Keep your eyes peeled and be careful if you venture out on the trails now (whether on foot or in your X). I found a few passengers on me after Wooly's for one thing. Also, my local club stumbled across these nice specimens this past weekend at Hale Mountain:

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The first rattler was around 3 1/2' with 4 rattles. The second one was nearly 4 1/2' with 10 rattles!

During this time of year, they tend to stick close to their dens because of the chances of cold snaps but they are getting out and about on the sunny days.

When around large rocks, look for areas around the edges that appear almost polished or worn. Tell-tale sign of a den. A den can have up to 5 or more rattlesnakes in it and they aren't above sharing their dens with cottonmouths/water moccasins either. That is a nasty combination. While rattlers will defend their ground, cottonmouth and water moccasins WILL come after you. They are extremely aggressive and this makes them one of the most dangerous snakes you can encounter.

Other areas to avoid are trails exposed to noon day and evening sunlight. Especially sandy soil. They love to use these areas to get their body temps up before they begin hunting at night. They REALLY don't like to be disturbed during this time. The good thing is, they are a lot easier to spot because they will be out of the undergrowth in open/exposed areas. Still, always be extremely careful going down trails surrounded by thick growth.

i'm a huge reptile lover, i have / had many snakes and various reptiles as pets....but i gotta be honest, knowing that i could just walk through the woods and be fatally bitten by a rattler, copperhead, or moccasin creeps me the eff out

Yeah I love the harmless ones and constrictors but the biters can keep their distance. I used to have a red-tail myself.

nice, i had a 6ft colombian red tail that i had to get rid of, couldn't bring myself to give her the large rats anymore, and she wouldn't eat frozen....i have a 4ft red corn snake, she's boring, but she eats 2 mice every two weeks, frozen or live

/threadjack

In my opinion. The only good snake is a dead snake. Same goes for spiders. Blech.....
I really don't like things that can kill you or cause your flesh to rot when they bite you.
Paul

The only snakes I kill are the dangerous ones that are in my yard and even then, if I'm able to, I will move them back to "their" territory. I can understand people's "paranoia" and fear of them but they serve their purpose just like any other predator.

I like spiders because they kill all of the bugs I don't like. I have no issues picking up snakes and spiders but I'll scream like a little girl over a cockroach. :D

haha me too i hate roaches!

Holy crap! For the last 6 years I haven't had to look where I was stepping. I hope my old wariness comes back :(

I love reptiles, though. I had a water dragon and an iguana years ago. Awesome pets :) And a Costa Rican Zebra tarantula. My son "earned" the privilege of owning one by behaving in school (something I thought would never happen). Next thing I know, I have this "hand" crawling around in a box...eeeewww. She was gorgeous though when she molted. **Chills**

Snake gaiters are a good idea if you're gonna be in wooded areas this time of year. Good call bringing this to everyone's attention, Drake! I personally hate wearing long pants in the south during summer, but not as bad as I fear getting bit by a copperhead I was unaware of.

Out of all of the snakes, copperheads are the ones I'm actually fearful of. A rattlesnake at least gives you a warning and won't strike unless you provoke it or a lot of strikes occur as people are stepping over downed trees where the snake is nested on the other side. I've come across many hiking and even playing golf and only a few times did I have one rattle at me. And only once did I have one coil up and rattle which meant I was a little too curious for my own good. :D

A copperhead or a cottonmouth on the other hand, they will chase you for a short distance and worse yet, they don't give a warning. They just attack. I killed one that was actually pursuing my dog while he was swimming near the bank of a lake. They are pretty swift swimmers but not fast enough thankfully.

When I was younger I had a dog that got bit on the snout by a young copperhead. She was sniffing around the base of a hollowed out tree, probably trying to find the source of the musk scent (usually my first warning that a copperhead is nearby) and she got popped. Poor baby's whole face swelled up like a little football, but luckily we got her to the vet in time to administer the anti-venom. It was round about this time of year, too.