the one coiled that rattled, was in 4 inch grass on a slope that was some sage, some low grass, some open gravel. Even at 8 feet when I knew he was there, he was damn near invisible.
Scared my wife from wanting to tag along archery hunting, scared me enough to worry about going to get my camera again (I had set it on a fence post just before finding the little guy)
The second ran at our approach, which I am fine with!
OK here's the scoop..Ive been around them all my life and actively hunted them for decades. If they coil and rattle they are not being aggressive or angry...they are being scared. That said, its not the time to press them.
Otherwise they will do whatever it takes to get away from you...one of the most innocuous creatures out there. Never seen a prairie rattler that displayed ANY degree of aggression that wasn't forced intro it...
