From Fox News:
As a forester, Joseph Hosey comes across snakes pretty much every day. But two weeks ago, a 5-foot eastern diamondback rattlesnake stopped the 37-year-old in his tracks.
Hosey was tired and hungry, walking around a forest in Greene County, Mississippi, on a day with a 110-degree heat index when he spotted the speckled reptile about 20 yards away. The snake was coiled up next to a tree stump, shaking its tail rapidly as Hosey approached.
"He was huge. He was the biggest diamondback I've ever seen personally," Hosey told Fox News, adding that he's been working as a forester for about seven years now.
Hosey filmed his hair-raising encounter with the rattlesnake, posting the footage on Facebook.
Hosey said he got within 10 to 15 feet of the rattlesnake before it started rattling repeatedly, signaling "it was time to go home."
"He got my attention," Hosey joked. "That was my sign to call it a day."