Desert Captain wrote:
"If you come across a rattlesnake, you will hear it. They warn before a strike, and once you have heard it, you won't forget the sound."
False!
They do not always rattle, this myth can get you bit. I agree the sound is distinctive and unforgettable but I have been around lots of rattlers that simply didn't. I am amazed at all of the folks who have spent lots of time out here in the desert southwest who have never seen a rattlesnake. To these folks I recommend you pay a lot more attention as it is a virtual certainty you have been in close proximity at some point, probably a lot more often than you can imagine. They are all over the southwestern deserts and their camouflage is off the chart effective.
I worked as a Marshall on the local golf course and saw dozens every month, particularly in the spring when they are most active. Lots of good advice above such as not placing hands or feet where you cannot see, stay on the middle of the trails and above all pay attention. Do these things and you should not have any problems.
:C
I second Desert Captain; I too am amazed how few rattlers people have seen who spend any time in the desert. I long ago lost all count of how many I’ve seen and I’ve shot a lot of them. And I don’t do that for sport, only if I think they’re in striking distance and a threat.
But my situation was somewhat unique, part of my job many years ago was developing maps and often that required surveying the country first. The old days, a chain and transit and you went in a straight line through brush or any other passable objects. Just the thing I advise people to avoid doing to avoid snakes. By far, most of the incidents I had with snakes were when I was working.
I recall stepping on one’s tail once but he wasn’t coiled, he was trying to get away and needless to say I got off his tail pretty quickly. The closest call I had was with a sidewinder who parked himself right next to an instrument I had put on the ground momentarily. I bent down and reached for it and there he was all coiled up and waiting. I saw him just in time and shot him just on general principles for not buzzing and warning me. And it’s true that rattlers do not always buzz, he wasn’t the first or the last.
I agree with Desert Captain that people are likely just not seeing snakes that are there. I still see them, even on trails in city mountain parks. But I think my senses are so highly tuned to watching for them from the old working days that I see things others may walk right by.
