Experience hunting and eating. No. Finding, killing, eating Yes.

Advice? Have fun with the pellet gun, hope you can pump it up high enough and have good aim from 10 yards away through the brush for a head shot (or several). Personally I wouldn't 'hunt' a rattler with anything less than a .22 shotshell and prefer my .410 Snake Charmer.
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Don't just survive. Thrive.