Bob Kettle, of Fallon, holds open the mouth of a Western diamondback rattlesnake at Mills Park on Tuesday. Western diamondbacks are commonly found in Northern Nevada.
The summer of 1968 was a landmark year for Bob Kettle. It was the year he graduated from high school, but more important, it was the year he caught his first rattler.
In the 40 years since, the Fallon man has roamed the United States seeking out what most people would rather not encounter - snakes.
"I have always been curious about snakes. I started just like any other kid, out in the fields catching things. Since that first rattler in the summer of 1968, I have always had poisonous snakes," said Kettle, 56.
When he is not roaming the hills searching, he is giving lectures on the limbless reptiles. He discusses their biology, where to find them and how to avoid them.
"My goal is not to prevent you from leaving here and not killing a snake. That's still your decision. If you decide to kill them, at least you will know more about them," Kettle told the Ormsby County Sportsman's Association at a lecture Tuesday night.
The advice he gives people is simple, "If you don't know them and don't understand them, then don't trust them."
Kettle said one of the reasons he gives presentations is to debunk the myths people have about snakes. For example, some people believe snakes are only found in low-lying areas and rattlesnakes always rattle before they strike.
"You can find snakes up to 10,000 feet in elevation. They are not all in the desert," Kettle said. "Snakes don't always rattle; you can't count on that as a warning sign."
Many people also have false notions about how to care for a snake bite, he said.
"People have the idea of field first aid. Making a cut and sucking the venom out is very outdated," he said. "You can do more damage than the snake venom that way."
Sucking the venom into the mouth provides the possibility the venom could get into the bloodstream in essence causing another bite, Kettle said.
Snakes deliver venom by puncturing the flesh of the target then releasing venom through a hole on the front of the fangs. Snakes are able to regulate the amount of venom released. Meaning, a snake could inject a small drop, or "warning shot," or as much as a fatal dose.
In his almost 40 years of handling snakes, Kettle has only been bitten once, and he estimates he received a large enough dose to kill him.
While handling a 38-inch rattler in an attempt to clear out a den of rattlesnakes, the snake whipped around and put four puncture marks in his little finger. At the time, he was 125 miles from Fallon.
Within minutes, he developed a fever and his hand began to swell. On the way to the hospital he vomited twice and experienced severe diarrhea. An ambulance was sent to meet him along the way after doctors heard how quickly the poison was progressing.
Four-and-a-half hours after being bitten, Kettle received 24 vials of antivenin.
He remained in the hospital for five days.
"There is no way to describe the pain. It's unlike anything else you will experience," Kettle said.
Yet Kettle's fascination with the reptiles is so strong that even after being bitten - before seeking medical attention - he recaptured the rattler that attacked him.
"I just really wanted that snake," he said.
• Contact reporter Jarid Shipley at jshipley@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1217.
If bitten by a
poisonous snake:
• Stay calm. Attempt to keep your blood pressure down to slow the flow of the venom through the body.
• Use constricting bands. Used correctly, the bands help slow the flow of blood and venom from the bite site. Do not use a tourniquet as it may cause more damage than aid.
• Keep the bite lower than the heart. If on a lower extremity, don't elevate; if on hands or arms, always keep the area below the level of the heart.
• Seek medical help immediately.