Don't Always Shoot the Snake!!

[Jim DiSpagno]

Mark, my sincere condolences to you and your friend and thanks for reminding all that read this post that verbally presenting all the rules prior to a hunt, especially over dogs is essential in preventing accidents. RIP Cookie

[Brett Hoop]

I appreciate the lesson.

[Southpaw]

Mark that is awful. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda is also part of the continuing agony but obviously bad things happen fast that are almost uncontrollable even if all precautions taken. There were probably a half dozen to a dozen different things that could have happened to prevent the tragedy in what is probably a 1 out of 100 bad encounters with a snake, and even then still might not have made a difference. Perfect storm, rotten luck or fickled finger of fate, no matter it just stinks.

Its why you and many wear snake boots in snake country for protection of yourself and to give you peace of mind so you can go and grab a dog and not worry about being bitten or shield a bite. Your right and your encounter proved it that this time of year if you see one there are others around as they tend to congregate some to den up. Its A good rule of thumb that if in deep South during hunting season even if its 45 degrees out or warmer air temp and especially if sun out slap on the protection. Ya know there are a good many that don't and odds are in their favor, but..... You did'nt mention it but were other members of party wearing snake protection. I know that your typical rule.

BTW its never the snake you see that concerns me. Your also very correct about if you have to kill a snake and leave it for dead to finish the job safely and make sure that business end is permanently out of action. I'm not 100% certain how long after death a reptiles muscles can contract but its a long time.

For me I try and personally let snakes alone most of the time they don't want nothing to do with you since we are not on the menu. Its easy to blame the snake but that is wrong as well. They just function and do what they do in their habitat. Supposedly we are the ones walking around with the big brain and along with that is supposed to be capacity of remorse, compassion and guilt.

[TxHuntermn]

I am of the opinion that "their" habitat is ours as well. I do not go out of my way to encounter rattlesnakes in the field, but when I do, I will treat them with the same deliberateness that I would a stinging scorpion crossing my living room floor.

All other things being equal, the dog would not have been bitten if hunter three had not shot into the snakes while there were loose retrieving dogs on the ground. The pointers are all Whoa broke, and had they run in, we could have whoa'd them, and stopped them from running into the snakes, or could have used "Ready Kilowatt" to reinforce that idea.

Anyone that is not a thrill seeking moron, wears snake protection in warm weather down here, and most, including myself, wear gloves in addition.

All of our dogs are snake trained, and those that need it, get a little "reminder" walk prior to hunting season. Some dogs, once is enough for a lifetime. My Vizsla Hobbs got tagged on the end of his nose in our driveway about four years ago. He went out with me when I was going to turn a brisket on the smoker, and was running downwind to get to the grass for a little relief, and just ran nose to nose with the snake. Since then, he checks out everything visually as well as by nose! If there is an object that is significantly longer than wide on the ground, he carefully checks it out. In addition, we vaccinate all of our dogs with the crotalotoxin vaccine, in addition to carrying proper medical supplies on the truck....antivenin, dexamethasone epi pens etc., in addition to a medical stapler in case we need to help a dog that has a run in with a javalina.

Again...had hunter three yelled Snake!, the other four of us on the ground would have policed up the dogs, then dealt with the snake.

[Southpaw]

Agonizing and unintended result for sure. Your threadline and follow up point clearly suggests the crux of the issue as being a cause. It is almost Shakespearean "To blast or not to blast". At one time in not to distant past I worked for a short time with a fella that had a PHD in medieval literature from University of Edinburgh. He was actually from Tullahoma Tennessee so go figure that connection. Hard to argue his point that is almost a cliche` but his common phrase was "Good thought, bad idea" Seems he developed this saying by studying and reading, obviously in great depth, historical documents, context and outcomes to come to that conclusion. History always has a lesson that constantly repeats and reinforces that the world is fraught with "Good thoughts and Bad ideas".

Obviously you and your friends had one of those moments, I am certain not even in your wildest thoughts did that potential outcome factor in as prepared as you were. That is a tough one. Thanks for sharing so we can learn or reinforce the thought and ideas of your experiences so as not to repeat. I can say this, and that is I have seen that combination or bird dog and retriever put into practice countless times but it was never mentioned what to do in case of a snake encounter. The standard thought is just leave em alone.

Peace be with you and your friends Mark as you work through it. Very tough time.

[Lee Sherfield]

Thank you for sharing this story ! It's very disheartening as a dog owner ,but who knows you may have just saved one of my dogs ! Since I live in the great white North, have never seen a poisonous snake in the field and have the dream to hunt some wild quail in the near future. Thank you from my pups and myself.

[Richard Flanders]

Thanks for the snake lesson. Could be this post will prevent other's dogs from being bitten down the road. I know I will certainly not forget the advice you have given.

[Southpaw]

Yeah that was a bad episode for Mark and his group. What I know of Mark and read of the instance even when those guy were probably knowledgable, prepared (snake kits, equipment, protection) and years of experience there was a breakdown and or someone got caught up in the moment froze.

Rich you being a pilot and living in a tough unforgiving part of the country probably understand better than most the compounding issues when things go bad..... I;m sure you can relate. BTW What the heck do you do if your out bird hunting in Alaska and bump a grizzly bear or for that matter a moose. I guess if they are running your direction you hope you can out run your dogs. You get an adrenalized animal like that with their size and power coming for you, whew.

Told this before but once in Alaska had what turned out to be a Sow and cub approach from behind and when turned around was in stare down with her about 100 yards away. Clearly I was in her fishing spot unbeknownst by me. Thank god she lit out the other way. All I had was a fly rod. I might have been able to poke her in the eye if she charged.

[Richard Flanders]

Incidents like this, and most of any kind actually, are nearly always an accumulation of errors. Yours started with not laying out the rules of the road before stepping into the field, or even before stepping into the trucks and heading into the field. There's rarely a plane wreck that isn't based on an accumulation of at least 4 and often 5 errors and I always do my own analysis on writeups of just what the errors were in order. I've only run into one grizzly while hunting moose one fall. I came out onto the airstrip to take up my position and there was a grizzly sniffing the spot where I sat against a downed tree....and sometimes napped.... while waiting for a moose to walk by. I sat elsewhere that morning. I've never had an issue while bird hunting as I rarely hunt them in bear country when the bears are out. Snake issues aren't on the radar in Alaska as we don't have any, unless you hunt in downtown Anchorage where some escape from homes occasionally.