"...you could get them to strike at the sole of your boot..."

With my luck the snake, which of course would be longer than my inseam length, would miss my boot, go up my pants leg, and bite me you know where.

Here in AZ (and other nearby places) they have the Mojave Green rattler, which has a much more potent venom than other rattlers, and locals swear that they have seen people being chased by them. Kinda reminds me of the fer de lance and bushmaster stories...