Arizona Rattlesnakes are Active Now

[TucsonJim]

This fellow RV'er got bit on the arm when he went to investigate a "strange" noise under his RV. We've had some unusually warm temperatures in Southern Arizona so far this winter, so be careful when you're out and about. Living in Tucson, I've had many close calls, but I've been lucky to avoid a bite.

At the end of the story, a doctor gives some great advice on what to do and what not to do if you're bitten. An no, running in circles screaming bloody murder won't help.

Snake Bite Story

Jim

[Tom_Barb]

My Sister rolled over a bail of hay, and one stuck his head and about 8-10" of himself out of the bail, he was pretty mad because the bailer had chopped him into three pieces, and he was mad enough to bite any thing with in reach.

Biggest one I've ever seen was caught in a rattler round up, well over 6' & 18 buttons

[Community Alumni]

My story and a warning.

Had a rattler in the wood pile it sounded like he was way in the back deep under there. Having been a round these guys stepping over them, moving them and sadly at times having to get rid of them I decided to take a look. To my surprise and shock as I looked under the pile expecting to see this guy on the other side away from me, heck you could barley hear him rattle so for sure he was in there deep, but that was not the case as I looked him right in his face about two feet away. I was very lucky he did not strike because this guy was big and ugly, and now I am very confused why he sounded so far away with a very muffled rattle. Well this one had been injured and his rattle was damaged causing him to have a quite rattle making it sound like he was further away. I kinda felt bad but I did dispatch him as I was afraid he would not be heard when he rattled. Just a guess but he should of had about 14 to 16 rattles.

JimR

[Tom_Barb]

When I was in my early teens I was bitten by the timber rattlers 3 times in 18 months. In NY state no less.

[BruceMc]

Lady Fitzgerald wrote:

BruceMc wrote:
We encountered a junior prairie rattler in South Dakota in the roadway in an RV park. My wife and I were walking down the road heading for the motorhome; I was staring at the moon as it was just setting dark. She mentioned there was something in the road just ahead of me. Yep, a rattler! I had her go down & fetch my brother & his GF from their unit. The little rattler was defending his spot, for sure. Eventually I found a 3' long stick to herd the little fella off the road and back into the brush.
No, I didn't try to pick it up.

...
Be careful out there!

Using a 3' stick wasn't the brightest move. Rattlers can easily strike from 6' away.

I suggest you do a little research before making that kind of claim.

From both experience and researching several sources, this is the general rule:

This distance from which a rattlesnake can deliver a strike depends on several conditions. These include the size of the snake, position of the snake, body temperature, the species and the degree of excitement.

Estimates of distance a snake can strike from the coiled position are some one-third to three-quarters of the length of the snake. One source says rattlers will seldom strike more than half of their body length and almost never beyond three quarters.

It is best not to risk your snake length-estimating ability and give any rattler a wide berth.

[Happy_Prospecto]

I like rattlesnakes, especially if they are BBQ'ed with some Doug's Special Seasoning rubbed on the meat.

Besides what could possibly go wrong?


The information is out there, all you have to do is let it in.

[LJAZ]

Moderator wrote:

As a rule of thumb, rattlesnakes can, at best, strike a distance of two-thirds their total body length. For example, a three foot long snake may be able to strike a distance of two feet. Always keep a safe distance from any snake.

+1. And they won't chase you. If you disturb them it might cause them to move and they might just move toward you, but they aren't chasing you.

They are ambush hunters so they hide and wait for their prey to come to them. When hidden they can be really, really hard to see. Best bet is to be careful where you step and don't stick your hands into places you can't see.

[aguablanco]

Actually, rattlers can only strike about ~2/3 of their body length max and realistically more like 1/3. No offense, but do we really want to believe that a 3' snake can throw itself 6' to strike? While one can't take any chances, a fair number of strikes are dry, meaning they do not envenomate and are merely trying to tell you to get away from them. Seems a lot of bites actually happen to males between the ages of 18-34. Who would have figured? LOL I have encountered rattlers on a number of occasions and have never felt in danger. I do, however, have a very healthy respect for them.
RichH

[TucsonJim]

I was walking in the Sabino Canyon area of Tucson last year when two people started running up the road and screaming "RATTLESNAKE". They said they were from France and had heard that American rattlesnakes will chase you to bite you! Once I explained that they won't jump or chase you, they calmed down and we had a good laugh.

[3oaks]

Moderator wrote:

As a rule of thumb, rattlesnakes can, at best, strike a distance of two-thirds their total body length. For example, a three foot long snake may be able to strike a distance of two feet. Always keep a safe distance from any snake.

Exactly! I see I am not the only person who picked up on an erroneous comment.

Unfortunately surprising and close encounters with venomous snakes are not always preventable. :E

[2lazy4U]

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4931459&page=1

The victim experiences extreme pain at the location of the bite, nausea, sometimes diarrhea. Then the mouth and throat swell, making it difficult to breath. The victim gets lightheaded, collapses and goes into shock -- all within minutes of the strike.

The potentially deadly symptoms used to be fairly rare, but toxicologists in Arizona, Colorado and California say they're seeing some or all of them more than ever, and that they could be contributing to an increase in fatal rattlesnake bites in Arizona.

...

In each state, the snakes responsible for the bites have been different. It's the Southern Pacific Rattlesnake in California, the prairie rattlesnake in Colorado and the Mojave in Arizona.

In letters last week, Arizona authorities notified hundreds of physicians and emergency rooms of the extreme symptoms, which can be mistaken for other ailments and delay the injection of antivenin. Colorado and California authorities say they're taking a wait-and-see approach to the situation.

[Moderator]

As a rule of thumb, rattlesnakes can, at best, strike a distance of two-thirds their total body length. For example, a three foot long snake may be able to strike a distance of two feet. Always keep a safe distance from any snake.

[Lady_Fitzgerald]

BruceMc wrote:
We encountered a junior prairie rattler in South Dakota in the roadway in an RV park. My wife and I were walking down the road heading for the motorhome; I was staring at the moon as it was just setting dark. She mentioned there was something in the road just ahead of me. Yep, a rattler! I had her go down & fetch my brother & his GF from their unit. The little rattler was defending his spot, for sure. Eventually I found a 3' long stick to herd the little fella off the road and back into the brush.
No, I didn't try to pick it up.



That was my second encounter with a rattler. The first was in Washington in the eastern side of the gorge - it wouldn't strike or rattle - it was just going somewhere. Again, I was prompting it with a longer stick. No reaction, other than to go where it was going.

Be careful out there!

Using a 3' stick wasn't the brightest move. Rattlers can easily strike from 6' away.

[W4RLR]

The wife and I had just moved into our new to us sticks and bricks. We were moving stuff out of the fiver and into the house when my son told me to stop and don't move. He saw the timber rattlesnake I was about to step on and I didn't. With a LONG stick he picked it up and took it to the lot next to our property, then let it go. Could have been bad. The next summer I was weeding the front garden and wearing gloves when I surprised a copperhead. He didn't appreciate being disturbed, but again a long stick got him moving off the property. I've lived on this Tennessee mountain for four years, and I have seen three snakes. They don't like the vibrations from the bush hog, one felt it and crawled out of the way. I don't try to kill them, they have a place in the ecosystem ridding my area of rats and mice. So long as they stay away from the house, they can have the run of the rest of my five acres.

[BruceMc]

We encountered a junior prairie rattler in South Dakota in the roadway in an RV park. My wife and I were walking down the road heading for the motorhome; I was staring at the moon as it was just setting dark. She mentioned there was something in the road just ahead of me. Yep, a rattler! I had her go down & fetch my brother & his GF from their unit. The little rattler was defending his spot, for sure. Eventually I found a 3' long stick to herd the little fella off the road and back into the brush.
No, I didn't try to pick it up.



That was my second encounter with a rattler. The first was in Washington in the eastern side of the gorge - it wouldn't strike or rattle - it was just going somewhere. Again, I was prompting it with a longer stick. No reaction, other than to go where it was going.

Be careful out there!