A Forsyth man is sharing the terrifying moments after a rattlesnake bite turned a routine day on familiar land into a frightening medical emergency.Cory Barta said he never heard a rattle before he was struck.Watch Cory Barta sh are is experience: Montana man survives rattlesnake bite after 24 vials of antivenom"It's something I always thought might happen, but never thought it would ever happen, but it did," Barta said Wednesday.Barta was outside moving through waist-high vegetation when he felt the bite."I was in some tall vegetation," Barta said. "Felt something hit my hand."The initial bite was deceptively mild."It didn't really hurt at all. I just felt like something punched me in the hand, and I actually seen it happen, and it just startled me, basically," Barta said."It was just two little tiny needle marks. That's about it. It bled very little," he said.Barta said he had to kick at the snake to get it to move before he could identify it."That's when it recoiled up again, and that's when I seen it was an actual rattlesnake," Barta said.Within minutes, nausea and sleepiness from the venom set in."The effects of it came on within three to four minutes after it happened. So it was very scary," Barta said.Experts advise against panicking after a bite, but Barta said that guidance is easier said than done."They tell you not to panic, but that's impossible, especially when you know it's a rattlesnake," Barta said.Billings Clinic Dr. Andrew Regoli said getting treated quickly is critical."Sometimes it is time-critical," Regoli said.Barta sought treatment immediately, adding that antivenom availability is a real challenge in rural communities."It's very expensive, and it expires very soon. So they just can't have it on hand. So they had to take me into Miles City, where they started the antivenom," Barta said.His condition was serious enough that he was flown to Billings, and he was treated with 24 vials of antivenom."I was in there for, what was it, like two days," Barta said. "They did a really good job."Regoli said approximately 20 rattlesnake bites occur in the state per year, and with prompt treatment, patients can recover well.For Barta, the recovery still feels surreal."It's crazy. It really is. I survived it," Barta said. ...read more read less