Snakes!!

[GobbleNut]

The discussion in another thread about what kind of boots to wear in "snake country" got me thinking ( a rarity, I admit).
Personally, I want to be very mobile when hunting, so I wear light-weight foot gear wherever I hunt,...usually low-top hiking boots.  I never hunt with a concern for snake bites,...at least partly because I am always careful and watching where I am walking,...but also because in nearly sixty years of hunting, I have never once had a snake strike at me even though I have had dozens of close-range encounters with them.

Where I live, we regularly have encounters with rattlesnakes and me and my hunting buddies have all been within sure striking range of them numerous times,...and none of us has ever been bitten or even struck at. (granted, we don't have cottonmouths or copperheads around here,...just rattlers)

So my question to everybody is this,...How many of you have either been bitten by a snake or have had one strike at you while out hunting? (the question only applies to instances where you did not intentionally aggravate the snake)

[NCL]

Never been bitten but have had a couple of close encounters. The last one was probably the closest chance of being bitten. I was hunting in a rocky area and had been on alert all day for snakes. As I was walking out on a road only about a hundred yards from my truck,  I got careless and was hurrying because it was hot, took a step and heard the buzz of a rattler. I looked back and I had stepped over a snake coiled in the grass, the snake was facing in an opposite direction and I think that was the reason I was not hit but that is pure speculation. In late season I do changeover to snake boots as I usually hunt alone and do not want to have to walk out after being bitten.

[RutnNStrutn]

I've been hit twice by cottonmouths. Thankfully both times I was wearing my snake boots. Oddly enough, they were on the same night, on the same walk back to the truck. I was blindly working my way to the truck after losing my compass, and having my flashlight die. These days I have a compass, and a couple of compass apps on my phone, and I carry a spare flashlight. Nothing like walking through a swamp in the dark and getting hit in the calf by a big snake to motivate you to be more prepared!! Needless to say, I always wear my snake boots, unless it's very cold.

[LaLongbeard]

I've never been bit but I've had numerous water moccasins strike at me. Most times I didn't see them and saw the movement or there open mouth. I've encountered rattlesnakes in other states and found them more tolerant than a moccasin. Copper heads have to be nearly stepped on before they  bite. Water Moccasins need no provocation if you get close enough they will usually take a strike at you unless it's really cold and they are sluggish.
As for as snake boots every pair I've seen are hot and heavy I bought a pair of Turtle skin snake leggings and they are super light, not hot and you'll forget your wearing them. I wear leather 9" high boots so the foot is protected by leather and the Turtle skins protect up to knee. Everyone I've known that was bit was on the hand/ arm or from the knee down.
I also make a point to kill every moccasin copperhead or rattle snake I come across.

[THattaway]

Had a copperhead strike me on the calf on an October SC bow hunt some years ago. Had gotten down out of a stand about 10AM and walked a short distance looking for sign on my way out of the woods. Stopped in a patch of sweetgum trees, fresh tan/yellow leaves all over ground, and felt something hit my knee high lacrosse rubber boots. Looked down to see a small dead bush shaking. I shrugged and stepped away from it trying to understand why it had moved after I had already stopped. Then I noticed the 30-32" long copperhead underneath it. I killed the snake with a stick then inspected the boot to find two small oily spots on the calf with the slightest rough looking spots in the center of each. We see a few copperheads here in spring and fall when they are prone to be moving in daylight during the cooler temps. Have walked up on alert rattlesnakes in the mountains here but thankfully never in a position to be bitten. Also, two springs ago I called for my father one evening at a known roost area on a hardwood ridge. We sat in gobbler loungers for a couple hours till it was past roost time. I'd laid box and pot calls down beside my seat during the whole time. When we got ready to leave I gathered my calls up and heard something rustle the leaves in the same location. Found a 20" or so copperhead lying within 12" of where I had been placing my hands all evening.

[Brad_Colvin]

I've been struck 3 times, twice by moccasins and once by a copperhead. Fortunately my snake boots saved me each time. When I lived and hunted in Florida it was common for me to be miles from the truck with no cell service and nobody knowing where I was hunting. I consider some kind of snake protection cheap insurance.

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[Tail Feathers]

I had a cane break rattler crawl up between my feet while turkey hunting a few years back. He was between the heel of my boot and my family jewels when I saw him.  I screamed like a third grade girl and began kicking at it.  I butt jumped about 25 feet.  It was very dry and the black toe cap of my boot had a pair of small wet spots where I saw it strike at me
We both claimed self defense for our actions and each of us survived with a tale for our buddies. 

[Greg Massey]

I just never take the chance and wear snake boots , that why they make them for snakes .....

[aclawrence]

I'll second the turtle skins. I bought a pair for this last turkey season and they worked great. I like having a little extra peace of mind if I'm walking a long ways from the truck.  I don't like snake boots. I can wear these with whatever boots I want to wear or I can let my wife wear them if she tags along.  More comfortable and more versatile.


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[aclawrence]

Interestingly I just sat down with the kids to watch Brave Wilderness and they had just posted a new video of Coyote Peterson looking at a huge Water Moccasin on a road in Florida one night.  Check it out for some cool footage of a monster size cottonmouth!


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[Gobbler2577]

Was struck by a smallish rattler one night in October after bowhunting.  Walking out on a logging road without a light and stepped on it.  Evidently he didn't appreciate it and struck.  I was wearing lacrosse burly rubber boots and it didn't penetrate, but left two smears that I can only assume was venom.  I usually wear snakeboots turkey hunting, but honestly I've had way more snake encounters while bowhunting in early fall. 

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[deerhunt1988]

I have way more encounters with venomous snakes in the fall, but have still came across plenty during the spring. Have stepped within a couple feet of displaying cottonmouths numerous times, but luckily have never had one strike. Rattlesnakes I've encountered have been more docile than the cottonmouths. I wear snake boots sometimes for peace of mind, but the potential for a snake is never gonna hinder my turkey hunting.

[Turkeytider]

Never been hit ( knock on wood ) but just too many copperheads and rattlesnakes here in eastern Georgia for me not to wear snake proofs for peace of mind. Always wear them for turkey and dove.

[bobk]

I have never been bit by a rattlesnake. But I have seen the results of a rattlesnake bite on 3 different people. If you would see a snake bite victim ,  you would immediately get yourself a pair of snakeboots or turtle skin chaps before you head out into snake country.

[uarobert]

I was struck at once, by a cottonmouth, while approaching a pond on a 4-wheeler to go fishing. This was in April in the afternoon, after a morning turkey hunt.