snakes while fishing?

Here's an article I wrote that may interest some of the fishermen here. Feel
free to pass this along to a friend! It just might save a life :-)

This article may be freely distributed and copied, given away as a free
download on your website, passed along to a friend, in printed or digital
format provide that all links, attributions, and statements (including this
license) remain intact. It may not be sold.


There's a Snake In The Boat! What to Do (and not do) When You See a Snake

By Chad Minter
http://www.envenomated.com


First, don't kill nonvenomous snakes. Any given area can only support a
fixed number of snakes. If you kill the nonvenomous snakes that leaves a
food supply that could support a population of venomous snakes.

Snakes climb into boats because from a snakes-eye point of view, a boat
looks like a nice fat log to rest on. Don't panic, just use a fishing pole
or oar and scoop him up and back into the water. They are not coming into
the boat to attack you.
Remember to stay a safe distance from the snake. Snakes usually strike about
1/2 their body length, but they can strike farther. You also don't want to
trip and fall on the snake.

80% of bites occur when someone tries to catch or kill a snake. The safest
thing you can do if you see a snake is to leave it alone. (It's probably
protected by law anyway.)

If you live in the southeast, and think you know your snakes -- take the "Is
it Venomous?" tests at http://www.envenomated.com

85% of bites in the United States occur on the hand and forearm. 50% involve
a victim under the age of 20. 70% of bites in the United States involve
alcohol consumption. (Read this: when someone says "hold my beer, watch what
I can do with this snake" ... talk them out of it!!)

If you have a snake in your yard, either call someone trained in their
removal or stand at a safe distance and spray it with a garden hose. Snakes
hate that and will leave quickly.

Step on logs rather than over them. Snakes coil beside logs in the "Reinert
Posture" and might mistake your leg for a predator or prey.

Watch where you put your hands and feet. Do not reach under boards with your
fingers.

Snakes can be handled safely with proper tools and training, but do NOT risk
trying to handle venomous snakes if you have not been professionally
trained. There are things that no website can teach you about how to handle
venomous snakes safely.

You can minimize the appeal of your yard to a snake by 1. cutting the grass,
2. picking up debris, and 3. Controlling rodents. If there is no food or
shelter the snake will soon leave for better hunting grounds.

The safest thing to do if you see a snake is to LEAVE IT ALONE. Most bites
occur when someone is attempting to capture or kill a snake.

If you are bitten by a snake, seek immediate medical care from a licensed
and experienced physician. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the
first aid for snakebite consists of:

"Do remain calm - Remember that there is an excellent chance for survival,
and in most cases there is plenty of time.

Do suck and squeeze - as much venom as possible directly from the wound.
Venom is protein and can be taken orally with no ill effects.

Do remove jewelry - Swelling can progress rapidly, so rings, watches and
bracelets can be a real problem.

Do mark the time - The progress of symptoms (swelling) is the most obvious
indicator of the amount of envenomation.

Do keep the stricken limb below the heart.

Do get to a hospital as quickly as possible - Anti-venom serum is the only
sure cure for envenomation, and because some people are allergic to horse
serum it should only be given in a fully equipped medical facility.

In case of a Coral bite, do pull the snake off immediately - Corals' fangs
are relatively small, and they have to work at getting venom into the wound.
Therefore, the faster the snake is removed the less venom is injected.

Do attempt to identify the offending snake - Positive identification in the
form of a dead snake is helpful, if convenient, but no time or safety should
be wasted since the symptoms will give medical personnel an accurate
diagnosis.

Do get a tetanus shot.

Don't cut the wound - This almost always causes more damage than it's worth.

Don't use a tourniquet - This isolates the venom in a small area and causes
the digestive enzymes in the venom to concentrate the damage.

Don't use alcohol orally - it speeds the heart and blood flow and reduces
the body's counter-acting ability.

Don't use ice - Freezing the stricken limb has been found to be a major
factor leading to amputation."

Remember, snakes have their place in the ecosystem and were around long
before we arrived. We are the visitors in their garden. Snakes are quite
capable of defending themselves, but are reluctant to do so. If you follow a
few common sense rules you can minimize an already very small risk of
snakebite during your outdoor adventure.

Chad Minter is the Author of Venomous Snakes of the Southeast. He spends
most of his time finding and photographing snakes in the wild. He is
actively involved in public education. More information and articles can be
found at Chad's site: http://www.envenomated.com - The Eastern Diamondback
Rattlesnake Page

I posted it on the Comfort, Safety and Survival board on my forums. I
thought it was a good article. I'll run it by my wife and see what she says
too. (she's a doc)

--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com



wrote in message
news
Here's an article I wrote that may interest some of the fishermen here.
Feel
free to pass this along to a friend! It just might save a life :-)

This article may be freely distributed and copied, given away as a free
download on your website, passed along to a friend, in printed or digital
format provide that all links, attributions, and statements (including
this
license) remain intact. It may not be sold.


There's a Snake In The Boat! What to Do (and not do) When You See a Snake

By Chad Minter
http://www.envenomated.com


First, don't kill nonvenomous snakes. Any given area can only support a
fixed number of snakes. If you kill the nonvenomous snakes that leaves a
food supply that could support a population of venomous snakes.

Snakes climb into boats because from a snakes-eye point of view, a boat
looks like a nice fat log to rest on. Don't panic, just use a fishing pole
or oar and scoop him up and back into the water. They are not coming into
the boat to attack you.
Remember to stay a safe distance from the snake. Snakes usually strike
about
1/2 their body length, but they can strike farther. You also don't want to
trip and fall on the snake.

80% of bites occur when someone tries to catch or kill a snake. The safest
thing you can do if you see a snake is to leave it alone. (It's probably
protected by law anyway.)

If you live in the southeast, and think you know your snakes -- take the
"Is
it Venomous?" tests at http://www.envenomated.com

85% of bites in the United States occur on the hand and forearm. 50%
involve
a victim under the age of 20. 70% of bites in the United States involve
alcohol consumption. (Read this: when someone says "hold my beer, watch
what
I can do with this snake" ... talk them out of it!!)

If you have a snake in your yard, either call someone trained in their
removal or stand at a safe distance and spray it with a garden hose.
Snakes
hate that and will leave quickly.

Step on logs rather than over them. Snakes coil beside logs in the
"Reinert
Posture" and might mistake your leg for a predator or prey.

Watch where you put your hands and feet. Do not reach under boards with
your
fingers.

Snakes can be handled safely with proper tools and training, but do NOT
risk
trying to handle venomous snakes if you have not been professionally
trained. There are things that no website can teach you about how to
handle
venomous snakes safely.

You can minimize the appeal of your yard to a snake by 1. cutting the
grass,
2. picking up debris, and 3. Controlling rodents. If there is no food or
shelter the snake will soon leave for better hunting grounds.

The safest thing to do if you see a snake is to LEAVE IT ALONE. Most bites
occur when someone is attempting to capture or kill a snake.

If you are bitten by a snake, seek immediate medical care from a licensed
and experienced physician. According to the Centers for Disease Control,
the
first aid for snakebite consists of:

"Do remain calm - Remember that there is an excellent chance for survival,
and in most cases there is plenty of time.

Do suck and squeeze - as much venom as possible directly from the wound.
Venom is protein and can be taken orally with no ill effects.

Do remove jewelry - Swelling can progress rapidly, so rings, watches and
bracelets can be a real problem.

Do mark the time - The progress of symptoms (swelling) is the most obvious
indicator of the amount of envenomation.

Do keep the stricken limb below the heart.

Do get to a hospital as quickly as possible - Anti-venom serum is the only
sure cure for envenomation, and because some people are allergic to horse
serum it should only be given in a fully equipped medical facility.

In case of a Coral bite, do pull the snake off immediately - Corals' fangs
are relatively small, and they have to work at getting venom into the
wound.
Therefore, the faster the snake is removed the less venom is injected.

Do attempt to identify the offending snake - Positive identification in
the
form of a dead snake is helpful, if convenient, but no time or safety
should
be wasted since the symptoms will give medical personnel an accurate
diagnosis.

Do get a tetanus shot.

Don't cut the wound - This almost always causes more damage than it's
worth.

Don't use a tourniquet - This isolates the venom in a small area and
causes
the digestive enzymes in the venom to concentrate the damage.

Don't use alcohol orally - it speeds the heart and blood flow and reduces
the body's counter-acting ability.

Don't use ice - Freezing the stricken limb has been found to be a major
factor leading to amputation."

Remember, snakes have their place in the ecosystem and were around long
before we arrived. We are the visitors in their garden. Snakes are quite
capable of defending themselves, but are reluctant to do so. If you follow
a
few common sense rules you can minimize an already very small risk of
snakebite during your outdoor adventure.

Chad Minter is the Author of Venomous Snakes of the Southeast. He spends
most of his time finding and photographing snakes in the wild. He is
actively involved in public education. More information and articles can
be
found at Chad's site: http://www.envenomated.com - The Eastern Diamondback
Rattlesnake Page

I always thought you wanted a tournaquet. Usually if I'm close enough to a
rattler to get bit, I'm no where near the truck and have a long walk back.
Really hard to keep your heart rate down and rest so the poison goes slowly
when you are tromping knee deep in water and muck to get to the truck. Seems
not using one would get the poison to your heart way too fast.

John
whose mother (and I'm almost 40!) bought him a cell phone this spring when
she heard how close a 4 footer got to his leg during a fabulous
strike...mental pictures of which I'm sure will never fade :)


"Bob La Londe" wrote in message
...
I posted it on the Comfort, Safety and Survival board on my forums. I
thought it was a good article. I'll run it by my wife and see what she
says
too. (she's a doc)

--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com



wrote in message
news
Here's an article I wrote that may interest some of the fishermen here.
Feel
free to pass this along to a friend! It just might save a life :-)

This article may be freely distributed and copied, given away as a free
download on your website, passed along to a friend, in printed or
digital
format provide that all links, attributions, and statements (including
this
license) remain intact. It may not be sold.


There's a Snake In The Boat! What to Do (and not do) When You See a
Snake

By Chad Minter
http://www.envenomated.com


First, don't kill nonvenomous snakes. Any given area can only support a
fixed number of snakes. If you kill the nonvenomous snakes that leaves a
food supply that could support a population of venomous snakes.

Snakes climb into boats because from a snakes-eye point of view, a boat
looks like a nice fat log to rest on. Don't panic, just use a fishing
pole
or oar and scoop him up and back into the water. They are not coming
into
the boat to attack you.
Remember to stay a safe distance from the snake. Snakes usually strike
about
1/2 their body length, but they can strike farther. You also don't want
to
trip and fall on the snake.

80% of bites occur when someone tries to catch or kill a snake. The
safest
thing you can do if you see a snake is to leave it alone. (It's probably
protected by law anyway.)

If you live in the southeast, and think you know your snakes -- take the
"Is
it Venomous?" tests at http://www.envenomated.com

85% of bites in the United States occur on the hand and forearm. 50%
involve
a victim under the age of 20. 70% of bites in the United States involve
alcohol consumption. (Read this: when someone says "hold my beer, watch
what
I can do with this snake" ... talk them out of it!!)

If you have a snake in your yard, either call someone trained in their
removal or stand at a safe distance and spray it with a garden hose.
Snakes
hate that and will leave quickly.

Step on logs rather than over them. Snakes coil beside logs in the
"Reinert
Posture" and might mistake your leg for a predator or prey.

Watch where you put your hands and feet. Do not reach under boards with
your
fingers.

Snakes can be handled safely with proper tools and training, but do NOT
risk
trying to handle venomous snakes if you have not been professionally
trained. There are things that no website can teach you about how to
handle
venomous snakes safely.

You can minimize the appeal of your yard to a snake by 1. cutting the
grass,
2. picking up debris, and 3. Controlling rodents. If there is no food or
shelter the snake will soon leave for better hunting grounds.

The safest thing to do if you see a snake is to LEAVE IT ALONE. Most
bites
occur when someone is attempting to capture or kill a snake.

If you are bitten by a snake, seek immediate medical care from a
licensed
and experienced physician. According to the Centers for Disease Control,
the
first aid for snakebite consists of:

"Do remain calm - Remember that there is an excellent chance for
survival,
and in most cases there is plenty of time.

Do suck and squeeze - as much venom as possible directly from the wound.
Venom is protein and can be taken orally with no ill effects.

Do remove jewelry - Swelling can progress rapidly, so rings, watches and
bracelets can be a real problem.

Do mark the time - The progress of symptoms (swelling) is the most
obvious
indicator of the amount of envenomation.

Do keep the stricken limb below the heart.

Do get to a hospital as quickly as possible - Anti-venom serum is the
only
sure cure for envenomation, and because some people are allergic to
horse
serum it should only be given in a fully equipped medical facility.

In case of a Coral bite, do pull the snake off immediately - Corals'
fangs
are relatively small, and they have to work at getting venom into the
wound.
Therefore, the faster the snake is removed the less venom is injected.

Do attempt to identify the offending snake - Positive identification in
the
form of a dead snake is helpful, if convenient, but no time or safety
should
be wasted since the symptoms will give medical personnel an accurate
diagnosis.

Do get a tetanus shot.

Don't cut the wound - This almost always causes more damage than it's
worth.

Don't use a tourniquet - This isolates the venom in a small area and
causes
the digestive enzymes in the venom to concentrate the damage.

Don't use alcohol orally - it speeds the heart and blood flow and
reduces
the body's counter-acting ability.

Don't use ice - Freezing the stricken limb has been found to be a major
factor leading to amputation."

Remember, snakes have their place in the ecosystem and were around long
before we arrived. We are the visitors in their garden. Snakes are quite
capable of defending themselves, but are reluctant to do so. If you
follow
a
few common sense rules you can minimize an already very small risk of
snakebite during your outdoor adventure.

Chad Minter is the Author of Venomous Snakes of the Southeast. He spends
most of his time finding and photographing snakes in the wild. He is
actively involved in public education. More information and articles can
be
found at Chad's site: http://www.envenomated.com - The Eastern
Diamondback
Rattlesnake Page

On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 16:00:47 GMT, "Tex John"
wrote:

I always thought you wanted a tournaquet. Usually if I'm close enough to a
rattler to get bit, I'm no where near the truck and have a long walk back.
Really hard to keep your heart rate down and rest so the poison goes slowly
when you are tromping knee deep in water and muck to get to the truck. Seems
not using one would get the poison to your heart way too fast.

(snipped)

You're more likely to lose a limb by having a tourniquet on than you
are to suffer death or limb loss by not having one on. A pressure
band, okay. It should be snug, but allow two fingers, at least, to be
put between it and the skin of the limb it's around. Loosening it if
the limb starts to swell. But most people go more for the total
tourniquet effect than the pressure band, so it, too, is not much
recommended. By the by, remove all rings and bracelets and watches or
anything else that happen to be on the affected limb. If you swell up,
they can act as a tourniquet and not have the virtue of you being able
to loosen them.

Deaths from snake bite are very rare. Remembering that may help keep
your heart rate down. FIrst of all, it may be that the snake didn't
have full venom. If it had struck anything else recently, it won't.
Second, it may not pump all the venom it's got into you. Both of
these are mitigating factors. The size of the snake, btw, has little
to do with the amount of venom it's able to put out. Sounds strange,
but I've been assured it's true by authorities I trust. Even if it
pumped full venom into you, think of the size of the creatures it's
generally designed to kill. Small compared to adult humans. This is
not to say that immediately getting back to an emergency room is not a
good idea. It is. It's just not a matter of immediate and certain
death. Or even of later death.

Do not ignore ordinary snake bites just because you recognize that
it's not a poisonous snake. Their fangs are bacteria jungles and they
punch in deeply. You'll want to use your Sawyer Snake Bite kit
(others are not recommended) to suction any puncture wound (never cut
into a puncture wound to do anything with it) and clean it out just as
you would a venomous bite and keep a watch on it for a week after for
signs of swelling or the red line up the limb.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

Pressure band...ok.

Heart rate? No way to slow that down. I didn't get hit but just seeing it
striking at me as I stradled it between my legs, I was barely able to keep
working my heart was racing so fast. It still jumps up just thinking about
it. I can't even begin to imagine keeping it down AFTER getting hit.

And I've gotten pretty used to them. Stepped on them, over them, picked up
rocks with them underneath, stood right next to a 3 footer coiled less than
a foot from my boot looking around for four or five minutes before I even
noticed he was there. Been hissed at a few times but that was the first time
in all these years one actually struck at me so I'm really not afraid of
being around them...won't even wear snake chaps in the field anymore.

And I still can't imagine keeping my heart rate down :)

John
in Houston, where Rattlesnake Point isn't just a name, its a description!


"Cyli" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Aug 2005 16:00:47 GMT, "Tex John"
wrote:

I always thought you wanted a tournaquet. Usually if I'm close enough to
a
rattler to get bit, I'm no where near the truck and have a long walk
back.
Really hard to keep your heart rate down and rest so the poison goes
slowly
when you are tromping knee deep in water and muck to get to the truck.
Seems
not using one would get the poison to your heart way too fast.

(snipped)

You're more likely to lose a limb by having a tourniquet on than you
are to suffer death or limb loss by not having one on. A pressure
band, okay. It should be snug, but allow two fingers, at least, to be
put between it and the skin of the limb it's around. Loosening it if
the limb starts to swell. But most people go more for the total
tourniquet effect than the pressure band, so it, too, is not much
recommended. By the by, remove all rings and bracelets and watches or
anything else that happen to be on the affected limb. If you swell up,
they can act as a tourniquet and not have the virtue of you being able
to loosen them.

Deaths from snake bite are very rare. Remembering that may help keep
your heart rate down. FIrst of all, it may be that the snake didn't
have full venom. If it had struck anything else recently, it won't.
Second, it may not pump all the venom it's got into you. Both of
these are mitigating factors. The size of the snake, btw, has little
to do with the amount of venom it's able to put out. Sounds strange,
but I've been assured it's true by authorities I trust. Even if it
pumped full venom into you, think of the size of the creatures it's
generally designed to kill. Small compared to adult humans. This is
not to say that immediately getting back to an emergency room is not a
good idea. It is. It's just not a matter of immediate and certain
death. Or even of later death.

Do not ignore ordinary snake bites just because you recognize that
it's not a poisonous snake. Their fangs are bacteria jungles and they
punch in deeply. You'll want to use your Sawyer Snake Bite kit
(others are not recommended) to suction any puncture wound (never cut
into a puncture wound to do anything with it) and clean it out just as
you would a venomous bite and keep a watch on it for a week after for
signs of swelling or the red line up the limb.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

On Thu, 18 Aug 2005 14:16:51 GMT, "Tex John"
wrote:

Pressure band...ok.

And the Sawyer Snake bite kit is small and comparatively light to
carry. Much better than anything else you can do before going to the
ER Probably no more weight than a pressure band would be.

Heart rate? No way to slow that down. I didn't get hit but just seeing it
striking at me as I stradled it between my legs, I was barely able to keep
working my heart was racing so fast. It still jumps up just thinking about
it. I can't even begin to imagine keeping it down AFTER getting hit.

Scary image. Yeah, I said "may", but I think I my heart would still
be chugging at double speed after a snake bite.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)