Golf is what you do when you can’t hunt or fish. Some manage to lead a balanced life by golfing once a week and hunting or fishing the rest of the time.

The worst snakebite I ever witnessed was in 52 degrees on a cloudy day. A 6' diamondback hit our dog handler right above the ankle. He was wearing a pair of Vietnam era canvas top army boots, heavy wool socks, levis, and a pair of heavy canvas fronted thorn chaps, but the shake hit the thin canvas on the back side of the chaps. It had been very cold for South Texas for about a week, and the snake was curled up at the edge of a prickly pear. We are pretty sure Brian stepped on the snake itself...but no way to be sure. I have been "hit" four times in my hunting career, but a die hard practice of wearing snake boots when upland hunting in all but freezing weather, have saved my bacon each time. There are purpose built snake chaps and gaiters made by Turtleskin and Rattlers that are excellent as well, and do a good job turning thorns and cactus as well. I wear Turtleskin chaps AND snake boots when hunting coastal Saltgrass prairie down this way, as rattlers have an irritating habit of getting on the 20" high Gulf Cord Grass, or locally known as Sacahuista, clumps to sun themselves on a nice day. This practice puts the darn snake at a very unfortunate height! Snakes are an unfortunate, but ubiquitous condition here in deep South Texas! The result is for most of us down here, that snake protection is necessary and vital. I will also say that it certainly enters deeply into the decision of which days I will hunt with my dogs, even though they have all been snake trained, and receive Crotalus Atox Toxoid vaccine. I am fortunate to have never lost a dog to snakebite, but have nursed 4 dogs, 6 times, through the process.

Growing up in Conn it was all about grouse and woodcock. Great memories for sure. This print by Ripley hanging in my den is so spot on it could have been done in my favorite covert. These days living in the Midwest, my boys and I hunt preserve pheasants. And they are equally great memories, maybe better. Anytime you're able to enjoy a fall day carrying a shotgun with friends or family and a dog chasing birds is cause for celebration.

Sorry about that...

Both my dogs have been vaccinated against rattlesnake toxin. FYI it is a two step process. A primary is followed by a booster 30 days later then they get an annual booster. It is said that there can be an adverse reaction but I haven’t seen any.

My local vet had no experience with it but she got a box of ten vials from the university vet school which I paid $125 for the whole box. She keeps the box refrigerated and vaccinates the dogs without further cost when they need the shots . This is a lot less expensive than having a dog bit then rushing the dog to the vet and then all the steroids or whatever they do to combat the toxin . Plus you get some peace of mind.

Bruce, with one exception, a one fang bite in Hobbs nose a couple of years ago, we have still needed antivenin to treat our snakebites dogs, that WERE VACCINATED. Both of those were bad bites though, one in the meaty part of the neck of a setter, and the other in the gut of a Vizsla. Now, in my past experiences with other dogs, and prior to the vaccine, I am certain that both of my dogs would have died before we got them to the vet without the vaccine.

It’s a labor of love though, as antivenin doses Here runs around $800 a vial. The belly bitten dog took 3 vials. Yeas and yeas ago, my big Setter Rambo, took 5 vials, and two weeks of iv’s to get out of the woods! He was lucky enough to be bitten twice, one bad rattler bite, and a copperhead that bit him on the face several times as he brought the snake to me on an east Texas woodcock hunt. Rambo was not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but was still a hell of a quail finder!

You fellas have had way more run ins with those snakes with much worse trouble than me. I am starting to feel a lot more lucky and fortunate than I did before. It takes a big snake to produce enough venom to kill a dog. 4 to 6 foot rattler will do it, that is a lot of toxin. Understand some bites can be dry bites but would not like to roll the dice to find out. That would be like taking the pellets out of shotgun shell and getting hit with the only the wad, but you don't know if its got pellets or not.

Once saw a huge owl sitting on a branch of a big live oak. It was middle of afternoon and limb was no more than 15 feet off the ground. It was just sitting there but only had a profile from right side. Looked in his talons and it was holding a snake with its head sort of chewed off, thought it might of just been a water snake. Walked around to other side and its left eye was so swollen it looked like it was about pop out. Looked almost like a bull frogs eye. He was definitely holding a water snake on closer examination and it was a water moccasin. That must have been a mean old hungry owl to pick up a cottonmouth and eat its head off as its getting struck by the snake. I don't know if that bird lived or not but it if it did it at least probably lost its eye.

Your right if you spend time in the field in some parts of the country, you better have some snake protection. The only recent death i have heard caused by a rattle snake bite happened last year here in Georgia when a guy was deer hunting. Seems he was sitting at base of tree and got bit on the arm. It was not a big snake but seems he had a heart attack. Don't know if it was caused by the venom/toxin or guy just freaked out.

IMHO golf just like bowling and shooting pool is just an EXCUSE to drink BEER :rotf:

Hey Charlie - your ice cream's melting..... Hang Up and Eat!





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True. But I don't limit myself to just those excuses drink a cold one. This fall was a total solar eclipse, that was another great excuse to drink a beer as well.