snakebite

[perchjerker]

...boy I did a stupid thing yesterday. My dogs were barking at a copperhead, my son came and got me and said the dogs were barking at a copperhead in the woods. It was about 5pm and I went out to kill the snake. Couldn't see it so I got a stick to try to make it move so I could see it. I guess the stick was an inch too short because it bit me on the flip off finger right on the end. Man it hurt like hell, we measured it and it was 2 feet long (the snake) Put me in the hospital overnight. The plastic surgeon thought I might lose part of my finger...I told him I needed that finger to flip off those idiots on the jet skis so I have to go back in a few days to see if the finger is going to make it. My son (sean) killed it. I couldn't see it because it was buried under the leaves with about 1 inch of its tail sticking out and 1 inch of its head sticking out. He told me later that he had been shooting it with a bb pistol and that = one po'ed snake. Sean ended up killing it with a pellet rifle. Moral of the story---get a longer stick... or a 357.

 

[CCrew]

Re: snakebite

Or just do what my wife did yesterday.. <br /><br />I walked to the end of the driveway to get the mail, to see about a 2 1/2 footer laying across the driveway. She had just come home 20 minutes before and ran him over flat with the SUV She never saw him. <br /><br />-Roger

 

[perchjerker]

Re: snakebite

How do I post digital photos taken with my camera?

 

[wikelam]

Re: snakebite

You need to transfer them to your computer somehow, that be a memory card or direct link to your camera then use the software that came with the camera to download them to the pc.

 

[perchjerker]

Re: snakebite

I have them downloaded to my pc. Just don't know how to post them to this forum. Want to post some gruesome photos of my snakebitten hand.

 

[Red Rider]

Re: snakebite

It was about this time last year? or maybe the year before? (senior moment) that a snake whipped my retrievers. I think it was a copperhead, but it could have been a rattler or cottonmouth, we heve an equal oppertunity program. What ever it was, the snake won, getting four out of five dogs, before getting away.<br /><br />But you are right when you said it hurts. When I was 13, I was so mad at my 17 year old cousin that I jumped on him from the porch and we went rolling down hill into a rose bush. Just as I was begining to realize how foolish my decision was, we heard a buzzing. We knew what it was, a rattler. As I tried to learn to fly, I felt a pain in my side, just like someone stuck a knife in me. <br /><br />It was five miles by dirt road to the highway, and another five minutes to to doctors house. I didn't go to the hospital (35 miles away) but I spent the night at the doctors house, and went home the next day. I spent most of the next week in bed with just my shorts on. It was the middle of summer, (we didn't get electricity until three years later) and I was suffering from the heat and the pain. My skin was so sinsitive that even the slightest breeze over it hurt.<br /><br />The main thing I learned was that if you can't whip them quick, don't get into a fight

 

[samagee]

Re: snakebite

I lived in New Mexico for about 2 years when I was a teenager. I was walking outside town to a girl's house. I decided that I should relieve myself before I got there, because I was going to be busy and didn't want to bother with wasting time. Those spanish girls were very friendly down there. <br /><br />Anyway, I walked under this over pass to take a leak. That is when I saw it laying there. I almost stepped on it. It must have been sleeping because it raised it's head and looked at me as I was making a slow retreat. Thankfully it did not start rattling its tail. I guess it was in a good mood and decided to let me leave in piece. I remember being told that they can "spring" about 3 times their length. So, when I was at about that I turned and ran the hell out of there. Usually when we saw a rattler we would kill it, but I wasn't carrying any of the guns with me. I remember visualizing where my gun was at home as I was running away from it though.<br /><br />The only snake I have been bit by was a baby water macosin when I was younger. We used to catch them all the time at the locale water hole in Ohio. I know that doesn't compare, but I thought I would share one of my run ins with a rattler.

 

[JamesGY]

Re: snakebite

I was fishing at a lake one day and decided to change spots. I walked up this rock wall and heard the rattle. I was sooooooooooooooo scared. I slowly and quietly backed away. Later on that day, some people killed a baby rattler that was swimming in the water towards shore. One guy snagged it with his pole and just slammed it over and over on the ground.

 

[perchjerker]

Re: snakebite

snakebite photos...had to make my own web page to display photos. These pictures are what my finger looked like after I got out of the hospital. some people say I'm lucky...I think I was just STUPID Wish I'd had one of those suction cups like Ryan T. stuck to his head to suck some of the venom out.<br />click on the link below to see photos<br /><br /> http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lfkfire/lst?.dir=/snakebite&.view=t

 

[Bco128]

Re: snakebite

tried to look at pics.calls for password.it no work.

 

[perchjerker]

Re: snakebite

bco try this link it's another webpage I'm creating so I can post my photos. Some of these links are the same as above. I'm just learning how to post photos on the web page. I think it work now.<br /><br /> http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lfkfire/lst?.dir=/snakebite&.view=t <br /> <br />for slideshow click on this link<br /> http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lfkfire/slideshow?&.dir=/snakebite&.src=ph&.view=t

 

[two2canoe]

Re: snakebite

Thanks for the graphic warning. My wife and I spent 10 minutes messing around with a copperhead that we found on one of our smallmouth trips down the river this summer. We won't do that stupid move again.

 

[ndemge]

Re: snakebite

HOLY FRIGGIN OUCH!

 

[ob]

Re: snakebite

perchjerker.Hope your feeling better after your unfortunate ordeal.You're a lucky man to have just been bitten on the finger first,and second that it was a copperhead and not a western diamond back.My son ,now 21,was bitten by a 4 1/2 foot western diamondback when he was 7.Spent 6 weeks in Driscol Childrens hospital follwing an initial fasciotomy surgery(large deep incisions along the lenghth of the limb) and three sucessive surgeries to remove dead tissue.For this reason the fasciotomy incisions had to be left open(breach) because of the danger of infection and to facititate drainage.I lost count on the number of blood transfusions.Three deep skin graphs to close.Head pediatric surgeon opted to not use anti-venin because of his low body weight and potential complications from alergic reaction coupled with the fact that intracompartmental pressure was causing his leg to lose blood circulation.It was quite an ordeal,and after 3 years of rehabilitation and physical therapy ,was able to walk well again and recovered 90% of flexion back to his ankle and foot.All he has now is some reminder scars,a laminated snake skin on his wall, and a fuzzy memory.Hope yours heals well .

 

[perchjerker]

Re: snakebite

Thanks ob. I couldn't imagine what type of pain he went through. Rattlers have very potent venom. Much worse than copperheads. Tell him I hope he keeps improving. We have canebreak (timber rattlers here in east texas. I have only seen one large one. He was about to crawl into my neighbor's yard and was crossing the road so I did what any STUPID person would. I hit him in the head with a tree limb and used the limb to toss him into the back of my truck. As soon as I tossed him into the truck he coiled up and started rattling. I didn't know they rattled so loud. Took him home to show my wife and kids and was trying to get him to rattle by poking a hoe handle at him...he struck twice and sprayed enough venom to fill a shot glass. If he'd bitten someone with that much venom they would have probably lost a hand or foot. I re-located him. Here's another photo of a large copperhead we found this spring behind the woodshed. <br />http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lfkfire/vwp?.dir= /critters&.dnm=copperhead+found+near+woodshed.jpg&.src=ph&.view=t&.hires=t<br />We kill about 2 or 3 each year. Killed on on the front porch a couple of weeks ago...my dogs were barking at it and it was striking at me. Crawled into the hedges and I had to mow the grass down around them so he couldn't escape. It was still dark and had to get my wife to hold a flashlight on him. Shot him in the head with a pellet gun. Killed another one 2 years ago lying beside the passenger door of my truck. He was a big one and if I hadn't turned the carport light on he would have bit me. We have a rule to always turn on a light or use a flashlight when walking outside at night. Most people get bitten walking barefooted at night without a flashlight. I work at the fire department and the guys on my ambulance crew said there had been about 5 copperhead bite victims this year...and this was only at 1 hospital ER.

 

[ob]

Re: snakebite

Heck he's back and doing well now.Just a bad memory for me and the wife mostly.Thanks for the kind word,and keep your wound area clean,clean ,clean.Those pit vipers pack some lethal stuff.

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: snakebite

Perchjerher that so looks like it had to be insainly painful, I cant imagine what it would have been like if you were bitten on the leg or something. Man OB I feel terrable for your boy.Its blessing that we get as you put it a fuzzy memory of things in our youth. I have seen pictures of rattler bites and wow are they bad. We have timber rattlers up here in Wisconsin on the bluffs. I hope never to run into one.

 

[ob]

Re: snakebite

mikeandronda,I hope you never run into one of those timber rattlers either.I've only seen them at the zoo and in pictures as they are not terrestrial to south Texas.They are however one of the largest of the rattlers and from the ones I've seen are quite girthy serpents.According to the information in my field guide ,they also pack more neurotoxic enzymes,which can attack the nervous system than the western diamondback yet slightly less digestive poteases,which is what kills the tissue in the bite victim.Northeastern Texas record as of 1985 was just over 74 inches.I hope you'll steer clear of them if your ever treking through the woods.

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: snakebite

Well they say there pretty rare around here and only up on the bluffs in the area. I have never heard of anybody gettin hit but.......There are a few sightings every year. I had a freind when I lived in Milwaukee that was a reptile imporer/dealer and he had a house full of critters including a eastern diamondack, copperhead and a water moccasin. It was legal at the time but I am pretty sure that law may have changed. It was back in my parting days( long since done with that) and I would go and hang out and we would through a rat in with the rattler and wow are they quick. He also had a 16 ft anaconda which I held , talk about girth.

 

[bassboy1]

Re: snakebite

We used to live out in the country and our house was about 400 yrds from the road. well driving home my mom saw a copperhead next to our mail box. She drove over it twice (Suburban 2500 weighs 4000 lbs.) but it escaped toward our house. She was so mad that she didnt kill it. A week later the Orkin guy came for bug inspection. The dogs stayed outside so there was a 50 gal garbage can full of dog food under the balcony. He lifted up and saw a large copperhead under it. jumped back spilling the dog food everywhere(It had just been refilled 2 50 lb. bags). He watched for a while and It didnt move. picked it up with a stick and threw it in the yard. Realised it was dead. Looked like it had been crushed to death. We thought it might have been under the dog food can when we filled it. THought 100 lbs. of dog food killed it. My dad got home from work and saw a tire mark in it. It was the one my mom ran over. It just came to the house to die