Personally, I love snakes. I get that most people don't like them, but I will go out of my way to observe them in the wild if I can.
Snakes aren't "aggressive." Some snakes are more active then others, with those little rattlers up in the Dakotas being pretty active. Snakes generally have zero interest in attacking anything they cannot eat or that can kill them and generally act accordingly.
Cottonmouths tend to be more exhibitionists than anything. Herpetologists sometimes call them "drama noodles" because of this.
I had a tiny Dekay's Brown Snake try to kick my *ss a month or so ago. He's completely harmless and about 4 inches long. Finally had to transport him so I wouldn't accidentally step on him.
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