Big Muddy, I'll take a bear over a snake any day. One of the things I like best about fishing in this high mountain creeks is that I don't have to deal with snakes. I'm at more risk of falling and getting hurt while wading the creek, than I am at risk of getting attacked by a bear or mountain lion. While both animals exist where I'm fishing, both are very reclusive and encounters are few and far between. Bear season opens on the 15th of this month. I kind'a wish I would run into to one once the season opens.