Have snake boots ever saved you?

[Mary]

Almost the same story here. I was fishing a pond with two friends years ago and was standing in a few inches of water to clear the limbs behind me with my cast. I had just made my first cast and was working a topwater past an old stump. I saw something in the water at my feet but didn’t want to take my eyes off the lure. When I finally looked down I saw that I was standing on the tail of a small cottonmouth, 18” long or so. He was swimming but couldn’t get out from under my Red Wings. I was gonna reel in and whip him with that plug but he decided to bite me. Since I was standing on him, he couldn’t get much of a strike. He hit me somewhere near the top of the boot and I did a backwards broad jump ! Only trouble was, his fangs, or one of them, was hung in my jeans. I was jumping and kicking, the guys across the pond thought bees were after me, ( much to their amusement), and I was scared he was gonna land on me when he came loose. He finally did, fell in the water and swam off. Close call with a cottonmouth number three for me.

I would have had a heart attack...for sure! The non venomous one I stepped on outside my front door, and wrapped around my ankle, make my blood pressure sky rocket. I could not survive a nasty WM with a tooth in my jeans. It would be O-V-E-R

[K. Lane]

Yep
My brother in law shot an axis down between Freer and Hebbronvile one June about 10-12 years ago. The buck ran off in the brush and while we were trailing him I had one hit me about 1/2 way up on my right calf. I had my chips on and after I shook the shat out of my pants leg, I checked to make sure all was well and that's when I saw the two healthy streams of venom running down the back of my leg

Thing hit a lot harder that I thought it would. It also never rattled until after it struck and recoiled

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

[chrisgunguy]

Regular boots saved me once at BAO. Hit me right on the heel. 6’ snake. Rattler. Got him on my third arrow.

[miket]

Almost the same story here. I was fishing a pond with two friends years ago and was standing in a few inches of water to clear the limbs behind me with my cast. I had just made my first cast and was working a topwater past an old stump. I saw something in the water at my feet but didn’t want to take my eyes off the lure. When I finally looked down I saw that I was standing on the tail of a small cottonmouth, 18” long or so. He was swimming but couldn’t get out from under my Red Wings. I was gonna reel in and whip him with that plug but he decided to bite me. Since I was standing on him, he couldn’t get much of a strike. He hit me somewhere near the top of the boot and I did a backwards broad jump ! Only trouble was, his fangs, or one of them, was hung in my jeans. I was jumping and kicking, the guys across the pond thought bees were after me, ( much to their amusement), and I was scared he was gonna land on me when he came loose. He finally did, fell in the water and swam off. Close call with a cottonmouth number three for me.

Im not particularly scared of snakes, but thats what nightmares are made of right there

[Huntsman27]

Not yet!

[Mexico]

Jogging at Brazos Bend many years ago and stepped on a copperhead mid stride, he came up and nailed my jogging pants. Didn't hit the skin though...

[jerp]

I was saved once by a regular pair of work boots when I stepped on a 2’ rattler stretched across the trail in the dark. Fortunately I stepped on him within 8” or so of his head so When he curled back to bite me he could only reach my ankle. Didn’t penetrate the leather but left a wet spot. (Which matched the wet spot in my boxers)

[Artos]

I really don't know...I hope I've never been struck at & not know it.

I can tell you I walked right by the 7 footer that killed my lab several years ago & never saw it & was not wearing boots...that was when I immediately went out & bought those battery molded plugs / hearing aids. I don't know if that snake was rattling when I walked by or not as I was wearing the regular synthetic molded & my hearing is shot anyway.

When my Viz got bit, I never saw the snake but heard it with the help of the aids. I also heard a warning & never saw it a 2nd time when looking for a downed bird. Let me tell you that amplified rattling is CREEPY!! If you do a lot of bird hunting in snake country, I think the aids are of the same value as good boots.

[RMW]

I’ve heard regular leather boots are just as good as snake boots

[Drycreek3189]

I would have had a heart attack...for sure! The non venomous one I stepped on outside my front door, and wrapped around my ankle, make my blood pressure sky rocket. I could not survive a nasty WM with a tooth in my jeans. It would be O-V-E-R

I’ve had more than my share of cottonmouth encounters. I’ve been outside all my life, and the first two were when I was just a kid. Struck on the bottom of my boot as I was about to step across a little creek, saw him just at the same moment he struck. He died as I was carrying a .22 revolver.

The other is my favorite though. I was fishing bank sets in a little creek near home when I was about 14 years old. I spent five minutes or so on my knees getting it just right. When I stood up and looked it over, there was a coiled cottonmouth laying on a drift, with his mouth wide open just a foot or so from where my hands had been. I blew him to hell with Daddy’s old single barreled 12 gauge. Then, my knees gave up on me and I had to sit down for a little while. Thinking about it as I walked home realizing that no one knew where I was scared me even more. I never told Mom and Dad about any of that kind of stuff, and at 72 years old I’m still finding out about stuff my kids have done !

[Txtourist]

Thought a prairie rattler hit my snake boot between the toe and ankle while shooting prairie dogs in South Dakota. There’s a known den in the area, but the prairie dogs were too much fun to leave. We had shot about a dozen snakes in addition a few dozen young dogs when it happened, so I was already more than a little jumpy. I felt something tap my boot and then the rattling started right at my feet. I screamed like a little girl and jumped back, my wife’s cousin shot at coiled up 30” prairie rattler about 2 feet in front of me with a .44 contender. The snake just disappeared for a few seconds and we didn’t know what happened. It landed with a broken back and a little blown open, as he’d shot the dirt just under it and sent it straight up above our heads out of sight due to our hats and must have hovered there just long enough for our overstimulated brains to freeze up. It was at that moment I began to question why the Danner snake boots I bought were in the bargain cave at cabelas. I didn’t see it but the wife’s cousin swore it tapped my boot.

[Mary]

I’ve had more than my share of cottonmouth encounters. I’ve been outside all my life, and the first two were when I was just a kid. Struck on the bottom of my boot as I was about to step across a little creek, saw him just at the same moment he struck. He died as I was carrying a .22 revolver.

The other is my favorite though. I was fishing bank sets in a little creek near home when I was about 14 years old. I spent five minutes or so on my knees getting it just right. When I stood up and looked it over, there was a coiled cottonmouth laying on a drift, with his mouth wide open just a foot or so from where my hands had been. I blew him to hell with Daddy’s old single barreled 12 gauge. Then, my knees gave up on me and I had to sit down for a little while. Thinking about it as I walked home realizing that no one knew where I was scared me even more. I never told Mom and Dad about any of that kind of stuff, and at 72 years old I’m still finding out about stuff my kids have done !

I had a terrible experience with one on Caddo Lake when I was about 6. That dang thing is the reason I have spent the rest of my life deathly afraid of snakes. The only one I like is the Blue Indigo.....cuz he'll eat the ones that will kill me!

[brokeno]

My cousin been hit 2 different times with his chip snake boots on. Once going down some steps and the rattler left venom on his boots and once he parked the front tire of his mule on a rattler and got hit on the boots walking by it. Needless to say he wears them everyday. They do really work.

[BrandonA]

No. But strangely enough my daughters pants saved her ( apparently ) a few days ago. She was bringing her horse back up front and had to cross the creek as it was getting dark. ( shallow dry creek usually ) As she was coming back up something hit her leg and she looked down and it was a copperhead. Pretty small, maybe 16" long. Dont know if it was just warning her or really trying to envenomate, but she said it hit hard enough to scare her when it hit.

Her jeans are boot cut so pretty loose down there.

I’ve had this happen to me with a rattlebug. Didn’t know I could jump that high and strip like a dancer at Gogo Bar. I just knew I got popped. It felt like a bent branch hit me

[BobbyJoe]

Yes. Was night hunting pigs earlier this year in south Texas and was struck in the side of the boot while crossing a field. Was in hot pursuit of a coyote so I never turned around to see what kind of snake but it sounded and felt like getting popped by a huge rubber band. I wear mine religiously and for good reason.