Been bitten by non poisonous ones, I knew to leave the poisonous ones alone.

I was bitten by a cottonmouth when I was a kid, I have a nice 8" scar from where my foot swoll up so bad they had to cut me to releive the pressure, spent 3 weeks in the hospital, few more on crutches. Was Not a pleasent!!!
Then as an adult, cleaning out brush, Like a big dummy I was wearing shorts and tennis shoes, a copperhead bit me, However nothing happend. The DR. at the emergency room said most copperhead bites are harmless, He said the snakes venom is not that potent and he probably dident pump enough in me to do damage since Im to big for him to eat. They kept me for a few hrs than sent me home. It hurt but no swelling or rotting tissue.
I am not about to test the Dr. theory though.....Get some boots, better to be safe than sorry

i ran like a sissy little girl once when i looked down and there was a rattler coiled up under my foot as i was stepping down.

then there was the time when i was about 5 years old and i tried to put my boot on and there was a baby rattler poking out of my boot, my mom froze it in the deep freezer so we could identify them quickly in the future, she also froze some copperheads and bigger rattlers so that us boys be able to identify those too.

then there was the time when what i thought was a cotton mouth grabed hold of my shoe after i steped on his body, again i kicked my shoe half way across the river with the snake attached and ran like a sissy little girl again. that snake might have been a nacurl snake they look some what similar to a cotton mouth and at the rate of my sprint i couldn't identify it too well. lol

I have seen some non-poisionous snakes, i have killed a couple cause they were in my poolbut i have never been bit by any snake, and i live in florida and go fishing in creeks and really damp places, and they have never bothered me as long as you watch were you are going.

we wear snake proof chaps while coon hunting at night, but snakes arent a big problem around here. Moccasinsand copperheads are about all we have here.

If I ever go to Texas on a turkey or hog hunt I will be wearing snake proof gaiters, chaps, boots....something. I dont like the idea of poison entering my bloodstream. But on the other hand, snakes dont bother me all that bad.

http://members.tripod.com/freida_vanstaden/Snakes,top%20ten%20venomous.htm

ive had cottonmouths strike at me, scares me to death, considering theyre the worst we got here in missouri IMO

Came real close about 4 times in Georgia. However, I bit faster than they did. They came to the gun fight with fangs.

Friend of mine got bit on the hand by a copperhead in Tejas. Was what they called a dry or defensive bite. His hand swelled up a little but that was about all, he didn't get sick and was fine the next day.

Iwas bit by a copperhead when I was in the 4th grade. I was playing in back yard while it was dark.