Rattlesnakes
Most snakes have no interest in people and will in fact do their best to avoid you and run away, unless you chase them, corner them or accidentally step on them. Stick to the trail, ignore the snake, give it some distance and you should be OK.
Unless the snake is big enough to swallow you, ...[Most snakes have no interest in people and will in fact do their best to avoid you and run away, unless you chase them, corner them or accidentally step on them. Stick to the trail, ignore the snake, give it some distance and you should be OK.
]... it's going to leave you alone.
Cottonmouths and copperheads have the reputation of being very aggressive and attacking people. However, unless they are provoked, they'd rather not waste their time and energy on something they cannot eat.
If you see a snake, your best bet is to just stop moving, let the snake pass by or go away, and then continue.
It if starts coming right towards you, yeah, turning around and running might be a good idea.
First off, if I am hiking, I ALWAYS hike with a staff. I have come across many rattlers in my days, and in the early ays, I killed them by cutting off their heads. But in the past thirty years, I have recognized how important all snakes are for pest control. These days, if the rattler is on the trail or next to it and does not move (most rattlers won't move and go into a defensive posture), I will slowly shove the end of my staff at them (it has a rubber "foot"), and they usually strike at it. This gets them to get rid of some of their venom, and shows them they can not hurt me. If they still do not move, my staff is long enough for me to pick them up mid body and move them off the trail, so we can both go on and live life happy. Always hike with a staff.
Don
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