April is the month that rattlesnakes start to appear in Lake County. In fact, there have been several reports of people seeing rattlesnakes within the past two weeks. One rock collector says that he has been seeing up to five rattlers a day while collecting rocks near the county jail.
According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), it’s legal to kill a rattlesnake but they encourage people to leave them alone as they are an important part of the environment.
The specie of rattlesnake in Lake County is the Northern Pacific rattlesnake. Rattlesnakes are the only venomous snake in the state and of the hundreds of rattlesnakes in the county there are only three or four people bitten a year and no deaths have been reported. Statewide about 800 people are bitten each year and approximately three deaths are attributed to rattlesnake bites. Most bites occur between the months of April and October when snakes and humans are most active outdoors. About 25 percent of the bites are “dry,” meaning no venom is injected, but the bites still require medical treatment. Generally not aggressive, rattlesnakes strike when threatened or deliberately provoked, but given room they will retreat. Most snake bites occur when a rattlesnake is handled or accidentally touched by someone walking or climbing. The majority of the snakebites occur on the hands, feet and ankles. Rattlesnakes can cause serious injury to humans on rare occasions. Rattlesnake bites are treated in a local hospital by injecting antivenom. In most cases the injection works and the bitten person recovers, although there can be lifelong scars. My brother was bitten on his leg by a rattlesnake and was hospitalized for more than a week. He carried the scars from the bite the rest of his life. He said the bite was the most painful thing he had ever experienced. The bite of a rattlesnake can actually cause the meat of the person to deteriorate around the bite area.
Dogs are often bitten by rattlesnakes. The reason being that when they come across a rattlesnake they will often try and smell it or even attack it. Most of the time the dogs are bitten in the nozzle or the head. The local veterinarians carry antivenom for dogs but its expensive and can cost as much as $500 or more to treat the animal. There is a vaccine available for dogs that can lessen the effects of a rattlesnake bite. The vaccine is relatively inexpensive.
Rattlesnakes are often found around old barns and other buildings because these structures normally have an abundance of mice and ground squirrels, which are the primary food source for rattlers. These old buildings also offer dark, damp areas where the rattlesnakes like to hide. In other words, don’t stick your hand under the floorboards or in an old lumber pile.
Many other species of snakes are often mistaken for rattlesnakes. On several occasions I have mistaken a gopher snake for a rattler. A few years ago while deer hunting I actually stepped on a large gopher snake and when it whipped around my ankle I thought it was a rattler. You could hear me yell for several miles. A rattlesnake is a heavy-bodied, blunt-tailed snake with one or more rattles on the tail. It has a triangular-shaped head, much broader at the back than at the front, and a distinct “neck” region. The rattlesnake also has openings between the nostrils and eyes, which is a heat-sensing pit. The eyes are hooded with elliptical pupils.
According to the DFW, if the worst happens and you’re actually bitten by a rattler there are several things you should do. The first thing to do is stay calm, which is easier said then done. Get medical help as soon as possible. If you’re more than 30 minutes away from medical help keep the bite area below the heart. If you’re bitten on the finger or hand, immediately remove rings or watches because they may constrict swelling. Today, most people carry cell phones. If you’re alone in the woods, call for help.
I also don’t believe in indiscriminately killing a rattlesnake if it isn’t threatening me. If I meet up with one in the woods I’ll just walk around it. However, I don’t want one around my house. Actually, rattlesnakes are an important part of the ecosystem. They control rodents and other vermin. They are also a vital part of Lake County’s ecosystem.
