Contrary to old wives tales Rattlesnakes will not necessarily warn you by rattling before striking and also if you see one then most likely there are many others around the area. Best thing to do if you hear a Rattlesnake when hiking is to STOP! Slowly Look ALL AROUND the area not just where the rattling sound is coming from. Determine where other snakes are, be carefull of shady areas and places where they can go under that you can not clearly see under, be mindful that they tend to shift to a color that matches the landscape that they are in. Rattlesnakes will forage as far as a couple miles from their base den but they do not really travel any distance other than in that area and to a water source so they tend to pick up colorations of that area which can make them very hard to spot at times. Once you have determined a safe way out of the situation walk slowly in that direction. YOU CAN ALSO SCREAM YOUR HEAD OFF FOR HELP SINCE RATTLESNAKES DON'T HAVE ANY EARS to speak of, they use vibrations from the ground, scent picked up by their tongues and some vision ability to size up their prey. Remember that even getting stuck by a fang of a dead snake is dangerous since their bodies are set up in such a way that the venom will be injected by the fang by muscle groups that can live long after the snake is dead, also dried venom is still potent for over a year and can cause reactions in humans. Also rattlesnakes have multiple sets of fangs so if a snake looses a fang when attacking or defending itself it can drop a replacement fang in a matter of hours.