Rattlesnakes aren't really that scary. The ones around Georgian Bay (The Massasauga Rattler) don't get too huge and only have a striking distance of about 1.5 feet when they're full grown. They also can regulate the flow of venom once they're full grown so only about 25% of bites actually get a full dose, and its really the immature ones that you need to worry about.
I worked at a provincial park up there and saw snakes all the time. Researchers often came up to tag them and measure them and stuff. What actually worries me is how small the bucket was that they put them in. Anyway, while rattlers are certainly potentially dangerous, the chances of having bad issues with them are relatively slim, even when handling them.
PS I don't know what kind of rattler that was in the video and only half watched.
my guess would be that he did it in the dark so the snakes had a harder time seeing him/his approach and were therefore less likely to strike him. in the light they can see every move he makes....
"I was called in to remove an unknown number of snakes waiting out the winter inside of a garage of a Scottsdale, AZ home. In this video, I had discovered where they were, and went back to get my gear for the capture.
*edit* the lights are off because there is no power in the home
*edit* These snakes have not been harmed in any way, and will be relocated to the wild as soon as possible.
All snakes will be released unharmed once the weather warms a little"
Welp, that's where I live. Don't know what the hell he's talking about "warms up a bit" though, ya it's not summer but it was 90 degrees today and it's 70 right now. These Phoenix types don't know what cold is.