Never bitten myself, in spite of having some surprises (baby rattler hit my pole once. Another time I put my foot (accidentally) about an inch in front of a copperhead's mouth.

But years ago I worked on a weekly newspaper in Red Lodge, Montana. Had a story about a ditch runner on the Cody Canal who jumped a ditch and landed on one of those huge critters they have out there. The snake bit him twice, hard. The ditch runners were armed then (maybe still are; water is pretty dear these days). He shot the rattler, then started down into ranch country. It took him two days, passed out twice, but a rancher running fence found him draped over the fence like a fox pelt. Rancher threw him into the pickup bed and drove him to Billings hospital. He fully recovered. best, jcp