I have seen rattlesnakes become incredibly aggressive. I've only seen it in the desert on very hot days; the local wisdom is that when they get too hot they go crazy. I have seen a rattlesnake viciously pursuing and attacking an innocent pickup truck. Whether that's the reason I don't know, but I've never heard of something like that happening in more temperate regions.
You're too big to eat, so if you don't startle them they'll almost always choose to leave.
In Floriduh (home of the largest rattlers in the world) I was struck by an aggressive rattler. He was just about to shed his skin, and his eyes were cloudy. Never made a sound. I have since learned this is when they are most vulnerable and therefore aggressive.
Dunno if a pic will post, but my wife photographed my punctured jeans with the venom stain. Snake weighed 22 pounds. Oh. And he got the jeans, not me!
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