If you encounter a rattlesnake, do you just turn around?

[MrsMontana]

That’s pretty much my question. I was out today and was pleasently going along and was startled and petrified by a rattlesnake! Of course I had the kids and dogs, too, so was extra worried. Thank goodness everyone did a great job of stopping, identifying where the rattle was coming from, and slowly backing away, and no one was bit.

But it got me thinking, do you just “give up” on whatever trail for that day? Go ride somewhere else? On a singletrack, there’s no room for going around.

I was thinking I’d call the ranger station and report the snake. Either way, it really scared me!! Spiders and bears don’t get me, but snakes- yikes!!

[Scribbler]

I’m not familiar with rattler behavior. Do they come back to the exact same place if disturbed? Are they so rare in your area that they get reported?

We have resident black bears in the park where we ride. Someone will come in all breathless and report a siting but guaranteed by the time you saddle up and ride out, he’s long gone. Nevertheless some folk will avoid a certain trail all summer because they saw a bear there once.

I expect that your rattlers like our bears are around all the time but rarely seen I’ve wondered if people put leg protection on their horse in rattlesnake country?

[PrincessPonies]

Where we are rattlesnakes are part of life. When people go walking about the neighborhood they carry something to hit/kill them with. If they’re in our yard we kill them, or the others kill them I run screaming

[hank]

There are rattlesnakes in the country where I ride. If one is curled up in the trail, I either find a way to give it a wide berth and go around, or turn around. They definitely will use the same spot frequently. Some people use sports boots with bell boots as protection, but I don’t know of anyone who has actually had to find out if they work. Mostly, they want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them. Sometimes you can get one off the trail by tossing handfuls of loose dirt in their general direction.

[tabula_rashah]

Around here at least, they leave town pretty quick when they hear you coming (ran into a couple last weekend at Graves Mtn in VA). Or if they don’t a good long stick if available and a gentle push will send them in the right direction.

[js]

Just do your best to avoid them if you see one, they are more likely to want to get out of your way than bite you. If there is no way around them then turn around and find an alternate route. If they are coiled, they can strike at a distance of a length and one half of their body length (more or less, or so I was taught) so give them a very wide berth; however, is one is coiled I would back away and leave.

[irish_horse]

I’d have to cut a lot of rides short if I stopped for rattlesnakes! If on a singletrack I’ll back up, far out of harms way. If I circle the horse, move him around, the snake will usually hear the vibration and slither off into the bushes. They know something that large is not prey, and would not waste a bite if there is a chance to just escape! If they don’t move off, I’ll turn around and take another trail. On a larger trail I’ll just go far around, and I have had to throw the occasional rock or branch to move them (though you risk scaring them to coil up, then you’re out of luck as they’ll stay that way awhile as they feel threatened). They truly do not see you, on a horse, or even as a human walking, as prey. So I prefer to leave them to their lives to slither off into the bushes, and eat all the mice they want!

[Horsecare101]

We used to run into rattlesnakes all the time and I’m with irish_horse - if they are sprawled out and you can give them enough room, it’s safe to go around. If it’s a single track and they aren’t coiled, chances are they’ll start slithering away as soon as they can and the trail will be clear. They are definitely frightening and will give you a good burst of adrenaline, but they are more afraid of us than we are of them. The only time I’ll kill one is if they are near the house, barn, or tack shed. Otherwise I leave them be.

On the topic of snakes - if I see a gopher snake, or anything else that isn’t poisonous, I do my best to keep them around. I don’t know a lot on the topic, but I’ve heard a number of types of snakes have territories and will often keep rattlesnakes away. Not sure how true it is, but I’ll take it

[MrsMontana]

Interesting thought about gopher snakes keeping rattlesnakes away. I do know they have territories and need to eat so I could see one moving on if another snake had the rodent population in check.

I’m​​​​ honestly surprised how many if you are willing to interact with the snake in some way!! (Rocks, sticks, etc). This one really got to me because it wasn’t stretched out or interested in moving. It was coiled up and rattling loud! I do think most of the time they do slither off, thank goodness.

I think dh and I will be getting some “snake gaiters” for hiking/hunting.