Results 1 to 14 of 14
Thread: Rattlesnake Bite.
-
05-16-2013, 02:09 PM #1
Rattlesnake Bite.
Just talked to a friend (ER Doc at DRMC) who had treated a gentleman who was bitten on the leg yesterday as he was walking the Riverside Walk in Zion. He had stepped off the paved path just a short distance and felt what he thought was a stick poking him. Turns out that the bite was very serious. Most of his leg was very swollen all the way from ankle to thigh and EXCRUCIATING pain! Yep.....snakes are out now!
-
05-16-2013 02:09 PM # ADS
-
05-16-2013, 04:00 PM #2
Snakes have been out for 2 weeks in my neck-of-the-woods. Last weekend, I ran over 5 rattlers 4wheeling (ATV), then last Sunday while walking the neighborhood park, we had yet another snake sunning itself on the path.
2020 Jeep Gladiator (2" Lift, 37" Tires, Falcon 3.3 Shocks, Lockers, Sliders)
2018 Polaris Sportsman XP 1000 (Hunter Edition)
2014 Polaris Sportsman XP 850 HO EFI EPS (Browning Edition)
2009 Dodge Ram 3500 Mega Laramie/Resistol DRW (~800HP/1400TQ)
Yukon Charlies 930 Trail Series Snow Shoes
5.11 Tactical Coyote Boots
The random world and adventures of BruteForce
-
05-16-2013, 09:20 PM #3
- Join Date
- Oct 2005
- Location
- Just a few miles from Zion National Park
- Posts
- 8,456
I was walking along that path with my kids once when they were little. There was a GIANT rattler under a bench. The tourists were standing around taking pictures of it. A ranger came and removed it before we returned. I have not seen many in the main section of Zion, but the Kolob Canyons trails, they are all over the place. The kids and I spotted at least 5 one day on the Tayler Creek hike.
-
05-17-2013, 11:31 PM #4
Jeepers, Bo! I hiked The Narrows yesterday and didn't hear about that until now. Maybe word needs to get out a little better to warn folks. I'm curious just where this happened; the Riverwalk is still under repair from the November rock fall and they've got a termporary route around it for about 300 yards that's in a grassy area.
Meanwhile, here's a guy I ran into on my way back from my south rim hike in Parunuweap...anyone know what kind he is?
-
05-18-2013, 05:50 AM #5
No fun. I'll be keeping an eye out for rattlers!
-
05-18-2013, 07:54 AM #6
I believe the Great Basin Rattlesnake is the only rattlesnake found in Zion. Of course you were just out of Zion, but... It's now recognized as a subspecies of the Western Rattlesnake. A bit further east in Utah you might find the Faded Midget but not in Zion. For an amateur (i.e., you're not going to pick up the snake to look at its anal scales) the darkness of the cheek stripe is a good indicator. But these snakes do have rather variable coloration.
-
05-18-2013, 10:50 AM #7
There's no rattle on that snake pictured above --- in fact, I ran into one looking identical to it last week in Moab. The markings look similar, and it was very docile. Didn't coil up or lash out...just snaking along, minding it's own business... Searching for images online yielded the most similar match to be a harmless Gopher snake.
The Sonoran Gopher Snake...(obviously not the Sonoran variety, but there are about 8 different varieties of Gophers - all with similar markings) from Bing images:
It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.
-
05-19-2013, 09:37 PM #8
Gopher snake indeed. We ran into this one a year ago this past weekend in Subway near the ascent.
-
Post Thanks / Like - 1 LikesGlenn liked this post
-
05-20-2013, 05:45 AM #9
Thanks and good eyes! I didn't even take a close look at the snake but wasn't sure there was a rattle, just assumed the OP had gotten a better look.
-
05-20-2013, 03:31 PM #10
Thanks, all! I think it is a Great Basin Gopher Snake. He was about 30" long and very docile. The only problem I had with him was that he was blocking my way up! But he did let me shoot photos and movies, which was cool.
bigred...was he that big or is there a little perspective illusion going on there?
-
Post Thanks / Like - 1 Likesrockgremlin liked this post
-
05-20-2013, 07:45 PM #11
He was well over six feet long. That's a friend in the pic who is around 5'8" and I'm 6'3" and the snake was longer than me. I have video of it as well which gives a greater perspective. He was just going about his business on the trail and we almost stepped on him trying to make it up and out.
-
05-21-2013, 02:24 AM #12
Gopher Snakes can get really long -- not too thick, but definitely one of the longer snakes in our neck of the woods. The one I saw in Moab was pushing 5 feet, and he snaked between my legs without a hiss nor a coil. If I wasn't so chicken I would have attempted to pick him up, as he was in no hurry, and he struck me as the most docile snake I've ever seen in the wild.
It's only "science" if it supports the narrative.
-
05-23-2013, 08:47 AM #13
-
05-23-2013, 09:14 AM #14
ya i've pulled a cpuple out of pot holes and packed them into the sun. I like to be a superhero to them. I'm no expert but from handling them they're pretty docile. Unless you step on one i'd assume
-
Post Thanks / Like - 1 LikesGlenn liked this post
Similar Threads
-
Dolphin Bite at Sea World
By Sombeech in forum General DiscussionReplies: 4Last Post: 12-04-2012, 04:04 PM -
Don
By accadacca in forum General DiscussionReplies: 0Last Post: 03-06-2012, 08:35 AM -
Rattlesnake Bite
By Iceaxe in forum Hiking, Scrambling & Peak BaggingReplies: 38Last Post: 02-09-2011, 08:10 AM -
Hey, Wolf, you want a bite of my sandwich?
By accadacca in forum Hunting & ShootingReplies: 2Last Post: 02-01-2011, 09:38 PM -
Hollywood Snake Bite Remedy
By moabfool in forum General DiscussionReplies: 3Last Post: 10-05-2006, 10:44 AM