ran into two of the good guys within an hour. I'm sure their evil cousins are out there as well.

I just got done bashing the guy in the coral snake thread but I guess this is how it happens, atleast you weren’t dumb enough to touch it.

GCART are you new to Hunting and the outdoors?

The first timber rattler I ever saw was when I was cruising a tract up at Abel Mall. 40 ac surrounded by national forest land. I was close to a creek when I stopped to take a point. Jabbed my stick in the ground, looked down, and my foot was about 2" from that SOBMFer. If you were within 10 miles you should have heard me hollering and screaming when I jumped. After I I took my underwear off, I picked up a rock about the size of my fist and hit it. It just rolled around for a min and coiled back up. I hit it again, same result. Third time I was mad/scared whatever you want to call it and drew back hit it with all I had. The snake just rolled again but this time it went off toward some canes on the creek. This was the FIRST time it rattled during the whole altercation. This was middle August and I have always heard "dog days" make them mean. Not this one. Yes I was wearing chaps.

For the rest of the time until I finished the tract, every time I would step on a stick no bigger than 3/8" in diameter I jumped.

Not sure why you needed to remove your underwear before assaulting an innocent snake.
Rattlesnakes aren't mean or aggressive. You probably scared the hell out of him with the underwear episode.

I had a timber rattler come at me last year when I was on the tractor. I saw it crossing a fire lane and when I got within 15-20 feet it stopped. I stopped the tractor to see if I had anything to kill it with, assuming it was about to go into my young pines. I ended up having nothing but a claw hammer so I started to drive forward hoping I could run it over before it got in the pines. When I got within 6 or 7 feet it turned around and came at the tractor, struck the front tire then kept going under the tractor. I backed up and ended up getting a front tire on it eventually. I know it struck the front tire twice and I had 2 separate places with venom (or slobber or something) dripping down.

Did you suck the poison out?

Out of a tire - OMG

Last weekend. 13 and a button. He got Judged! 3" #6's.

I've ALWAYS wanted to come across one of these. I want one mounted. They look so cool.

I asked my wife this morning how old she was when she learned the "red touching yellow kill a fellow" saying. She said maybe 6 years old. Same for me.

I spent summers from age 8 er so on the Cahaba River, unsupervised by adults, learned early to ID snakes. I caught a couple of cottonmouths when young , inc a 42+ inch one...damn near got bit. Got bit by a cottonmouth when I was 16, dry bite with little swelling. Saw a buddy bit by a copperhead when I was 16, he lost a LOT of meat on his right thumb, nasty, nasty, nasty. I quit catching them right then. got hit by a 5 foot Timber Rattler in 1985 in west Greene Co, another dry bite with some swelling. I had a growing cyst removed from the bite spot 9 years later.

I figure three times is a charm...I'm not getting bit again if I can help it. My policy now is to kill any dangerous snake as quickly and safely as possible....gun, truck, tank, flamethrower, whatever is handy. If in doubt I ask Ben for advise on what to do.

ignore everything above except the laat sentence!

Not sure why you needed to remove your underwear before assaulting an innocent snake.
Rattlesnakes aren't mean or aggressive. You probably scared the hell out of him with the underwear episode.