Comments on: Rattlesnake Festivals begin this weekend

By: NICOLE

NICOLE — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 07:48:21 +0000

I AM A HUNTER, AND HAVE GONE FOR THIS YEAR WILL BE MY 18 BUT I CAN CLAM IF I WONTED TO MORE SINCE MY DAD HAS GONE FOR AT LEAST 39 TO 40 YEARS. WE ALL GO AND CAMP AT THE SAME SIGHT AND ALWAYS FIND SNAKES. SOME YEARS MORE THEN OTHERS JUST JUST LIKE DEER HUNTING, YOU HAVE GOOD YEARS AND BAD BUT DEER ONLY HAVE 1 TO 3 BABYS AND SNAKES TEND TO HAVE 12 OR MORE SO YOU TELL ME IF WE DIDN’T HUNT THEM THEY WOULD BE OUT OF CONTROL, SO I BELIEVE WE SHOULD EVEN PEOPLE WHO DISLIKE SNAKE HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO SHOW UP JUST TO SEE HOW THINGS ARE DONE AND TO KNOW WHAT A RATTLE LOOKS LIKE, WISH I NEW WHEN ALL THE OTHER HUNTS WAS ONLY KNOW OF OKEENE

By: John Kirk

John Kirk — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 15:18:29 +0000

I enjoyed the article. Thanks Ed. I would really like to see a list of places/times to go see a festval for next spring if possible? I know the one in Okeene is usually in the Tulsa World in April but are the others you mentioned always on the same weekends each year or do they change?

And for the naysayers out there just remember P E T A stands for People Eating Tasty Animals.

By: Jerry Catfish Rider

Jerry Catfish Rider — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 22:01:40 +0000

I am a noodler and also a rattlesnake hunter. I am here to say, hunting snakes is exactly like noodling. The same rush is there. I turn loose almost every fish I catch because I am a conservationist. If I thought the snakes were in danger I would turn them loose too. I’ve hunted for almost 20 years on the same property. It is a dairy where the owner loses cows every year due to snake bite. I am a nusiance wildlife control operater. I remove rattlesnakes from peoples property all the time.I assure you there is no Shortage.I catch and release snakes all the time. I agree there have been some bad practices to snakes in the past, but were weeding those people out. It is alot more humane today.

By: Ray Autry

Ray Autry — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 10:14:58 +0000

As someone who has investigated several roundups in the state of Oklahoma, interviewed hunters, and researched the topic for many years I am definitely concerned about the impact roundups are having on the ecosystem.

Some local populations have been decimated leading roundup organizers to IMPORT Crotalus Atrox from Texas specifically for the purpose of having snakes. The Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation has not done a complete study of these roundups and their effects since 1988.

And gassing is indeed illegal in the state of Oklahoma, but with a lot of this hunting occurring on private land it is almost impossible to detect. I have also overheard hunters saying that they still use gasoline.

By: Roxie McGrew

Roxie McGrew — Sat, 14 May 2011 15:52:34 +0000

When is the next roundup I have been wanting to go to one every since I moved to oklahome 16 years ago. Where are they & when are they

By: Steve Garner

Steve Garner — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:53:18 +0000

When is the next festival?

By: phyllis craighead

phyllis craighead — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 04:48:05 +0000

some one told us how good ur rattlesnake festival is and we would like to apply to be a vendor at it next yr can u please email us info on that

By: Bud

Bud — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 05:00:41 +0000

In Texas, there are 172 counties that Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes are native to. Only 7 Texas counties hold Rattlesnake Roundups. It would be impossible to exterminate the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. Snake hunters go back to the same spots and bring in several pounds of rattlesnakes every year.

By: Drew

Drew — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 04:21:50 +0000

The people in America are becoming more liberal and democratic which is destroying this country. A rattlesnake roundup is a perfect example. Did you know that the democratic party is trying to put an end to sport fishing because they see it as inhumane to animals? What is this country coming to? We’re slowly losing the freedom that members of the US Military, such as myself, fight so hard for. The main concern for rattlesnake roundups is that they deplete wild populations. This is NOT true. Snake hunters show up to the roundups every single year with just as many snakes as they did the year before and they return to the same dens year after year. The only way to bring an animal into extinction is to destroy its habitat which snake hunters are NOT responsible for. Go complain to tree loggers that destroy wild populations of other animals and leave the snake hunters alone.

By: edgodfrey

edgodfrey — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 22:43:37 +0000

I am told most are caught in March when they first appear out of the dens and are just sunning themselves. They are more lethargic at that time and are easy to sack up and snatch with snake poles. Now, I think you have a point about how they are stored and kept until the festivals begin. But most snake hunters are doing it for the money, so it’s in their financial interest to keep the snakes alive and healthy until they can sell to the festivals, which in turn sell them to snake buyers for making belts, boots, wallets, etc. But ultimately, they all end up being killed. And I can’t disagree that the rattlesnake is important in the eco-system. There is an issue about whether organized rattlesnake hunts are wiping out the population. Some argue they do, but the Wildlife Department does not think so.