Rattlesnake!!!?

Question

Have you ever turned a corner and found an agressive one ready for serious business and been chased by it?

After a hot day, this snake was cooling on the cement drive, between the farm trucks at sunset on East side of house. Tree twigs build up and birds grab them for nests. There are also plenty of mice in the area. This snake seemed to be claiming territory and acted very aggressive. It advanced at me striking at least 8' as I grabbed a broom and used the handle to pick it up and toss it out from the drive area. It was striking at least three feet out and moved towards me, coiling and stricking. Yhis all happened pretty fast and sudden, I had starttled it, it was looking for food. I have come across plenty of snakes and rattlers here in Colorado, they all seemed calm and didn't want much to do with me. I have had many snakes since a kid and have one as a pet in the house (boa). I even stepped on the tail of a rattler running through a field, stopped dead in my tracks as the rattler raised up off the ground and looked right at me just before we both turned and left quickly.

I felt chased. Snake was claiming turf? It stood it's ground and advanced and coiled a lot quicker then I have usually seen snakes move. Some people never see a snake in the wild and some 'experts' think they know it all. The question I guess is has anyone met up with an aggressive rattlesnake like I did?

I think it was striking and advancing and I may have been in the way of where it wanted to go? Both of us were startled! The coil, striking and advancing went on for about 10 minutes and when I left the area to get a camera it was still there, coiled and again was striking, advancing, recoiling. Been around snakes 40 years, never saw one this aggressive.

Answer 1

My guess is that you startled this snake out in the open and it went in to defense mode and started striking at you and each time it recoiled it was closer. I wouldn't call it chasing but I can clearly see how one might call it that. Had you moved out of sight my guess is the snake wouldn't have followed. Simply it was spooked and when straight in to defense mode to "chase" you away. Cant recall what species but I know ive seen this behavior before. Probably water snakes, like some one mentioned, they can be nasty.

Answer 2

Hello to Psy...A&M? I'm originally from Huntsville.

I did round the corner of my car one night after herp hunting to find the big female Crotalus atrox atrox that I had been "tailing" earlier, now sitting stretched out and tired under the trunk area. I almost stepped on her. She had been coiled on the path I was walking on earlier, and when I approached, she began rattling. I was between her and her burrow, and I could tell she wanted to get away but did not want to uncoil from her defensive posture and expose herself. As I turned to grab a stick, she made for the burrow. I tailed her, but she was too far in, and coiling around the corners of the burrow to hang on so I could not pull her out. Not wanting to hurt her, I let her go and continued my hunt for other things. She rattled furiously from deep in the burrow as I left. My car was a few yards away, and when I returned about an hour later, there she was. I pulled her out and examined her ( all I intended to do before ) and to make sure she was ok, then I sent her on her way back near the burrow.
It's BS about a rattlesnake "chasing" anyone, and anyone who says different is not being honest. They just want to get away, and if you get within strike distance, they will tag you. That's it. I can tell you that the most aggressive snakes in North America as far as coming close to going after you to bite you are Colubrids ( non-venomous ). They have more to prove it seems. They will lunge toward you where a rattlesnake would not. In that respect you have less chance of being bitten by a rattlesnake, and I find them very predictable by their posture. It's just that if you get bitten it's more serious with a Crotalid. But I do know quite a bit about them too.

Oh, and you can choose to discount "so-called experts" who "think they know it all" if you like, but Crotalids appears first under my list of experience for a reason. I live in NW Texas and spend time in the desert looking for rattlesnakes... ON PURPOSE...I have NEVER had one "chase" me down, even after highly agitating it, nor surprising it. It just happens to be the opinion of those with experience with these snakes, that they do not "chase" people, and stories to the contrary are more than likely embellishments or misunderstandings of what really happened. A long strike distance is not the same as "chasing" you.

Answer 3

In years of hunting snakes, including venomous, the only snake that has ever chased me was a Northern Watersnake, and although mean, they are not venomous.

I have heard stories of rattlers chasing folk- but never from someone I thought was telling the truth! ;-)

Answer 4

Nope. I have never been chased by any snake & I routinely handle & collect specimens, both venomous & non-venomous & I don't know anyone that has been "chased" by a snake. When you consider that an 85yr.old woman in a wheelchair moves faster than most snakes, how much effort would it take to outdistance a snake?

Answer 5

No, I haven't ever been chased by a agressive snake ready for serious business. Most snakes aren't agressive they are nervous and scared and the likelyhood of it following you if you ran isn't all that high.

Answer 6

At my lab, we have a bunch of Crotalus Horridus, the timber or canebreak rattlers. And they are usually nice and calm, but if you poke and prod them, they get angry and lash out. However, they like to cower and run away first. Their venom is meant to catch food, not to waste on us... but my associates and I milk them, and thus are able to make anti-venom for the hapless souls that get bit.

Answer 7

No.
Snakes don't chase people, that's ridiculous.
A Timber rattlesnake, however, almost crawled onto my lap once. I was kneeling on a hillside flipping rocks, and I disturbed the snake and rousted him from his hideout. He was not aggressive; I think he was trying to escape, and crawled towards me in confusion.

Answer 8

nooo. usually theyll try to get away before chasing you. but ive never heard of a rattle snake chasing someone. ive heard of black mambas chasing ppl.

Answer 9

Rattlesnakes do not chase people. They only
coil to protect themselves, then strike at anything
that moves.

Answer 10

well no but i awlways see them when im hiking and they allways make thair famous S position ready to strike