The Hargroves are no strangers to life out in the country and all the critters that come with it, but as they found out, there are just certain things you can’t always necessarily prepare for.

“I was just walking around the front porch of the house, and I’m standing there and I feel a ‘pop.'” said Leslie Hargrove.

It’s been a few years now since Leslie Hargrove of Snyder was bitten by a rattlesnake right outside her home, but she and her husband can still recall the shock of when it happened. It was a baby snake that bit Mrs. Hargrove on her ankle, and despite their smaller size, they tend to be the most dangerous.

“The baby rattlesnakes don’t really have the ability to control the amount of venom, and so you can actually get a much larger dose of venom from a baby rattlesnake than you may get from an adult rattlesnake,” said Mr. Hargrove.

Today, Mrs. Hargrove is in good spirits about the incident, and lets it serve as a reminder to not only her family, but to everyone else to keep aware of their surroundings, especially those who live out in the country.

And with the exception of the recent cold front, it’s been a fairly warm winter, one that’s leading snakes out of their den pretty early for this time of year.

Normally, we won’t see rattlesnakes in the South Plains until about mid March – early April, but due to warmer temperatures and an increased rodent population that came with last summer’s rain, rattlesnakes are making a slow and early comeback.

Just the other week, the Hargroves say their neighbors spotted a big diamondback at their home, an image Mr. Hargrove says was simply out of place.

“It’s pretty uncommon to see a snake that size kind of out sunning in the middle of February, but that’s definitely the case now,” said Mr. Hargrove. “They’re out now, and I don’t really remember seeing snakes out the year before so that’s something to watch out for.”

“Just an 80 degree day will get the snakes coming out and get whatever sun they can,” said Kevin Rhodes, curator of life sciences at the Science Spectrum.

Rhodes believes this year’s rattlesnakes may not only be showing up earlier than expected, but that they may also be bigger in size due to last summer’s heavy rains which lead to an increase in rodents.

“The snake population has increased because of the increase of rodents from last summer’s rain,” said Rhodes. “The 2015 babies we saw in one den were twice as big as they normally would be.”

Regardless of the time of year, the Hargroves say to always be mindful of your surroundings if you are in an area where snakes may live. They say making simple habits to wear boots while walking through tall brush, keeping a flashlight handy and keeping calm, can all go a long way and make the difference between getting bit or not.

“Just be aware, always look down,” said Mrs. Hargrove. “Have a flashlight if it’s at dark. They will coil up in corner, so always be looking down to see where you’re stepping.”