Hiking with rattlesnakes

[Scuba]

I have gotten into hiking since moving to the desert. There are some great trails here with beautiful views and lots of wildlife. However, I was shocked today to come upon this guy - a Western Diamondback rattlesnake. I couldn’t get around it because the trail was too narrow, so I just backed off and aborted my hike.

Now I’m kind of scared to go hiking. Getting bitten due to surprising a snake on a remote hiking trail would be a big bummer!

Any advice on how to avoid getting bitten?

 

[skipro33]

Carry a walking stick and bang it on the ground in front of that snake and it will leave. Most rattlers are very timid and don't want to face a show down. Wear boots and snake chaps. Have a cell phone and make sure there's coverage. Get educated on how to treat a rattle snake bite in remote locations. A great book I was trained on was called, Outdoor Emergency Care: Comprehensive Prehospital Care for Nonurban Settings It will have a lot of info on how to manage all sorts of injuries and illnesses when away from civilization.

 

[Ronstar]

I’ve encountered about 10-15 rattlesnakes while hiking in Arizona. Some rattle when you get near them. Some do not. I’ve seen on local Arizona tv that most rattlesnake bites are to young males who antagonize the snakes. The snakes won’t chase you - they only attack if they are bothered.

To avoid getting bit:

1. Don’t hike off trails - stay on trails where you can see them easier.
2. Don’t go near them. Watch where you are walking. Walk around them if you see them.
3. Don’t antagonize them.

We went to a rattlesnake festival. The speaker from Rattlesnake Solutions was a trained rattlesnake expert. He said that once a person is bit they should just call 911. Don’t try any snake potions or healings of your own.

Here’s Rattlesnake Solutions FAQ https://rattlesnakesolutions.com/snake-information/FAQ.php

Good point by skipro above on the use of a hiking stick. It is amazing how rattlesnakes can feel the ground.

 

[6miths]

We are seeing more and more rattlesnakes again in our area - a good sign. I am sure we are walking past them all the time without being aware. Agree that they are very timid and going to do everything possible to avoid humans. Stick and boots are good idea. Keep eyes and ears open. Be safe.

 

[gamboolman]

I wear Snake Gaiters or Chaps.
Turtle Skins is what we have.
They are good in the briar's and thorn patches also.
There is other good brands but ms gamboolgal and I have been happy with the Turtle Skins

 

[audreyh1]

Oh, that rattlesnake doesn’t look happy!

DH wears snake gaiters covering his calves and heavy leather hiking boots when he’s out photographing. He likes the TurtleSkin brand - yes those look like his gaiters above. They’re great for cactus spine protection too.

We have plenty of rattlesnakes around here.

 

[LOL!]

I use trekking poles when backpacking. So far, despite coming across quite a few poisonous snakes they have not tried to bite me. I have not seen some of the snakes until stepping over them or stepping on them. My personal experience is that snakes want to be left alone and are easily avoided.

For a rattlesnake, it takes quite a bit of resources to create venom that is used to capture food, so wasting venom on something that it cannot eat is not good for it. I think that's a reason they give an audible warning that one should be attuned to. OTOH, copperheads and cottonmouths do something different. For instance, a cottonmouth will open it's mouth wide to display a warning.

I see in your photo lots of rocks. How many rocks did you throw at the snake?

 

[Mark1]

Don't forget the risk of getting bite in the hand or arm when you go to sit down on some rocks, tie your bootlace, etc. Hand placement is an area where I tend to be extra careful when hiking.

I have never worn snake chaps/gaiters, but then I usually hike on established trails and I rarely bushwhack where the risk of a bite would seem to be much greater.

Agree with others, Leave them alone and most likely they will leave you alone.

 

[Aerides]

Last winter when I was hiking in AZ I came across a mama Javelina. I backed away down the ridge, but she and her two young uns kept watch and followed me down a fair part of the trail...I was never so happy to get off a mountain.

This year I crossed paths with another hiker, a good hour off the trail head. She had 3 jumping cacti pods deeply embedded in the backs of her arms. I helped her remove them improvising with sticks. Read up on them afterwards - and the recommendation is to carry a pair of long tweezers with you.

So my advice would be to read up on any and all things to be prepared for, and carry those things in your backpack. Even if you never see another snake again, there will always be something else.

 

[Freedom56]

We rarely see them on a trail, but when we go off trail we have encountered them often. Diamondback rattle snakes are pretty common on hills around Los Angeles like at Griffith Park. I would avoid hiking at night and if you find your self on a trail after sunset, make sure you wear headlamps. Use a hiking pole. Scan the ground left to right in front of you as you walk.

 

[COcheesehead]

We have them all over where we live. Wear higher ankle hiking boots. Stay out of tall grass. Watch where you put your hands on rock faces. We see them more in the daylight sunning themselves.
With as many as we have though, I only know of one incident, a dog was bit.

 

[RunningBum]

I've seen them on runs/hikes a few times, had a couple give me a rattle warning. I've never seen one with head raised like the OP's pic and I also would've turned around if the trail were too narrow. I haven't found that they move if you throw rocks at them but I'd still have tried.

 

[Andre1969]

I was always under the naive assumption that a snake would be more afraid of me, than me of it, and would try to slither away as soon as it detected my presence. Equally naive, I was also under the assumption we didn't have venomous snakes in Maryland.

Until, one day I was with some friends hiking on a rock formation in the Catoctin Mountains. One of my friends had gotten ahead of me, out of sight, but suddenly I heard a yell, and he came running back into view. My first thought was he had seen a bee or spider or something stupid like that, so I asked, kind of deadpan, "What is it?"

"RATTLESNAKE!" was his response. While I knew he wasn't the type to just make something up like that, I was still having trouble believing him. But, sure enough, I looked around the edge of the rock, and there it was, just laying stretched out in the middle of the path, sunning itself without a care in the world. It seemed totally unconcerned by our presence. At first I thought it might have been dead, but then noticed it was breathing.

I had been going to that park for over 20 years, and had never seen a rattlesnake. I mentioned it to a ranger at the visitor center and she said, "Oh yeah, they're all over the place, and they get used to people." I found that a bit disturbing, as I just presumed that they would feel the vibrations of a human approaching, especially on rock, and try to get away. Or at least take a defensive posture and start rattling, to try and scare off the perceived threat! I started getting this mental image of just walking along, oblivious, go around a corner, and stepping on one and getting bit.

It didn't make me afraid to go back to that park, but it definitely taught me to be more aware of my surroundings.

And, as for where I got the idea that there weren't any venomous snakes in Maryland, I think I got that mixed up from something my Dad said when I was a little kid. He probably said there weren't any venomous snakes in our particular part of Maryland, and I just remembered it wrong. But, apparently rattlesnakes are common in the western/mountainous areas. Thankfully they're not aggressive like the western Diamondback rattlesnakes, but I'd imagine they still don't make very good pets!

And apparently copperheads are almost everywhere, just less common in the coastal/flatland areas. Every once in awhile, someone will say they saw a water moccasin, but according to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, water moccasins are not native to Maryland, and sightings of them turn out to just be generic water snakes. Still, I guess it's possible they could end up in more of the southern/swampy areas?

 

[harley]

According to my friends in MD, the only kind of snakes they have are copperheads and water moccasins. lol! Doesn't matter if they're black or green or yellow, to some people all snakes are poisonous. I can understand the impulse. I was canoeing in the Great Dismal Swamp as a kid and a snake dropped into our canoe. Scared the bejeezus out of us, and in our story it was definitely a moccasin.

And yes, to my semi-educated knowledge there are no moccasins in MD. I think they only go as far north as southeastern VA.

 

[Scuba]

Thanks for the suggestions and referrals to additional reading on this topic. I definitely need to add some things to my hiking gear.

I was very surprised that this snake didn’t want to move from its position. Clearly it saw me and it hissed at me which is how I noticed it. The trail I was on was narrow and rocky so I didn’t feel comfortable trying to go around it. I have trekking poles but was afraid if I got close to the snake and tried to make it move by tapping the poles on the ground near it, it might strike. I did try stomping my feet but that just seemed to make the snake hiss more. He never rattled, just puffed and hissed. I just left.

I read that this time of year, they are just coming out of hibernation and they like to warm themselves in the sun, especially mid-day when it’s the warmest. I read that it’s better to hike in the early morning or later in the day when it’s cooler right now. That’s good to know because I might have heat stroke hiking in the middle of the day with chaps and tall hiking boots on.

The other thing I’ll definitely do is be more aware and alert to the possibility of snakes. I never go off trail but have probably not been as focused as I should be on the threat of rattlesnakes. It would take quite a while to get medical attention on these trails.

 

[Freedom56]

I read that this time of year, they are just coming out of hibernation and they like to warm themselves in the sun, especially mid-day when it’s the warmest. .

Rattlesnakes do not hibernate in Southern California. They come out whenever it's warm and overcast. They rarely come out when it's over a 100 degrees. They become more nocturnal during the summer months. In spring time they mate so you will see more of them.

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.co...s-in-southern-california-2011oct18-story.html

 

[LOL!]

Recent poisonous snakes I have met while hiking and taken pictures of:

I have a few bear and javelina videos, too.

I guess what I fear most while on the trail is Homo sapiens.

 

[Badger]

The chaps or leggings would be a wise investment as well as a walking stick. On the plus side Rattlesnakes are usually not aggressive if you give them space and time to leave the area. Prepared in that way I would not give up hiking. Fortunately you are not dealing with Cottonmouth/WaterMoccasin which are aggressive and will even come at you. I've had the occasional experience with them while camping in the Okefenokee during a few decades. That was a little uncomfortable.


Cheers!

 

[JoeWras]

In the NC Piedmont, we have entered copperhead season. Most human hits are accidents, with the snake sunning on a trail and being stepped on, or reclined against (see story above about hands), while the snake is guarded by a log.

Rattlers are almost non-existent in central NC, but are out there in the mountains and coast. I've never seen a timber rattler in the mountains or coast here in NC, but they are out there, just as they are out there in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Supposedly they are less aggressive than diamondbacks.

 

[audreyh1]

Last winter when I was hiking in AZ I came across a mama Javelina. I backed away down the ridge, but she and her two young uns kept watch and followed me down a fair part of the trail...I was never so happy to get off a mountain.

This year I crossed paths with another hiker, a good hour off the trail head. She had 3 jumping cacti pods deeply embedded in the backs of her arms. I helped her remove them improvising with sticks. Read up on them afterwards - and the recommendation is to carry a pair of long tweezers with you.

Apparently combs are effective on jumping cholla cactus according to an experienced AZ birding guide we traveled with.

Understand about the javelinas. Our nearby state park was overrun with tame javelinas before the big 2010 flood. I tried hard not to get in between adults and the really small ones, but you had to watch it sometimes!

 

[audreyh1]

We have them all over where we live. Wear higher ankle hiking boots. Stay out of tall grass. Watch where you put your hands on rock faces. We see them more in the daylight sunning themselves.
With as many as we have though, I only know of one incident, a dog was bit.

They show up in our Deep South Texas yards! We’ve had two men in our neighborhood bit on the hand while gardening. We’ve removed two tiny ones from our yard. And our immediate neighbor had two large ones removed. At least one dog bit and died. There seems to be a Spring movement of rattlers here - at least that’s when you’re most likely to see one. Snakes don’t hibernate where we live - too warm.

 

[Winemaker]

Great! Wait til the media gets a hold on this. Now they're going to ban hiking in the Great Outdoors due to 10 deaths/year to rattlesnake bites!

GMA is now airing a segment on mental health because people are hunkered down in their bunkers with no social interaction. Shut the damn TV off!

 

[JoeWras]

GMA is now airing a segment on mental health because people are hunkered down in their bunkers with no social interaction. Shut the damn TV off!

Amen.

I watched about 1 min of a two different news channels (one right, one left) and both left me nauseous. The anger, fear and grandstanding has to stop.

I was away from TV for the last 5 days before today and it was kind of blissful.

 

[street]

I have lived in rattlesnake country all my life and there are things you just learn to do daily if out and about. I hike all the time and where I hike there is no trails so you need to have your ears on I wear snake gators and always a walking stick. I have had a few close calls but for the most part it is more fear of them then anything else.
When at the ranch it fencing or working I will always use snake gators. I wouldn't stop hiking because you seen one just need to be aware and use precautions and the tools you have to be as safe as you can be.

 

[zinger1457]

I could see using the gaiters for hiking but would imagine those chaps would be way too uncomfortable for any type of long hikes, especially in warmer weather when the snakes are usually out.