I am 51 years old and have been around snakes my whole life, never been afraid of them and I have been bit twice by copperheads (one of the times I don't think it put any venom in me, I didn't swell up at all where I was bit, hardly left a scar) and once by a cottonmouth. Both of the copperhead bites were my fault, I was playing with them. The cottonmouth I stepped on when I was harvesting cattail roots to eat. I tend to go barefoot alot when I am in the woods or swamps (don't know why, just have always done it). I know I would rather be bit by either of those snakes instead of a eastern diamond back. Those boogers can cause some serious injuries and they probably kill more folks than any other snake in the US. When I was a teenager one of my running mates got bit by a eastern diamond back and he was in a wheelchair for almost half a year before he could walk. He sees a black snake or anything else now he dang near has a heart attack. I catch a good many canebrake rattlers down here, we are seeing alot more and less diamond backs. Also seeing tons of copperheads (have had a mess of them every year in my yard, had two bird dogs snake bit by them in the last couple of years).
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