Yeah, you often don't see the snakes, especially during the day. It's hard to tell if you didn't come near any snakes, or if you just didn't see them. I've seen people walk within almost an arm's length of a four-foot water snake without noticing it, and it wasn't even one of the really well-camouflaged species. Rattlesnakes will usually warn you if you get close, but not in areas with a lot of feral hogs. Feral hogs like to eat snakes, and their skin and fat are so thick that they're basically immune to the bites. So now rattlesnakes are being selected for ones that rattle less, or not at all, since all the loud ones are found and eaten by hogs. Or by misguided people, who think they're making it safer by killing every snake they see.
I don't expect everyone who comes to Texas to get bitten by something, but, given how painful and potentially dangerous a venomous snake bite is, I think the boots are good to have. Plus, they're tall enough for good ankle support, which doesn't hurt anything.
Once I can get a pair, I think I'm going to intentionally test it on some of the decorative agaves in the neighborhood. Good way to check how they'll do against thorns. Around here, it's the prickly pear cacti that are a big problem, there are lots of them and some varieties are really sharp.