		Antelope Eaters Hunt COMING MARCH 2007 Please see calendar for details

SNAKE BITE TREATMENT
By SAWC Member Jeff Stewart

Recently I spotted a large Diamond Back while scouting and seeing it took me back to a paramedic class in the early 1980's which dealt with how medics should treat snake bites. I've just finished looking across the Internet and found that the treatment has certainly changed. With that out of the way I start this essay with:

Many health-care professionals recommend just a few basic first-aid techniques. According to the American Red Cross and our own University Hospital these steps should be taken:

Quickly and without causing the delay of the victim try to identify the type of snake. Colors and patterns may be helpful in selecting an antivenin the Emergency Room. ( Don't take snakes to the ER ! Nurses tend to get really upset when that happens !)
Immediately wash the bite with soap and water but do not delay transport.
Immobilize the bitten area and keep it lower than the heart.
Remove rings and watches if bitten on the hands or arm.
Transport the victim immediately. If possible call 9-1-1 and arrange for an ambulance to meet you. Ask the 9-1-1 operator to call the hospital so that they are prepared for you.

"The main thing is to get to a hospital and don't delay," says Arizona physician David Hardy M.D. No ice or any other type of cooling on the bite. No tourniquets. No incisions in the wound. No alcoholic beverages. Remain calm and get moving !

Trivia: In that class it was repeatedly stated that most snake bite victims were males and many were intoxicated. And full of machismo. Until the guy got bit. The machismo left as the burning sensation started. Funny how that works, ain't it?

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Becoming an Outdoors Woman Deluxe

This retreat will make an ideal Christmas gift for the discriminating woman in your life. Lots of outdoor fun without the inconveniences of camping!

The Arizona Wildlife Federation will be sponsoring its second annual winter Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) workshop. The dates are February 2-4, 2006. It will be in the Goldfield Mountain Range. This retreat will showcase the beauty and wonder of our Sonoran Desert.

The place is Saguaro Lake Ranch, which is a historical resort style retreat located in the Tonto National Forest in the heart of the Arizona Sonoran desert. The banks of the Salt River are a fly rod cast away and Stewart Mountain Dam, which backs up Saguaro Lake, is a short walk.

There will numerous fishing opportunities for beginning and intermediate anglers, including bass fishing with Bass pro Chad Witty, bow fishing with World Class Archer Kathy Green, beginning fishing with AZ Game & Fish, and intermediate fly fishing with the Desert Fly Casters. The Arizona Audubon Society will be there pointing out a variety of birds, both winter visitors and native species. We’ve planned sessions on hunting desert critters like javelina and Coues deer, a varmint call stand, field archery, natural history of the desert, canoeing & kayaking, and dutch oven cooking. For those who feel the need to explore the Goldfields, there will be hiking, photography, and trick, track, trail Sonoran style. There will also be horseback rides for everyone.

We are working on evening activities that include cowboy singing around the campfire, a presentation on bats, wine tasting and wildlife bingo.

The cost is $420, which includes a horseback ride, instruction, program materials, use of equipment, deluxe lodging and meals Friday evening through Sunday noon.

Details of class descriptions can be found at www.azwildlife.org or call 480-644-0077.

You can also email Tracy at hockeymom329@cox.net anytime.

Tracy Unmacht

Arizona Deluxe BOW Coordinator