Snake Boots

jk2paintworx

New member
I live in E Wa and have ran across a few Rattle Snakes over the years when hunting in the basin. Have not had any close calls but considering some snake boots. Just thinking that they must be really hot to wear in the hot months. Better than a snake bite I suppose. How many of you guys wear snake boots? How are they to wear in the summer?
 
I don't wear snake boots per se... but depending on the area you walk through, it may not be a bad Idea. I wear a pair of Kenetrek boots that will stop fangs at least up to mid calf (maybe a bit lower) and I'm careful. I've had many encounters with rattlers out in the sage and particularly in the rocky washes and flats. I actually got bit once when I was a kid but didn't get injected with venom.

As I get older (and wiser I hope) I've given some thought to investing in a good pair of lightweight and breathable snake gaiters just to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Being out in the middle of nowhere 100 dirt road miles from help can add up to serious trouble for sure. I'll be interested in what others have to add to this discussion. I've looked on-line for gaiters and found several types available... some are obviously cheap and others are expensive. The expensive ones look to be made for firefighters... they should be pretty good. I can't imagine they would be cool or comfortable.
 
Snake boots or gaitors do offer a level of protection but don't guarantee you won't get bit above them.
I only know of a couple venomous rattler bites to humans in my whole life. One was a teen crawling up a sand dune and got bit on the hand by a young 12" rattler.
The other was a drunk trying to capture a rattler by hand.
One man got hit when stepping over a log but no venom.
I have caught and skinned a ton of rattlers, many times having over 10 stretching/drying at once. 4 1/2 ft biggest one caught here in the basin.
Never using anything more than a shovel to get them live or dead.
If you don't wander carelessly rubbing bushes and stepping over objects the chances get reduced dramatically.
When I was a kid, the snakes would go up on wheeline irrigation and get under the motor cover to surprise you at changes.
 
Fortunately, as Mark stated above, snakebite is relatively uncommon.

Rattlesnakes are pretty plentiful in south Tx. but for the most part are seldom aggressive. I personally know of one man bitten by a rattler and have heard of a number of others over the years, but I do wear snake boots year round due to having to wade through knee high grass often times where I hunt.

Wore Cabelas nylon boots for years but they have been discontinued. They were Goretex lined and very light weight. I think the goretex is what made them a lot cooler than the old leather boots that were common in years past. They are still hot enough.

Due to the size of snakes we encounter, I'm not sure snake boots are tall enough to offer a 100% guarantee you won't get bitten, but they do offer a little peace of mind.
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This is second time in recent years I've heard of someone bitten by a severed rattler head:

Quote:Corpus Christi man bitten by severed rattlesnake head
Wednesday, June 06, 2018 04:46PM
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas --

A Corpus Christi man is recovering after he was bitten by a rattlesnake, even after the snake had already been beheaded.

It happened the weekend of May 27 at a home near Lake Corpus Christi.

Jennifer Sutcliffe and her husband were doing weekend yard work when she spotted a four-foot rattlesnake. She said her husband quickly took his shovel and severed the snake's head, but moments later when he bent down to dispose of the snake, the snake's head bit him.

"In that case, since there is no body, it released all its venom into him," Sutcliffe told KIII-TV.

Sutcliffe called 911 and began driving her husband to the hospital. He began having seizures, lost his vision and experienced internal bleeding.

Sutcliffe met up with an ambulance and her husband was ultimately air-lifted to a hospital.

She said the first 24 hours were the worst. Doctors told Sutcliffe her husband might not make it, even after giving him vast amounts of anti-venom.

"A normal person who is going to get bit is going to get two to four doses," Sutcliffe said. "He had to have 26 doses."

Sutcliffe's husband is now in stable condition, but his kidney function is still weak. Trauma surgeon Michael Halpert said although dying from a snake bite is rare, it happens.

"There are about 6,000 to 8,000 snake bites per year in the country, and 10-12 people die," Halpert said.

If someone near you is bitten, get medical help immediately.

"You just want to keep the victim calm, keep the bitten area above the level of the heart slightly, and get the patient to the nearest emergency room," Halpert advised.

Video and pictures @:
http://abc13.com/corpus-christi-man-bitten-by-severed-rattlesnake-head/3570200/

Regards,
hm
 
I wear Irish Setter snake boots while I am night hunting in the warmer months because you can't see the snakes as well and it adds that extra layer of protection. They are comfortable enough to wear in the heat of the AZ desert during the day. Your legs will get a little sweaty though.
 
Boots or snake chaps. I use the chaps but, can't tell you if they work or not. Haven't had to test them yet. Chaps go up to the knee. Probably not tall enough for those Texas snakes! Southern snakes sure do get big. If we get a 5' rattler in Montana that is a very old snake. Rattlers that size are rare. Rudy
 
I have seen rattlers 3 ft high in sagebrush and once in a tree stalking a quail.
I did forget about the guy dozing a new ditch road that got into a rattler den. The snakes got on the tracks and crawling throughout the machine. The guy had a heart attack and died, sad end.
 
Go to danner boots , and sign up for sales events , I picked up the whole family's boot last winter and paid 70.00 per pair or 200.00 boots . We love the danners, like wearing a pair of tennis shoes and not to hot.
 
We have very few Rattlers But Plenty of the ornery Little CopperHeads.
He/She needs no provocation, It Will Bite you for Absolutely No Reason At ALL!
Wear Snake Boots!!!
 
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We wear them in SC. We have rattlers, cotton mouths and copperheads. Especially dangerous at night when we are tracking hogs through the swamps and cutdowns.
 
Originally Posted By: hm1996Fortunately, as Mark stated above, snakebite is relatively uncommon.

Rattlesnakes are pretty plentiful in south Tx. but for the most part are seldom aggressive. I personally know of one man bitten by a rattler and have heard of a number of others over the years, but I do wear snake boots year round due to having to wade through knee high grass often times where I hunt.

Wore Cabelas nylon boots for years but they have been discontinued. They were Goretex lined and very light weight. I think the goretex is what made them a lot cooler than the old leather boots that were common in years past. They are still hot enough.

Due to the size of snakes we encounter, I'm not sure snake boots are tall enough to offer a 100% guarantee you won't get bitten, but they do offer a little peace of mind.
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Regards,
hm

hm,
it looks to me like a pair of plain old cowboy boots should be plenty tall enough to work for snake boots for you.
You might need to trim the tops down a little so they won’t chafe your nads.

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C'mon, Jeff, play nice, now. Short legs and big snakes call for TALLER boots, not shorter.
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Regards,
hm
 
Originally Posted By: hm1996C'mon, Jeff, play nice, now. Short legs and big snakes call for TALLER boots, not shorter.
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Regards,
hm

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Originally Posted By: wickaI prefer snake chaps, protection all the way to the crouch.

Bought a pair of chaps but they were so large at the cuff that a snake could have crawled up my leg and they flapped around like a set of mud flaps @ 60mph; very noisy. Might try to have them taken in (if I can find them), but last couple of years the hog population is way up, thus snakes are much more scarce.

Regards,
hm
 
I have had the Danner Pronghorn and Sharptail. They are both great. I like the Sharptail the best. I literally would not hunt the deserts without them. I would stay home. I have walked up on snakes plenty of times when they didn't rattle.

I am usually 100 miles from civilization and 2-4 miles from my car. A bite would be deadly. Especially because I am in Mojave Green territory.

My life is worth $250. Maybe even $300.
 
I picked up a pair in the classifieds here and I should get em next week. They are the older Cabelas snake boots without insulation. I realize that they won't be as cool as wearing hiking boots in the summer like I normally do but some all the ones i have looked at have pretty thick uppers that would have to be miserable in mid summer. I think these will be a good compromise between comfort and safety.
Jerry and Tripod, when is prime time for Rattlers in our neck of the woods?
 

Just curious: Do any of you have stories to tell of snake strikes when wearing your snake boots? If so it would be interesting to hear. Everyone seems to have their favorite boot, but will they actually work at that critical moment?
 
Originally Posted By: jk2paintworxI picked up a pair in the classifieds here and I should get em next week. They are the older Cabelas snake boots without insulation. I realize that they won't be as cool as wearing hiking boots in the summer like I normally do but some all the ones i have looked at have pretty thick uppers that would have to be miserable in mid summer. I think these will be a good compromise between comfort and safety.
Jerry and Tripod, when is prime time for Rattlers in our neck of the woods?

I wore out two pairs of these boots from hard use over many years and wish they were still available. I'm sure you will find them very comfortable; they're light and the gore-tex lining makes them much more comfortable in hot weather than other boots I've worn.

If those had been 9.5 EEE or even 10 D's I would have jumped on them myself.

Regards,
hm
 
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