're bad. I read the story and it sounds like what happened to the kid was a freak accident and I hope someone makes a hat band out of that snake for him - it definitely deserves to die. And as for everyone else, whether you like them or not, just don't jack with them or else....

Wow.

When I was a kid we used to hunt rattle snakes with 22 pistols using shot shells. My friend's mother made us wear safety glasses and snake chaps. We killed dozens if not hundreds over the years and we were never bitten.

After looking at those pictures I think we were INSANE! Thank God, we were so lucky.

Now for a bite of reality.
Consider the injuries, disfiguring, and death from auto accidents alone.
No one thinks twice about the 1000's that are affected each year by these events,( unless it's happened to you or someone close.)
But a person is bitten by a Snake, and it sounds like a holly war.
I’m always on the lookout for all snakes when out and about, I just photograph them, then let them be to do what nature had planned for them, rodent control.
But to kill all snakes or even just rattlers because one person is bitten is extreme
The real world can be very violent on the human body, when the body is exposed to excessive forces,
or foreign substances.

I know all the reasons to not kill rattle snakes, etc. I keep a shovel in the back of my truck and kill every one i see. Sorry but it is how I feel.

quote:

Originally posted by M77:
Now for a bite of reality.
Consider the injuries, disfiguring, and death from auto accidents alone.
No one thinks twice about the 1000's that are affected each year by these events,( unless it's happened to you or someone close.)
But a person is bitten by a Snake, and it sounds like a holy war.
I’m always on the lookout for all snakes when out and about, I just photograph them, then let them be to do what nature had planned for them, rodent control.
But to kill all snakes or even just rattlers because one person is bitten is extreme
The real world can be very violent on the human body, when the body is exposed to excessive forces,
or foreign substances.

M77, you are correct. It is more like 10’s of thousands of deaths and injuries from auto accidents each year. And probably at least as many people affected by these accidents.
Maybe even 100’s of thousands affected.

We have already assimilated the potential hazard of vehicles into our daily lives. Most people take this chance for granted or as just a reality of modern life, unless it has happened to them or a loved one.
How many people out there know somebody that was killed or injured by a rattlesnake bite?

I know not one rattlesnake bite victim personally. I do know at least 10 people personally that have been killed or injured in vehicle accidents, not to mention the dozens of family members and friends affected by these accidents.

I know TWO people who have been struck by lightning and lived!

The reason unusually occurring deaths and injuries cause people discomfort is because they are not usual and accepted.

All very true. I haven't even seen a rattler in several years.

My comment was directed to the chill that ran through my body when I thought about the fact that my friends and I used to go looking for them when we were about the same age as the kid with the $700,000 medical bill!

Just so you know, we used to eat them, bar-b-Q's with a bit of hot sauce they are not bad at all.

The last one I killed was about 10 years ago because a client got hysterical about it and refused to leave the truck until it was dead. He wouldn't even roll down the windows and actually locked the doors. I killed it and cooked it, I ate most of it, one of the other guides ate the rest. The client couldn't even watch me eat it. If we had left it alone it would have never bothered anyone, real shame actually. People can get very strange about snakes.

HunterMontana,
we used to "hunt" with 22's and hike on a hill known for having rattlers when I was young (12-16). We used to actually look for them.

Glad we never found any...

Not to minimize this young fellas ordeal but he got off luckey.
Some Rattle snake bites are just horrendous the tissue damage they can do. One I saw some years back lost about half his arm and hand to it.