While snakes may scare many people, the impulse to kill them could result in serious legal consequences. "It's illegal to kill any type of snake in Tennessee," said Jarratt.

However, there are a few poisonous plants in East Tennessee that you should avoid on your hike. There are more dangerous plants in East Tennessee than just poison oak or poison ivy.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency officials last week seized 50 poisonous snakes, including rattlesnakes and copperheads, from Andrew Hamblin, the pastor of a Pentecostal church called the ...