NorcalBob wrote:Two thoughts as the former medical ranger when I was serving with the USNPS.
1) An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
2) The rattler that gets you is the one you never see
In grad school I did two years of field work in a tributary of the Trinity. The rocky hillsides we SERIOUS rattlesnake country, but in the heat of the day the snakes poured down off the hillsides into the cool of the creek bed and streamside vegetation. My busiest day ever included encounters with 17 buzztails, but on most days I could count on working my way around 3 to 5 of them. Had some very, very close calls, as you might guess.
I tried all the "solutions" from snake gaiters to birdshot in pistols for those I felt needed dispatch. Only dispatched two in two years because the rest I could get around. Frankly the gaiters are a PITA, especially when changing in and out of waders or hipboots several times a day. In fact my closest calls came while sitting down to make the change.
Best of the best to prevent problems came in three parts: Common sense, using your eyes and a good walking staff. Know where to expect the snakes and stay alert for them. And especially, make a lot of noise rattling and banging that walking staff out ahead of you. Pay special attention to shaded overhangs along the trail and creek.
Another good use for the walking stick: When you come across a snake in your way, slowly poke the stick down into the center of all those pretty snake coils. Then make like Tiger Woods and give the stick a good swing to launch the snake off the trail or across the creek. Done deal.