Helpful article-nice to know this now !!!

Good report. I read up on the Sawyer Extractor and other similar products last year and decided it probably wasn't worth adding to my kit.

For backpackers who are trying to reduce weight there's just no good way to protect yourself except by being very aware of your surroundings. No one wants to hike in heavy 16" boots.

I guess I meant to say they make me feel safer.

Until it became so bad that I could no longer walk I was an avid dove hunter. My favorite place to hunt was aptly called rattlesnake cut. I would no more leave the house without my rattlesnake boots than i would leave without my shotgun. As to camoflague (srry bout sp) I have been struck in areas that did not have enough ground cover to hide a penny! But even scarier than a 6 foot diamond back is when you bend over to pick up a bird and a 9 inch baby rattler without rattlers strike. I do not care how hot or uncomfortable rattlesnake boots can be! They have saved me from being struck at least 6 times and I consider myself a very vigilant hunter. Oh by the way I have never seen another dove hunter in the area! Wonder why?

the first time i encountered a rattler was many many moons ago but I will never forget it because I was wearing flip flops at the time. always always wear boots!

Good advice during hunting season but wading the river in the summer is usually when I encounter snakes most frequently. I the many times I have seen poisonous snakes in the field I had two that were too close for comfort. Both occured when I was doing stream surveys for the Forest Service. Stepped 6 inches from a rattler sunning itself on a gravel river bank in VA, jumped and screamed in an octave to high for a man. Crawling aross a logjam in Arkansas I found myself face to face with a rather large rattler, found a new and high octave.

I am fine with snakes in general as long as my 5ft personal bubble is not broken. If a snake of any kind is inside that area all bets are off.

Oh and I forgot to add, I have heard a few snakes rattling at me, but luckily, I never saw them.

This was a good artical but the part that interestes me most is the canine care box. I was talking with my vet and she said she was unaware of any vaccinations for dogs. Does anyone have any more information on this.

When I was growing up in Central Florida we lost several hunting dogs to big Eastern Diamondbacks. My father was in the land clearing business in the 50's and early 60's. He killed hundreds of Diamondbacks, Cottonmouths, Pigmy Rattlers and Coral snakes. We all NEVER put our feet where we could not see. Still I had several close calls. Those boots would have given me a great deal of comfort when in snake country. My siblings that still live in Florda have lost 2 dogs in the last 10 years to snakes. My sister's yard dog was bitten on the tongue by a big rattler and died before they could get him to the vet. My older Brother had a big German Sheperd. One day the dog was sniffing aroung a pile of leaves and yelped. He was dead in about an hour. My brother found and killed a 32 inch coral snake in the leaf pile. The vet said the dog was bitten on his nose.

Bees kill far more outdoorsmen than snakes do. By the logic of this article, then, we should never enter the woods without a beekeeper's suit and a smokepot.

Ridiculous.

I grew up in snake country. Common sense (as in don't reach into dark holes and look where you step) is the best prevention.

dont step in the woods without my snakeboots once the warm weather breaks

I have run into several types of poisenous snakes while hunting and farming. A lot Copperheads one 6 foot eastern diamond back that I ran into on Cumberland Island off the coast of GA. I never saw it until I had already passed it. My dad killed a 5 foot timber rattler north of Helen Ga in the mountains, he shot it with a .22 pistol as it was coming at him, he was just outside the cabin in shorts and socks getting wood. He had to keep running in circles to keep out of it's reach, talk about scary. Living in the deep south wear there is a lot of prime snake habitat, it a way of life to be constantly looking for snakes. Know the areas that snakes like, keep a sharp eye out and never casually step over logs and rocks, look first and then step wide.

I have had a close call with a Prarie rattler last year, and I will definately be getting a pair of snake boots this summer. my mom and I nearly stepped on it. I have a hearing loss and am unable to hear a snake's rattle.

Never had a close call, but have seen my share of rattlers growing up in South Texas on the coast. Have lived in Colorado since 76, and only seen three snakes... But I won't venture out in the mountains or along the rivers without my Danners. Sure they are more expensive, but what price is a life worth?
Stay Safe Everyone.

This was an infomative article and important for all outdoor enthusiasts. I purchased a pair of Chippewa snakeboots recently and they are lightweight,comfortable and would reccommend them to anyone,anywhere.

i own a pair of rockysnake boots and they're amazing they fit great and i can walk for miles in these because they're so light

To keep your bird dogs safe from rattlesnakes, simply train them. First find a non-venomous snake, like a bull snake (make sure you know the difference). Let your pup or younger dog go smell it, don't point out the snake, to the dog. The bull snake will quite likely strike at the dog and with a little luck, put a big dose of respect for snakes, into the dog. 25 years ago, our Vizsla pup investigated a bull snake and when the snake struck, the dog almost turned himself inside out trying to get away from the snake. It cured him! As far as men go, keep your eyes open and wear boots. Any boots are better than pant legs. I once nearly stepped on two different colored rattlesnakes while Chukar hunting in Hells Canyon. One was light straw colored, in the cheat grass and the other a dark grey, in the rocks along the snake river. Got my heart going both times.

Will snake chaps do as good of a job as snake boots? And here in east Texas it's not uncommon to be grilling in the yard and spot a cotton mouth does anyone know what kid of a chance children would have against a snake bite?

It's always nice to learn something new. I have been bit by a rattler before and it's not fun.

I see this is an old article, but I have to comment on it. It's really sad to see this sort of article still being written from a place of fear, and to see it feeding into the frenzy of irrational fear in the general public. I live in an area with lots of rattlesnakes. The vast majority of my spare time is spent in photographing them. I've spent countless hours sitting on dens, and in the spring I'll be working with a herpetologist on a tracking study. I've never been bitten. Nor, incidentally, has the herpetologist, who's worked with rattlesnakes for 30 years.

Fatalities from rattlesnake bites are extremely rare. The venom of the majority of species does not contain a neurotoxin, but only a hemotoxin, which causes tissue damage at the site of the bite but doesn't have much in the way of systemic impact. Mojave rattlers do have the neurotoxin, so a bite from a Mojave should be considered a serious situation.

The article also fails to mention that at least 50% of defensive bites (that is, bites that aren't aimed at prey) are "dry bites," delivering no venom at all. About a third of the remaining bites don't deliver enough venom to cause problems. So, while one should absolutely seek medical attention,there's no point in sending the patient into a panic attack. He may have nothing more than a minor puncture wound.

The article also fails to address how not to be bitten in a close encounter. A rattlesnake's first line of defense is camouflage. This is one reason he often won't rattle until you're very close (the other is that human predation is causing a gradual evolution away from rattling behavior). He's hoping you'll pass by without noticing him. But if he thinks you're about to step on him, he'll rattle. ALL he wants at that point is to get away from you. But he's extremely vulnerable when he's stretched out and facing away from you, so if you're very close, he may be afraid to leave. In that case he'll coil and face you, and won't move on until you're gone. In that case, stay where he can see you, keep your movements slow and relaxed, and move back out of his striking range. When you're out of striking range, just go around him.

Caution is certainly warranted in rattlesnake areas, and any bite should be considered serious until a doctor confirms otherwise, but the culture of fear surrounding these uniquely American animals is unnecessary.

P.S. About the shedding in September thing -- rattlesnakes shed at different times in the season, depending on how fast they're growing (which is age and gender related) and how often they feed, so you could encounter a snake who's ready to shed almost any time. Whether a snake rattles or not is mostly a matter of individual temperament, and how badly startled he is. They're most likely to bite without rattling if stepped on or physically bumped into in close quarters.