I am considering buying either some boots or gaiters that will presumably prevent snake bites. I go out walking and bird watching in areas that likely have venomous snakes (I haven't seen one yet since moving to Arkansas though) and since I am often looking for birds up in the trees instead of watching the ground I obviously increase my risk of being bitten.

Should I buy full on snake proof boots or will gaiters suffice? I assume most snake bites are on the lower leg but am not sure about that. I suspect that some bite the foot and therefore gaiters that only cover the lower leg and not the top of the foot might not be adequate. I don't know if the leather of the boot itself would prevent the penetration of the fangs.

Looking for guidance from you all.

I have snake pants

Holy Christ! lol


Come clean already!

I would buy everything snake proof they offered.

Wabi is worried about that gardner snake sleeping under his tomato plant. hahha

I have a pair of Chippewas in the classifieds....

Yukon Jack
Rose’s lime juice
Filtered over ice into a chilled up glass

Have a ride home handy




P

I bought a pair of rattler brand hip leggings back in the day. Damn they are HOT! But I wore them when I needed to.
I picked a set of wrap around armadillo kind of things off of a member here that I wear now. They come just below the knee. I’m depending on my leather boots for my feet.

When I started prairie dog shooting in the west I chose gaiters. They always seemed to be a pain to fool with & wondered if my exposed hiking boots were sufficient.

After a few trips I broke down & bought a nice lightweight pair of knee high snake proof boots. One of those palm to head smacks, why didn't I do this sooner? So much more comfortable & comforting.

If I lived full time amongst poisonous snakes, was active in their area in their season & had concerns I'd buy the nicest most comfortable pair of boots I could find.

There are so few people bitten on the legs by snakes that it's not even worth worrying about. Just don't stick your hands in places you can't see well.

In Aus I have some lightweight gaiters more for burrs etc. I have snake gaiters but too damn hot and heavy. Although most Australian snakes are relatively short fanged so reasonable long pants usually suffice. And carrying a compression bandage snake kit.

I understand many snakes in the USA don’t respond to compression bandages.

They respond, alright.

They'll bite the crap outta you if ya try and put a compression bandage on em.

I stepped on a copperhead once while we were confirming a wetland delineation. That sumbitch wrapped itself up around my ankle and calf, and seeing as how I was standing on it's body, it was NOT happy. Loose pants kept me from getting bitten by that lanky SOB.


Buy the boots if you are going to be in areas of concern. You aren't a chickensçhitt if you do, you are just being cautious.

From what I understand the number one reason people get bitten by snakes is when they try to kill it.

I routinely walk through waist or higher grass at our ranch in south TX. I’ve yet to walk up on a venomous snake out there. Of the rattlers I have bumped into, they are usually away from heavy cover, oddly enough.

My dog and my parents’ dog both got bit by rattlers on their back concrete patio. Two separate occasions. Turns out the snakes enjoy that patio in the spring and fall since it tends to retain a little heat in the evening.

Probably gonna jinx myself and get bit this year once they come out....................but here goes.

Heading rapidly toward my 8th decade on this planet, and having run around an awful lot of snaky places in about 6.5 of those decades, I've never found the need for special snake boots or gaiters. That's just me. As someone else pointed out, get 'em if you feel the need.

Here's some info on Arkansas though, take it with however many grains of salt you see fitting (my bold)

https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/venomous-snakes-12879/

I grew up in and still hunt in Arkansas. There are a lot of venomous snakes. I hunt with snake boots even on cool mornings because when it warms up they will come out and sun themselves. I almost stepped on a cottonmouth twenty something years ago on one such day.

I suspected that many snake bites are on the hand but that is not really what I am concerned about with my activities. I am more concerned about my feet and legs. I have a couple pair of Russell Mocassin boots but they aren't their snake boots. I think they would most likely prevent a fang from penetrating but am not sure.

Dust the snake bites with cornmeal and fry. Yummy!

seems like every fall I walk up on a rattle snake out here in West TX. I am always in my knee high snake boots when I cross the gate on to the lease.

Dang right. That always pisses them.off to no end.

Almost as bad as posting something about Q to the Fire snakes. Suckers start striking at everything.

Someone on here once posted to the effect “as I got older I found quicksand wasn’t near the problem I thought it would be”. I bought some heavy Cordura snake chaps when a guy in our club had a cottonmouth strike at him really close to a treestand I hunted (killed it with a chain on stand he was carrying). These days the chaps are used only when running a chain saw. Yeah the snakes are out there but not nearly the problem I thought they would be. YMMV

Local doctor says most bites in this area are on the inside of the foot. Lots of folks get bit while moving their sprinkler while barefoot.

Well that clears me for sure…..

If you find a comfortable pair of snake boots, I think you'll be pleased. They're great for the thorns, chiggers, ticks and snakes. I've owned a lot. Just hit and miss on waterproof and comfort. Some have been amazing and some not so much. Either way I won't go stomping around the areas I frequent without them. Or without a thermacell!

No kidding. I have a pair that was supposed to be waterproof. I don’t think I’ve ever had a pair leak more than they do.

Gaiters and flip flops likely won't be the best option. Just that. For your summer activities.

Snake boots are like seat belts, you are really going to want them when you need them. I live in SC and we have four kind of poisonous snakes. You probably have the same four kind in AR. I have com across poisonous snakes at least 20 times in my 50 years of hunting (very hard and frequent hunting) and I can remember them vividly because they scared the crap out of me.

My son started hunting with me a few years ago and I bought him a pair of snake books that were light and comfortable. One day, it was the middle of the summer and we were having a work day in my deer club. My son was trimming some branches and there was mother guy using a chain saw to cut some small trees for a shooting lane. Suddenly, the guy with the saw threw it to the side and yelled “get back!” Well, as you guessed it was a very large rattler and he was quite angry, I think the noise of the saw really wt him off. He was dispatched quickly, but my son came to me and was very shaken because he had literally walked within a foot or two of the snake. Prior to out heading out that morning for the work day I told him not to worry about the snake boots because we didn’t have time to find them and we should be “okay” without them. I remember feeling naked that day without mine in, especially when I was in thick cover. I would have never forgiven myself if f he had been bitten because a bite is extremely painful and damaging to muscle tissue.

The pair I use are Rocky lightweight Gortex and I love them. They are not overly hot, they are very lightweight and they have been absolutely waterproof. Additionally, I don’t think I’ve had a single instance where a deer has alerted to where I have walked in in my boots. I think i paid about $140.00 for them. I like them so much I wear them even when it gets colder and there is little chance of seeing a snake. Speaking of cold and snakes, one moonlit morning it was about 30 degrees and there was frost all over the ground. My brother and I were on a log and crossing a fast moving stream. I turned on my flashlight to make sure I had my footing, and there, in the center of the log, was a massive mocassin curled up. I have no idea why he was there…maybe getting what warmth he could from the log, but he looked painfully cold and before I could shoot him he sort of fell into the creek.

By the way, I’ve had several pair of snake boots with laces and hated everyone. Get the kind that slip on. Also, my current Rockies have been good but I have had other Rockies where the sole came off prematurely, so save your receipt.

Get the boots and then you can watch for birds or other animals and not have to worry about things. The lightweight Rockies or other brands are almost like tennis shoes in your feet.

A brief observation re statistics on death by snakebite. Like "gun violence", the death statistics don't tell the whole story. A snakebite can mess up the victim big time, maim, cripple you for life. No small matter.

Son works surveying/testing buried pipelines in the summer. Had plenty of snake encounters. Ran into a big mess of rattlesnakes one time right on the pipeline. They have no choice but to follow the pipeline, snakes or no snakes. He had to go back afterwards alone and retrieve wire that they trail behind them. Right over/through that den area again, solo.

Company he works for provides gaiters/chaps, but as much as he disliked his snake experiences, his hardhead wouldn't put wear them. He wears danner hiking boots which should protect him down low. I am pretty sure he is going to wear regular gaiters this year, which would provide some additional protection. He said the snake gaiters/chaps were too hot.

I would like to think a high quality pair of gaiters made of dense nylon over jeans would provide reasonable protection .

I have had a pair of pull on Camo Rocky snake boots for 5 years or so now, they are waterproof. They come up to just below my knee. They have been durable. IIRC I paid $130-140 or so. YMMV but I would get a high boot were I to be doing your job. I used to have a pair of Redhead bass pro zip up snake boots, I called the company one day and asked if they had tested them against bites, the lady said she didn’t think so but they had not received any complaints. Also where I live I killed a timber rattler crossing a logging road in late December one year.

I would buy a pair of comfortable snake boots, good insurance.

Yeah they really do come in handy when hunting in Texas. Lots of stuff besides snakes that can puncture you.

I have several pair but my favorites are Danner Pronghorn lace up/side zip snake boots. Can get a good fit with those and very comfortable.

In 2019 the wife (now ex) was bit by a Copperhead. Dang ugly experience. Extremely painful. We were a long ways from the hospital too. Her leg swelled up pretty badly and they considered a procedure where basically they filet your entire leg open lengthwise. Either that or remove the leg. Fortunately when we returned home there was some subject matter expert that she worked with. It took almost 2 years to recover from it.

SOB.

That's what I have here, is copperheads.

Killed about 15-20 last year alone.



4 of my 5 dogs have been bitten by them. Despite the snake training... they are always sniffing around and get bitten before they know the snake is there. If they can see it they get away and alert me, but that doesn't happen all the time.

I have snake chaps...Turtleskins, I think---something like that. They're light but hot as heck so I only wear them when I plan to do lots of walking.

A snake bite can be a financial disaster. I'm more afraid of treatment costs than the damned snakes themselves.

Damn copperheads around here in late fall are always looking for a wood pile to hang out in. When in the blue they really get nasty. And they don't rattle.

Not only the bite that messes you up but the medical bill will as well. Two summers ago, a 17-year-old was bitten by a copperhead snake in Hillsborough the next county over from us.

The family got the Duke Health bill a few weeks later for $225,000. The antivenom alone cost $200,000.

This is the scary part of being bitten by a venomous snake. Suffering through the bite and the treatment, the possible digit or tissue loss, and the cost of treatment. Death is a possibility, however low a percentage that may be. However, all that other stuff is a certainty if bitten.

I like the plastic zip up kind, keeps dew off too. They were all I used when I quail hunted.

A solution in search of a problem.

I know several people bitten by rattlers here, one when crawling up a hill, one trying to catch the rattler, one while repairing equipment and one died after opening up a den with a bulldozer.
Forgot my neighbor got bit while walking his dogs and the ambulance took him to a town where the hospital had no anti venom, so he had to be flown to another hospital.
They told me it was extremely painful but the anti venom was almost worse.
My findings here are unless you find them holed up like in the wheelline motor cover or on the lawn, the best time is 74 degrees when they stretch out on the rocks or roads.
The best part is the cost after the bite care can be tens of thousands.

Guy got copperhead bit here, and the antivenom alone was $50k.

I think the type of terrain people tend to be in has a lot to do with their attitudes regarding snake protection.

As someone mentioned above, here in SC we have every kind of venomous snake found in North America. Here in the Low Country, you often are hunting/fishing/walking around where there's a lot of knee high vegetation, concealing a lot of what might be on the ground. When a friend of mine invited me to hunt his property he was adamant: "Whenever you're out here, wear snake boots and carry a pistol, the cottonmouths are bad around here. Kill every snake you see."

I have a pair of Red Wing/Irish Setter over the calf snake boots. They are some sort of synthetic and lace up so they are really stable and good to walk in, enough so that I use them even when the weather is cold enough not to have to worry about snakes. I've found them to be pretty much an ideal hunting boot for this area.

I might never need snake boots, but then again I might never need the Sig 365 I take everywhere with me too.

Have been going to Alaska and or working and living there since 1987. 2023 was the first bear encounter that was getting close to bothering me. Had to shoot one that was destroying our one hunting cabin. Then a week later around midnight one tore the fly off my tent and almost got one arm in the tent before I ran it off and offered it a few noises with the 10mm.

I've carried all those times. Period. Still do. I've never really HAD to use the defense gun YET... doesn't mean I won't stop carrying it.

I wear snake boots in heavy snake country. Forget the brand but they look like cowboy boots. Probably a pair of Justins IIRC.

Only times I've been bit were once on a thumbnail in a wood pile. Once in a rubber boot in the back of the ankle and once on a finger last spring pulling a limb from under a shredder at dark. A really dumb place to reach... and that one got me just a bit of poison.

Things eventually will happen.

Buy good (comfortable) snake boots. Treat them well with permethrin. The boots will then protect you from the real danger in the Arkansas woods, ticks and chiggers. You may not need it for snakes, but the treated boots may save you a case of Lymes or RMSF.

I've spent a fair amount of time in places with venomous snakes and used to do research on them when I was in graduate school. I never bothered with snake boots or gaiters. I've also handled quite a few venomous snakes and luckily have never been bitten. That said, handling venomous snakes makes it more likely that you might get bitten, and I've known several biologists who were bitten.

A pair of sturdy leather hiking boots will stop most snakebites, and if you want to feel more secure, topping those with gaiters would give you some additional protection although they might be hot in summer weather. Most snakebites to the legs are in the foot and lower part of the leg so boots and gaiters would cover most situations. Only a really large snake or one above you on a slope is likely to bite above the knee.

I've done birding myself and know how you can get fixated on activity in the trees. But it would be wise, regardless of whether you wear snake boots/gaiters or not, to watch where you're putting your feet. It's just another form of situational awareness.

I wasn't going to do it, as it's been posted several times, but feel forced to make a point. My bud getting something out of the back seat of the truck. Heard the buzz & felt the hit on his calf, screamed & ran. Hell, in my part of Ky. we don't have to deal with this.
I stopped him, got info, checked his leg to find the snake didn't quite make the trip, & bud wasn't bit. Even though scared to death of snakes I realized the mad SOB had to be put down. I wasn't gonna be on the lookout for it all day. I moved in.
The end with a lesson; don't have stuff ya need laying all over the ground in that type of country. Our local host made fun of my phobia, got bit a few years later & had a $22,000 anti venom bill.

Snake boots...

My Aunt got bitten by a Copperhead in the late 70s.
No fee for antivenom. They did a skin pop to test for an allergic reaction and her arm
swelled as big as her (snake bitten) ankle.


Ice, and anti inflammatory meds.
She rode it out.
No bad effects, it was a little weak and would hurt her some.
Went right on taking care of her animals, living alone at the foot of the mountain until she died 9 years ago at 89.

I live at the edge of the Mississippi Delta, small 2 story house on the Alluvial Bluffs. Across the road is a cypress/
tupelo gum brake. I’ve killed cane brake rattlers, copper-
heads and moccasins in my front yard. A free flowing spring is at the left edge and seems to attract. We tend to look where we step or place our hands and feet. We don’t go to the car at night without a flashlight and have security lights. The 3 black guys who poured our slab for the garage used to work for the state forestry and said they hated working this area. The abandoned road behind our home was known as Rattlesnake Ridge and Marion Road. The wife like to have stepped on a small rattlesnake going out the side door. I grew up frog grabbing on various creeks and rivers and it’s amazing how many snakes are attracted to a light. My doctor was bitten by a rattler while moving a push lawn mower at his cabin. Taught my sons to beat on the bottom of a Jon boat before flipping it over. Guy I went to church with went to get papers out of his truck at night while in flip flops. He was bitten by a foot long rattler. He’s now on dialysis of the rest of his life. Take precautions and try to keep your yard clean. Lumber and wood piles attract rodents who in turn attract snakes. It’s the price we pay for
country living. Pistol, rifle, shotgun and hoe are always handy for such events. Wife’s people owned 220 acres here for over 75 years.

Looks like ostrich to me. It's probably time to put a CCI shot shell in the chamber instead of a JHP.

🤣👏👍

Rocky snake boots are pretty comfortable and not really that hot Arkansas is blessed with snakes

Snakes boots for me, I've been struck while turkey hunting, joker got me on top of the foot just above the toes. Chaps/gaiters wouldn't have done a thing in that area. We are loaded with timber rattlers, always fun to have one crawl into the turkey blind with ya.

bullchit. Those are ostrich.lol

I've lived in snake country my whole life.

Never had a pair of snake boots, gaiters, or anything like that.

Watch where you step, look for them in areas you think they may be, and kill 'em all around the house, barn, etc.

Never saw a snake I couldn't outrun if I don't have a handgun on me.

My take, snake boots are kinda like a loaded gun or 4WD.
When ya need 'em and ain't got 'em you are in a bad spot.

Another nod for the Rocky side zip cowboy type snake boots.

Birdshot?

Snake shot, dog.

I am SO glad, we don't have the poisonous snakes around here.

When I hunted ND, I was always looking where I put my hands and feet but the funny thing is I never saw a rattler while on a stalk etc. but we would see them up on roads in the evening and night.


They accidentally got run over...

I live on a rice/corn/soybean farm where cottonmouth water moccasins, canebrake rattlers, and copperheads are common. I’ve had dogs since I retired here in 1996. Every one of my dogs has been bitten by at least one poisonous snake. My wife was bitten by a copperhead in 2022 while fooling around in one of her flower beds. I got her to the er in less than 45 minutes and they gave her something for pain, something for infection, and I believe some steroids. After watching her hand swell for a few hours they sent her home. Her arm stopped swelling but the swelling in only her hand and skin turning purple continued for a couple days. Eventually everything returned to normal after 6 weeks. I used to wear snake boots but switched to gaiters that come to the knee. I see mostly cottonmouths and copperheads. Have already killed 6 or 7 in the last weeks as temperatures rise. I see lots of poisonous snakes when spring squirrel hunting, thus the boots/gaiters. I don’t go out in the yard at night without a flashlight. Lots of snakes in my area and hearing of another farmer getting bit is a common occurrence. I know folks who have been bitten on the foot, ankle, leg, and hand. Ugly stuff! Snake protection is smart imo.

I do have to wonder, especially after all these post by the guys down South and Out West, how the Injuns did without them darn snake boots and gaiters?

I mean, a brain tanned deerskin moc isn't going to stop the fangs of most larger snakes.

Maybe they were smart and stayed in their lodges and teepees all day and night. Sent the wimmin and chillins out foraging, after all, they're expendable.

I spend quite a lot of time in the woods, brush etc in Texas, likewise looking up.

I’ve encountered a number of rattlesnakes and benefitted from their early warning system. Also one or two cottonmouths and copperheads over the decades.

I don’t worry about snakes near as much as I should.

We get these boys frequently. They coil up and shake their tails.



They can get pretty big. They put a hurting on the mice.





P