There are rattlesnakes on the property of my local fish and game club, as well as the state forest public land that abuts it. The population density of snakes isn't large, but there are enough of them that rattlesnake sightings are reported by hunting club members every year.
For the most part, the club members are okay with co-existing with them as opposed to killing them on sight. This may surprise you, when you learn that we stock pheasant throughout the Fall and many members are running bird dogs on the property and keenly aware that their prized bird dogs could be at risk of a bite.
Our local constable is also a club member, and has training on how to capture and relocate venomous snakes when he gets a call from a homeowner in town. All in all, the education process has most of the locals aware that in general, rattlesnakes are not aggressive and as long as you don't mess with them or provoke them, you're not likely to be bitten.
In a recent club meeting, it was noted that there have been a higher number of sightings recently, and one of the members asked the constable if the 24/7 emergency facility in town has a supply of anti-venom. After some diligent followup, an email was distributed to the membership that informed everyone that there is NO rattlesnake anti-venom at the local emergency facility. Further - they checked with the shoreline clinic, and there's none in stock there either. They determined that there's just one dose in-stock at a hospital that's about 45 minutes away, so they're attempting to obtain a small supply for our emergency facility in town. The anti-venom is extremely expensive - apparently around $2,500/dose, and multiple doses are typically needed to treat a single heavy "wet" bite.
In my state, only level one trauma centers carry the anti-venom Crofab - and none carry enough to thoroughly treat a “wet” bite. The last bite victim made it to Hartford Hospital in record time for initial doses, and additional doses were brought in from two other hospitals across the state.
This is what a patient with a bite to the left hand looked like:
All of this got me thinking that I don't carry a snake bite kit into the field, and I started to look online at the Sawyer snake bite kit. I read a review from someone claiming to be a snake expert that said the Sawyer snake bite kit is completely ineffective. That got me researching the effectiveness of snake bite kits online, and I'm glad I did, because the consensus seems to be that the suction methods for venom removal are useless, and in some cases, can cause more harm. I'm sharing the links below since most of us have just started our Fall hunting activities. This information is important for folks to know if they share the woods with venomous snakes - most of the protocol flies in the face of what I learned in the Boy Scouts 40 years ago:
Link #1: The truth about commercial snake bite venom extractors
Link #2: How to survive a venomous snake bite in the wilderness
Link #3: Are baby rattlesnakes really more dangerous than adults?
For the most part, the club members are okay with co-existing with them as opposed to killing them on sight. This may surprise you, when you learn that we stock pheasant throughout the Fall and many members are running bird dogs on the property and keenly aware that their prized bird dogs could be at risk of a bite.
Our local constable is also a club member, and has training on how to capture and relocate venomous snakes when he gets a call from a homeowner in town. All in all, the education process has most of the locals aware that in general, rattlesnakes are not aggressive and as long as you don't mess with them or provoke them, you're not likely to be bitten.
In a recent club meeting, it was noted that there have been a higher number of sightings recently, and one of the members asked the constable if the 24/7 emergency facility in town has a supply of anti-venom. After some diligent followup, an email was distributed to the membership that informed everyone that there is NO rattlesnake anti-venom at the local emergency facility. Further - they checked with the shoreline clinic, and there's none in stock there either. They determined that there's just one dose in-stock at a hospital that's about 45 minutes away, so they're attempting to obtain a small supply for our emergency facility in town. The anti-venom is extremely expensive - apparently around $2,500/dose, and multiple doses are typically needed to treat a single heavy "wet" bite.
In my state, only level one trauma centers carry the anti-venom Crofab - and none carry enough to thoroughly treat a “wet” bite. The last bite victim made it to Hartford Hospital in record time for initial doses, and additional doses were brought in from two other hospitals across the state.
This is what a patient with a bite to the left hand looked like:
All of this got me thinking that I don't carry a snake bite kit into the field, and I started to look online at the Sawyer snake bite kit. I read a review from someone claiming to be a snake expert that said the Sawyer snake bite kit is completely ineffective. That got me researching the effectiveness of snake bite kits online, and I'm glad I did, because the consensus seems to be that the suction methods for venom removal are useless, and in some cases, can cause more harm. I'm sharing the links below since most of us have just started our Fall hunting activities. This information is important for folks to know if they share the woods with venomous snakes - most of the protocol flies in the face of what I learned in the Boy Scouts 40 years ago:
Link #1: The truth about commercial snake bite venom extractors
Link #2: How to survive a venomous snake bite in the wilderness
Link #3: Are baby rattlesnakes really more dangerous than adults?
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