better to leave snakes alone when camping

[48Rob]

Why people want to touch everything...

So sad

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[robfisher]

Also, think about your dog. Just a few weeks back my dog and I attended rattle snake school.In about 15 minutes of one on one time with a trainer my dog learned what a snake looked like, what one smells like and what one sounds like and to avoid snakes at all costs.

[PKCSPT]

sure feel bad for his kids,,,, people.
Interesting about the snake school for dogs. I can always tell when Lance ( my fierce guard dog ) sees a snake he leeps 3 feet in the air and gets behind me.

[S. Heisley]

Also, think about your dog. Just a few weeks back my dog and I attended rattle snake school.In about 15 minutes of one on one time with a trainer my dog learned what a snake looked like, what one smells like and what one sounds like and to avoid snakes at all costs.

A snake school for dogs is an excellent idea!

[wagondude]

We had a scout in our troop bitten by a copperhead at camp last summer. The scouts with him thought quick and got a 5 gal bucket over the snake for identification. The camp keeps anti-venom in stock, so he got quick treatment. followed by a two hour drive to Children's Mercy where he spent the night. He has recovered fully. He either spooked it when walking by or stepped on it. A few years ago, I heard a strange noise and found a bullfrog fighting for its life with a copperhead. The snake won that fight. I have also seen large timber rattlers in the area. With snakes its just best if you "Don't muck with them", as Steve Irwin would say.

[Oldragbaggers]

The likelihood of me ever pursuing a snake anywhere for any reason are absolutely nil since I am scared to death of them. I give them a very wide berth and pray they do the same for me.

[Mary C]

That is interesting about the school, I have been very lucky my dog is part carien terrier and likes to hunt rats (squirrels). I have seen him walk around and give a big birth to a recently shed snake skin. He smelled it from a foot or two away and backed up giving it 6 feet of room, I have had him do that in other areas on my farm but never knew why till he did it and I saw the snake skin. He completely surprised me. what was great was he was on the leash and pulled me away from it.

Mary C.

[PKCSPT]

This goes t show dogs are smarter than humans sometimes

[jstrubberg]

Just...dumb.

Also unfortunate. A copperhead bite will normally make a human pretty sick. To have someone die of such a bite, even a small child, is very unusual.

48Rob, I'd say "better to leave snakes alone" period, stop, end of sentence. If they aren't crawling into your home, there's no reason to take a chance. You won't find out you react badly to venom until it's far too late.

[Malamute]

Too bad about the guy, both making a bad decision messing with the snake, and being allergic to it. I wonder if he was allergic to bees and had an epipen around? It may have saved his life.

Many dogs are curious about snakes, they are just something small and moving. I had one dog get bit in the face once, I think the snake was in a firewood pile, and she never saw what it was that bit her. She was curious about snakes after that when we'd see one or I killed one. she was an extremely intelligent dog also, she just didn't know snakes were bad news.

I trained my current dog to avoid snakes. I saw a bull snake out by the road near home and took her for a walk near it. I put her training collar on first. When she saw it and went up to it, I buzzed her with the collar. She yipped and jumped back about 10 feet, then barked at it and wouldn't come close. Every time a bull snake comes around, she barks the same way and wont get near it. No rattlesankes around the current place so far. One other place I lived had them around fairly often.

I've lived a round snakes for a long time. After the dog was bit in the face, and all the ones I found around the place, I don't take prisoners. Rattlesnakes get shot right away if they are around home or camp. I had one IN the house once, two under the front porch steps that I discovered in the dark when I stepped on the steps, one I stepped over walking into the garage, several around the yard, several in the road by the house, and several on the hill behind the house. .44 birdshot loads are hard on the floor, but I have no regrets with any snake I've dispatched.

If one kills a snake, ALWAYS cut the head off and bury it immediately. They can still bite up to an hour or more after "dead", even with their head cut off, it can still bite if messed with. I stand on the head and cut it off, dig a hole with my knife and bury it. I can resharpen my knife, I don't want any more vet bills for a dog that got bit. Just touching the body can cause the "dead" snake to strike at whatever touched it. I've had headless bodies do it also. Very creepy.

[Redneck Teepee]

I used to hunt Quail on the San Carlos Reservation in Arizona every year, we always went the week of Thanksgiving and never saw a rattle snake, someone in the group decided that we needed to go in October when the season opened. Big mistake...we killed more snakes than quail (exaggeration)that year, needless to say we went the week of Thanksgiving the following year and every year after. When your moving at a very fast pace and wading thru the brush and cactus you can very easily step on or get too close to one if they are still out for the year. It's not the ones you see, it's the one's you do not see.

[eaglesdare]

Too bad about the guy, both making a bad decision messing with the snake, and being allergic to it. I wonder if he was allergic to bees and had an epipen around? It may have saved his life.

Many dogs are curious about snakes, they are just something small and moving. I had one dog get bit in the face once, I think the snake was in a firewood pile, and she never saw what it was that bit her. She was curious about snakes after that when we'd see one or I killed one. she was an extremely intelligent dog also, she just didn't know snakes were bad news.

I trained my current dog to avoid snakes. I saw a bull snake out by the road near home and took her for a walk near it. I put her training collar on first. When she saw it and went up to it, I buzzed her with the collar. She yipped and jumped back about 10 feet, then barked at it and wouldn't come close. Every time a bull snake comes around, she barks the same way and wont get near it. No rattlesankes around the current place so far. One other place I lived had them around fairly often.

I've lived a round snakes for a long time. After the dog was bit in the face, and all the ones I found around the place, I don't take prisoners. Rattlesnakes get shot right away if they are around home or camp. I had one IN the house once, two under the front porch steps that I discovered in the dark when I stepped on the steps, one I stepped over walking into the garage, several around the yard, several in the road by the house, and several on the hill behind the house. .44 birdshot loads are hard on the floor, but I have no regrets with any snake I've dispatched.

If one kills a snake, ALWAYS cut the head off and bury it immediately. They can still bite up to an hour or more after "dead", even with their head cut off, it can still bite if messed with. I stand on the head and cut it off, dig a hole with my knife and bury it. I can resharpen my knife, I don't want any more vet bills for a dog that got bit. Just touching the body can cause the "dead" snake to strike at whatever touched it. I've had headless bodies do it also. Very creepy.

I am sorry, but with all those snake encounters I would have to move.

[Malamute]

I did move, but not far.

The funny thing, I'd see several a year, then maybe not see any for a year or two. After that two year spell, I shot 3 in 2 days.

My next place I think I only shot 2 in 2 years. My current place, I haven't seen any in 9 years, only bull snakes. I have no problem with bull snakes being around other than riling up the dog when she sees them. None of those places are very far from each other, but where rattlesnakes show up (or not) seems very localized.