Dead Rattlesnake Head Bites Texas Man
I make it a life rule, that there are no dead snakes. Especially rattlers. They actually can be quite dangerous, even dead.
Jenny Sutcliffe, of Corpus Christi, was working in her garden when she got rattled at. Her husband Jeremy, heard her scream and ran over with a shovel and decapitated the Western Diamondback rattler.
About ten minutes later, Jeremy picked up the head with his hands and the dead snake, emptied it's venom glands, into his hand. Snakes can still bite, an hour after death.
Jenny, a nurse, loaded up Jeremy in the car and called 911 looking for a hospital, that stocked anti-venom, as not all of them do. The closest was an hour away and during the ride, Jeremy lost consciousness, his vision, and began to seizures. It took 26 vials of anti-venom to save his life.
If you have to dispatch a poisonous snake, call Animal Control to come and get it. If that's not possible, do NOT handle the snake with your hands for any reason. Personally, I would dig a deep hole, and toss it there. Be aware that snake reflexes can continue for a least an hour.