Snake Bite

[wello]

Killing any snake spotted in the bush used to be standard practice apparantly. Reading Kieth Lancaster's accounts of his walks over the years there are frequent references to "dispatching a snake". He even ate one once when they were short of food.

Wello

[Area54]

Just yesterday I was out for a mountain bike ride with some friends, and between us we had 3 encounters with snakes. Two of them were fairly harmless, with the snake disappearing off the track well before anyone got close. The other was more of a concern, though, our lead rider had a snake strike at him as he rode past. From his description, he was moving fairly fast and didn't see the snake until the last minute, so we're assuming that the snake struck simply because it didn't have time to get away. Fortunately he wasn't bitten, but it did have us looking rather more carefully where we rode.

Up here there we've had snakes lunge at us too, one time we had one get caught in a mates rear wheel, he stopped fairly quickly to find the snake had wrapped itself around the hub and spokes. Snake was in good condition, no damage, so we took our pics and had a bite to eat while the snake extricated itself and went on its way.

[jerreldulay]

Wow, what a lengthy and supportive topic.

I am going to offer the cheesy (yum!) an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
The use of walking sticks helps alert snakes from a distance that you are approaching, so they will most likely GTFO, and will reduce chances that they'll strike out of surprise, fear, or a feeling of threat.

However, should you become envenomed and you are alone and or days from help, there are few things you can do to extend your chances of survival that are pretty simple.

a) Stay Calm. Everyone will tell you this. Letting emotion and fear take over will cause you to panic and help the venom spread further through your body.
b) Get out of danger. Calmly leave the area where the bite occurred.
c) Protect yourself from the weather. Whether you are in hot climates or cold climates, with the beaming sun or torrential rain, get yourself where you will be protected from extreme temperatures. You may likely loose consciousness, and in that event, you better be protected from wind, heat, and exposure to elements. If the toxin doesn't kill you, the elements just may.
d) If the wound is bleeding or if the bite has hit a major artery, bandage yourself. Don't bandage so tight that you cut off circulation. You should already know to properly deal with a serious bleeding wound before heading into the outdoors anyhow.
e) Drink water, lots of water. The water will help in your struggle to balance out the fluids in your body.
f) Do NOT take anything to thin the blood, smokes, Alcohol, or anything silly. They'll help you to die faster.
g) Employ the Sawyer Extractor : http://cgi.ebay.com/Sawyer-Extractor-Snake-Bite-Kit-First-Aid-Bite-Sting_W0QQitemZ260437999329QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ca3507ee1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12|66%3A2|39%3A1|72%3A1205|293%3A1|294%3A50
The Sawyer Extractor kit is proven to remove a life saving amount of venom. Not all venom will be removed, but enough so to save your life. LEARN how to use it before you need to use it. A suction based removal device should ONLY be used when NO OTHER medical treatment is available. Because the suction device forces the venom to be concentrated to one area (the bite area), there will be tissue damage and you will be left with a scar, but that's a hell of a lot better than getting DEAD, am I right?
h) If you aren't already religious or don't pray, then start.

Good luck!!