I'm about to go into the wild, what do I do if confronted by a mountain lion, or if bitten by a rattlesnake?

Question

They say there are mountain lions in Spearfish Canyon, part of Black Hills National forest, and rattle snakes. if I am confronted by one, what should I do? I know not to run, but at what point is it wise to start screaming and lifting my arms and throwing rocks at it and charging it a little to maybe scare it away?

also, they say they are nocturnal hunters, yet do a google image search and you see many pix of them in pre-attack position in the daytime. Are they agressive enough to attack me while im asleep in my tent (after having smelled me like the nice morsel I must appear to them or it) and since i dont want to carry a gun, will a knife and a can of pepper spray do?

Finally, if you don't mind, what to do in the event of rattlesnake bite; since they are out there too. Where do i get a snakebite kit, and how do you use it? and what if i don't have a snake bit kit.

For all of these scenarios by the way; picture me miles into the wild, not anywhere near society so I can't make it to the hospital or elicit help from any human. ten pts for the most serious and competent response, and thanks in advance yall!

Answer 1

Howdy,

Well that's not exactly the easiest question to answer but here it goes.

A knife and especially pepper spray should do fine when it comes to the rattlesnake issue. Nonetheless keep your guard up. I wouldn't travel into the wild on your own if I were you, take a friend with you just in case. . . hey you never know. As far as a possible mountain lion attack, a knife and pepper spray just isn't gonna do, best advice stay away from where they roam. A snake bite kit can probably be purchased online, instructions for use would be inside. DO NOT SCREAM AND THROW ROCKS AT A RATTLESNAKE. That will most likely provoke an attack, use the pepper spray to blind it, take a stab at it if you want, but better to run away from it. Not all snakes are poisonous should you get bitten, but in case you fear that the snake that bit you is poisonous resort to the snake bite kit asap. Have fun ^_^

Answer 2

Pepper spraying a Mountain Lion sounds like a good idea, but lets be realistic. You pepper spray any Lion, and your as good as dinner. As for stabbing it your assuming it attacks you from the front and not from the rear. If you TRULY fear for your safety, the woods might not be the best place for Loving Colleg Life.  

Answer 3

yes, take a knife and pepper spray. here are the steps:

1. spray

2. stab

3. eye gouge

4. repeat steps 1-3 as necessary

this works for any animal/person. good luck on your trip.

Answer 4

In addition to the serious answers, may I suggest Ham radio? Cellphones p**p out in the wilderness, but Hams have put up concealed solar-powered repeaters on mountaintops you can hit with a hand-held unit from 50 miles away easily, to call for help! The license is so easy to get these days, well, http://www.arrl.com/ will start the process. Use the site to contact your local club, for a list of the correct test answers provided free by the FCC. Regards, Larry (KB7RI).

Answer 5

The snake is by far the more serious threat, not because they're aggressive, but because they are so well camouflaged, and like to

doze in the shade.

You might step on one before it can warn you off or crawl away.

It will be understandably annoyed, and will strike.

They are I.R. sensitive, and might seek warmth at night.

Don't leave the tent open.

Do carry a snake bite kit, and do read, study, and understand

the instructions before you leave.

That said, rattlesnake venom isn't all that dangerous, and rarely kills a healthy adult.

Ths cat, will avoid you if it can. (We're not on the list of things

'Momma` taught them to eat.)

Whistle or make some other noise as you move along,

and you'll probably never see one.

If there is a confrontation, make noise and back off slowly.

You've probably approached a kill or caught it unaware.

(You do look a "tasty morsel", but more to us than the cat.

To the cat, you're 'one of those odd things that smells of chemicals

that 'Mom' taught me to avoid'.

Sorry, - couldn't resist.)

Answer 6

Doc is right. But the chances of your needing a weapon are vanishingly small. And don't bother with the snakebite kits. Suction doesn't work, slitting the skin around the bites only adds more injury, and there's no benefit to any of it. A torniquet applied to limit lymphatic flow but not venous would theoretically be beneficial, but unless you're a better expert than your average doctor, you're at more risk from the torniquet than from the bite. Just get to civilization as best you can, walking rather than running.

Answer 7

Don't worry about any of these issues, you have a better chance of winning the lottery twice. Just be aware of your surroundings and use your common sense and enjoy your time outside.

Answer 8

Cats hide, snake bites cut the bite and suck the venom!*

Answer 9

Ok for started, I am a police officer, and an instructor in my city's police academy for several things one of which is pepper spray.

I fail to see how Oleo-resin Capsicum(pepper spray), will help with a rattlesnake. Usually a rattle will begin to make its sounds prior to your arrival. Rattle snakes have the rattle to warn other animals of their presence. Its a defense against being trampled by animals. If it bites you, the spray won't help. If it does not bite you, and you see it, back up!!! Leave it alone and it will leave you alone. If you really want to be protected, buy snake bite boots or shields.

For the mountain lions, a .44 mag/special, .45colt, or a .45 acp, will do the trick.

PS You are way too stressed about this. I suggest you go shopping at the mall

Answer 10

All I know is that I've heard of people manually sucking out the venom, in the event of a bite, but as with all things that is probably more complicated than it sounds, and has to be done a certain way.

As far as mountain lions go, well the only thing that would save you, given their ability to climb, is a very powerful, high-caliber gun.

Looking for anyone to accompany you on this trip *wink-wink-nudge-nudge*?

Answer 11

I've been in the woods for more than 50 years, I've never seen a rattlesnake during the day on any trail I've been on. They will sun on rocks during the day, so keep your hands away. Most will not chase you, you are too big for a snake to eat.

The mountain lion is another situation, once again they are less of a hazard than you think. During the fall the young have learned to hunt their normal prey and tend to stay away from humans. During the late winter and early spring, the young cats will stalk any animal looking for an easy meal.  This time of year I am more concerned with the Most Dangerous Animal of All killing me.  Wear bright orange and be aware of your surroundings.  

Answer 12

Chances are 99% that a big cat will skedaddle before you ever see it. Even so, you should be prepared to defend yourself and take preparedness precautions.

If a big cat is standing his ground or coming toward you, you should make as much noise as possible. Remember that you are of the species that is the most feared predator on earth, act like it. Yell, scream, wave your arms around, bang a stick. If he's not disuaded, then by all means you and your party should retreat, because she's sick or there's a cub or a fresh kill in the vicinity.

I always hike with a staff for walking support, but it also makes a handy club. A knife will be useless to you unless you are trained in the fine art of using one, which I assume you are not. Pepper spray is better than nothing for bear, which you don't mention but you should also be informed about.

As for rattlers, keep your eyes open and don't trample through underbrush. Get away from them as soon as you can.

They are not as dangerous venom-wise as the old western movies would make you believe. I have been struck three times with two of those actually delivering some amout of venom and I have never actually had the anti-venom injections as my reaction each time was mild and me and the doc (by ythe time I got to a doc hours later) concluded that I would be fine. Once you have had the anti-venom, you can't have it again, so I'm saving mine for the big one. I live in the southwest desert mountains and there are rattlers everywhere in summer. I know a place nearby where you can almost find one under every bush.

I had a German Shorthair that got himself bit at least twice that I know of and he never had anything more than some heavy breathing. Still, if bit, seek medical attention as soon as possible but DO NOT let the victim walk out or exert himself, go get rescue.  

DO NOT buy a "snake bite kit" at the store and NEVER allow someone to cut open a bite and suck venom. This is often more dangerous than the original snake bite. The only person that should cut into you for a snake bite should be a skilled and trained medical or rescue professional. Period.

You need to know and practice backwoods food storage and odor control, but mostly for bear. There should be ZERO scents or smells at your campsite. In heavy bear and wolf country, we generally sleep about 75 yards from where we have our food and cooking gear in trees and this has saved us nighttime confrontations on a couple of occasions.

Answer 13

Two things you need in your camping gear:

1 - A snake-bite kit, get a GI Surplus kit if you can find it.  Those Cutter's Snake-bite kits packed in the little rubber suction cups take so long to open, you will get real sick while you are struggling to open it.

2 - If you are going into an area with known predator population, you need a gun.  Lucky for you, mountain lions are not terribly hard to kill.  And since you are not hunting them, and will only be shooting defensively at close range, something light such as a Ruger Single-Six revolver (with the .22 WMR cylinder in place) or a Ruger Mk II .22 Semi-automatic, or a .38 SPL revolver will get the job done.  Just don't shoot a mountain lion without serious threat, you will get into beaucoup trouble.

In areas with no hunting pressure, mountain lions are indeed coming to look upon people as legitimate prey, and since the big cats are opportunistic killers, they will attack an unwary prey in daylight as well as darkness.  There have been several well publicized instances when bikers or runners have been attacked on well traveled public trails.  So keep your eyes and ears open.

The biggest thing is to keep calm.  If a mountain lion is stalking you, but not yet springing to the attack, don't run.  Make yourself look as big as possible, advance slowly toward the cat yelling, screaming and shouting every cuss word and obscenity you know.  Throw rocks, swing sticks, do anything you can to convince the cat that you are the baddest babe on the mountain.  That should convince the cat to seek easier prey.

As for snake bite.  Stay calm, do not move around more than necessary, and get your snake-bite kit out and use it as the PREVIOUSLY WELL STUDIED INSTRUCTIONS tell you.  If you are within a mile or two of transportation, let your companions carry or at least assist you to transportation and get to a hospital ASAP rather than using the snake-bite kit.

Pay close attention to where you put your hands and feet and you probably won't need the snake-bite kit at all.  If you see a snake, freeze.  Watch what the snake does.  In most instances, it will leave if permitted.  If the snake is more than a pace or two away, slowly back away, watching the snake closely.  If the snake is close but not coiled,  freeze, watch closely, and if no aggressive action is made, slowly back away.

Whatever you do, don't do as a friend of mine did when he stepped on a snake.  He felt the snake when he stepped on it, and the snake was trying to bite his boot.  I swear, he jumped a good four feet straight up in the air, drew his pistol while rising, and had fired three shots at the snake before his feet hit the ground.  It was a good thing he killed it because I was rolling on the ground with laughter and couldn't have killed the snake if it had been biting me.

BTW, if you take a .38 SPL revolver with you, purchase a pack or the CCI .38 SPL Shot shells, they are just the ticket for slithery critters.

To sum up, be vigilant, be prepared, watch where you put your hands and feet, practice proper camp hygiene, and have lots of fun.

Have fun, I envy you the trip.  I do love that Black Hills country.

Doc

Answer 14

Rattlesnakes will avoid you, and want nothing to do with you, the same goes for mountain lions. Wear snake bite proof boots or leg protectors.* Carry a loud whistle around your neck, and use it if you see a mountain lion nearby.* If bitten it is now recommended you do nothing to the bite, but seek medical attention ASAP for snakebite.* Very few people will die from a Rattlesnake bite, it happens rarely, if ever.* Get a shrill whistle.* A rattlesnake is only capable of striking and biting you with 1/2 of its total length.* Example- if it is 42 inches long, it can only strike a distance of 21 inches.* A rattlesnake does not always rattle and warn you before it strikes you, to let you know that it is there.*

Answer 15

Step 1: Make Yourself a Bad Target



Do not be fooled by cuddle naps.

The first step to surviving a wild animal attack is actually to prevent the attack entirely by making you an undesirable target for potential animal assailants. Animals are just like people in that they don't want to attack someone who either doesn't have anything they want or can obviously kick their ***. This is not as easy as simply drinking weight gainer shakes, weightlifting incessantly, and walking around on stilts while covered in tiger urine. Not every animal responds to the same predator/prey signals, so you need to cover all the bases or at least those that apply to the area you will be in. To help prepare you we've broken the animals down into categories, just follow the preventative measures for each category that applies to you.

Biting Cats

Examples: Cheetahs, pumas, tigers, lynx, panthers, particularly large otters, wolves.

Prey Prevention: Biting cats are known to be extremely insecure and almost all of their reported attacks on humans are simply examples of cat machismo gone too far. They want to prove to you and their friends that they are in charge. There's no point trying to out macho the biting cats, just let them know that you're not a threat to their masculinity and they'll leave well enough alone. This can be achieved by frequently urinating in your pants, wearing shirts with pictograms of large predatory cats killing you (they can't read), and a giant foam hand with the number one printed on it that you wave enthusiastically and shout "wooooooooo" whenever you see a biting cat. Occasionally their attacks are also hunger motivated so try not to carry snack foods appealing to biting cats like blocks of cheese, bowls of milk, catnip filled plush animals, hunks of bleeding human meat, or toy fish attached to sticks by a length of string.

Stomping Things

Examples: Elephants, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, Israeli bulldozers, buffalo herds, rolling boulders.

Prey Prevention: Stomping things are characterized by a tendency to run fairly quickly and crush things under their massive bodies. They are often keenly intelligent and have an insatiable lust for human blood. Luckily they also have a number of deep-rooted phobias that can be used to make you an unacceptable choice of prey. It's widely known that elephants are afraid of mice, so construct a suit of live mice by covering a pair of overalls in hot glue and then rolling in a pit full of mice. Those pesky elephants will keep their distance. Hippos are supposedly fearless, but research we conducted seems to indicate that they are in fact afraid of massive explosions. Luckily the Far East provides us with a solution in the form of the martyr vest, a convenient contraption designed with pouches for plastic explosives. Works great with hot glue and mice! Where there's smoke there's fire, and nothing persuades a charging rhino to change direction like a raging inferno. Since fire can be hazardous to your health we advise a mobile pyrotechnics display as opposed to the more convenient but more painful self-immolation. Nothing stops an Israeli bulldozer like giant bags of money, buffalo herds can be put to rest with hypnotism, and rolling boulders are just unstoppable. Sorry.



An eagle swoops down on an unsuspecting deep sea camper.

Venomous Villains

Examples: Scorpions, cobras, eagles, death adders, asps, black widow spiders, chemical factories.

Prey Prevention: Having lethal venom in glands in your body is sort of like being perpetually drunk, and drunks tend to swagger, brag, and be violent. This characterization of drunks is pretty fitting for venomous creatures as well. They don't have any real agenda, they're just out to have fun and cause trouble. The anathema of their rabble-rousing lifestyle is boredom so to ward off their attacks just make attacking you a proposition sure to be extremely tedious. Wrap yourself in dozens of rolls of duct tape or complexly knotted coils of rope. Leave obscure riddles that provide clues to your location in case you are being tracked. Venomous creatures will find maybe two of these mindbenders and get sick of trying to catch you. When you set up camp for the night climb to the top of a tree and leave a grease coated ladder behind as the only means to ascend to the top. Do anything to frustrate or otherwise draw out the pursuit of venomous creatures, they just can't stand that ****.

Aquatic Adversaries

Examples: Deep sea squids, octopi, Canadians, hammerhead sharks, eagles, giant deep sea squids, colossal deep sea squids, unbelievably huge deep sea squids.

Prey Prevention: Nothing ruins a peaceful camping trip in the forest quite like a colossal deep sea squid emerging from a nearby oceanic trench and crushing your entire campsite into its clacking wheelbarrow-sized beak. They're just a total downer, much like their other water breathing brethren. The only way you can discourage aquatic predators is to make  

Answer 16

Ouch! Mountain lions should not attack unless you bother their cubs, or the lion is sick and feels threatened or can't get food except by taking humans (who are easier prey than their natural food source).  Really, I doubt mountain lions will trouble you.  You probably won't even see them because they'll sense you coming long before you know they are there.

Rattlesnakes is another matter.  First, four out of ten times that a rattlesnake strikes it does not inject any venom.  Vernon is part of the rattlesnake's digestive system.  The complex proteins in the venom begins breaking down tissue and bone making the meal easier for the snake to digest.  They don't waste their venom on anything too big to eat but will strike out in self-defense and like I said, four out of ten times they will inject venom.  The rattlesnake possess a very sophisticated injection system and it is able to inject a large amount of venom when it has to.  Fortunately the venom of the common rattlesnake (excluding the rare Mojave rattlesnake of California & Arizona and the Green Diamondback rattler of Mexico) is fairly mild.  What gets you into trouble is the snake's ability to inject a whole lot of this mild venom!  Remember this, in the USA no healthy adult person has ever died of a single rattlesnake bite.  Provisos: If snake bit DON'T panic.  Distance yourself from the snake.  Apply a tourniquet between the snake bite and the rest of your body.  Not too tight, you don't want to cutoff circulation.  Every half-hour or so, completely loosen the tourniquet momentarily.  Is the injury swelling?  If it is swelling the snake probably did inject venom.  Either way get to a doctor as soon as you can.  If it is going to take you longer than an hour or so to get to a doctor and your injury is swelling or turning blue or black use a snake-bite kit by carefully following the directions.  You can purchase a snake-bite kit by itself or many first aid kids include one.

Latest research recommends that you don't ice down the bite as a means of slowing the circulation of the venom as this can compound the injury.  If you do cut don't cut so deeplly as to cause nerve damage or strike a vein or artery.  I suppose this should be first, examine the snake bite to be sure the snake didn't lose a fang and it is still embedded in the bite.  If it is, carefully remove it and dispose of it.  It will contain very little, if any venom and it is a myth that people can die from stepping a dropped fang.  The head is another matter though.  Even severed a rattlesnake head can still inflict a danerous bite.  The venom glands are located in the snake's head.  

Rattlesnakes usually have two fangs but I have seen them with only one, with three and even four fangs.  To avoid getting bit scan the ground with your eyes when you walk in the outdoors starting at your toes and fanning out ahead ten to fifteen feet out and to the sides.  Do this constantly when in an area that may harbor venomous snakes.  Soon it will become second-nature to you.  I grew up in rattlesnake country and this is how we spot a snake before it can bite us.

Good luck.

H