They hibernate communally with other timber rattlesnakes and also other species of snakes such as bullsnakes, milk snakes, black rat snakes, racers, and, less commonly, garter, brown, redbelly, and ringneck snakes. Habits Timber rattlesnakes are among the last snakes to emerge from hibernation in the spring, and among the first to retire to their winter retreats in the fall. They may bask around their den openings in late April or early May, but they do not move away from their dens until May. Many individuals move to other small, sunny openings of the bluff to spend their summer. Still others may spend the entire summer near the den site, especially the gravid females. In the spring and fall, timber rattlesnakes are active during the day, and during the hot summer months, they become nocturnal.
Timber rattlesnakes are surprisingly calm when encountered in the wild.
Many will sit motionless hoping that you will not see them. If you do approach too closely, they may slither under a rock or into a crevice without rattling, unlike some other species of rattlesnakes which are more apt to stand their ground. Most of the specimens that I have found failed to sound their rattle, even when hooked, and did not attempt to bite. When rattlesnakes do rattle, they elevate the rattle and black tail high in the air making the rattle extremely obvious. Non venomous snakes which vibrate their tails and produce a similar sound, will hold their tails close to the ground.