Snake gaiters?

I have a pair of snake gaiters I wear on my hunting property and in the woods etc. Had a two foot cottonmouth slide between my feet while walking by the pond the other day but the 5-6 foot timber rattler I saw made me stop and think.

How high does a snake that size strike? Would snake gaiters up to my knees even work? I was wondering if a rattler that size would be striking higher than where the gaiters stop.

Any snake pros out there know about these larger snakes vs the effectiveness of knee-high gaiters?

I'm not a pro but I did stay at a holiday inn once. I imagine knee high gaiters are better than nothing and more strikes would occur lower to the ground. Is it possible you could get struck higher? I bet it is. They do make snake chaps.

Climberman said:

I'm not a pro but I did stay at a holiday inn once. I imagine knee high gaiters are better than nothing and more strikes would occur lower to the ground. Is it possible you could get struck higher? I bet it is. They do make snake chaps.

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and that’s assuming the snake is on the ground, not like a rattler nest in Some rocks up off the ground. Chaps might be a better move

kcult said:

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hahahaha that’s perfect

11B CIB said:

and that’s assuming the snake is on the ground, not like a rattler nest in Some rocks up off the ground. Chaps Cups might be a better move

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slight modification... still true. maybe more so

I'd say about 2/3 of their body length is a good loose rule of thumb for strike range.


Edit: so, it's concern if, like me, you tend to hang down low, even with my long legs.

Back in my fledgling days of being a consultant I looked at a LOT of undeveloped property which exposed me to snakes. I bought Russel snake boots and considered them a good, deductible purchase. I changed my mind and added chaps after walking past a porch one day and seeing a decent sized Copperhead lying there just about knee high. I've been hit 3 times and all 3 were caught by the boots which I replaced about 5 years ago because they lost their water proof qualities. The new Russel's are more comfortable and seem to be slightly lighter, a GOOD investment....

Most snake strikes are because a snake feels threatened or is surprised, they strike out, not up. That said, if I know I am in an area with jake no-shoulders, I would want something at least knee high.

Don't forget tree vipers that will hang from branches and bite . If you go to southeast Asia make sure you are prepared.

So, I hate to be that guy. But my knee high gaitors would be waist high to you.

yer gonna need sum bigger boots

Like said above....the tend to strike outward, not upward.

If you are in the wetlands.......a pair of snake boots that waterproof would be awesome. I have a pair of 16" rocky boots that are comfortable. Chaps would be nice too....

One thing to keep in mind.....before you sit down make sure the area is clear. Once you sit down.......striking out means your hands, arms and torso.

If it werent for current high cost of ammo I would just recommend laying down a good field of suppressive fire to any area you are walking into...just to be sure.

Burt Gummer said:

So, I hate to be that guy. But my knee high gaitors would be waist high to you.

yer gonna need sum bigger boots

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maybe that’s what I need


And you don’t hate it at all

As others said, they won't jump too high, so knee high would be fine. I think I read somewhere that 90% of bites were on the hands and arms from folks either screwing with snakes, or reaching for things, putting hands on the ground, etc.

Used to spend a lot of time on ditch banks and the edges of overgrown ponds here in southeast NC frog gigging. More or less tripping over or stepping on snakes at times. We ended up wearing both snake boots and chaps. Never have seen one strike over mid calf height but it was cheap insurance when we were down on the banks where the snakes might be higher up than we were. Some nights we came back with more cottonmouths than big bull frogs.

Nowadays I rarely go bull frogging but do work in overgrown fields a fair amount. I usually just wear snake boots.

On a side note you haven't truly lived until you step on a five foot red bellied water snake in six inches of murky water and feel him wiggle out from under your boot. I'd like to think that I looked like an old west gunfighter that night drawing my.22 as I hopped a foot in the air. Probably looked more like I hit a live wire in my buddies eyes though.

Snakes can strike about a 1/3 of their length (usually the length of their "cocked" position). If they are stretched out then they are not a threat and are wanting to leave the area.
I have a light pair of chainsaw chaps that work well but to be honest in the 50 odd years of romping around some of the most snake invested lands and waters of NC and se VA I was never concerned about snakes. In fact I used to collect them and found out that catching them can be quite challenging. Unless you screw with them or step on them they are not a threat and will slither away if given the chance. You are better off learning a little "bush craft" and watching where you step, where you place your hands, and overall situational awareness. By sheer terror and pain I have acquired a habit of constantly looking for yellow jackets in their ground nests. I can usually spot one from a good distance. Once you get into that habit then you will spot a snake from a mile away. And they haven't invented a boot or set of chaps yet that will protect you from "ground bees". And they kill way more people than snakes.

While vipers indeed have “tendencies” to strike outward, they in fact can strike in any direction including straight up. They do not have to be coiled to do this. This is why “tailing” vipers is not really done by snake people.
A 6’ Eastern diamond back could easily hit 2-3’ or more straight up. I’d say pretty rare to get bitten anywhere but lower legs of course.
But it can happen. Especially in mountainous terrain with lots of hillsides.

Snakes differ of course, such as cobras which have a different style of striking. But here in NA, it’s vipers you need to worry about.

I saw a huge cottonmouth FLING itself off a rock to get into the water probably 2-3 years ago. He was in the middle of a pond discharge stream sunning on a rock and I wanted to take a photo (couldn’t get closer than like 30 feet so I wasn’t jeopardizing myself) and when it realized I was heading in its direction....I’ve never seen a snake move like it did. Didn’t slither, didn’t uncoil, it looked like someone had slid a shovel under it and just tossed it off the rock into the water. My coworker was with me and we were both equally as surprised

11B CIB said:

I saw a huge cottonmouth FLING itself off a rock to get into the water probably 2-3 years ago. He was in the middle of a pond discharge stream sunning on a rock and I wanted to take a photo (couldn’t get closer than like 30 feet so I wasn’t jeopardizing myself) and when it realized I was heading in its direction....I’ve never seen a snake move like it did. Didn’t slither, didn’t uncoil, it looked like someone had slid a shovel under it and just tossed it off the rock into the water. My coworker was with me and we were both equally as surprised

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The kinda snake that will definitely go for the balls.