thanks guys. honestly, yes - most of the terrain was that rough. the one site had been burned this year so most of that was pretty easy. the rest was poison sumac and dense brush.
anyway, the animals we were radio tracking were ones that matt had found earlier last month. they've been fitted with surgically implanted radio transmitters about the width of a AAA battery and about half as long. they don't harm the snakes and will be removed before the end of the summer.