View Full Version : Snake encounters.
Just wondering if any of you have had any close calls with any "poison ropes" while hunting? I was crouched down whistling for a fox, when i saw some movement out of the corner of my eye, and a 5 and a half foot brown went right across in front of me at about 3 feet away (without looking at me). He went to my left (while i sat there thinking "I'm a tree, I'm a tree, I'm not here, keep going"), i could have almost dropped an arrow on him. When he was gone, i went to my right pretty quick, let me tell you.
Last time we were out, a mate yelled at another friend to freeze, but he took another step. the first step was beside the tail of a 2 foot brown, the next step was beside the head, and then the snake thought "I've had enough of this" and shot off into the bush. Bloody lucky i reckon.
I don't know if any of you do, but i carry a stretch bandage and rectangular bandage in my bum-bag just in case.
Might be interesting to see what people take hunting with them in their hunting-bag. Subject for another post.
Puk 8)
Had a few close encounters.
I was about 6 hours from my truck one day, just walking along when I heard a wierd noise. You know the sound when something moves really fast through the air. I heard it again shossssss, then I caught movement and shossssss a huge tiger snake was striking at full stretch he was missing my leg by about 1 inch. I tell you it put the wind up me. However the time I've spent in the bush and thats the closest I've come, im not to worried about snakes.
Had plenty of run ins with the more friendly type.
I remember a boar hunting trip with mathew bestwick a few years back. The morning had been pretty productive so around lunch time we laided down near a dam for a rest. I laid my head down on a bit of a branch but soon awoke as I could here some movement. Lifting my head I ask mathew if he could hear animals moving, "nolp". so I laid back down, then the russle of leaves again. Then talk about freak out I feel movement under my head. A red belly black snake was also sleeping in the grass under my branch. He simple just moved off a meter and curled up. I curled back up too and got some shut eye.
I also remember a trip in the early days, I wasn't as relaxed with snakes back then. Roger Charnock and myself were getting eyed off by a big billy in a creek bed. I was super keen to try get the billy and was standing dead still. Anyways this huge red belly black comes straight towards us. But there was no chance I was moving, I remember my eye balls were straining as I wasn't gunna move my head to see the snake but my eyes couldn't get off him. He slid right past both of our feet. I remember there was snakes everywhere that trip. oh and I never got the billy.
Geez Adam,
I don't know how you could sleep with a red-bellied black a metre away. :shock: You must be either very calm, or have been very tired!
Puk 8)
aussiehunter
11-02-06, 12:04 PM
adam,cmon,u really stayed there sleeping with a snake a metre away??/ :shock:
ur a better man than me...man i would have moved quite a bit away :D
i grew up around the cane fields in bundy bloody snake city,red bellies and big browns,,ive had a red belly go across my bare foot,i just stood dead still..we use to go and see the snake man,ran chandler,sorry if spelling is not right??
they best advice they always gave is just be dead still,that removes the threat and the snake will go...
in 2005 red deer hunt on a walk back one early evening on a track i had the same as previous post,heard a strange wooshing sound..here was a black standing up and striking at me,luckily i was out of range..first time i had been struck out..all the way home,i was checking every root and stick as we walked along the track with low powered light..lol.. :D :D
I've picked my share of red bellys up and non have ever tryed to strike, and I beleive theres not much more then a head ache that follows if one does bite. The one I was laying besides was very relaxed, and yes we did stay there.
aussiehunter
11-02-06, 01:00 PM
adam,u da man.... :D ill still prefer to move away...i dont know how bad there bite is?/ dont think i want to find out....up here we have the lot..with the wet we get a lot of what they call black swampies...aggressive buggers,ive had two go at me in the house,well it more like a big shed..sorry if i upset anyone,but they both copped aload of ratshot...
if im out in the bush walking,i would leave any snake alone and walk way,but if they come in the house,,sorry...
they say the swampies will only make u sick too...dont know,dont want to find out..they may have been what killed my dog rusty the other day..i just dont know... :(
i did run over a big tiapan the other day,i didnt see him til to late,but it seemjed ok as he was gone..
back last year while staking in on a mob of pigs i nearly stood on this fella,,im no expert i think its just a big carpet,,if any one knows plz tell...
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c87/aussiehunter1964/IMGA0188.jpg
Not the sort of carpet I'd choose to line my loungeroom floor with! ;) :lol:
Can't tell if it is or not mate, not like any carpet snake pattern I'm familiar with.
aussiehunter
11-02-06, 01:17 PM
it was huge,,it just kept going up the log..i was in bare feet..i just was about to put my foot on him...lol.. :D might be a big brown???someone will know,,cheers pat :D
jindydiver
11-02-06, 01:18 PM
Looks like an Olive Python mate
Hard to tell from the pic though
I have had a few close calls and I am very wary of the bloody things these days.
The funniest time was when I was out fishing the Gudgenby River with my mate Weasel. We were fly fishing in waist deep grass and the going was slow, when all of a sudden he came running past doing this crazy dance. He was trying to run flat out and take his shoe off at the same time, and he was all tangled up in fly line.
A tiger had struck as he was walking looking for fish and had hit the heel of the sole of his shoe and it’s fangs were stuck in the soft foam padded bit of the sole. It was chewing away and trying to get off still when we went back to look. If it had have been his leg we would have been is serious trouble, or at least he would :lol: .
aussiehunter
11-02-06, 01:19 PM
jindy,scary stuff.. :o ..did ya get my email???..cheers pat
Certainly not the man mate, I just like touching things Im not suppose to :wink: I think most of our wild life is pretty unreal in Australia.
Here's a picture of a friendly(python) Graham Cash found while we where red deer hunting.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v388/bowhunting/P1000482.jpg
jindydiver
11-02-06, 01:27 PM
jindy,scary stuff.. :o ..did ya get my email???..cheers pat
You have mail :D
It was scary alright. We laughed a lot on the drive home but Weasel sure knocked back a few when we got there :shock: and his hands weren't very rock steady. I reckon he would have had some ripper nightmares after that lot.
aussiehunter
11-02-06, 01:29 PM
adam thats a great pic..may i say i very sincerely,that no offence was meant..... :D i personally would have moved away,and dont have the relax nature as u do,as i can see u r very comfortable with handling them.. hey i wouldnt run away sreaming :D :D but i wouldnt hav the confindence in picking up them as u do....
just like to make it clear that there was no sarcasm ,disrespect intended...
cheers pat :D :D
its venom is neurotoxic which can cause paralysis, it is also myotoxic & mildly coagulant. it affects muscle tissue & destroys the blood cells, chronic vomiting is most likely & u will have a headache but it won't be a small one
Awesome, now I know why Im so easy around them :wink:
yeah no thanks for that mate, Still not fazed by them, but good to know.
Adam
Non detected mate(offence or sarcasimeriseem).
Cheers Adam
Bowmancam
11-02-06, 01:56 PM
I've had a few good run ins with snakes. Hunting pigs along the finnis river NT could hear bushes rustling right besides me and my mate then i noticed a 2meter taipan (apparently about as big as they get) sliding through the scrub right beside me. He entered the clearing i was standing in then went down a hole about a meter away from me. About this time i notice another hole right beside my foot. Well i decided i wasnt going to stick around to watch him come out under me and took off in a hurry :shock: ..
Last year diving the Yongala wreck of Townsville i was about 22 meters under water and looked down to check my dive computer but couldnt work out what this brownny coloured hose was going from one armpit to the other, until i noticed it was scaley :shock: . Pretty sobering to have a meter and a half of olive sea snake wrapt around your chest. I gently held him and let him slide through my hands. Awesome experience.
I always carry 2 bandages for snakebite whenever i'm out hunting. I call them "life insurance" :wink:
Cheers, Cam
I have a indian with me called tonto, and he sucks the passion out :wink:
I remember this one time I went over into the sticks with my toilet roll and when I squatted a snake bit me on the jewels. I yelled to tonto to go get help. He ran to the nearest town repeating what I had said "get doctor...get doctor...get doctor" he gets to the town but the doctor is busy and can't come to my aid. The doctor says to tonto "he'll be right just get back there and suck the posion out. So tonto comes running back "suck posion.. suck posion..suck posion. As tonto comes running over the hill Im holding my valued jewel. "Where's the doctor tonto" he could make it "well what did he say" he said your a dead man. :wink:
I have a indian with me called tonto, and he sucks the passion out :shock: :shock:
It sound like you have a very good relationship with your Native American friend. You would have to work pretty hard to suck the passion out. (was that a typo or what?).
You have to watch out for those jewel snakes.... :lol:
Puk 8)
Typo is what I'll stick to :wink:
Great thread boys...interesting to see we have a few bundy boys in the mix...well, add another, I spent my teenage years there and my oldies are still there!...
Cane's a great breader for our legless friends...;)
Gotta love the crushing season when they burn them out of the cane and into our homes :twisted:
Luke :D
Can't claim to be a Bundy Boy. I spent my years growing up in a little retirement town down the coast called Hervey Bay. :D It's still there somewhere in the middle of that city that's sprung up there now.
Great place to grow up. Sugar cane and Sand Whiting.
Mind you, i keep the flag flying down here in S.A. with that square bottle.
Someone's got to educate the southerners.
Puk 8)
Don't need to go hunt'n to see 'em around here, moved four tiger snakes from around my yard in the last 6 weeks, last one on Tues about 3 1/2 ft long
Every summer I remove snakes of various types from around peoples houses in the area
Re your black snake Adam, I was bitten on the shin by one about 7 yrs ago, the snake was about 6 ft in length, thought I had walked into a thistle until I looked down
No pain slight headache, the snake & I lived happily ever after, to date anyway :)
Nice job Axe, I suppose your seen a few agry tigers then mate.
Pretty interesting the old reptile.
cheers Adam
Aussie , I agree with Jindy it could be an olive python but it also could be a tiger snake. They come in a range of colors as there is many sub species. Also it could be a range of other snakes aswell i reckon.
Good idea for a thread by the way puk.
I was sitting by a river at oberon and had a black snake with a bit of white near its ears about 2 foot from me just slowly gliding into some grass.Dont know what type it was.
Another time also at oberon at a different river we saw about 20 tiger snakes in a couple of hours and i was running down a hill and my next step would have been to land on a big one.I just kept that foot off the ground and kinda switched feet and landed on the other foot again missing the snake. The snake took off into some bushes immediately.
There was heaps of them
I have a few close calls with the scalies was out hunting one time with the old rifle when I had to answer the call of nature as I was squatting there going about my business a tiger snake decided to crawl across my feet I didnt move or breath thankfully it kept going.I see on the news this week here in SA a bloke died from a brown snake bite he was removing it from the road after it had been run over and bit him twice on the hand.He did not seek medical help for several hours and as result ended up in adelaide on life support unfortunately he did not recover.
Cheers Emu
hey poppy you couldn't do a write up on how to dress a snake bite wound could you. it would be great for the site
Hi Adam when I get a chance (shortly) I'll post some links/sites
which have detailed info on snakebite treatment.
Members can download them and print if they wish.
Cheers Paul.
Thanks Axe!!!
That info could save a life one day...hopefully not ever needed but good to know in case :(
Luke ;)
Luke can we get this type of info in a resource section so its not lost and easily located. I know we had a good one going a while back.
Don't know where th post went, here it is a gain
For those that don't know this should help.
First aid for snake bites
If you are unlucky enough to be bitten, here is what you should and should not do. Assume ALL snakes are venomous, and take the following action:
•Do not panic. Try to remain calm, lie down and immobilise the bitten area.
•Apply a bandage but do not block circulation. Take a broad bandage and bind along the limb starting at the bite area, at the same pressure as for a sprain. Then bandage down the limb and continue back up the entire limb over and above the bite area. This will help prevent the spread of the venom through the body. Do not remove the bandage. It is often easier to go over the top of clothing such as jeans rather than remove clothing. In an emergency, strips of clothing or pantyhose can be used instead of a bandage.
•Immobilise the limb with a splint. Lie down and keep the limb completely still until help arrives. Do not elevate the limb or attempt to walk or run. Movement will encourage the spread of the venom through the body. Obviously if in isolated area or help can’t be contacted, walking may be the only alternative. To avoid this necessity, the carrying of an EPIRB is a positive step
•Do not attempt to catch the snake. All too often, the snake will bite again if an attempt is made to catch it. Identification of the snake species can be obtained through samples of the patient's blood or urine, and from venom around the bite area. If the species of snake still remains uncertain, a poly-antivenene may be used, which is suitable for treatment of all venomous snake bites.
•Do not wash the wound. Venom left on the skin will help doctors identify the snake and administer the appropriate antivenene.
•Do not cut the wound. This will spread the venom into the bloodstream and can cause more serious injuries than the snake bite itself.
Seek medical help. An antivenene may be required
we put it in the new section Axe, sorry we didn't warn you mate, its good to have here too.
Adam
Sorry bout that Axe :oops:
barebow
12-02-06, 02:48 PM
No thanks guys,I try to stay well clear of them.Have had my share of scare with them.
Back in the late 1970's a red belly black got me on the back of my left leg,put me in hospital for a couple of days,vomiting etc,thought my head would explode,don't ever want that happening again.
Couple of years later was helping a farmer get his trucks etc ready for harvesting,got the ACCO out of the shed with the grain bin on it and was taking it for a run down the road when a carpet snake dropped out of the overhead console onto my lap.I just bailed out at about 50 kph and the truck ran into a tree and eventually snuffed itself.I have copped a razzling ever since from him and his kids.
Hi Guy's back again
Axe spot on with the first aid.
But I may add to it If you are lucky enough to be bitten, under no circumstance do you let the doctor or medical tech remove the bandage until they have an antivenin in front of you.
I personally know of a fellow Herpetologist who suffered a bite from a Eastern Brown. The doctor at the hospital thought it would be a idea to first look at the bite area, and as soon as he released the bandage she suffered a massive shock to the heart followed by a touch and go week in a coma. (they bury their mistakes). :shock: She lived to tell the tale.
Cheers Paul
jindydiver
12-02-06, 05:57 PM
And further to what Poppy said about the anti-venom.
Just recently the New Scientist Magazine had an article about the efficacy of the Brown snake antivenin. It often takes up to 10 doses to be effective and there is considerable concern about stocks of it in country hospitals. It reminded me of an incident a few years ago near here. An old fellow was checking something at the farm near Cooma and as he was stepping from his car a brown hit him on the leg. He did his first aid and was raced straight to Cooma hospital. They only had 2 vials of the antivenin and so they gave him both of them and put him on the helicopter to Canberra to continue his treatment there.
He didn’t make it to the hospital alive. :(
outback preditor
12-02-06, 10:52 PM
in these modern times ive felt a little safer but it takes someones dying from a bite to wake you up. a fella in town a month ago was bit by a brown . he was found in his driveway unconcios and then died in hospital.
obviosly he got a good dose, but it goes to show if you get bit in the remoter areas you might be in trouble.
ped.
I posted this earlier but it is also relevant here:
Something to remember.
More people get bitten by Death Adders while rolling up their swags than at any other time. The snakes will get under a swag at night for warmth. Drag your swag to clear ground before you roll it up.
I learnt this bit of useful info from a Tag-a-Long tour guide who has seen too many of these snakes hiding under peoples swags, sometimes up to 3 under the one swag. People will get bitten on the knee as they shuffle forward rolling their swags up.
Cheers, Dave.
Rabbitz
13-02-06, 10:46 AM
Who needs to go hunting to see one... A real "wish I had a camera with me" moment.
Last Friday arvo, up at the range, went out on one of the courses for some practise. Fired a few arrows into a target, put my bow down next to the peg, then went to get my arrows. When I came back to the bow there was a Joe Blake sitting on my bow.
I'm no herpetologist (sp?) so I can't tell you what type, but it must of looked hilarious, here I am throwing small sticks near it to get it to move on. In the end I had to give it a shove with a longer stick.
My hold on the next shot wasnt so steady :)
Rabz
Careful Colin,
A Lot of species of snake eat Rabbitz. :wink:
Puk 8)
Rabbitz
13-02-06, 03:54 PM
Puk
Precisely what I was concerned about...
Rabz
Bowmancam
13-02-06, 08:13 PM
I came back to the bow there was a Joe Blake sitting on my bow.
I'm no herpetologist (sp?) so I can't tell you what type, but it must of looked hilarious, here I am throwing small sticks near it to get it to move on. In the end I had to give it a shove with a longer stick.
Rabz
ROFL Rabz.... Wish i could have been there ;)
Cheers, Cam
barebow
15-02-06, 11:01 AM
Shoo snake,shoo snake..........ROFLMAO
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