Rattlesnake 'hearing' distance question

[b1rd]

Hello and thanks for taking the time to look over my question.

I wanted to see if somebody can tell me how far a rattler can 'hear' a person walking along a trail. I am aware that they do not 'hear' per se, but rather feel the vibrations, but does anybody know about how far away a rattler (in the wild) can detect a person's foot steps?

I was standing over a baby rattler last week (just one button, but still rattled). The snake was at ease, then all of a sudden it coiled up in the defensive / strike pose. I had been still the entire time, but within moments I saw two other hikers were approaching. This lead me to wonder how far rattlers feel us coming, as they had to be 20' or so back, and they were hiking uphill, which would seem to lighten the foot-steps some.

I'm looking for more of a "text book" answer if anybody knows, as I know the distances will vary. Personal experiences welcome too.


Again, thanks
b1rd