Farmers and hunters use rubber boots to protect and keep their feet warm and dry. But are they fully protective? Can snakes bite through rubber boots?
Snakes and humans have always had an uneasy co-existence. Personally, I would rather not cross paths with a snake, venomous or not.
Every time I venture into the woods, I always check my surroundings for snakes. In fact, before heading out into the bush, I make it a point to wear protective shoes.
If it’s the rainy season or I am hunting or exploring in a swampy area, I prefer to wear rubber boots to keep my feet dry. My concern, however, is whether rubber boots will fully protect me from snake bites.
While I prefer rubber boots that cover as much of the lower leg as possible, I have always worried that the rubber material they are made of may not be tough enough to prevent the larger venomous snakes from biting through it.
So, rather than continuing to take chances with my safety, I did some research, which I distilled into this article:
Can snakes bite through rubber boots?
Most venomous snakes have long and sharp fangs that can bite through regular rubber boots. So it is unsafe to venture out into a snake-infested area with your regular muck boots as your only protection.
The rubber most muck boots are made from is not thick nor tough enough to protect you from a snake bite. The larger, more aggressive venomous snakes, like the Gaboon viper, have fangs long enough to bite through the rubber boots.
Depending on the position where the snake aims its bite, it may or may not make contact with your skin. If it can’t make contact with skin, it can’t deliver its venom.
Regular rubber boots are not snake-proof. So you don’t want to take any chances and should want to wear boots that snakes can’t bite through.
That said, as well as wearing the right footwear, understanding how snakes behave around humans is crucial to keeping yourself safe out there in the woods:
Humans are not a natural prey for snakes.
If you spend a lot of time outdoors, you have had more encounters with snakes than you realize. That’s because snakes do not actively seek out human beings to bite them. Their diet mostly consists of rodents and small critters.
In fact, snakes will usually flee before you see them. They pick up vibrations the ground makes as you walk. Stronger vibrations probably tell them what’s approaching equates to potential danger, not a meal.
When snakes bite people, it is because they feel threatened or cornered. They will slither away if you keep a safe distance from them and give them room to escape. So resist the temptation to confront the snake, hoping to scare it away.
What you do when you see a snake is more important than the type of shoes you are wearing. So what do you do?
If you spot a snake that is a safe distance away, you want to stop and carefully walk around it. Doing this tells the snake you are not a threat.
However, some venomous snakes do not need to bite you to deliver their venom. They can shoot their venom right into your eyes from a distance away. So stay well back to be safe.
But even if you get too close, you can still prevent a snake bite by the actions you take:
When you realize you are too close to a dangerous snake, you must not panic. Stop and slowly back away.
For most people, the instinct is to jump and run away. The problem is that the snake may interpret those sudden movements as an attempt to attack it and bite you in self-defence.
But there are times when you and the snake get in each other’s way – when you almost step onto the snake. It happened to me once. This is when snake safety shoes can save your life.
What kind of boots protect against snake bites?
If regular rubber boots only provide limited protection against snake bites, what footwear should you wear when entering an area known to be infested with venomous snakes?
A pair of snake boots in the right condition is your best bet for protection against snake bites. Made from a combination of leather, rubber, PVC, canvas, and other materials, these boots are designed to protect against snake bites.
The question, though, is:
Do snake boots work?
Covering much of your lower leg, including the calf, snake boots are extremely tough and do work. Unlike most rubber boots, these boots aren’t easily punctured, even by snake bites.
The rubber used for snake boots is thicker and denser than that used for rubber boots. Most snake bite boots have a thin membrane sandwiched between the lining material and the outer rubber. This material is engineered to resist puncture by sharp objects.
The most trusted snake protection shoe brands use third-party labs to test their shoes. The tests usually involve stuffing the rubber boot with an inflated latex balloon and prompting a snake to bite through it.
If the latex balloon inside the shoes pops, then the rubber boot fails the test. Some tests have used rattlesnakes, an aggressive species responsible for 8,000 bite incidents yearly in the United States.
While it’s hard to know if each rubber snake boot made is tested, you want to make sure that the snake boots you choose are tall enough to cover as much of your leg as possible.
Everything else considered, we can safely say that most snake boots do work. They are certainly safer to wear than your regular pair of rubber boots.
Do snakes bite above the knee?
Snakes move by slithering along the ground on their bellies. So if they are to bite you, there are higher chances that it will be around your ankles and feet.
Some snake species can stand on their tails and strike from that position when threatened.
For example, king cobras can stand as tall as a third of their total body length. They can bite you above the knee from that standing’ position.
Since snakes are excellent tree climbers, it’s quite possible that a snake that is sheltering in a tree can also bite you on your upper body if walking in a thick brush.
What state has the most snake attacks?
North Carolina records the most snake attacks yearly in the United States, with most happening in Wake County. Florida and Texas are other states where you are more likely to have a nasty encounter with a snake.
Snakes generally avoid human settlements. They prefer to hunt and live out in the wild. But they often stray onto homesteads in search of food.
So if you keep chickens, have a rat infestation, or your property borders a woodland, you may have frequent run-ins with snakes.
Snakes mostly hunt during the day and prefer cooler weather. They seek out dark places to shelter from the heat when it’s hot. Out in the wild, be extra alert when walking in tall grass and areas with thick brush.
Will rubber boots stop a snake bite?
While regular rubber boots will protect you from electric shock and frostbite, they don’t offer the best protection from snakes.
Rubber boots only protect you from the type of snakes that would not usually be dangerous. They will not protect you if you encounter a venomous snake. While only a fifth of all snake species are venomous, many of those deliver a deadly bite.
When hunting or hiking in an area you are likely to encounter venomous snakes, and it’s crucial to wear the right boots to prevent snake bites. Set your rubber boots aside for a pair of snake boots.
Our recommendation for the best boots to prevent snake bites is the Dryshod Mens Viperstop Snake Hunting Wide Calf Boots. Made by Dryshod, makers of high-quality rubber boots, these boots are true work boots that are durable, true to size, and comfortable enough to wear for a whole day of hunting.
