OKEENE—Hidden in the white gypsum rock east of Okeene is the apex predator of Northwest Oklahoma’s wild: the western diamondback rattlesnake.
The state is home to 46 native snake species with only seven that are venomous (those that inject a toxin directly into its prey) including this rattler.
That means over 80% of the snakes that people encounter are non-venomous and generally harmless, including king snakes, rat snakes, and garter snakes. Some of these may look like the dangerous rattlesnakes found around Okeene as well as Waynoka, but can be identified as one of the harmless varieties based on the rounded shape of its head and pupil (whereas rattlers have a triangular head and elliptical pupil).
As a whole, “snakes aren’t aggressive,” said Okeene snake expert Todd Felder. They are usually docile and “only bite out of defense.”
When humans pose a threat to them, he said snakes have three lines of defense: 1) hide by blending in with their surroundings or slithering into a hole or under rocks and brush, 2) run away by going in the opposite direction of the offender, or 3) bite because they are cornered and have no other choice.
Getting bit by a snake is rare, although Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas rank in the top six of U.S. states that have higher incidents of snake bites, according to The Oklahoman.
In most cases, people will actually walk past three or four snakes on the terrain before they even actually spot one, Felder said.
Snakes can’t regulate their internal body temperature, so they rely on their environment to control it. As a result, they are most active during the warm spring and hot summer months, moving in and out of the terrain.
During the heat of the day, they seek out cool spots such as the gypsum, which has an ambient earth temp of 64-66 degrees, Felder said. Then after they cool off during the night, snakes will seek out warmth, so it’s not uncommon to find them basking on rocks, logs, or pavement and gravel roads in the early hours of the morning.
And despite the bad rap the western diamondback and prairie rattlers get in Northwest Oklahoma, they fulfill a vital ecological role, he said. Snakes eat mice as well as rabbits, gophers, and squirrels, up to 25% of the rodents in a given geographical area.
The downside of a having a huge snake population—according to Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, snake density in Northwest Oklahoma is higher along the Cimarron River, particularly by rocky outcrops and riverbanks—is the battle over land ownership between cold-blooded reptiles and warm-blooded two-legged or four-legged creatures.
After the Cherokee Strip land runs, early pioneers settled the region to raise crops and livestock on Northwest Oklahoma’s prairie and hilly terrain. This meant cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, and chickens now roamed in areas that the snakes inhabited, making livestock a prime target for the rattlers’ venomous bite every time one grazed over a den.
Ranchers shot snakes by the dozens back then, Felder said, to protect not only their investments but their families too as well as cull or thin out the snake population.
By the late 1930s, the spring snake hunts had become organized, and a local flour mill worker named Orville Von Gulker decided to turn the annual ritual into a fun rite of passage for those in Okeene.
“He had the bright idea to start a festival,” Felder said.
Keeping tradition alive
Okeene’s Rattlesnake Roundup was born in 1939. Today it remains as the oldest organized snake hunt in the world.
And Felder’s family—his great-grandfather staked a claim east of Okeene during the 1892 land run—has been involved with the Rattlesnake Roundup since it started almost 90 years ago, either helping with the event or managing it.
“There has been a Felder in that snake pit every year,” he proudly said, starting with his late uncle, Anthony Felder, who was the oldest of the nine Felder kids, and his 85-year-old dad, David, who was the next to youngest of the nine. Uncle Anthony was 10 years old at the very first Rattlesnake Roundup.
Back then the Rattlesnake Roundup Club managed the annual festival that spawned others like it including one seven years later in Waynoka.
Hundreds of visitors from across the globe descended on Salt Creek Canyon southwest of Okeene, which is located within the thousands of acres of the Boeckman Ranch, to hunt snakes.
By the mid-1950s, Okeene Jaycees (a local civic organization) began managing the Rattlesnake Roundup. The rural community of 3,000 people swelled to more than 100,000 people during the festival in 1957, Felder said.
In its heyday, the Rattlesnake Roundup had a multitude of activities that involved:
- Rattlesnakes both dead for the butcher shop and alive for the Den of Death featuring rattlesnakes safely secured behind plywood and bulletproof glass for visitors to gaze at
- Competitions sizing the snakes (some rattlesnakes can grow to be over 6 feet long)
- Snake gags such as the Old Smokey Show featuring a taxidermy snake comprised of three snakes pieced together with a large rattle at the end that would pop out of a box to scare folks
- Pet snakes handled for public display and wrapped around the neck of the event’s snake charmer aka Wheatesta Queen
- Carnival and games for the whole family
- Train caboose rides from Enid to Okeene and back
- Old-fashioned demonstrations including gunfighters
- Vendors with merchandise and/or food to sell including fried rattlesnake that even drew the attention of “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks’ TV show “State Plate” (Season 3, Episode 8) in 2018 at the now-vacated Burger Station in Okeene
- Live music concerts
Much of the same novelty activities go on today, under the management of Okeene Diamondback Club (of which Felder is president) since 1998, but the roundup crowds plus club membership have dwindled, Felder said.
On average, between 3,000 and 5,000 visitors now attend the annual Rattlesnake Roundup, while Okeene’s population itself has downsized to barely 1,000 people. The Old Smokey Show is gone as are the train caboose rides, but helicopter rides and a fireworks show on Saturday have been added.
On the hunt
Most of those who invade the Blaine County town in April are snake enthusiasts that return every year for the thrill of the hunt, Felder said, adding he fantasizes that the roundup will get back to drawing in 25,000 or 30,000 visitors someday.
He said many “tourists become purists” after their first guided snake hunt. For those entertaining the idea of snake hunting this year, Felder recommends bringing:
- A good pair of cowboy boots or work boots, not tennis shoes or sandals
- Long pants, not shorts
- A hat to shield from the sun
- Bottled water to keep from getting dehydrated
He also strongly advises not wearing sunglasses while actually snake hunting as those can dull the senses and make it hard to spot snakes that easily blend in with the terrain.
Once the U.S. Wildlife Department got involved in the 1960s, all snake hunters were required to obtain a permit much like they do for fishing and deer hunting. Cost is $5 for the weekend permit, available in the registration booth, if the person doesn’t already have an annual or lifetime Oklahoma hunting license, Felder said.
Snake hunters also need to have snake catchers and buckets, whether they own them or rent them in the registration booth. The contest to see who has the longest rattlesnakes will be held Sunday afternoon after church.
“We’re not just a bunch of drunk idiots running ‘round the hills killing snakes,” Felder said. “We provide a service, and we’re a non-profit organization, so we give back and support the community.”
The 87th annual Okeene Rattlesnake Roundup is slated for April 9-12 in Okeene at the old football field located on the south side of Oklahoma 51 just east of the Oklahoma 8 and Oklahoma 51 junction. Admission is free; carnival wristbands by L&L Entertainment range from $25 to $35 per day. The registration booth opens at noon Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. Sunday.
The 80th annual Waynoka Rattlesnake Hunt is also slated for April 10-12 in Waynoka. Sponsored by the Waynoka Saddle Club, this event will include a den of death, butcher shop, activities for the kids and adults, food, live music, and competitions for longest rattlesnakes.