Minus 1 of 9 lives

j-dogg · Apr 27, 2011

Wildlife photographers BEWARE. I missed this little guy here by about a foot while dangling 3 bodies and two 1000-dollar lenses from my neck, a Pelican full of Minolta lenses in one hand and a tripod in the other. Had he got me I would have been ****ed, there is no cell reception in this area for 20 miles and no hospitals for 50. I would have made it maybe half that distance in my car.

For those of you who aren't familiar with your poisonous snakes, this is an Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. You're pretty much ****ed if you get bit by one of these and you're not near a hospital. He didn't rattle at me but he was definitely checking me out. I could have gotten a closer shot but no shot is worth your life, and I got a 5D with a 70-200 L and a crop tool in Lightroom lol. I should be dead right now. But I'm not, I'm just glad to be able to post this.

Today's encounter should have me down to about 4 lives left. :thumbup:

KevinPutman · Apr 27, 2011

If I were to find your body,

I definitely would have taken your gear and ran off =D

j-dogg · Apr 27, 2011

you can have everything but my nikkor 105 f2.5 I'm taking that ***** to my grave lol

KevinPutman · Apr 27, 2011

Should I PM you my address?

molested_cow · Apr 27, 2011

I was riding mt bike along one of the levees near the glades and rode by a pretty good size snake. I didn't know exactly what it was, but it was all coiled up and ready to attack by the time I looked back. Was it a close call? Definitely close enough!
Consider yourself lucky! Not only did you made it out alive, you got a good look at this little guy.

LittleMike · Apr 28, 2011

I've had a Western Diamondback strike at one of the front tires on my ATV while I was creeping along a rocky trail before. Definately gets your adrenaline going!

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Apr 28, 2011

Order some turtleskin chaps. Snake proof (and briar proof) Many times rattlers do not rattle. Its a false assumption everyone makes nowadays. Some speculate that the ones who have learned to be quiet around predators are the ones surviving and reproducing because humans have a tendency to kill them as opposed to leave them be. Its a problem with the Diamondbacks near me. We also have Mojave rattlers which are the most deadly (well there are technically two versions of the venom so maybe you luck out and get bit by the only slightly deadly version ) but they are far less common than the Dbacks.

Super Simple · Apr 28, 2011

KevinPutman said:
If I were to find your body,

I definitely would have taken your gear and ran off =D

Hahahaha~! Nice~!

flyin-lowe · Apr 29, 2011

Ive also seen on TV that some rattles cause stampedes of cattle, etc causing the snake to be trampled. Either way there is a lot of documentation that they don't always rattle.

KatieOkieDokie · Apr 29, 2011

Wow! You're one lucky ducky!

Trever1t · Apr 29, 2011

I'd suggest you carry a snake kit or at least a sharp knife when out alone. Eastern rattlers can be but are rarely deadly. My mom used to get'em with a .22lr and cook'em up for dinner. Yummy

Sonoma · Apr 29, 2011

Trever1t said:
I'd suggest you carry a snake kit or at least a sharp knife when out alone. Eastern rattlers can be but are rarely deadly. My mom used to get'em with a .22lr and cook'em up for dinner. Yummy

I had always heard that the snake bite kits were not that effective. My dad said he tried rattlesnake, and said it was OK. Tastes like chicken!! :lol:

Deadly Dilemma: Do Snake-Bite Kits Help? - WSJ.com

Nice pic, by the way!

Trever1t · Apr 29, 2011

more effective in the field than doing nothing. Been around plenty of poisonous snakes, never been bitten

GooniesNeverSayDie11 · Apr 29, 2011

The kits can buy you some time if its your only option. The biggest thing is keeping your heart rate normal. They say that using the kits sometimes keeps people calm because it keeps their focus.