PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – A man was bitten in the face Tuesday afternoon by what was identified as an eastern diamondback rattlesnake near the Bostwick area, Putnam County Fire Rescue said.

Ron Reinolds was trying to kiss the rattler when it bit him, according to neighbors.

Reinolds was conscious and alert when he was flown to UF Health for treatment with antivenin shots, Fire Rescue said. He was reportedly in critical condition.

One neighbor, who did not want to be named, told News4Jax on Wednesday that he caught a 3-foot eastern diamond rattlesnake in the road a couple of days ago, and put it in a bucket with a lid.

He said he planned to go release the snake in the woods, away from nearby homes, but someone living next-door asked if they could have it.

Then on Tuesday, the neighbor said, the people who live behind him were playing with the snake, but wasn't sure whether anyone had any experiencing handling snakes.

One person was holding the snake, showing it off to others, when Reinolds tried to kiss it and got bit, according to the neighbor.

The Putnam County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday released a 911 call placed by a woman who drove by after the incident.

LISTEN: Woman calls 911 to report snake bite

Caller: "There's this young man here on Jamey Lane and there's a gentleman that told me he just got bit by a diamondback rattlesnake. There's another gentleman carrying it. And he's saying on the tongue and he's bleeding from the mouth."

Caller: "There's another man carrying the rattlesnake and they look like they might -- they are going to need some help here. And I'm getting scared."

911 Dispatcher: "Yes ma'am. I understand. I'm sending rescue now for the man who was bitten."

Caller: "She's sending rescue. All right."

911: "Ma'am, I need you to answer a couple more questions before I let you go. Where is the man who was bitten?"

Caller: "He's sitting here on the side of the road, and he's pounding on my car door and I've got it locked. And there's another man carrying the snake in the road."

911: "Can you tell him to drop the snake? Why is he carrying the snake?"

Caller: "I don't know. I'm not rolling down my windows. My doors are locked in my car. I'm starting to get very frightened. I'm going to tell this guy to have a seat here. He's hanging onto my car door."

In the audio, the caller can be heard repeatedly asking the man to drop the snake.

Caller: "Drop the snake. On the road. Drop it! Oh my. Drop it!"

Caller: "It looks like he was bitten on the tongue and he's bleeding."

911: "Where was he bitten, ma'am?"

Caller: "On the tongue."

The neighbor told News4Jax that the man holding the snake did eventually drop it, but they don't know where the snake went.

Reinolds was still recovering Wednesday.

Expert: People may see more snakes this season

News4Jax on Wednesday spoke with Jeff Altman, of American Trappers, who explained why people may be seeing more snakes this season.

"We're getting an influx of calls for snakes," he said. "Basically, with the fires and also the hot weather, snakes are on the move."

Altman, who has been trapping snakes locally for years, said as temperatures rise, the reptiles start to slither out, sometimes seeking shade under shrubs and bushes, and other times seeking out the sun -- and can be spotted along streets, bike trails and other areas out in the open.

"The concrete or asphalt is a heat source, so especially in the evening when the sun starts to go down a little bit, those snakes are getting there and laying closer to the warmth," Altman said.

With Florida being home to so many venomous snakes, Altman advised people to go the other way if they spot one.

"Snakes don't want to have anything to do with you, as much as you don't want to have to do anything with them," Altman said.