Hey Ben:

Yours is not a stupid question. It is not unusual to see all sorts of snakes, especially out of densely inhabited areas....like most of NM.

Short reply. Antivenin in the wrong hands is about as bad as a snakebite, i.e. severe allergic reaction on top of the bite.
Antivenin is VERY expensive and does not even work on all venomous snakes here in the US, plus it expires. I would not recommend trying to carry it.

There are many variables on a bite, where on the body, how much venom, what snake, when, body size of the person, size of the snake. (but even newly hatched rattlesnakes have venom!)

Best bet is kill the snake and carefully take it with you for proper species ID.
Then get to a hospital that knows what to do for snake bites.
There are still a lot of bites MIS-treated!

FYI there is a lot of information (and mis-information) on the Internet - no surprise there right?

If you are really concerned about what to do, take a good first aid class, or talk with a knowledgeable physician or a reasonable rattlesnake specialist, NOT a gonzo snake fanatic. :-D

Bites can happen, so it is best to learn what to do if it happens.

best,
heidi
At 01:17 PM 8/25/2014, Benjamin George via Bike-racers wrote:

Do people ride MTB's with anti-venum? Ā

Thanks,
Ben

--
~Benjamin J. George