I would suggest that admin transfer the following thread from "bowsite" for all of you to read: My snakebite ordeal posted on July 14, 2019. the great majority of us here on leatherwall are outdoors people. When not bowhunting my passion is prairie chicken hunting in the great open tracts of pasture land in Kansas, Nebraska and the Dakotas. I am often a minimum walk of at least one hour from my pickup as I am sure many of you are also. I always wear snake boots if its even halfway warm. Have seen rattlesnakes in western kansas during Christmas week. the thread on "bowsite" is excellent. Just compare the cost of snake protection to the possible pain and medical bills. Once again the thread is "my snakebite ordeal".

Thank you! Shalom

Just read your post on Bowsite. Thanks for posting. I really don’t like snakes.

Headed to our cabin near Raystown Lake (central pa) this past July 4th and encountered a timber rattler in the driveway. Scared the hell out of me. The wife wanted to immediately go home. She never left the cabin the whole weekend. I’m wondering if I can get her to go back to the cabin. Ironically my wife purchased Motrin in case I did get bit by snake which was on your “Do Not” list.

I’m always outside doing something (chopping wood, throwing hatchets, walking my 3D course, etc). Let’s say it was a wake up call. Now I look everywhere and wear boots. I’m afraid no matter how careful I am it may not be enough. My neighbor told me the rattler in my driveway was the 5th rattler in the neighborhood over the past 6 months.

I saw the biggest copperhead I've ever seen yesterday...had to be 3 feet.

So why are they messing with em? And they wonder why they get bitten

Not this old man... I watched it cross my driveway and let it be... which is what I always do...unless I'm needing bow backing.

I've been hunting Pa. woods for 61 years, and running the woods before that. Never had an issue with rattlers or copperheads while out there. I don't stick my hands into rocks or logs as most snake bites are to the hands and arm areas. Situational awareness should always be practiced, but mostly snakes will move away rather than strike most times since they really need that toxin to kill game to survive. I certainly am conscious of possibilities but I will not lock myself in fear of what could happen to the point of not being able to function. I fear ticks more than snakes by a long shot, and I still go out there.

you aint"t Kiddng fear Ticks way more than snakes

I am with George. I just went through Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Thankfully I got the antibiotics soon enough.

Poison snakes in the USA are overated, walked the jungles of SE Asia in just jungle boots

I own three pairs of snake boots, so there’s no excuse for me to not have a pair to wear. We hunt South Ga swamps and the Ga barrier islands a lot, so three pairs of boots ensures that you always have a dry pair. I personally like the Lacrosse Alpha snake boots the best. This past turkey season, I covered 8 miles in a single morning while running and gunning and I had no issues covering that much ground in them. If you don’t have a pair....buy some.

"Poison snakes in the USA are overated, walked the jungles of SE Asia in just jungle boots"

Really Dood??? Go get yourself hit by a big Eastern Diamondback or Timber Rattler and check back with us about how you feel.

Yea S.E.Asian snakes are deadly and mostly neuro-toxic, and some are drop dead deadly without quick attention.

Pit Vipers are for the most part with the exception of the Mojave Rattler Hemo-Toxic. You my not die but there's a good chance you'll be permanently debilitated and trust me it'll hurt a lot.

I am with what George Stout said -I fear ticks More than snakes. I had close encounters with both water moccasins and cooper heads. They are mostly defensive and try to evade when spotted. They aren’t half as deadly as the Eastern Timber rattler which not extant in my area . In fact I have not ever encountered a rattler of any kind in all of the thirty years here in TX . Ask me about the tick that I found crawling in my ear . Scared the c$&p out of me!

Unfortunately some people won't buy into the snake boots until they get bit. 10 yrs ago I started wearing snake boots if it's over 45 degrees. I don't worry myself over snakes but I feel like it sure will deter a snake bite by wearing snake boots. We got some big rattlers here.

Using a little common sense when outdoors is always a good thing. Be aware of your surroundings and watch where you put your hands and feet when in snake country. If you do encounter a snake, leave it alone. Trying to kill one greatly increases your chance of being bitten. All that said, you are FAR more likely to be injured driving to your hunting area, falling from a stand, etc than you are from a venomous snake and you’re more likely to be killed by bees, dogs and even cows than from a snake. While they can be a potential problem, the actual danger they pose is far overrated.

The other thing I took away from this was never go alone . Two is better than one. And have good health insurance. The cost factor was almost equally scary as the snake bite!

The other thing I took away from this was never go alone . Two is better than one. And have good health insurance. The cost factor was almost equally scary as the snake bite!

I use Permethrin as well. I don't fear ticks more than snakes. I shoot all poisonous snakes period. 38 snake shot. they hate it. I don't have to mess with them to kill em. Just point and shoot. I had a big timber rattler off the back porch of my cabin last year. I shot him and could not find his head. LOL. And before you flame me. I don't care. I will pay my fine.

BTW, some guys kill roaches, some skeeters and some ticks. I kill them and snakes.

No thanks.

The problem I learned first hand in TX is that the rattlers down there don't rattle anymore. I was walking to my blind in the dark one morning and I would swear that someone pulled back a small tree and popped me with it. Luckily it hit the very top of my leather boot. I had a bit of a wet spot there on my pants, but thought it was due to dew on the grass I walked thru. On my way out of the stand I walked the exact smae track and low and behold there were no trees or even small bushes around that could have popped me.

I explained the encounter to a wildlife biologist later and he told me that I got popped by a snake, and warned me to be careful. He said the rattlers in TX have learned not to rattle because the hogs will eat them. So now they don't give you a warning they just strike. I don't wear high snake boots, but I wear full leather 10" boots when hunting to lessen the risk.

Good luck!

I spend a lot of time afield year round. Hard to say how many rattlers I've encountered over the years. For some reason some years I see more than others, Last year I saw plenty, even around the house. My wife saw 3 walking out our dirt lane to the mailbox. This year haven't seen any around the house. People think I'm crazy but I swear I can smell them...lol rattler pee smells like something dead. I once skinned down a rattler and a clear pee squirted out smelled like something dead, I never forgot that smell.

About a week ago, my wife and I got home, I got out of our explorer and walking past our camper I smelled that dead smell, glanced around wondering. 15 min later we walked back out of the house and the smell was gone, I mentioned it to the wife and she said she also had smelled it, so who knows?

Probably the worst rattler encounter was years ago on the shade mt near reeds Gap. I was scouting in Sept and was up on the steep which is thick and rocky. I came across a Big dead tree that was about 30" off the ground, it was to big to climb over easily, and rather thick to go around, so I dropped on my hands and knees and crawled under...I should know better. I came face to face with a large yellow phase, he never rattled. I quickly backed up and he rattled a bit and disappeared down in some rocks. Gave me the willy's and I'm not scared of them, but to have one in striking distance of your face is bad news.

I'll never crawl under another log, and I watch climbing around places where they can strike you in the upper part of the body. I image I bite to the face would be bad news. Eyes would probably swell shut and you wouldn't be able to see to get out of the mt.

I too worry more about ticks than I do snakes. I've been wandering fields, hills, and woodlands since I was a kid and I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've come across a poisonous snake.

I've come close to a few rattlers. As in almost stepped on them, and one I actually did. I found out the term "White Men Can't Jump" is total BS!

If you spend much time in the outdoors sooner or later they will make you jump.I won't kill them unless I really have to.

Well, we do use Permethrin but we still don't let our guard down. It's not so reliable that you can use it and forget it. Again, the situational awareness thing is a good thing, and if you live in an area that has so many poisonous snakes you need snake boots, well then that's the thing to do. Here in Pa., even with all of our mountain rattlesnakes and an occasional copperhead, you're more likely to get hit by lightning than bitten by a poisonous snake. Do the math. Even hunting in the hills here, you will likely have trouble with broken bones or twisted tendons than get bitten by a snake. The key is knowing where you're putting your feet or hands. Again...most snake bites are to the hands and arms. That should tell you something. I don't hunt in Texas or Arizona, or Georgia, so you guys that do should already know what precautions to take. I can only tell you of my experience here and the experience of my predecessors. YMMV.

Sure it's possible to get bitten by a poisonous snake, but it's not likely around here. I sure as heck don't let things scare me so bad that I'm afraid to go into the woods. I hope I never get that way. I've been in the woods in one way or another for over sixty years. Be cautious, but don't be frozen in place.

I am not a big fan of snakes, of any kind. I generally don't go out of my way to kill them but will if near my home or my deer camp. Unfortunately, we have a lot of snakes at home and at the camp. The one in this picture was particularly aggressive so he is not among us anymore. He was at my camp over 4th of July weekend. Saw five over the weekend but this one was the only one near the camp. This guy was rattling up a storm but I cannot hear them. I wear hearing aids but not around the camp as west TX is always dusty and windy. I always figured for every one you see, you probably walk past 5 or 10 you never see, or in my case, hear.

Many people get bitten on their hands and arms when they try to pick up something on the ground (dead bird in the grass?) or are climbing in rocks(hunters?). The bites are extremely painful and although usually not lethal with medical care, can lead to loss of fingers, hands, muscles, etc.

Well, I have been to.d there are rattlers in Illinois but so far never come across one. Has anyone in Illinois run across a rattler? If so, what part of the state? glad I don't hunt in snake country, they freak me out more than bears.

Ok now I'm carrying a gun on each hip, lol

My luck the snake will bite me above my snake boots

To think that Massachusetts introduced rattlesnakes to an island in the Quabbin Reservoir. Pest control was the reason. Crazy.

We kill some every year while hunting in Texas and some are huge close to 6 feet and as big around as your wrist . I wear legging but not all the time as they are noisy to stalk in, my son refuses to wear any type of protection and we are walking around in the brush a lot and at night . I think those big snakes might bite over the top of snake boots . I cant hear so the rattling doesn't warn me. I killed on last spring and the wife said it was really rattling but I couldn't hear it . I killed one in the ND badlands a couple of years ago it was really aggressive. It was on the road when I pulled up next to it went after the truck tire and tried to bite it . I poked it with my bow expecting it to coil instead it just came after me .

Are TurtleSkin brand of snake proof pants/ chaps any good? Thanks

I might measure him but he won't be able to bite then.

Biologist here said the main reason for snakebites is, people don't use a long enough stick when messing with them ;-)

Animals aren't shy about telling you when you've invaded their 'personal space'. 'Situational awareness' is important wherever you go. If you're in bear country you watch for bears. There is one small area near here where you might encounter a rattler. Friends who hike there keep their eyes peeled.

I might not doing the right thing walking in the woods with my flip flops or barefoot.Been doing this for more than 30 years but today I might not be coming back.between a snake and my cancer I take the snake.....

Gaiters are more comfortable than snake boots, and easily removed when you are out of the woods. They're easy to pack in your truck or even hunting pack. There's a WMA near here that I've named The Rattlesnake Ranch. Only place I absolutely wont hunt without gaiters. Hoo

That is an awful lot of rattlesnakes hanging out in one small area.

Never thought of PA as a particularly dangerous place to hike but this video changed my mind.

I've hiked all over Texas & Florida & never seen so many rattlesnakes.

16 rattles and a button. 63 inches long. I didn’t get close enough to get bitten. He gave me the creeps from 10 feet away. Beautiful creatures but I would just as soon kill one as admire him.

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