"That would be me. Thanks for sharing your opinion."
Please note I used the word "ignorant," not "stupid." Ignorant simply means uninformed. I'm ignorant of a thousand things.
The fact is, if you see a rattlesnake that's close enough to bite you, the smart procedure is to simply step (jump) out of range, not stand there and fumble for a pistol loaded with shot. Once you're out of strike range (a couple of feet even for a big snake), by definition you no longer need "protection." You can still choose to kill it if you feel the need, but you'd be doing so electively, not out of necessity. Does that make sense?
Yes, absolutely. I agree that "defense" is not usually the immediate issue. I did shoot one that was in my driveway once, I was a walking and a little ahead of my dogs, they having stopped to investigate some smell of great importance. The snake was stretched out travelling, and coiled and rattled when it came near me. I was standing looking at it thinking of what to do, and the dogs came running down the driveway to catch up with me. They would have run literally right over it on their course, I wasn't sure id be able to deflect them both, so made the choice to shoot it with a birdshot load. After the one dog was bit (not the driveway situation), and all that I had close encounters with including one in the house, I changed my outlook on them. Most were choices to simply reduce the number of snakes in the immediate vicinity of home or where I frequent. I don't care about them anywhere else, and certainly don't mind bull snakes and others around, other than if they stick around in the yard and spook the dog. Those get relocated a ways away.
The rattlesnakes around here aren't especially aggressive, but seem to be able to materialize seemingly out of thin air. I was standing on a small hilltop with two dogs, and a snake came out of a small sage about a foot behind one of my dogs, realized there was something there, and coiled and rattled. The dogs were looking at me, and had zero clue it was even there. Trying to grab their collars and pull them away (two 85 lb dogs) made them balk and resist, not knowing what was going on or what I was trying to do. Ive also had one appear on a small sage about a foot off the ground right in front of us as we walked about dusk. I avoid some areas in the summer because there are more snakes, but they still are around most places unless I get high up in the mountains.
You are correct that many bites aren't serious, though some are quite serious. Its been speculated that sometimes they may not inject, or not as much (or have a reduced load at that time). Some people and animals have severe reactions. One never really knows what the reaction will be, or from one snake to the next or bite from the same snake may even be different.
This is the sort of thing that influences me to err on the side of caution about allowing rattlers around home or where I frequent walking. A 13 year old young man that was bitten in Yosemite Park.
http://www.rattlesnakebite.org/rattlesnakepics.htm
I have no problem with other folks perspective with rattlesnakes or how they deal with them, and I don't hate them, I just don't want them around where I live and regularly recreate. I just feel it isnt worth the chance of injury to my dogs or myself.
I came across a bull snake at very close distance about dusk. By the time my brain identified the shape of the head and the markings, my pistol was in my hand. Maybe 1 second or less. About the time it takes to say a 4 letter word. No conscious thought, it just happened. Not everyone fumbles with their gun.
A snake with a sense of humor. Was walking around the yard near dark (not same instance as above). This bull snake saw me, and hid his head. I think he thought he was hidden, he didn't move after getting his head under cover. Made me laugh.