Shooting that "magnificent creature" would have been a bad idea for many reasons...
I'm glad you both came out of it intact. I can't imagine the Use of Force Policy in National Parks includes shooting venomous snakes. I know it sounds cliche', but its true... Snakes REALLY don't want to bite you because they're mean. They're just protecting their territory or their babies. Unless you're loaded with snakeshot, it would be pretty hard to dispatch that beast with JHP or ball ammo with just one or two shots.
Snakes are best observed behind glass or from a distance. I'm glad you're not telling this story from a hospital bed after a near-death experience. I know hindsight is always 20/20, but it may be a good idea to load your first two rounds with snakeshot on your next hike in the woods. If you carry a BUG, maybe you want to load that with the snakeshot...
Bravo Zulu on your reaction-time and having the 'guts' to NOT shoot that 'magnificent creature'. I'm not sure I wouldn't have unloaded on that beast... and incurred the wrath of the National Parks Service for lowering the population of Timber Rattlers by one snake.
Actually, the snake never moved or rattled, even with me four feet away or when I took pictures, he never even looked in my direction, just kept sunning himself, and I had no intention of shooting him. I never felt in danger, but if I hadn't seen him and stepped on him...I was wearing hiking boots and long pants, so who knows the result if he tried to bite me... I spoke later with a snake expert, who told me this snake is generally not dangerous unless you step on or very near them.
In the unlikely circumstance that I had to shoot a bear or snake in the SNP, most of the time you are so far away from anyone that they will not hear the shot or be able to find you even if they did. But I would only do so if I felt in mortal danger. I guess a nearby hiker could report you or that they heard a shot.
I do have a question though for anyone with experience with bears in Virginia, which I have not encountered. I understand from my reading that they are generally not agressive towards humans except if you get too close to a cub. Is it effective to fire a warning shot to scare off bears, such as if you encounter one near your camp at night?