Rattlesnake Antivenin — And What That Means for Metal Detectorists

My first career from age 19 until I retired at 50 I was a professional firefighter in Texas.  In addition, I was paramedic trained and dealt with animals in the wild.  Here in Texas, like some other places in America, we have our fair share of venomous snakes.  Rattlesnakes, Copperheads, Coral Snakes, and Cottonmouth Water Mocassins.  Of them all, Rattlesnakes are my biggest concern.  I was trained in dealing with those situations.  In my career I made several rattlesnake victims, and it ain’t pretty to watch what happens.  One of them was a friend, and he came close to dying after being bitten by a 5 foot rattler.  Still, I didn’t give it much thought overall, until just a few years ago when I was in a place far away from the closest hospital and learned of two children who died.  That chance encounter where I learned of those deaths altered my approach on how I metal detect or hunt in the country.  In this article I am going to focus on the rattlesnake bites, but it applies to all of our pit vipers. 

A Reality Most Detectorists Don’t Think About—Until It’s Too Late

Imagine you are detecting a remote site in any rural setting of the USA that has rattlesnakes. You move debris, and suddenly you are dealing with a rattlesnake.  You follow all the classic warnings.  You freeze, locate the snake, and slowly back away.  Textbook response, huh.  Many of us might not know it, but a rattlesnake can choose whether or not to release the venom.  They also can strike somewhere around 2/3 of their body length.  They sense our presence from the heat of our body and the scent molecules we pass through the air.  They can also “feel” your approach as you walk in the near vicinity.  For the sake of this article, I want you to think about that snake you just encountered goes ahead and strikes you, and you have been bitten by a large 4 or 5 ft rattler.   What happens next depends not just on first aid, but also on whether the hospital you need to go to has antivenin on hand to treat the bite.

Why Small Rural Hospitals Often Do NOT Stock Antivenin

Antivenin is expensive, has a limited shelf life, and is rarely used in low-volume facilities. Snakebite treatment averages $31,000-$50,000 per patient with antivenin being the primary cost driver.  A single case may require up to 20 vials.  That means that a small hospital could have $100,000+ sitting on a shelf that may never be used.  Since the USA sees about 9,000 snakebite cases annually, the rural hospitals may see only a handful of cases or even none in a year, and from a business standpoint, the bean counter accountants don’t think it is justified to keep a stock of it on hand.  Many rural hospitals operate under a “stabilize and transfer” model, meaning they provide initial care but rely on larger regional hospitals for definitive treatment.

Why This Matters to us as Metal Detectorists

If you think about the reality of what we do, we are in the country more than most folks, many times away from cell service, and many times alone or perhaps with only one or two friends.  How many times have you been 1 mile or so away from your vehicle, and perhaps up and down a hill or two as well.  Common thought is that you should “STAY CALM” if bitten.  Yeah…..right!  Hurts intensely, and some book learner says oh, be calm, keep your limb elevated.  Don’t run……. Except moving along plowed fields, or up and down hills crossing creeks, carrying your shovel, metal detector, and gear increases your heart rate as well.  And Lord knows you ain’t about to leave that $700 metal detector in the woods where you might never find it again in order to save your life.  Additionally, it is not uncommon for those of us who hunt in the country to be  several hours away from a hospital.  The correct hospital that has the antivenin that can save our life.  That changes the equation.

Because of those factors of where we detect, and the things we do carelessly when we are out there, we are much more likely to encounter a rattlesnake in the areas we detect in.  Stepping over logs, hunting among rocks, looking into or detecting small openings among rocks, putting our hands down around brush and in holes….you all know what I am talking about.  Sometimes our faces are down close to the ground peering in dark places where the likelihood of a rattlesnake may well be lying there out of the heat of the day…..all of these expose us more readily than someone who doesn’t do the things we love to do.

Critical Time Element

Time is the most important factor in outcome:

Damage from a rattlesnake bite begins instantly.  Victims report intense pain and swelling.  Tissue begins dissolving around the bite mark.  Rattlesnake venom is primarily hemotoxic and cytotoxic.   That means it doesn’t just “poison” you—it actively destroys tissue and disrupts your body systems.

1. Local Tissue Destruction (Cytotoxic Effects)

This is what detectorists will notice first.  Venom begins breaking down muscle cells, fat, and skin.  It also causes rapid swelling, often within minutes after the initial bite.  This in turn leads to necrosis (tissue death) if untreated.  This process is what occurs in the wild environment to start rendering prey digestible.  In plain terms the venom is tenderizing and destroying  the tissue around the bite site.

2. Blood System Disruption (Hemotoxic Effects)

The venom also Interferes with blood clotting and causes  internal bleeding or inability to clot.  Further, it leads to bruising, bleeding from gums, or worse.

3. Muscle Damage (Myotoxic Effects)

Because of the venom, the victim’s muscle fibers begin to break down, and the body can release proteins into bloodstream (rhabdomyolysis).  It has been observed that in severe cases the body suffers rapid kidney stress or failure which can cause death as well.

4. Swelling Pressure (Compartment Syndrome Risk)

Swelling starts almost immediately after a person has been bitten and envenomated and especially builds inside tight areas.  Examples are your hands, forearms, ankles and feet.  That swelling in turn cuts off circulation.  When the swelling becomes severe, it can and often does require surgical intervention.  The swelling can last days as the body rids itself of the effects of the snakebite. 

The most dangerous locations in terms of mortality to the victim are the head, neck, or face, because it can lead to swelling and blocking the airway.  The fast systemic absorption of the venom in this area can become life threatening very quickly.  This is the worst-case scenario.  Yet how many times do you get your face down low to look under an old wooden porch or peer between rocks at an opening that might house a treasure….even a hidden cache.

The second most dangerous area is the Torso (the chest and abdomen area).  This is because it produces a faster venom spread to vital organs and it is harder to control the swelling and it has less tissue to act as a buffer to the venom than limbs offer.

The third areas are the Hands and Fingers.  It is not usually fatal, but it has a highly undesirable impact on quality of life because of the high risk of permanent damage to the muscle tissue. Compartment syndrome which is a condition where pressure builds up inside a closed muscle space (called a compartment) and cuts off blood flow to the tissue inside. In turn, the tissue dies, causing a loss of use that might be mild, but more likely it will be moderate to severe and could even require amputation of the affected part. To place it in perspective, muscles die within hours of envenomation, nerves become permanently damaged and may create a lifelong pain associated with that damage.

For detectorists, this is the most relevant danger because it can not just bring about the loss of the ability to metal detect.  It might also make it so you can no longer work at your profession. 

It is my understanding that up to 30% of rattlesnake bites are cases where the venom is not injected.  IF you are envenomated, I promise you will know it.  Here are the classic warning signs of envenomation:

1. Pain (severe, out of proportion)
2. Pallor (pale skin)
3. Paresthesia (tingling/numbness)
4. Paralysis (loss of movement)
5. Pulselessness (late sign—very serious)

The earliest and most important sign is PAIN that keeps getting worse.

The Ideal treatment window is  within 4–6 hours for a typical bite with invenomization.  Beyond 6–8 hours, the risk of tissue damage increases. 

Children vs Adults

Children receive the SAME antivenin dose as adults because treatment is based on venom load, not body weight. However, symptoms can progress faster in children, making rapid treatment even more critical.  Two young children died on a ranch where they were over an hour from the nearest hospital and then the hospital didn’t have antivenin.  And that hospital was right in rattlesnake heaven.  I mentioned them at the beginning of this article, and it came about on a ranch where I had my friend Gypsy Jewels visiting.  On that trip, I heard Michele (Gypsy) scream when a rattlesnake struck at her coil.  We had spoken of the presence of snakes there, but I had no idea how deadly that ranch actually was until I spoke with two hunters that had leased that property for 20 years.  When I encountered them, the first thing they asked me was why I didn’t have my snake chaps on (I do have a pair of snake gaiters, but up till then I didn’t bother because at that time, and 47 years or so of detecting in the country I had never been bitten.  Those men told me of the two children who had died on that ranch because they couldn’t get them to a hospital in time and when they finally did get there the hospital didn’t have the antivenin.  That single encounter made me think and do some research.  I will share that shortly and discuss how it changed my thoughts on how I hunt the rural old farms and ranches I prefer.

The Impact on Metal Detectorists

As detectorists, we are often far from help, alone, and working in terrain where response times are delayed. This increases the truly mortal danger when antivenin is not immediately available.

Why This Matters to You in the Field

Most bites happen to hands or lower legs.  These are the highest risk areas for compartment syndrome.   A bite to the hand is not just “a bite”.  It can mean permanent loss of grip strength along with nerve damage  and even the loss of fingers

Real-world Texas Example

I primarily hunt old homesites in the following rural Texas counties: Palo Pinto, Eastland, Young, Jack, Erath, and Johnson Counties.

These counties are outside major metropolitan areas and represent the type of environment many detectorists work in nationwide. Based on compiled and phone confirmed verification of hospital infrastructure, this is how many hospitals are actually  in the primary counties  I metal detect in.

• Palo Pinto County – 2 hospitals 
• Eastland County – 2 hospitals 
• Young County – 1 hospital 
• Jack County – 1 hospital 
• Erath County – 2 hospitals 
• Johnson County – 3 hospitals 

Total hospitals across these counties: 11

Of those, only 4 facilities carry rattlesnake antivenin on hand at as of this date when I called and asked.  I found that antivenin is typically located in larger or better-equipped regional centers.  This means that in a multi-county rural area, the majority of hospitals may NOT have antivenin immediately available.

Drive-Time Reality is that if a bite occurs, knowing where antivenin is located can save critical time.  It can be the difference between a dose meant as palliative care to reduce pain and swelling  until they can get you to a proper facility for long term antivenin care or getting the critical initial and subsequent treatment to save a life.  Additionally, if you are transported, it might mean a huge bill from a helicopter ride to a hospital.

If a child is bitten, rapid progression and deteriorating life force  makes time even more critical. A delay of even one hour can significantly affect outcome.  Those two children I mentioned earlier were just examples of that factor.  They died.

I would like to encourage you to give consideration to making a quick phone call before you venture out into the woods far away from help, and simply make sure that they are equipped with the ability to address any venomous snake bite.

• Know the distance to the nearest antivenin-capable hospital 
• Understand whether EMS can reach your location 
• Decide in advance whether to call for transport or drive 

What3Words Method to Identify Your Location

In remote areas, exact location matters. Using the What3Words mobile app allows you to communicate your precise position to emergency responders within a 10 square foot grid.  IF they can fly to you, it might be a better consideration than you trying to walk out a mile or two under the anxiety from being bitten.  This can significantly reduce response time if EMS is dispatched.

Here is My Field Rule and I want to encourage you to give it grave consideration:

Never assume a hospital carries antivenin.  Before you hunt:

• Identify nearby hospitals  where you will be hunting in the country
• Call and confirm antivenin availability 
• Know your route 
• Have a backup plan 

Your preparation before the hunt may determine the outcome after the bite.