I would say that by getting a hiking staff you have taken the single most effective step to ward off the buzz tailed critters. Mine always precedes me when walking through dense brush. Be alert and cautious, as has already been pointed out. Pay attention to the temperature. In cold temps, snakes are torpid and sluggish but when it heats up, they become active. In very high temps, snakes will seek shade, while when it is cool, they will seek warmth. That is one reason you often see them flattened on highways

I would be very careful around rock piles, especially if you are moving them; consider that your arms are likely to be at risk as well as your legs. I still think snake proof boots are overkill; a good pair of leather high top boots will offer you good protection against both rocks and snakes.

My encounters with rattlers usually resulted in the snake and me going in different directions, usually rather briskly. On those few occasions where I had to dispatch one, a long handled, round pointed shovel was the most effective instrument; firearms are silly for this purpose.

I lived in Arizona from 1956 to 1985, various locations, primarily Tucson, doing archaeology and a fair amount of SAR, and I did have an encounter or two with rattlesnakes during that time. My SAR unit conducted on the order of 800 or so operations during that period. How many involved rattlesnake bite? NONE. The closet was a gentleman climbing up a rocky face who came face to face with a rattler; he fell and injured himself. Of course,some folks undoubtedly did suffer bites during that period; they apparently did not require any assistance to seek medical help.

While in Tucson, I attended an interesting presentation by a local physician who discussed a series of about fifty cases he had treated. There were two types of patients: 1) very young children, bitten while playing around their homes, often in the face 2) young males always bitten because they were picking up and handling the rattlers.

Snake bite is a possible hazard in the outdoors, but it is minor compared to falls and weather related incidents, like hypothermia. I am not sure it would even make the top ten; for that matter, cougar attacks would be rather far down the list.

You can tell serious rattlesnakes by their horn rim glasses, large book bags, and solemn demeanors. They usually hang out at the library, rather than frat houses.