“He didn’t come in here by his-self,” Rancher warns of roaming rattlesnake

OKARCHE, Okla. - A cowboy is issuing a warning out of Okarche after spotting a rattlesnake rarely seen in these parts. The prairie rattlesnake has made a name for itself out west in the panhandles. But, Charlie Williamson, who's long roamed the Oklahoma ranges, believes the species could be on the move. "Well, I was going to feed the cattle. I seen this snake, thought it was a bull snake," Williamson said. "And, then, finally, I thought, that's got to be a prairie rattler." Problem is, prairie rattlesnakes are largely located out west, preferring the open air in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles. "Some snakes and animals found that area to be preferable," said Micah Holmes with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Although central Oklahoma isn't their normal slithering grounds, Holmes said a lone prairie rattler group out east isn't uncommon. "So, they'll move several hundred yards or miles," he said. "But, they don't migrate like birds or other things like that." "Just be aware that they're here now," Williamson said. "He didn't come in here by his-self." Charlie ultimately killed the reptile and is urging fellow ranchers to keep an eye out. The prairie rattlesnake is known to have the most toxic venom of all Oklahoma snakes, according to the Department of Wildlife Conservation...more