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You Better Be Careful!


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We were doing a few caches this afternoon and was going after a bonus one in this business park area. It was a beautiful place. Pond, water fountains, geese, landscaped area, timber rattlesnake....what?! Yep we came across what appeared to be 9and we are no experts by any means) about a 3-4 ft Timber Rattlesnake. I came within about 9ft of it and didn't see it until later. We stopped our search for the bonus cache right there and left. When I got home I looked at the clue to see if we were in the right area and we were dead on the area. The snake was located apparently where you had to go to find the cache. So beware when looking around for those caches and especially before reaching to get one.

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I feel really lucky now that I didn't encounter one on the hike up Mount Riante in Arkansas a couple of weeks ago!

 

When the host family told me they were native to the area, I seriously laid in bed the night before I did the climb, and thought about whether or not I wanted to do it because of those snakes. But then I thought, "People who LIVE in Arkansas do geocaching, and it doesn't stop THEM," so I never gave it another thought. I just was vigilant. LOL.

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On the serious side, would you have been prepared, Woodsters, if a snake bite had occurred? Recently, another thread stated that most snake bite kits on sale to the public that used suction didn't work as advertised. The only solution appeared to be an immediate trip to the emergency room for professional treatment.

 

As I often cache by myself, I've wondered what I would do in this type of situation. I don't think my regular first-aid kit of bandages, gauze, and aspirin would be a big help. The snakes I've run into while caching have been harmless, but I have seen warnings posted at cache sites that venomous types exist in the KY area.

 

edited for spelling <_<

Edited by Teach2Learn
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Wish we had the camera with us. I looked in the area several times and never did see him and then went down to within about 9 ft or may 8 of him. Never saw or heard him. Was looking for the cache, didn't see it and came back up (on a foot bridge) looking around and readjusting to make sure the gps was not acting up. I then looked down again and there he was. I looked right at him. He was like the one in the picture about but a little darker on the brown, but not by much.

 

We were not prepared for this. We (wife and I) talked about it later. Ihad the cell phone in my pocket amd she would of never come down into the area where the snake was especially with our 2 yr old daughter with us. It was in an area(business area with nicely professionally landscaped area) that you would not even expect it or at least it wouldn't be on your mind. I emailed the owner of the cache and let them know and they posted a warning on the cache page. People found it this weekend, but with no mention of the snake.

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On the serious side, would you have been prepared, Woodsters, if a snake bite had occurred? Recently, another thread stated that most snake bite kits on sale to the public that used suction didn't work as advertised. The only solution appeared to be an immediate trip to the emergency room for professional treatment.

 

As I often cache by myself, I've wondered what I would do in this type of situation. I don't think my regular first-aid kit of bandages, gauze, and aspirin would be a big help. The snakes I've run into while caching have been harmless, but I have seen warnings posted at cache sites that venomous types exist in the KY area.

 

edited for spelling :mad:

Don't even bother with snake-bite kits. They just aren't worth the effort. Quick, professional medical treatment is the way to go.

 

Oh, and since you mentioned that you carry it, NEVER take aspirin if you are bitten by a poisonous snake!!!! Aspirin is a blood thinner, and will actually make the spread of venom throughout the body occur faster.

 

Same thing if you get a bad cut, don't take aspirin prior to seeking medical attention. Again, it's a blood thinner, and will actually make the bleeding worse.

 

On a not-so-serious note, two things I learned early in my paramedic career:

 

1. Never, ever, use a tourniquet to stop a nose-bleed!

2. All bleeding stops eventually whether you do anything about it or not.

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There are timber rattlers here in East Texas as well, but what you really have to look out for are the Copperheads. You won't hear them at all, unlike a rattler that may warn you with its rattles before striking, or it may not.

 

Don't try to be like the Crocodile Hunter either, just let the snake be and give it plenty of room. Most of the time they are just as scared of you as you are of it.

 

Cache on.

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hey dampeople - look at his photo - and read what it says under it -

 

I click on the name and look at the profile - many of us are private and don't put a city - but he has it out in public for even you to see - :mad:

 

:D

yeah, but there are lots of caches in and around Charlotte! I'm just North of Raleigh, and who knows, I might just make a trip down that way, I surely don't want to see a snake :huh:

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There are timber rattlers here in East Texas as well, but what you really have to look out for are the Copperheads. You won't hear them at all, unlike a rattler that may warn you with its rattles before striking, or it may not.

 

Don't try to be like the Crocodile Hunter either, just let the snake be and give it plenty of room. Most of the time they are just as scared of you as you are of it.

 

Cache on.

East Texas? Does that mean they could be in Arkansas, too? I didn't see any of those, either. :mad:

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by watching venom e.r. on tv i learned alot of interesting things about rattle snakes, they also tell evryone on that show that the best thing to do if you are bitten by one is to seek immediate medical attention......i like the episode with the little girl that had the doctors stumped, turned out she told everyone she was bitten by a snake but in reality she was only scratched when she fell down, it looked like a bite but wasn't......they couldn't figure out why she wasn't having any symptoms of a bite.......

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We were doing a few caches this afternoon and was going after a bonus one in this business park area. It was a beautiful place. Pond, water fountains, geese, landscaped area, timber rattlesnake....what?! Yep we came across what appeared to be 9and we are no experts by any means) about a 3-4 ft Timber Rattlesnake. I came within about 9ft of it and didn't see it until later. We stopped our search for the bonus cache right there and left. When I got home I looked at the clue to see if we were in the right area and we were dead on the area. The snake was located apparently where you had to go to find the cache. So beware when looking around for those caches and especially before reaching to get one.

 

Sounds like it was a very big surprise to you to run into that snake. All i can say is that its good that you dont cache down here, as we run into snakes all the time. Granted, not very many rattlesnakes, but there have been a number of copperheads and mocassins spotted in our travels. Thankfully most of our encounters are with the non-poisonous varieties!!! :mad:

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You know, it would be cool to kill it and keep the rattlers.......... do they die easily?

 

Aaawwwww, that poor little guy wouldnt even see what was coming. :huh: Seriously, your chances of being confronted in a bad way by another person are probably alot greater than being bit by a snake. I'd rather have a snake keep me company than some of the people i have met in this world! Check out the green mamba below found guarding Debt Ratio, wait, maybe its just a grass snake!!! :mad: Another thing, you can certainly see that the little fellow is alot cuter than the cacher too :D

 

423e1581-970f-4fb7-a57d-17fc96a62216.jpg

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Well, I didn't know that, not living in an area where rattlers are........

 

and like I'm really likely to encounter one and slay it.

 

Don't be so sure. The ones I've run into were not in the shaded area on this map.

 

fstirama.gif

 

Here's its range in Ohio and note the little yellow area near the top. The Timber Rattlesnake is indeed listed as endangered in Ohio.

 

TimberRt.jpg

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I'm in that county that is three down from the top, on the west border of the state. I've lived here all of my nearly 47 years, and I've never heard of a rattler here. Water moccasins and garter snakes, plenty, but no rattlers. It used to be a swamp here.

 

In the southern part of the state, where there are plenty of hills, yeah, that doesn't surprise me.

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Don't even bother with snake-bite kits. They just aren't worth the effort. Quick, professional medical treatment is the way to go.

 

I agree with what Sparky says, and not just cuz you'd get me if you dialed 911. Well you wouldn't anyways because I'm not in the timber rattler area .

 

P.S. On a different note, Sparky I love your home page!

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Yeah it would of been an education of her seeking me medical treatment. I was nearly on top of the snake earlier and didn't even see it. When I called her over to see it after I did, it was her idea to leave. I don't like snakes either and so I was obliged to leave.

 

Education: yeah I wish I had a gun to shoot it. Or better yet, education on how to aim better. or perhaps an education on proper cooking a snake.....education...geez.

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Snakes!!!!!!! :D Rattlesnakes!!!!!!! :D one that bite and stuff!!!!!!!!! :D

 

Somethimes I am so glad I cache in the UK :D The worst we have to deal with snake wise is the occasional Adder, about as poisenous as a wasp sting. But then you get big scary wasps as well :ph34r: and spiders and scorpions and lizards and...and...HOW DO YOU DO IT!!!!!! You're all obviously stark raving mad :D:D:D

 

Danegar

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