It's kind of funny how some people are soafraid of snakes. Some burly guy who will stand up to anything and anyone, yet put a snake in front of him, and he will run like a little girl. I personally really like rattlesnakes, fried that is. If I do kill a rattler, and I've killed several, I eat it. They are delicious. I won't kill one just to kill it. It's a bonus to come up on a 5 or 6 footer while hunting. There is no law in Louisiana stating you cannot kill snakes. Most people who come across one do kill it.I don't kill every snake I come across, and in LA., I come across them all the time.