Here's strange one

[clovishound]

Went out early this morning to take pictures at a local swamp. After I'd been there an hour or so I suddenly noticed my thumb felt stiff. Incredibly swiftly it became very swollen and black and blue. I thought I'd been bitten by a spider and so packed up and headed for the car. On the way back to town I decided to head by the local doc in the box. Thought better of that and headed to the stand alone ER a couple blocks from my house. Doc thinks I was bitten by a snake. Fortunately, it didn't swell up that badly, and the swelling started going down while I was there under observation. In the end she wondered if I had actually been snakebitten, but there was nothing else she or I could think of that would match the symptoms. I suppose it could have been a nearly dry bite.

Shortly before my thumb started swelling, I was squatting down taking some lower angle pictures. When it was time to stand up, I put my left hand down on the pine needle litter to help my self standing up. That's when I think he got me, if he got me.

Being bitten by a snake makes for a good story. Possibly being bitten by a snake, not so much.

Anyway, managed to get a couple decent pics.

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[Cowboy Gun Fan]

Great pictures.

Good that you went to the ER, just to make sure.

[BigAl52]

Nice pics. Glad you are ok. Postcard quality there love the owl shot

[Sir Henry]

Fantastic photography! Sorry about the bite.

[daytime dave]

Too bad about the snake, but great photographs.

[Hatchdog]

Hey hound, thanks for sacrificing your thumb to provide us with more awesome pictures.

[clovishound]

Nice pics. Glad you are ok. Postcard quality there love the owl shot

When I first showed up, I didn't know if things were going to work out as it was starting to mist rain and light levels were very low. Since I was there I thought I would at least give it a try, and before I was a couple dozen steps from the car the owl fly up and perched. I stopped farther away than I would have liked to get a few insurance shots before moving closer. After a couple shots, I gently picked up the tripod to creep forward, and he took off. After that, I was determined to stick around unless it started to rain heavily. Fortunately, I had a homemade camera raincoat with me that worked quite well.

In other news, swelling is down this morning, and it's just a little stiff, but still black and blue.

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[cooperhawk]

My vote would be a spider got you. I was picking tomatoes a few years ago in Virginia and when I
reached into the vine something got me. I didn't know it at the time but my arm started aching
after I went to work, so I went to see the nurse. She saw the two fang holes and shrieked, "Snake!".
So they sent me to the Emergency Room where a doctor measured the distance between the fang
holes and said it was a small one and wouldn't kill me. So I went home and for 24 hours was really sick
and aching. Not fun. I think it was a small copperhead.
I've had spider bites that reacted similar to what you experienced.

[clovishound]

Well, now I'm in a strange place. This won't keep me out of the woods for either hunting or photography, but I must admit it has me to thinking. My first reaction is to go buy a pair of snake boots and wear them whenever I go places likely to harbor snakes. I know, in my area a trip to the local store or my backyard would likely qualify, but I'm talking more along the lines of woods and swamps. I also think I'll be much more careful about putting my hand on the ground when there is leaf litter, or other hiding places where my hand will be.

All this is probably over reaction. I used to not think twice about hopping in the water where I was close to moccasins and gators, and have had to out swim moccasins more than once. I suppose the old adage, once bitten, twice shy is true.

[fortyshooter]

My trails down to the creek are covered in leaves and I always keep a good look around when walking along or picking something up. You never know what might be lurking in that stuff. Haven't seen any copperheads around there yet and hope I don't even though I know they are around.

[BrokenolMarine]

Here is the thing about snakes in the leaves or grass. They are very good about NOT being seen. I have posted my copperhead pic here several times and unless you know what to look for, you don't see it. Let's play again... see the snake? I nearly stepped on him on the way to the coop one morning.

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I'll post the reveal if anyone asks... but I swear there is a snake in the grass. Keep in mind that you KNOW that there is supposed to be a snake there and are looking. If you just glance at the ground (in the picture) I'd bet you don't see a snake.

As for snake boots, I wear rubber boots that come up to just below my knees. (They are my old waterproof kayak fishing boots, and waterproof, so good for wading as well. If you go over the top stepping in a bit deeper water, they still don't leak.) But, I haven't had to test them for snake bite protection, but they are thick insulating rubber for winter wear. I also carry a walking staff and use it to poke the ground ahead and for balance, which prevents my hands from touching the rocks and trees along the trail.

[clovishound]

One issue is that often it is desirable to shoot from a low angle. Lots of wildlife photographers shoot from a prone position often. I usually squat down, or occasionally kneel down for low angle shots. Problem is that if I do that for a while, I sometimes feel the need to help my self up. That means putting my hand on the ground, and often I can't see the ground well from a squatting position. I am able to stand to straight up without assistance of my hands, so I guess I need to train myself to do so in the field.

I believe the snake boots would be more of a security blanket than a practicality, but who knows? A pair might just save me from a much more severe bite. I doubt a bite would be fatal, although that can happen. They do often result in tissue damage and sometimes permanent impairment. I'm knocking on 70, so the body doesn't rebound like it used to.

[Mr. Neutron]

Lots of wildlife photographers shoot from a prone position often. I usually squat down, or occasionally kneel down for low angle shots.

My photograher wife wallowed around prone in some poison ivy or poison oak once while doing exactly what you described..... You can guess how that turned out......

My Grandmother in Claremore, OK was once bitten by a copperhead while picking strawberries in her garden. Bit her right in the fleshy part of the hand between the thumb and first finger. Her hand, wrist, and forearm swole up quite a lot, and stayed black and blue/bruised looking for months afterward. She got treatment fairly quick at the local Indian hospital, and all eventually got well.

[BrokenolMarine]

Tina was weeding the flowerbed barefoot years ago... Stepped on a juvenile copperhead. Struck her four times in the bottom of her bare foot. Foot swelled and turned black, ankle, then half her calf... They kept her overnight. No lasting damage...

[clovishound]

My photograher wife wallowed around prone in some poison ivy or poison oak once while doing exactly what you described..... You can guess how that turned out......

My Grandmother in Claremore, OK was once bitten by a copperhead while picking strawberries in her garden. Bit her right in the fleshy part of the hand between the thumb and first finger. Her hand, wrist, and forearm swole up quite a lot, and stayed black and blue/bruised looking for months afterward. She got treatment fairly quick at the local Indian hospital, and all eventually got well.

That is where I got the possible bite. The swelling never progressed beyond the top of the wrist, or the other fingers. Bruising followed the same pattern.
I could make claims of being a tough old geezer, but that might set me up for a nasty fall.

I'm very susceptible to poison ivy. In fact, the thorough scan I made of the area prior to squatting down was mainly to make sure there was no poison ivy in the area. I've still got some blistered itchy spots on my legs from an outing two weeks ago. It got me through my jeans.

[Hatchdog]

I spotted it BOM but you posted this before and helped us out by highlighting the snake. Without that prior knowledge I’m sure I would not be able to find it. That’s some pretty incredible camouflage right there!

[dave77]

I'm very susceptible to poison ivy. In fact, the thorough scan I made of the area prior to squatting down was mainly to make sure there was no poison ivy in the area. I've still got some blistered itchy spots on my legs from an outing two weeks ago. It got me through my jeans.

I've heard the more you're exposed to it the more susceptible you become. We have lots of poison oak along our creek, will never get rid of it but I try to keep it under control in the areas we frequent. 2-4D works great, Roundup not so much, kills the leaves but not the roots.

I'm lucky that I've never got it, my neighbor is so susceptible she can says she can get it by just walking by a big patch when the wind is blowing.

[Travlin]

My mother grew up on a farm and used to play in the poison ivy . It never bothered her or caused a reaction.

[clovishound]

Well, it gets stranger. A couple days ago I was mowing the lawn. All of the sudden my left thumb got stiff and started swelling and bruising. Almost exactly the same symptoms in exactly the same spot. Almost zero chance I got bit by a snake or spider, particularly in the same spot. Saw the doctor this morning. No idea what's going on. Said to wear gloves when working in the yard, and if it happens again they will set me up with some tests.

[Mr. Neutron]

I've heard the more you're exposed to it the more susceptible you become.

Man, is THAT ever true......

In the interest of "full disclosure", I will mention in passing that while riding my dirt bike in an area of Oklahoma when I was 14 yrs. old, I inadvertently used poison ivy for toilet paper when the call of Nature came. It was BRUTAL! Sitting and squirming at a school desk in an unairconditioned classroom during the hot weather in May that year forced me to make a very determined effort to learn what poison ivy & poison oak looked like ("Leaves of Three", and such......).

Next year, and after I learned to recognize the plant and how poorly it worked for toilet paper, I was simply exposed to it from wind or whatever. No extracurricular oudoor toilet episodes. And it manifest itself in EXACTLY the same area of my body......