Earlier this month, Alabama turkey hunter Chad Cross was trekking through the woods when he came face-to-face with a 6-foot timber rattlesnake– one of the most venomous snakes in North America.
WSFA reported that the snake struck Cross in the lower leg. The snake’s fangs penetrated Cross’ boots. Cross said it felt like he had been struck with a baseball bat.
“I was so nervous and scared. I knew I had to calm down and get my heart rate down because the faster my heart was pumping, the faster my heart was pumping I knew the faster that venom was going through my system,” Cross said.
Cross, a prepared and quick-thinking hunter, pulled out his emergency bite and sting kit and applied it to the wound. The kits can be purchased at outdoor stores for around $15. The kit is equipped with a syringe-like suction tube. It’s used to help extract the venom from the bite site.
“I had to read the directions first because I never opened it up. I’ve carried it with me in my turkey hunting equipment for years. The process takes a total of 15 minutes and then it says to get somewhere with anti-venom,” Cross said.
Doctors told Cross the kit might have saved his life.
Source
Jules Rodriguez
