Out here in Eastern Washington rattlesnakes are a serious reality. I can remember when I was younger on our ranch fishing smalls creeks hearing gunshots every so often, adding another rattle to the collection. Growing up around this, one would think I was somewhat educated. One would think anyways....
My older brother and I had pinned a rattler down (just a little guy). I decided to show off and pick it up. Nothing new for me, but usually the bigger ones were easier to handle because their heads were bigger. This little guy proceeded to turn around and bite me on the hand. Two fun days in the hospital later I learned my lesson. My hand and arm swelled considerably, as my pride shrunk.
I've since enountered many, and surprisingly I've never been more comfortable around them since. The only problem I've ever had with them was when we tried to catch 'em and pick 'em up. Don't do it.. :-[. You'll usually hear the rattler before you see him, so sneaking up on him isn't all that often, but like others said above, if you can, avoid their cover. Rock cribs, rock slides, ledges, heavy weeds, and probably the most frequented spot are the rocks on river banks.
And one more piece of advice to all you snake charmers out there, don't put ice on a snake bite. Some moron that was present at the time told me to put ice on it, and I've never seen an emergency room doctor move quicker than when he found out that I had ice on a snake bite. It can potentially make the injury much worse. Many people say put a cold pack on, but it can have the effect of something similar to frostbite.
If bit, find the snake, making a positive identification for anti-venom treatment. If you can't positively identify it, kill it and bring it to the hospital with you. (BTW, younger snakes are much more dangerous than adult snakes because they haven't figured out how to control the amount of venom they inject when biting, often resulting in a larger dose.)
